41. “It Is Against the Reason of Heaven to Use Things Carelessly”
No matter how minor it may have seemed, the Honseki warned against using things carelessly. He often said to those around him: Continue reading Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 41
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Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 40
40. Using God’s Blessings in a Precious Manner
The following story is from the April 1947 issue of Michi no tomo by Keitaro Nakayama (1884–1964), the grandson of Masa Nakayama and great-grandson of Oyasama:
“The Honseki always walked from his home and worshiped at the Kanrodai each day. He would usually do so around three or four o’clock in the afternoon. He would stop by at the Church Headquarters dormitory for a rest and then proceed to the Kanrodai, the Foundress’ Sanctuary, and the Memorial. He would then always return to the dormitory for some tea.
Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 37
37. “How Unworthy I Feel, When I Think of Oyasama”
Even after he became the Honseki, Izo always began speaking with the phrase, “Oyasama said….”
In other words, whenever the Honseki spoke, he never spoke his own words or his own thoughts. In fact, it was almost impossible to hear him talking about himself.
Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 36
36. “All That We Have Today We Have Because of Oyasama”
The Honseki had the teaching of tanno (true satisfaction/joyous acceptance) firmly settled in his heart. He never expressed dissatisfaction.
He always cautioned against waste, saying: “All that we have today we have because of Oyasama. In winter there were times when She spent the night without any firewood. On one particularly cold night at the end of the year when I looked for firewood at the Residence, I found nothing. I collected a handful of fallen leaves and pine needles and built a fire in a brazier. Because a fire made from pine needles doesn’t last long, Oyasama, Shuji, and Kokan slept rubbing their hands on the brazier after it went out.”
When he went to worship at the old Foundress’ Sanctuary, the Honseki cautioned about letting fire in a brazier burn in a wasteful manner to those around him by recollecting such hardships that Oyasama and Her family endured. The Honseki always made it a point to remember the path of hardship Oyasama went through.
(Adapted from Shinpan Izo Iburi den pp. 128–129)
- Next installment in this series: 37. “How Unworthy I Feel, When I Think of Oyasama”
*Note: This post has been revised since its original publication.
Commentary
The old Foundress’ Sanctuary refers to the building known as Oyasama’s Resting House (Gokyusoku-sho). The Resting House was made into Oyasama’s sanctuary after She withdrew from physical life. The present Foundress’ Sanctuary was built during the “Showa Construction” in the early 1930s.