Anecdotes of Oyasama 108
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Anecdotes of Oyasama 108 presents the contents of "The Roads to the Summit Are Many," a selection from Anecdotes of Oyasama, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in 1976. The content below appears between page 91 and 93 of the print edition.
Text: English translation and original Japanese
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108. The Roads to the Summit Are Many Seijiro Imagawa had been suffering from a stomach ailment for many years. He was an ardent follower of the Hokke sect. He invited Buddhist priests to his home to pray for him and he himself also prayed all the time. Although others were saved by this, his own stomach ailment did not get any better. One day, the wife of a neighborhood bamboo dealer said to him, "Since you are devoted to Hokke you might not listen but there exists a wonderful god." He replied, "I will listen to the talk once to learn what is taught." Thus, it was arranged for him to listen to the teachings of the path. He then received the marvelous divine blessing through the three days and three nights of prayers, and recovered completely from the stomach ailment which had bothered him for thirty years. This was about 1882. Thereafter, he completely ceased going to the Buddhist temple, and resolved to follow the path single-heartedly. He returned to Jiba and when he had an audience with Oyasama, he received these wonderful words:
He was deeply moved by Her warm parental love. Then, Oyasama asked:
and, continuing, said:
She explained with the gesture of drawing a line with Her finger. Later, on September 5, 1890, at the time of the great Shinmachi Fire in Osaka, the fire burned furiously toward the Shinmei-gumi Confraternity at Itachibori. Everyone, beginning with Izutsu, the head of the confraternity, performed the prayer service in earnest. Then, just as the wooden fence in the back edge of the lot was burned down, the direction of the wind changed and the whole area of the Shinmei-gumi Confraternity remained untouched. Seijiro, with deep emotion, recalled the words of Oyasama. |
一〇八 登る道は幾筋も 今川清次郎は、長年胃を病んでいた。法華を熱心に信仰し、家に僧侶を請じ、自分もまたいつも祈祷していた。が、それによって、人の病気は救かることはあっても、自分の胃病は少しも治らなかった。そんなある日、近所の竹屋のお内儀から、「お宅は法華に凝っているから、話は聞かれないやろうけれども、結構な神様がありますのや。」と、言われたので、「どういうお話か、一度聞かしてもらおう。」ということになり、お願いしたところ、お道の話を聞かして頂き、三日三夜のお願いで、三十年来の胃病をすっかり御守護頂いた。明治十五年頃のことである。 それで、寺はすっきり断って、一条にこの道を信心させて頂こうと、心を定め、名前も聖次郎と改めた。こうして、おぢばへ帰らせて頂き、教祖にお目通りさせて頂いた時、教祖は、
と、結構なお言葉を頂き、温かい親心に感激した。 次に、教祖は、
と、仰せになり、
と、御自分の指で線を引いて、お話し下された。 後に、明治二十三年九月五日（陰暦七月二十一日）新町大火の時、立売堀の真明組講社事務所にも猛火が迫って来たが、井筒講元以下一同が、熱誠こめてお願い勤めをしていたところ、裏の板塀が焼け落ちるのをさかいに、突然風向が変わり、真明組事務所だけが完全に焼け残った。聖次郎は、この時、教祖からお聞かせ頂いたお言葉を、感銘深く思い出したのであった。 |
Note
In the Japanese, it is noted that Seijiro changed the kanji to write his name from 清次郎 to 聖次郎 after embracing the faith.
