Derived from the Osashizu, The Divine Directions, this term is often used in the context of faith practice. Illnesses and other troubles are taught as being "knots"--"knots" in the sense of tree nodes or bamboo joints from which new growth occurs. They are seen as expressions of God the Parent's parental love for human beings, the children of God--a parental love that desires to let those suffering from illness or other troubles know the existence of God, who is the true Parent of all humanity, and to have them correct their selfish, human thinking, thereby guiding them toward the Joyous Life. From the point of view of human beings, such "knots" provide them with opportunities to reflect on their use of the mind. The Divine Directions tell us that "buds sprout from knots" (Osashizu, May 12, 1889; March 5, 1894; January 17, 1899). One would be well advised to take advantage of those "knots"--whether encountered in the form of illness or other troubles--as opportunities to reflect deeply on one's "dusty" use of the mind, awaken to the parental love embodied in the "knots," and commit oneself to a life rooted in the "true mind." Living in that manner will allow one to receive the free and unlimited blessings of God the Parent. The Divine Directions say:

A knot, a knot. Settle the mind in oneness. Why is this happening: here a knot, there a knot, all kinds of knots? They offer truth for setting the mind, truth for encouraging the mind to settle.

Osashizu, September 10, 1888

In the absence of any knot, everything goes in one ear and out the other. . . . You cannot listen or understand unless faced with a knot.

Osashizu, October 9, 1889

When you find yourself in a situation where you think this may be your end, recall that it is a knot. Make a commitment of spirit and stand firm. If you stand firm, the Truth of Heaven will work for you. This I teach.

Osashizu, August 23, 1904

The anniversaries of Oyasama are also seen as "knots." There is a saying in Japanese: "Junen hito-fushi" ("Ten years, one knot"), meaning that a crucial juncture occurs at 10-year intervals. Tenrikyo has sought to have new "buds" sprout from each "knot" represented by an anniversary of Oyasama--observed once every ten years--and has thereby grown to what it is today.