Tenrikyo-Ofudesaki - Pondering Fear

• Miki's intense fear of god's, spirits and curses went away as a result of her awakening. 

  • Though those fears went away for Miki they still remained a powerful force in the imaginations of the Nakayama family and early followers.

  • Ponder deeply and make sure that the ideas that are the fundamental cause of those fears haven't been transferred within our own imagination as unfounded fear of our parent of origin whose relationship to us is indiscriminate love.

   The Nakayama family, with the exception of Miki, and early follower's fear of the local authorities.

  • At the time that these poems were written the distinction between civil and religious authority was not well defined and acting in any way that was outside of established norms could have serious consequences that most would have found to be an unacceptable risk. Even more so in a situation where the desire to fit in and conform was strong.

  • Promoting the creation of a new world of joyous life doesn't go down well with imaginations that think that the old world is just fine and as a result feel threatened by talk of recreating the world as one of joyous life for all equally.

• Fear of what one's friends and neighbors might think.

  • In 1842 Miki's actions led the family and friends of her husband, Zenbei to stop associating with him. Peer pressure is a common source of fear and a powerful tool for the maintenance of common truths of the world. Fortunately this teaching is private conversation between one's own imagination and its original parental consciousness. No one can read our private thoughts making this, like most of the other fears created in our imaginations, a totally unnecessary fear.

• The every popular plain old fear of change of any kind.

  • Holding on to things, ideas and relationships from the past; even if they are not bringing us joy they are familiar truths that we adhere to and we are comfortable with them and fear what we imagine to be a world without them.

    • Clinging to things from our own past. Not wanting to part with the "dust" or "mud" that we have accumulated in the course of our life path but continuing to seek happiness and relief.

    • Clinging to traditions and common truths of the world. The desire to hold onto to the absolute truths that have been programed into our imaginations, often since childhood and even in the face of disastrous results.

CONTINUE SURE GUIDES: SECTION IVc: