Life of Oyasama Chapter 10-1
| The Life of Oyasama |
|---|
| Preface |
| Chapter One |
| The Shrine of Tsukihi (1837–1838) |
| Chapter Two |
| The Early History of Oyasama (1798–1837) |
| Chapter Three |
| On the Way (1838–1852), (1853–1854), (1862–1864) |
| Chapter Four |
| The Place for the Service (1864), (1865–1866) |
| Chapter Five |
| The Salvation Service (1866–1882) |
| Chapter Six |
| The Identification of the Jiba (1869–1873), (Jan–Nov 1874), (Dec 1874), (1875), (1876–1877) |
| Chapter Seven |
| Buds Sprout from Knots (1878–1880), (1881) |
| Chapter Eight |
| Parental Love (pp. 121–124), (pp. 124–131), (pp. 132–137), (pp. 137–146), (pp. 146–157), (pp. 157–165), (pp. 165–168) |
| Chapter Nine |
| The Hardships of Oyasama (Jan–Sep 1882), (Oct–Dec 1882), (Jan–Jun 1883), (Jul–Dec 1883), (1884), (1885), (Jan–Apr 1886),(May–Dec 1886) |
| Chapter Ten |
| The Portals Opened (Jan 1–11, 1887), (Jan 12–13, 1887), (Jan 18–Feb 18, 1887) |
The content below is equivalent to pages 220–225 of the print edition.
Note: The print edition of has been split into three sections on this wiki due to length of text. The chapter is split as follows:
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 10-1 (January 1–11, 1887)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 10-2 (January 12–13, 1887)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 10-3 (January 18–February 18, 1887)
Text
Despite all that occurred both inside and outside the faith, the Path continued to expand.
1887
The year 1886 ended, and, on New Year's Day, 1887, in the evening, as Oyasama came out of Her bath, She staggered momentarily. When She was asked at the time, She said:
It is a sign that the world is going to move.
Nothing serious happened that day. On the following day, Oyasama did not feel well and this caused the followers to worry, but She recovered without any further trouble this time.
But on January 4, Her health suddenly took a critical turn, and the followers made an inquiry regarding the intention of God through Izo Iburi at the Resting House of Oyasama in the room adjacent to Oyasama's living room. The divine words were:
Sah, sah, the time is fully ripe and pressing. I have already told you everything but you have not understood at all. No matter how much I explain, there is no one who understands. This is My regret. You must reflect deeply on the life of doubt which you lead. Sah, if the words of God were false, this path would not have continued for forty-nine years until now. What I have told you until now has been shown. With this in mind, reflect. Sah, shall I withdraw? Shall I end it all?
Import: You have not listened to the words of the Parent from your innermost hearts. This is truly regrettable to the Parent. You think about all things in terms of ordinary human understanding and have continued living in doubt. Just as you are doing now, you have not listened obediently to the words of God the Parent. You cannot become single-hearted from your innermost being. This is truly regrettable. If what God the Parent had said were false, would this Path have continued for forty-nine years, from 1838? Compare and ponder well which is correct, the path of God the Parent, or the path of common, human thought. If your level of spiritual growth is so low that you cannot understand, then the Parent may draw Her last breath.
Then Oyasama stopped breathing, and Her body suddenly became cold, shocking everyone. Realizing that this was due to their error of not performing the Service, which Oyasama had long hastened, on the excuse of police oppression, the followers began to perform the Service in apology every day, from the following day, January 5, although without the required number of musical instruments, and, in deference to the police, behind locked gates, in secrecy, at night. Although Oyasama's condition improved somewhat, She still did not eat. On the night of January 8, the followers who gathered were those who had participated in the discussions to establish the church during the previous year, whose purpose it was that the Service could be performed openly. A discussion was held by these followers, and they arrived at a decision to put two-parts weight on worldly affairs and eight-parts weight on the affairs of God and to put their hearts into the performance of the Service, thus fulfilling the dictates of the Divine Records. The time was five o'clock on the morning of the following day, January 9, when the decision was made.
Their resolve may have been accepted, for Oyasama began to feel better from the morning of that day, January 9, even taking a bit of food. Then the following words came directly from Oyasama:
Sah, sah, do you think that I have become feeble with age or that I am having difficulty because of illness? I am not ill, nor am I feeble. I have taught you completely, step by step. Ponder over it well.
Import: By no means have I become weak with age nor am I ill.I have taught you everything completely. It is indeed the time for you to become resolved. I am hastening the Service, the path of single-hearted salvation, by showing you a disorder in the body of the Parent.
But on the following day, January 10, Oyasama's health appeared to have failed again. Then at about three o'clock in the afternoon, after a discussion, the followers made an inquiry in the room adjacent to Oyasama's through Izo Iburi as to what they should do to restore Oyasama to health, and whether they should also perform the Service during the day instead of just at night as they had been doing.
Sah, sah, I have already taught you everything up to now. I shall not tell you to do this or that any longer. The path from forty-nine years ago. . . . Has not every kind of path been passed through? Surely you must have understood. Surely you must have been saved. There is no one who reflects deeply, even now. From near and far you have been drawn. No one understands the circumstances. No longer shall I direct you to do this or that. It will be up to the mind of each person. I shall not direct you any further.
Import: I have already said all that need be said. What is necessary now is for each of you to grasp firmly what I have said and make your own decisions. It does no good to ask God the Parent about everything repeatedly just to tide over a problem; it only makes your minds dull later. In these past forty-nine years, a model for every possible situation has been shown. Were there not days when all of you returned to Jiba in high spirits and days when all of you were heavy of heart, having to see the Parent off to the hardship of imprisonment? Also, are there not many, many who were saved? Because the Path has come through all that, it continues yet today. Look back and reflect on how this Path was trod and let each of you gain from it a firm understanding in your hearts of what is being urged by the disorder shown in the body of the Parent. Further, let the understanding not be based just on individual thought but let it be refined through sincere discussion becoming of one mind for the one path—gathering firmly together as to one staff.
Those present were startled by the declaration, "I shall not direct you any further," and, after informing Shinnosuke, immediately began a meeting. Those involved were: Kikutaro Maegawa, Matsujiro Kajimoto, Isaburo Masui, Chuzaburo Koda, Naokichi Takai, Chusaku Tsuji, Shirobei Umetani, Shobei Masuno, Yonosuke Shimizu, and Kunisaburo Moroi.
After the meeting, it was reported to Shinnosuke that everyone was in favor of following the dictates of the path of God the Parent, which was to perform the Service. Shinnosuke replied that he wished to deliberate on the matter further. The situation being so grave, when he thought of both Oyasama's condition and the imminence of police oppression, which had continued, he could not readily answer.
That night, after nine, another meeting was held by the following people: Chuzaburo Koda, Isaburo Masui, Shirobei Umetani, Shobei Masuno, Yonosuke Shimizu, Kunisaburo Moroi, and Hidenobu Nakano. Then they waited for Shinnosuke's reply. Still there was no reply. Then they asked Maegawa and Kajimoto for their advice. Thereupon, the two offered to go to the Shinbashira to ask his opinion.
They consulted with Shinnosuke but the group's proposal to perform the Service throughout that night in accordance with God the Parent's directive was not affirmed because of the threatening posture of the police, and it was decided instead that Shinnosuke would inquire of Oyasama on this point. It was almost dawn of the 11th. When day broke, they all rested.
Perhaps the followers' sincerity was accepted by God the Parent, for Oyasama felt better that day and sat up in bed and had Her hair dressed.
