PL Teachings
THE BASICS OF THE PL FAITH
Self-Expression
The essential purpose of human life is to make “art” through expressing our own unique self (the true individuality with which we were all born). For example, when we are employed, the primary purpose is to express our self through our work. The earnings we gain by working are of secondary importance when we look at it from this point of view, because to live is primarily to express our God-given individual self.
We actually only fully live our lives when we are each expressing our self. This is when we can experience the true reality of living. Therefore, if we really want to know the meaning of human life, we need to understand the meaning of human self-expressions. To understand this, we first have to know that what we are doing at this present moment is an instant snapshot or reflection of our total life. Like this, our lives consist of successive self-expressions.
Then, to make “art” of our self-expressions, means to do everything with our “Makoto” effort. In other words, we do things by putting our heart — our sincere self into them. “Art” in this sense is not professional art, but refers to everything we do, no matter how mundane. By putting our unique individuality into what we do with our Makoto effort, our very own unique flavour is reflected in it. This is similar to the writing of a well-known author like Ernest Hemingway or William Shakespeare being identified by the style and content of what he or she has written, and buildings being clearly recognised as having been designed by a particular architect like Frank Lloyd Wright.
The unique individuality we all have was given by God as soon as we were born and this belongs only to us. This individuality can only be clearly seen when we express ourselves with Makoto. In this way we can create our own art. Also, by doing everything with our Makoto effort, we derive joy from having done our best, even for the most mundane task. At the same time, other people feel our joy.
Mishirase/Mioshie
Unique to PL and the heart of the PL faith is the teaching of Mishirases (divine warnings) and Mioshies (divine instructions).
PL teaches us that the cause of our sicknesses, misfortunes and general unhappiness, lies within our selves. Through our problems, pain and sicknesses we are being taught that we are not living according to God’s way. The Mishirases we have indicate that we are not correctly expressing our selves — our individuality — for our true happiness or the happiness of others.
In PL we recognise that problems, illnesses and misfortunes are really blessings in disguise. They are divine warnings from God, which if correctly heeded, will avert future sufferings. If we can understand and change the mental causes of our sicknesses, pain and misfortunes we can often eliminate these human sufferings. However, this is not an easy task because we tend to be blind to our own incorrect mental habits, which are expressed though our emotions such as anger, stubbornness, excessive grief, haste and worry.
A major uniqueness of the PL religion is that through Oshieoya’s special oath with God, we are able to learn why we have been given Mishirases. In PL, the answers we receive for our Mishirases are called “Mioshies”.
The Mioshies we receive are precious individual teachings given to us by God to help us improve our lives. These are personal teachings that are received just for us, for our own Mishirases. We must solemnly promise that we will follow whatever we are taught in our Mioshies and practice them in our daily lives. Through these personal teachings, our God-given individuality or true self can gradually be revealed to enable us to live more enjoyably and fully. Also, as a side benefit, our sicknesses can often be cured and our problems and misfortunes resolved.
However, as Oshieoya has said, the most importance aspect of a Mioshie is not that we may be able to eliminate a Mishirase, rather it’s the personal teaching we have been given by God to help us grow and improve our lives. Nevertheless, it is through the sincere daily practice of our Mioshies to improve our lives, that our problems, pain, illness, misfortune, etc. can be solved.
Omitama
A Church Omitama is the PL church prayer symbol set up on the altar in the church where members can pray. (You can see a picture of the Omitama in the chapel of the Brisbane Perfect Liberty Centre, in the upper left hand corner of this page.)
The Family Omitama, on the other hand, is a PL family prayer symbol set up on an altar in the home where members can pray.
In PL, the Omitama has been blessed by Oshieoya in a special prayer as a gateway to God, but we do not worship it.
Oyashikiri
The 5 syllable word “O-ya-shi-ki-ri”, just by itself has all the power (virtue) that PL has and anyone who chants this word can receive blessings from God through Oshieoya’s Shikiri power and the virtue of the PL Founders. Any member can request an Oyashikiri Prayer for their wishes from a minister or assistant minister.
Hosho
Like most religious organisations, the reality is that PL is operated and maintained by its members’ heartfelt generosity. In PL, we have a ritual called “Hosho” where the members are asked to donate by doing Hosho. It is a heartfelt offering and the amount is up to a member’s feeling. All members receive a “Hosho envelope” into which they make their offerings and this is what is called “doing Hosho”.
Because the members make donations of their precious money, Oshieoya did a special prayer to God for the Hosho envelopes by praying, “God, please bless the members who put their heartfelt donations into these envelopes, so that they will receive both tangible and intangible blessings in return for their sincerity.”
Consultations
Each one of us is unique and different from anyone else in the world. Through confidential consultations given by the PL ministers, the members receive personal guidance tailored to their individual personality and situation.
Members can receive consultations from a PL minister for any kind of problems or situations. They may want to request a consultation about their job, their children, business problems, financial matters or anything that is troubling them, big or small. PL consultations will help them solve their problems as well as teach them how to live with positive feelings toward everyone and every situation. They will also be able to express themselves more clearly and freely, and as a result they will live more contented enjoyable lives.
