Ofudesaki 03:148
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Part 1 |
Contents
Content
| After listening to the sermons of those on the high mountains, | takayama no sekkyo kiite shinjitsu no | 高山の せきゝよきいて しんしつの |
| listen to the teachings of God in Truth and ponder. | Kami no hanashi o kiite shian se | 神のはなしを きいてしやんせ |
Alternate English translations
Third Edition
After listening to the sermons of the high mountains, listen to the teachings of this true God and then ponder over them deeply!
Inoue/Eynon
Ponder deeply over both the preachings of those in high places and the teachings of the true and real God.
Commentary
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This section contains translated material that has not yet been subjected to peer-review to check for accuracy and clarity. While the translator(s) have given their best effort to render Japanese text into English, we would like readers to keep in mind that the present translation may require further revising and refining. Any input to improve the present translation is greatly welcomed. Translator(s): Roy Forbes |
Ofudesaki chushaku
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3:148 Listen to the sermons of Shinto and Buddhist priests, listen to the talks of this path and compare them. Fully ponder which is conveying My heart, the heart of the true God and Parent! |
『おふでさき註釈』、p. 52 一四八、神職僧侶等の説教を聞き、又、この道の話も聞いてよく比較して、何れが真実の親神の胸の中を伝えているかよく思案するがよい。 |
Commentary by Yoshitaro Ueda (2008)
From Michi no Dai: Foundation of the Path 33:62–3
The phrase “the sermons of those on the high mountains” refers to sermons by Shinto priests and Buddhist monks, according to Ofudesaki chushaku. The verse says to listen to those sermons and then the talks by God the Parent, God in Truth, and ponder deeply.
In 1873, the year before the verses under discussion were written, the Japanese government set up the Daikyoin in Tokyo—and the Chukyoin (such as the Nara Chukyoin) at local levels—in its endeavor to establish Shinto as the state religion. Incidentally, the term “Chukyoin” appears in The Life of Oyasama. It was Shinto priests and Buddhist monks who were appointed as religious instructors to give sermons to propagate the Shinto teachings as the national faith. An example of these sermons is mentioned in an article contributed by former Tenri University professor Masaaki Hayasaka to the Tenri Jiho newspaper and entitled “Kyosoden no shuhen” (Matters related to the life of Oyasama). His article mentions that in 1873 a sermon designed to propagate Shinto took place at the Isonokami Shrine, which is located about one kilometer (0.6 mi.) east southeast of the Residence. This seems to be an actual, concrete example of “the sermons of those on the high mountains.” Such sermons were apparently given in various places in those days.
The Ofudesaki invites people to listen to those sermons as well as the talks of God in Truth and to ponder deeply. Listening to the talks by God in Truth and pondering deeply, they would do well to become convinced of how splendid God’s teachings are. They are encouraged to take delight in following these teachings. The Ofudesaki says that these teachings will indeed continue to be told and conveyed forever and will serve as the basis for single-hearted salvation. Here we can sense God’s total confidence in inviting the people to compare the sermons by those in high places with God’s teachings so that they can clearly see the truth of the latter—the kind of confidence that can only come from God, the Parent of all humankind.
In the autumn of 1874, Oyasama instructed Matsuo and Nakata to visit the Oyamato Shrine to ask its priests about their deity. This was at a time when the aforementioned policy to establish Shinto as the state religion was unfolding across the country. The Oyamato Shrine was a national shrine of such a high standing that its head priest was directly appointed by the emperor. Yet Oyasama sent Her followers to that shrine to ask about its deity. It was almost as if She was purposely challenging the shrine’s authority.
We may add in passing that in 1874 the Eikyuji Temple in Uchiyama—which was located to the south of the Isonokami Shrine and some two kilometers (1.24 mi.) southeast of the Residence—was destroyed so ruthlessly that it is said to have disappeared overnight. Although only its pond and a stone monument inscribed with the temple’s name are now found at the site, the Eikyuji Temple was a major temple that was even described as the “Nikko of western Japan.” As with other prestigious and famous temples, it was named after the era in which it was established. The government of the time, however, persecuted Buddhism brutally in an effort to promote Shinto as the national faith. Such was the state of affairs in those days.
You would think it better to keep a low profile in such circumstances; however, it was precisely because of the religious situation of the country that Oyasama had Her followers challenge the Shinto priests to a debate on the shrine’s deity. We may note that the followers carried copies of the Ofudesaki’s Part III and Part IV, which contain many instances of the term “high places,” as I mentioned before. All this gives me a sense of elation. This, incidentally, is one example of how the Ofudesaki and Oyasama’s Divine Model are the two sides of the coin.
Given that Parts III and IV were carried by the followers who went to the Oyamato Shrine to ask its priests what sort of deity their god was, we might expect these portions of the Ofudesaki to shed light on the nature of God the Parent. Sure enough, Part III says that God the Parent is “God of Origin, who began the human beings of this world (III:15) and “God, who made the origin” (III:18), thereby highlighting some of the most important aspects of God the Parent. Part IV, which contains many instances of the word “children,” makes it clear that Tenri-O-no-Mikoto is the Parent of all humankind. This part thus indicates another basic aspect of God the Parent. Parts III and IV were written in the spring of 1874, which is to say, well before the debate at the Oyamato Shrine. Having the followers carry copies of those parts is a remarkable display of ingenuity that can only come from God.
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