Category Archives: Teachings and Stories of Tenrikyo Forebears

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles of the Mind

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 111–113) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles of the Mind

We human beings can spend our lives joyously and with delight because God the Parent granted us the free use of our minds. On the other hand, we may find ourselves suffering from the misfortune of illness or another difficult situation.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 30

The following is a translation of Part 30 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the June 2005 (No. 438) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 30: “I Accept the Mind You Have Settled”

Rin Masui was raised as the only child of prestigious household in Kawachi. She married a man who was adopted into her family and was blessed with children. She lived a happy life free from worries and misfortune. However, in the year she turned 30, she was at a loss of having to look after her three children alone after both her father and husband suddenly passed away. She herself succumbed to an eye disease known as sokohi1 and completely lost her vision.

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  1. Sokohi appears to have been used to refer to a number of eye ailments, leading to a lack of consensus in the translations from Anecdotes of Oyasama (whose 200 selections were divided and translated by several people). Sokohi has been variously rendered in the English Anecdotes as “amaurosis” (24, p. 17); “glaucoma” (36, p. 29); “cataracts” (115, p. 96); and simply “eye disease” (145 , p. 117).

Great Salvation

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 97–102) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Great Salvation

Japan presently prides at being the nation with the longest average lifespan in the world. The increasing survival rate from tuberculosis after World War II and the decrease in infant mortality are considered contributing factors to this statistic.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 29

The following is a translation of Part 29 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the May 2005 (No. 437) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 29: Utmost Efforts

Sei Imagawa went to China in 1930 to engage in missionary work. Her sister Fusa followed her the next year. The two sisters devoted their days engaging in nioigake (spreading the fragrance of the teachings) and o-tasuke (salvation work or administering the Sazuke, the Divine Grant). Continue reading The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 29

A Mind Like Cotton

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 106–110) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

A Mind Like Cotton

Oyasama taught us how we ought to use our minds with a variety of metaphors. Continue reading A Mind Like Cotton

The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 28

The following is a translation of Part 28 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the April 2005 (No. 436) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 28: “I Resolve to Implement the Spirit of Single-Hearted Salvation”

Kichitaro Matsumura of Byodoji Village, Osaka, loathed anything that defied reason. He found the rough, uncultured behavior of the followers around him distasteful and secretly ridiculed those who had faith. While his parents and younger brother were devout followers of Tenrikyo, Kichitaro’s attitude grew colder as their devotion grew deeper. His mother Saku told him over and over: “When you were younger, you always played near Oyasama each time we returned to Jiba. She even held and carried you on one occasion.” Nevertheless, Kichitaro could not bring himself to accept the faith. Continue reading The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 28

Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 46

46. Conveying Gratitude to Oyasama

One of the main aspects of the Honseki’s faith was that he always expressed his appreciation for the blessings he received. He adhered to a strong wish to convey this gratitude to Oyasama to others throughout his life. One of the things he always said was, “Oyasama saved Sato’s life when it all seemed hopeless.”

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