Book III, 29-41

We go forward in the same vein, as God continues to compare and contrast the mind that knows the heart of God, is high spirited, has returned to the origin, and is like clear water - with the depressed, alienated, self-centered, muddy, mind that thinks only of itself. The intention that these poems hasten the removal of the misunderstanding that existed between God, the Nakayama family and the villagers (and that continues to exist between God and the world today) remains the same.

You are mistaking your child's crying at night.
It is not a child's cry; it is God's persuasion.

In these poems it is not unusual for God to use small everyday occurrences to make very large points. In this case it appears that parents have asked (prayed) that the god in Yamato make their baby stop crying at night. The assumption here is that god will make a change to the state of the baby (the world) and in so doing will satisfy the desire of the parents to be free of the disruption of sleep that often accompanies newborns in the home. That is to say that the parents do not want to change themselves, they would prefer that god change the world for them and in so doing bring satisfaction to their self-centered desire to have a baby without the disruption in ones schedule that that entails.

As God desires to inform you quickly,
you must understand whatever occurs.

Lest there be any error I the minds of you parents,
you had better ponder quickly.

Again we see that God intends that these teachings be seen and understood quickly. This is possible because the God's teaching is not an accumulation of ideas or facts that take a long time to learn but rather the removal, quieting or settling of whatever self-centered thought currently absorbs our attention. God likens this to awakening from a dream.

If you are truly of a mind to save others,
there is no need for the persuasion of God.

The thought that all is well if the present is well for the self
alone, is entirely mistaken.

The distinction between the original and the self-centered dream is hastened. A baby's crying at night is taught as the persuasion of God. This is an opportunity to make that distinction. If the parents were truly of a mind to save others, would the baby cease to cry? Or would they cease to be disturbed by the crying?

However broad a path you may have set out on,
you do not see the narrow path that is in your future.

As human beings are shallow,
you can never see where your paths will lead in the future.

Do not complain about your present situation.
A broad path will appear ahead of you.

Do not grieve over whatever path you are now on.
Take delight in the main path that lies ahead.

Recall that these poems are connected to verse 28 above. The interest that we pay for attaching to an object (a body) is the path of objects (continuous birth and dissolution) or the pain of loss through change. Here God instructs us not to try and supernaturally change nature, which is full of cycles of birth and death , but to accept it joyously. We could rephrase the first line of verse 28 and say - If you wish to have a baby you must pay interest - or , if you wish to be a body you must accept the truth of bodies - It is this way in all things and matters. This is the truth we often refer to as acceptance. If we wish to play we have to pay and play by the rules. If we get hurt we can return to the origin, see the truth of the game and then go back and play again. Dwelling on our pain or dissatisfaction only fuels the self centered imagination. The main path can be reached by sweeping the troubles away. The narrow path closes in on itself. The blind shallow approach seeks only to satisfy the desires of our self-centered imagination. There is no end to it!

If you are truly of a mind to save others single-heartedly,
I shall accept you, even if you say nothing.

Words of flattery are unwanted.
If only there is sincerity in the core of your mind…

Here we see, not surprisingly, that the true mind to save others is the mind that is single-hearted with God.

The second point here is that God does not seek our prayers and cannot be flattered into giving us what we selfishly want. Single-heartedness is thus sincerity in the core of the mind. God only intends that we wake up. God's help is always fully given and pointed in our direction. We need only wake up and accept it as it is given instead of seeking to make it conform to what we imagine it should be.

This universe is the body of God.
Ponder this in all matters.

This verse draws us back to the fundamental challenge in verse 28. If the whole universe is the body of God then what of my body, who does it belong to? If this truth is pondered in all matters what effect will it have on the way that I view both myself and my world? This is really a different point of view, isn't it?

All human bodies are things lent by God.
With what thought are you using them?

This verse asks a question. I can only answer this question for myself. I almost always use this body as if it is mine and me. Sometimes and this is particularly so when things get a bit tough, I sweep my mind and view things from their original point of view, through the mind like clear water. From that point of view it is apparent that the universe is the body of God (one) and that I only imagine otherwise through the core idea that is understood as "I am this body". I have always found that the Service is a good quick way to distinguish between what is original and what is imaginary and this has given me access to much more joy than my self-centered imagination alone could ever do.

Verses 28,40 and 41 are fundamental in hastening our awakening. God will continue, through this and the other sixteen books of Ofudesaki, to address and attack the misunderstanding of the truth of origin in ways that are appropriate for time, place and maturity. Fortunately for us the truth of origin can be seen now through the truth of these three verses in the truly sincere mind like clear water. If pondering and deep self-reflection do not come easily then see the truth quickly, now, through the performance of the Service which quickly shows the way to distinguish between the origin and the high mountains.