133. Consider the Future Long (saki o nagaku)

Tamezo Yamazawa heard the following from Oyasama around 1883:

“If you think the future is short, you must hurry. However, if you think the future is long, you need not hurry.

“Haste will not result in being early. Slowness will not result in being late.

“Tanno* is true sincerity.”

* Tanno: to rejoice in the perception of God’s love in all life’s experiences.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 109

My take
According to Takano Tomoji sensei’s Disciples of Oyasama, the first of the three instructions above was given in the context of Yamazawa Tamezo’s marriage prospects (briefly covered earlier in Anecdotes no. 120).

The second instruction is quite similar to the first.

I imagine that the third instruction regarding tanno may play a vital role in calming oneself when things appear to be stagnant or at a standstill and may have also given at the same time.

Although the set of instructions in Anecdotes no. 133 may have been given in a specific historical context, they can be applied more generally in faith-related matters.

Or to put them in another way, just because one is relatively late to embrace the faith, one can still make leaps and bounds in a short period of time and gain a deeper insight than someone who was born into the faith.

(Umetani Shirobei can be suggested as a historical example of a person who would fit this characterization.)

A Tenrikyo publication entitled Ikiru kotoba (Living words) elaborates on the first instruction as follows:

It is possible to overreach if one attempts to complete something within one’s lifetime. To consider the future long, unlike relying on one’s own strength and abilities, is to entrust all matters and surrender oneself to God. It is also important to be mindful of the magnitude of God’s plan (p. 131).

On the second instruction, it says:

This instruction may remind readers of maxims such as “Take the long way round when in a hurry” and “Haste makes waste.” Others may think of the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.

God dislikes cutting corners and deception. Oyasama also taught, “Tanno (joyous acceptance) is true sincerity.” There is a large gap between human thinking and divine assessment. What God seeks are deeds that are consistent outpourings of true sincerity (p. 158).

Finally, regarding the third and last instruction:

Joyous acceptance neither means forcing oneself to endure all one can endure. This world is the body of God. Thus, joyous acceptance is the intimate understanding that God the Parent is involved in everything. One can accept a matter in high spirits once one becomes convinced of this. It is from such an intimate understanding which true sincerity is born, and God works in response to sincere action. This is a quintessential aspect of the teachings (p. 135).

Something tells me I may need to incorporate the set of instructions from Anecdotes no. 133 myself. I have been rushing through this Blogging Anecdotes series as of late, maybe with too much haste in hopes to get it over with.

I am also in danger of becoming increasingly disgruntled at how I’ve allowed myself to become trapped in my current situation because of a lack of foresight and moxie. I believe I’ll weasel my way out here by insisting that I am insincere and any ability to rejoice in my situation is the last thing anyone should expect from me.

Wow, that’s quite a disheartening statement if I say so myself!

Bibliography
Tenrikyō Dōyūsha, ed. 1995. Ikiru kotoba: Tenrikyō kyōso no oshie. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

External links (Tenrikyo Online)
The Path That is Rushed without Rushing