Newpath Tenrikyo - Tenrikyo Dynamic - EXPOSING THE CORE ("Shin") OF OUR MIND

God's intention in teaching us is entirely revealed in this poem.

The metaphor "Core" first appears in what is called Book III of the poems collected as The Tip Of the Writing Brush ("Ofudesaki"). When we look at the thematic development and think about what it is saying we note that the way to expose and reveal the core ("shin") of our mind is through the performance of the Service ("tsutome", work). That is to say that if we want to intentionally reveal the core of our mind we will have to work at doing it.

What then are we supposed to remove? Metaphorically and in actuality our self centered imaginings rise out of, appear in and collect on top of our original consciousness (the core of our mind - that is God's mind). The state of our mind that naturally mistakes our self centered imaginations as the entire truth of our self is metaphorically called the "regret" of God because for many it has led to the experience of suffering.

Viewed thematically the work of revealing the core of our mind, the origin of our mind, doesn't have anything to do with "teachings, ethical and ancient". Though we may be attached to the truths that can be known through "teachings ethical and ancient", knowing those truths is not the same as knowing the origin or core of the mind. The task of reveling the core of our mind also involves the removal of greed and by extension self-centered and common worldly thinking. With that in mind it seems like the work of revealing the core of our mind  might be difficult to do and one might wonder why anyone should bother to do it. Two responses to that question come to mind:

• In order to make the work easier for the people in the village and surrounding countryside first the "Teodori" and then the "Kagura" were painstakingly prepared and taught in order to open just a narrow path of single-hearted salvation. Single-hearted salvation referring to what remains when the core of the mind is revealed. Single heartedness meaning the state of mind wherein the self centered imagination has merged back into its origin, the parental heart, the core of the mind, the truth of origin. Thus providing our new self centered imagination with an upgraded foundation that is the knowledge and understanding of the truth of our origin, the total truth of our self. When we look at the "model path" we see that the work of revealing the core of the mind was thus taught in a way that was culturally familiar, fun to do and easy to learn and perform.

• That's nice but what's in it for us, here and now, today? Why should we work at  revealing the core of our mind? The answer to that is simple. It is promised that we can get relief from suffering and dissatisfaction in all matters and even from weakening and death by exposing the core of our mind, pondering what remains and living a joyous life as a result of the "free and unlimited workings" that are given to the self centered imagination that knows and understands the total truth of self that flows from the knowledge and understanding of the true origin of our mind and every thing else as well.

Though God our Parent intended the work to be quick, simple and easy there were and continue to be problems with this as there is a disconnect between our intention to quickly realize our common worldly expectations and wishes and God's intention and wish to provide all human beings equally with a way to realize a joyous life in all matters. As a result of this disconnect both those close to God our Parent and those in denial of God our Parent's teaching and intention actively and naturally attempted to relate and confuse the teaching that shows the way to quickly reveal the core of our mind with other teachings, ethical and ancient and to think of God our Parent's teachings in common worldly self-centered ways.

The confrontation between God's mind and our self centered imaginations (God's regret) is not taking place someplace else. It is all happening because of and within God's mind. We are hastened to ponder this and choose a side.

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