Ofudesaki 06:026–7
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Part 1 |
Contents
Content
| Until now, people have worshipped | ima made wa ika naru Kami mo yamayama ni | いまゝでハ いかなる神も 山／＼に |
| and prayed to a great many gods. | ogami kitō to yūta nare domo | をがみきとふと ゆうたなれども |
| Should there be anyone who knows the origin, | kono moto o shiri taru mono ga arunaraba | このもとを しりたるものか あるならば |
| God permits you to seek and inquire. | tazune ite miyo Kami ga yurusuru | たづねいてみよ 神がゆるする |
Alternate English translations
Third Edition
Until now there have been many gods to who people bowed or offered prayers.
If there is anyone who knows their origin, I call upon him and ask about it! I, God, permit it.
Inoue/Eynon
Until now, you have called upon many kinds of gods in worship and sorcery.
If anyone claims to know of their origin, go and question them; for I, God, allow it.
Commentary
Ofudesaki chushaku
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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 |
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6:26, 27 Although people have prayed and invoked help from all varieties and multitudes of gods, saying that they bring benefits, no one knows the fundamental reason why these prayers and invocations brought benefits in the first place. I permit you to go and seek out anyone who may know anything about this matter. |
『おふでさき註釈』、p. 90 二六、二七、従来は、どんな神も沢山あって、いずれも拝み祈祷をすれば利益があるように言うていたけれど、何故に拝み祈祷をして利益があるかという根本の理を知っている者はない。もしあるならば、許すから、尋ねて行って聞いて見るがよい。 |
Yoshitaro Ueda (2009)
From Michi no dai: Foundation of the Path 35:71–2
Part III contains a verse that says, “This salvation is not brought about by formulas of worship, or by exorcism, or by calling on oracles” (III:45). Here in Part VI, the Ofudesaki mentions that there have traditionally been “a great many gods,” whom people “have worshiped and prayed to” considering those deities capable of saving them. The verse from Part III says that “salvation is not brought about by formulas of worship, or by exorcism”; likewise, verses 26–27 indicate that God the Parent, about whom Oyasama is telling people, is totally different from the deities that were traditionally thought to save people in response to their worship and prayers.
There are two interpretations of verse 27. On the one hand, Ofudesaki chushaku says that, although people have traditionally said that worshiping and praying to gods, of whom there is a great variety, can result in divine favors for them, no one knows the underlying principle of why worship and prayer may result in such divine favors. In this interpretation, the phrase “the origin” refers to the principle behind the supposed salvation brought about through worship and prayer. If there is anyone who knows this principle, “God permits you to seek and inquire.” This is one interpretation.
However, I believe that the phrase “the origin” is what we call “the truth of origin” and corresponds to what verse 25 calls “the real truth.” I would imagine that every religious tradition has its own explanation of why worship and prayer may lead to salvation and that, therefore, practitioners of such a tradition are likely to have some knowledge of the underlying principle in question. However, even those people do not know the real truth about this universe–the deepest foundation centered on the truth of origin. Such, I think, is what this verse is saying.
If there is anyone who claims to know this real fundamental truth, “God permits you to seek and inquire.” The term “God” here refers to God the Parent. Although Part VI has already said that the term referring to God the Parent has been changed from “God” to “Tsukihi,” there are instances of “God” appearing subsequently.
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