Trouble
Trouble is a common gloss for the Scriptural term jijo 事情. It often follows the term mijo (illness), which gives the phrase “illness and other troubles.” While its use is limited to the Osashizu, the term appears rather frequently in Tenrikyo literature.
It may be noted that “trouble” as it is appears in the current English edition of Ofudesaki are a translations of “shinpai” and “kuro” and not jijo.[1]
Contents
Analysis of term
The word jijo usually means “circumstances,” “condition” or “state of things.”[2]
Definitions as used in Tenrikyo contexts
A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms explains the term jijo as follows:
- “The term does not always refer to negative situations but may be applied to situations that are out of the ordinary in a positive way (positive in the sense of offering potential for further development or growth).”[3]
In Words of the Path, it is explained:
- “Jijo potentially refers to any stage in life such as childhood, school, employment, and marriage. It can also refer to countless other things that affect us such as our living environment, family/neighborhood situation, social developments, world events, and natural disasters. In short, jijo refers to all matters that appear and influence us, including the sources of our delight, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
- “Needless to say, the jijo or matters we are shown in our lives are provided to us by God the Parent in the same manner in which the body is lent to us and blessed with God the Parent’s protection. We must have appreciation each day for the profound protection God the Parent provides for us both within and outside our body in our daily matters or situations.”[4]
Frequency of “Jijo” in the Osashizu
There are too many appearances of jijo in the Osashizu to count. The section covering jijo in the three volume index to the Osashizu spans 47 pages.[5]
External links
(pages nos. refer to hardcopy equivalent)
- Excerpt “Matter/trouble” from Words of the Path by Yoshikazu Fukaya (pp. 62–3)
- Excerpt “Trouble, Matter (Jijo)” from A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms (pp. 444)
- Excerpt “Mijo and jijo” from Questions and Answers about Tenrikyo (pp. 187–8)
Notes
- ↑ See Ofudesaki 6:2 and 12:118.
- ↑ See possible translations of this term in a variety of contexts as ALC: Eijiro 事情
- ↑ A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pp. 444.
- ↑ Fukaya, Yoshikazu. Words of the Path, p. 62.
- ↑ 『おさしづ索引』 Osashizu sakuin, pp. 1011–57 (vol. 2 pp. 141–87).
