Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission  ACCEPTANCE  ("TANNO")

AcceptanceThe word "acceptance" ("Tanno") does not I think appear in the poems collected as The Tip Of The Writing Brush however it does appear in the Timely Talks and Directives given by the "Honseki" Izo Iburi. When pondering the meaning of "acceptance" several things come to mind.:

1st. When compared with Miki Nakayama's "Model Life" it does not mean to accept everything to the extent that no effort is made to adjust or to make changes. There are things that at any given time we may not be able to do anything about but that does not mean that we should not make any effort to adjust and make changes that will effect future outcomes. After all God our Parent is teaching us because our current way of looking at things is, from god's point of view, "pitiful" and because of that God desires to make a fundamental change to the way in which we use our imaginations.

2nd. I imagine that Miki Nakayama addressed unreasonable expectations simply by saying that the persons who expressed them did not understand anything at all about what She was teaching and would continue to do so until the work of purifying their mind was completed.

On the other hand, Izo Iburi, the "Honseki" used the term acceptance ("tanno") to address those same misunderstandings and unreasonable expectations and made "acceptance" a basis for a teaching that builds and strengthens the sincerity needed to return our mind to its original pristine condition.

Joyously accepting a situation that is hard to accept is sincerity.

Osashizu, October 8, 1897

The Honseki went on to link the misunderstanding arising out of unreasonable expectations to our shallow worldly common understanding of causality. The model story of Miki Nakayama clearly shows the difference between a changing and uncertain worldly common understanding of causality that she had prior to awakening and an understanding of causality that arises from the certain knowledge and understanding of the original cause of all things ("moto no innen") that is revealed through the totally purified "mind like clear water".

Listen and understand the truth that is called causality. Even if you try to cause something to happen, it may not happen. Even if you try not to let something happen, it may happen. Such is the truth of causality, I say.

Osashizu, May 31, 1894

God's intention in teaching the way to awaken to the truth of origin, the original cause of all things does not match our self centered, worldly common intentions and expectations. We tend to be interested in making changes to "our body". God is trying to get us to awaken to a fundamental change in the way that we use our mind.

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

 

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