Anecdotes of Oyasama 81
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Anecdotes of Oyasama 81 presents the contents of "Now, Help Yourself," a selection from Anecdotes of Oyasama, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in 1976. The content below appears on page 68 of the print edition.
Text: English translation and original Japanese
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81. Now, Help Yourself Sasuke Uehara, accompanying his sister Ishi, and his uncle Sakichi and his wife Sato, returned to Jiba on May 14, 1881. They were happy to be granted an audience with Oyasama. Oyasama was very pleased. She Herself served to each of them small dishes containing bamboo shoots, young taro, and burdocks cooked in soy sauce, and then poured the offered sake into a sake cup that had the design of the moon and sun with a cloud.
She offered. At that time Sasuke was a vigorous young man in his thirties. Oyasama, after explaining various things about the teachings to them, quickly and gently extended both of Her hands, grasped Sasuke's wrists, and said:
Sasuke felt his body grow numb and all he could do was to bow deeply saying, "Mercy, please." His sister, Ishi (later Ishi Tsujikawa), in her later life reminisced, "Her solemn appearance at that time can in no way be expressed with words. I was awestruck and I instinctively bowed my head." Sasuke, who at that time had been personally shown the warm parental love and the power of Oyasama, began to hold a firm belief and strived for the single-hearted salvation of mankind. |
八一 さあお上がり 上原佐助は、伯父佐吉夫婦、妹イシと共に、明治十四年五月十四日（陰暦四月十七日）おぢば帰りをして、幸いにも教祖にお目通りさせて頂いた。教祖は、大層お喜び下され、筍と小芋と牛蒡のお煮しめを、御手ずから小皿に盛り分けて下され、更に、月日に雲を描いたお盃に、お神酒を注いで下され、
と、おすすめ下された。この時、佐助は、三十代の血気盛りであった。教祖は、いろいろとお話し下されて後、スッとお手を差し伸べられ、佐助の両手首をお握りになって、
と、仰せられたが、佐助は、全身がしびれるような思いがして、ただ、「恐れ入りました。」 と、平伏するばかりであった。妹のイシ（註、後に辻川イシ）が、後年の思い出話に、「その厳かな有様は、とても口には言えません。ハッとして、思わず頭が下がりました。」 と、 語っている。 この時、教祖の温かい親心とお力を、ありありとお見せ頂いて、佐助は、いよいよたすけ一条に進ませて頂こうとの、確固たる信仰を抱くようになった。 |
