Ofudesaki Part 03

Ofudesaki
Author: Miki Nakayama Date Published: 1998 Pages: 486 (English ed.) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 unnumbered set

Ofudesaki Part 03 is an outline of the 3rd part of the Ofudesaki. This outline is based on what appears in Thoughts on a Thematic Outline of the Ofudesaki by the second Shinbashira Shozen Nakayama. Ofudesaki Part 3 was written in January 1874.

Cover inscription

Part 3	dai san gō	第三号
From January in the 7th year of Meiji, the year of the Dog	Meiji shichi inu no toshi ichi-gatsu yori	明治七戌年１月ヨリ
An old woman of 77 years	nanajū nana sai rōjo	七十七才老女

Thoughts on a Thematic Outline of the Ofudesaki

Part 3: Sweeping the dust away

1. Cleaning the Residence, how to purify the heart, and gathering the Service performers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
2. The providence in the beginnings of origin and Oyasama 15, 16, 17, 18–9
3. Purify the mind and have faith in Oyasama 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
4. How to purify the mind (how to ponder, how to be awakened) 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36–7, 38, 39
5. A thing lent, a thing borrowed, and single-hearted salvation 40–1, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46–7,
6. Hastening the gathering of the Service performers and sweeping the heart for this purpose (the high mountains, useful timber, the central pillar, God and the high places, Nihon and Kara) 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66–7, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73–4, 75, 76, 77–8, 79, 80, 81–5, 86–91,
7. Illness and dust; the natural term of life 92, 93–4, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100
8. Sweeping the dust from those close by, the Kanrodai 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111–2, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119
9. High mountains and low valleys (equally the children of God the Parent 120, 121–2, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127
10. Preparations for gathering useful timber 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134
11. Illness and guidance 135, 136, 137, 138, 139
12. Settling matters by sweeping the dust away (the high mountains and useful timber, the blessing of the growth of crops, the root of rebellion) 140–1, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149

Part summary by Yoshitaro Ueda

From Michi no Dai: Foundation of the Path 33:28 (Delivered on May 27, 2008 at Seminar for Chairwomen of Directly Supervised Chapters and Diocese Chapters)

Part III of the Ofudesaki is extremely rich in content. From the perspective of making arrangements for the Service, a major theme of this part is to “put in the central pillar.” The “pillar” refers to the Kanrodai and the Shinbashira. We read that it is not possible to set up the Kanrodai “because of the muddy water”—that is, because of the “muddy” state of people’s minds. Nor can the Shinbashira be welcomed. The Ofudesaki urges people to be quick in purifying their minds. Thus, the Scripture uses water as a metaphor for the human mind and mud for greed and speaks of greed as the source that makes the water muddy. Part III contains the teaching of the dust of the mind and that of a thing lent, a thing borrowed, among others. We are taught that the universe is the body of God and that our body, which is part of God’s body, is something we borrow from God. Our body, moreover, is looked after in a way that accords with our state of mind. Such is the content of Part III.