Anecdotes of Oyasama 12

Anecdotes of Oyasama
Author: Various authors Date Published: 1976 Pages: 159 (English ed.) Anecdotes Index

Anecdotes of Oyasama 12 presents the contents of "The Sazuke (Divine Grant) of Fertilizer," a selection from Anecdotes of Oyasama, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in 1976. The content below appears between page 7 and 8 of the print edition.

Text: English translation and original Japanese

12. The Sazuke (Divine Grant) of Fertilizer Oyasama said to Chushichi Yamanaka: "As you are following the path of God, in your farming you must not have enough time to fertilize sufficiently," and then She bestowed the Sazuke of Fertilizer on Chushichi. She continued: "Concerning the Sazuke of Fertilizer, it is not the substance itself, but the truly sincere mind of each person which is effective." Further, She said: "True or false, try it and see." As soon as Chushichi got home, he chose two fields and fertilized one sufficiently with the usual night soil, fertilized the other only with the Sazuke of Fertilizer, and decided to wait for the result. Soon, August passed and September came to an end. The field fertilized with the night soil became thick with green rice plants which promised a rich harvest in the fall. On the other hand, the field fertilized with the Sazuke of Fertilizer seemed lifeless. The stalks were short and stubby and they had turned a slightly reddish color. Chushichi could not help but doubt, "After all, it seems like the night soil is more effective than the Sazuke." However, at autumn harvest time, the rice plants from the usually fertilized field were infested with insects and some were even empty. In contrast, none of the rice plants from the field of the Sazuke were infested with insects and none were empty, although the stalks were a little shorter. It was discovered that the Sazuke field actually yielded more rice at harvest time.

一二　肥のさづけ 教祖は、山中忠七に、 　 「神の道について来るには、百姓すれば十分に肥も置き難くかろう。」 とて、忠七に、肥のさづけをお渡し下され、 　 「肥のさづけと言うても、何も法が効くのやない。めんめんの心の誠真実が効くのやで。」 と、お諭しになり、 「嘘か真か、試してみなされ。」 と、仰せになった。 　 忠七は、早速、二枚の田で、一方は十分に肥料を置き、他方は肥のさづけの肥だけをして、その結果を待つ事にした。 やがて八月が過ぎ九月も終りとなった。肥料を置いた田は、青々と稲穂が茂って、十分、秋の稔りの豊かさを思わしめた。が、これに反して、肥のさづけの肥だけの田の方は、稲穂の背が低く、色も何んだか少々赤味を帯びて、元気がないように見えた。 忠七は、「やっぱりさづけよりは、肥料の方が効くようだ。」と、疑わざるを得なかった。 ところが、秋の収穫時になってみると、肥料をした方の田の稲穂には、虫が付いたり空穂があったりしているのに反し、さづけの方の田の稲穂は、背こそ少々低く思われたが、虫穂や空穂は少しもなく、結局実収の上からみれば、確かに、前者よりもすぐれていることが発見された。

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