Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-1
| 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) |
Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-1 presents a portion of the contents of Chapter Eight from The Life of Oyasama as published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. The title of the chapter is "Parental Love. The content below is equivalent to pages 121 to 124 of the print edition.
Unlike earlier chapters, Chapter Eight offers little information on Oyasama's life. It mainly functions as a summary of the Ofudesaki. This particular section may be notable for describing Oyasama's physical appearance and personal traits.
Note: The print edition of has been split into seven sections on this wiki due to length of text. The chapter is split as follows:
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-1 (pp. 121–124)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-2 (pp. 124–131)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-3 (pp. 132–137)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-4 (pp. 137–146)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-5 (pp. 146–157)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-6 (pp. 157–165)
- Life of Oyasama Chapter 8-7 (pp. 165–169)
Contents
Text
Kami/God
To God, who began this world, all of you in the world are equally My beloved children.
Because of My love for all My children, I exhaust My mind in every kind of way.
Human beings were created by God the Parent and live due to divine providence. Therefore, God and humankind are truly Parent and children, and all human beings are brothers and sisters. Because of this truth, God the Parent loves us children single-heartedly, now, as in the past.
Tsukihi/Moon-Sun
In any concerns, never think that there is a human mind at this place.
Whatever I may say or write by the tip of My brush, it is none other than directions from the mind of Tsukihi.
Oyasama's mind is the mind of Tsukihi. The mind of Tsukihi is the mind of God the Parent. Indeed the mind of Oyasama is the mind of God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, God of Origin, God in Truth, who created humankind and the world where neither had existed.
With you humans, also, your children are dear to you. Think of this and ponder, please.
Day after day, the concern of the Parent is only about the means to save you.
Oya/Parent
With the single word "Parent," it is taught that God the Parent and Oyasama are one in truth: that the mind of God the Parent is indeed the mind of Oyasama, and that the mind of Oyasama is indeed the mind of God the Parent.
To begin with, the word "parent" is a term used by children. It is not a word that can be applied to one without a child. God the Parent's love for humankind is like the parental love we human beings have for our own children. But God the Parent's love is the infinitely great and far-reaching, bright and warm, single-hearted desire for the salvation of all humankind equally. We perceive this parental love in the Ofudesaki, the Mikagura-uta, and the Osashizu. We witness it in instances of miraculous salvation. And we cherish it in the image and in the footprints of Oyasama.
Her appearance
Everyone who saw Oyasama in Her advanced age was awestricken and yet felt a heartwarming intimacy at Her incomparable holiness and Her indescribable tenderness, wondrously fused into one.
Oyasama was of medium build, slightly taller than the average woman, always straight of posture, and gave the impression of being slender. Her face was somewhat oblong, Her complexion fair and healthy. Her nose was finely shaped and Her mouth was small. She was truly noble yet tender and, while Her expression was always pleasant, Her countenance carried an air of divine majesty.
Gradually Her hair turned grayer with age and later it became as white as snow. She always kept it neatly combed and arranged in the shape of a tea-whisk. Not a loose lock nor a stray tress could be seen. Her kimono, waist sash, and tabi were red. Her clothing was always red, through and through.
Her eyes shone so bright and clear that it convinced people that Hers were eyes that could see into a person's innermost heart. Her legs and back were sturdy and She never became bent with age. When She walked, She moved swiftly with an extremely light gait.
People who came to the Residence intending to ask Her about this or that found their doubts and complaints disappear without a trace at the mere sight of Her, even before She said a single word, and they became filled with joy and brightness in their hearts and immersed in an indescribable peace.
Oyasama's voice was usually gentle. But when the mind of the Parent was revealed through the Timely Talks, Her voice resounded with such awe-inspiring majesty that it made one wonder if the voice was really that of an old woman.
Oyasama spoke with great tenderness and politeness even to children, and we cherish Her image as the Parent of the Divine Model who speaks to us gently; we revere Her as the Shrine of Tsukihi, who revealed the will of God with resounding majesty at times deemed appropriate by God; and we adore the parental love of Oyasama which is recorded in Her footprints as She sternly taught the truth and tenderly led the followers toward growth. <See also Anecdotes of Oyasama 193>
