Anecdotes of Oyasama 97
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Anecdotes of Oyasama 97 presents the contents of "Tobacco Field," a selection from Anecdotes of Oyasama, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in 1976. The content below appears between page 80 and 81 of the print edition.
Text: English translation and original Japanese
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97. Tobacco Field Once Oyasama said to Kozaburo Murakami of Izumi Province:
She showed him the inside of the sleeve of the red garment She was wearing. Kozaburo looked into the sleeve as instructed. There he saw a scene of deep green tobacco leaves growing luxuriantly in his tobacco field. When he came back home from the Residence, he went straight to his tobacco field. There he saw the tobacco growing just as luxuriantly as he had seen it inside Oyasama's sleeve. Feelings of relief, joy and gratitude welled up within him and before he knew it, he was bowing deeply toward the Residence. This incident took place when Kozaburo returned to Jiba during the time he had been directing his efforts solely toward saving others and had entrusted the farming entirely to his hired hands. The hired hands worked diligently at growing the tobacco plants and wanted Kozaburo to see the luxuriant field at least once. However, as Kozaburo was devoting all his time to the salvation of others he did not have any spare time to go and see the field. Naturally he was concerned; the thought of the tobacco field was always in the back of his mind. Kozaburo was all the more deeply moved by the omnipotent workings of God the Parent and by God's parental love in taking care of God's children. |
九七 煙草畑 ある時、教祖は、和泉国の村上幸三郎に、
と、仰せになり、お召しになっている赤衣の袖の内側が、見えるようになされた。幸三郎が、仰せ通り、袖の内側をのぞくと、そこには、我が家の煙草畑に、煙草の葉が、緑の色も濃く生き生きと茂っている姿が見えた。それで幸三郎は、お屋敷から自分の村へもどると、早速煙草畑へ行ってみた。すると、煙草の葉は、教祖の袖の内側で見たのと全く同じように、生き生きと茂っていた。それを見て、幸三郎は、安堵の思いと感謝の喜びに、思わずもひれ伏した。 というのは、おたすけに専念する余り、田畑の仕事は、作男にまかせきりだった。まかされた作男は、精一杯煙草作りに励み、その、よく茂った様子を一度見てほしい、と言っていたが、おたすけに精進する余り、一度も見に行く暇とてはなかった。が、気にかからない筈はなく、いつも心の片隅に、煙草畑が気がかりになっていた。そういう中からおぢばへ帰らせて頂いた時のことだったのである。幸三郎は、親神様の自由自在の御働きと、子供をおいたわり下さる親心に、今更のように深く感激した。 |
