Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-4
| 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) |
Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-4 presents a portion of the contents of Chapter Six of The Life of Oyasama as published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. The title of the chapter is "The Identification of the Jiba." The content below is equivalent to pages 95 to 101 of the print edition.
The “Notes” below is footnote from the print edition.
Note: The print edition of Chapter Six has been split into five sections on this wiki due to length of text. The chapter is split as follows:
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-1 (1869–1873)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-2 (January to November 1874)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-3 (December 1874)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-4 (1875)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 6-5 (1876–1877)
Contents
Text
1875
The next year, 1875, in accord with the will of God the Parent, Oyasama wrote from the middle of part six to the end of part eleven of the Ofudesaki, hastening the construction of people's minds and the completion of the Service.
The identification of the Jiba
About that time, at the Residence, the work on the interior of the gatehouse, whose ridge-beam had been put in place during the previous year, was in progress. Together with this material construction, the construction of the children's minds made steady progress. Therefore, God the Parent hastened to identify the Jiba for the Kanrodai.
In part eight of the Ofudesaki:
Hereafter, bodily disorders will appear here and there. Know that it is the care being given by Tsukihi.
When you come, compare your disorder with this place. If the condition is the same, quickly begin the sweeping.
Walk over where you have swept, and you will come to a standstill. There, the Kanrodai. . .
God the Parent will draw people to the Residence by causing disorders in their bodies. Those who return are to sweep the ground. Then, walking about the purified ground, they will come to a spot where they will stop. This spot is the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai.
In part nine:
When you hear that Tsukihi has rushed out, quickly bring out the Kanrodai.
Prepare your minds for the place of the Jiba, the place where the Kanrodai is to be set up.
If only this is surely settled, there will be no danger in anything at all.
It is essential to identify the Jiba, where the Kanrodai is to be set up. This is most important to bring peace on earth. Once it has been identified, there will be no need for worry no matter what might happen.
Thus, the identification of the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai, took place in June 1875. The day before, Oyasama had said to the people who had gathered at the Residence:
Since tomorrow is the twenty-sixth of the month, the Residence must be swept very clean.
They obeyed Her orders and devoted special care to the sweeping.
Oyasama Herself was the first to walk the cleaned ground. When She came to a certain spot, Her feet stuck fast to the ground. She was unable to move forward or to the side. She put a mark on the spot and then asked the others to walk blindfolded. Kokan, Nakata, Matsuo, Masu Tsuji, Yosuke of Ichieda Village, and others walked blindfolded, in turn. When they came to the same spot, they, too, stopped as if they were drawn to the spot and held. The exception was Masu Tsuji. Masu tried again, this time with her daughter Tomegiku on her back, and the result was the same as with the others. Her feet stopped at the spot. In this way, the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai, was identified at about noon on June 29, which was May 26 by the lunar calendar, 1875.
The Kanrodai
The Kanrodai is explained in detail in part nine of the Ofudesaki. The Kanrodai is to be placed at the Jiba of Origin as proof of human creation and is shaped so as to represent the truth of the creation and growth of human beings. It is to consist of thirteen hexagonal sections laid one atop another: first, two sections, then ten sections, and finally, one more. The total height of the structure is to be eight shaku and two sun.[1] On this structure is to be placed a flat vessel with a capacity of five sho,[2] which will receive the Food of Heaven.
In part ten of the Ofudesaki:
By all means, Tsukihi will complete this path, holding fast to the mind of sincerity.
When this path has reached the high places, I shall do My free and unlimited workings.
About this time, Oyasama said:
Once again I shall go to a fearful place, but you need not worry about it.
Foreseeing a time of persecution and oppression, She expounded the sincerity of the parental love and taught the attitude of mind for those who follow the path of single-heartedness with God.
And assuring them of the free and unlimited protection of God, She encouraged those close to Her who tended to be swayed by every incident.
The illness of Kokan
In the summer of 1875, Kokan, who had gone through many years of difficulties with Oyasama, became ill. Her condition grew steadily worse.
I, Tsukihi, will take charge because she is causally related to the origin.
To explain what the causality is about: she is an instrument of origin in the beginning of human beings.
According to the causality of Kokan's soul, God intended to have her remain at the Residence of Origin forever and dedicate herself single-heartedly to God's work. But seen in the eyes of humans, she was a woman. It was natural that those who were concerned about her recommended that she get married. Kokan struggled between the intention of God and human sentiment.
In the first half of part eleven, God the Parent uses Kokan's illness as a basis to instruct people earnestly not to be swayed by human thought, and to go through life following the words of God the Parent completely and relying totally on God.
Further, in the latter half of part eleven, there are verses referring to Shuji and his wife:
From this year forward, if you, husband and wife, live on for seventy more years, neither falling ill nor weakening,
There can perhaps be no greater happiness. Look forward to it as coming true.
By putting a mark on their bodies and by the writings, God trains those who have affinities to the Origin and who were drawn to the Home of the Parent as Service performers. And here, we find God impatient for the completion of the Service of the Kanrodai, which is the fundamental path for the single-hearted salvation of humankind.
From the summer of 1875, the illnesses of Shuji and Kokan coincided with the work on the interior of the gatehouse. In addition, on September 24, Oyasama and Shuji received a summons from the Nara Prefectural Office ordering them to appear on the following day.
Hardship at Nara Prison
Without the least hesitation, Oyasama set out for Nara lightheartedly. Oyasama, attended by Omasa, and Chusaku Tsuji, representing Shuji, who was ill at the time, appeared at the office. Genshiro Adachi accompanied them as a village official. This was the first time that Oyasama underwent interrogation and detention at Nara. There, questions such as the following were asked: "To begin with, there is no such god called Tenri-O-no-Mikoto. On what authority do you base your belief?" "How are illnesses cured?" The questions were no different from those asked at the Yamamura Palace except that Chusaku was asked to make clear who was financing the building of the South Gatehouse then under construction at the Residence. Chusaku replied that the funds were being furnished by the Nakayamas themselves.
Oyasama was asked various difficult questions. She explained each point clearly, one by one. But, concerning the construction of the gatehouse, the officials were not able to understand at all that the material construction is a manifestation of the construction of the mind.
The passing of Kokan
On September 27, Kokan passed away for rebirth at the age of thirty-nine. On being notified, Oyasama, still under detention, obtained special permission and returned to the Residence by rickshaw. She went straight to Her daughter's bedside. Stroking her cold, lifeless body, Oyasama thanked her for many years of service and said tenderly:
What a pity! Come back soon.
As a result of the interrogations in September, Oyasama was fined twenty-five sen,[3] though it was not until December that notification of this was received.
Completion of the gatehouse
The work on the interior of the gatehouse was completed by the end of the year. Oyasama moved from the north room with the raised floor to the gatehouse. She occupied the ten-mat room on the west side of the gatehouse, where She conveyed the will of God the Parent day and night to those who came.
Notes
- ↑ Eight shaku and two sun is about eight feet and two inches.
- ↑ Five sho is about 2.4 gallons.
- ↑ Twenty-five sen is approximately $14 U.S. as of 1993.
