[True Story] ๐ธ The Mystery of the 'Helpful Grandma' โค The Path from Unbelief to Faith
"I have to survive somehow..."
When I thought that, the event from six years ago
suddenly crossed my mind.
On my way home from the hospital after my lymph node surgery,
a woman called out to me.
"You are being cut because you have cut off your faith."
Those words had
always been stuck somewhere in my heart.
---Is there a God of Tenrikyo somewhere...
---I should try visiting a shrine.
As I spent my days thinking that,
strangely enough,
Toshi's health, which even the hospital had given up on,
began to recover day by day.
~Summary of the previous episode~
By the time I was well enough to go shopping,
I suddenly remembered that there was a Tenrikyo sign on a back street.
From then on,
I started passing by that church on my way to go shopping.
However,
I just couldn't find the courage to walk through the gate...
One day, I heard the sound of a drum and peeked in from outside the wall.
---If I go in here, maybe something will change...
And so, one day in September 1943,
I made up my mind to pass through the gate,
and asked, "Please let me worship God."
That place was the Tenrikyo Hon-Ugu Branch Church.
From then on, I visited this church frequently,
and had the missionary teacher perform the 'Osazuke' for me.
And,
as I listened to stories about God and the teachings,
I realized that my body and mind were gradually becoming lighter.
๐ธ What is "Osazuke"?
In Tenrikyo,"Osazuke"is areligious divine ritualwhere one prays for God the Parent's protection for those suffering from illness or worries, seeking healing or the resolution of problems.
This divine ritual is based on the teachings of God the Parent, and it is considered important for both the person performing it and the person receiving it to have a sincere "determination of heart." It is said that through this sincere "determination of heart," the prayer is conveyed to "Oyasama (the Foundress)," who is still alive, leading to salvation.
Therefore, we do not say "to do"the Osazuke,but rather, with the intention of"connecting" to Oyasama,we say "toperformthe Osazuke" or "tobe allowed to performthe Osazuke."
๐Qualifications to receive the Osazuke
"Permission for the Osazuke"can be received by anyone.
To qualify to perform the Osazuke, one must attend the approximately 90-minute lectures at the Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, known as "Besseki," nine times.
After completing the nine sessions, by receiving the"Permission for the Osazuke"at the Foundress' Sanctuary of the Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, one is officially granted the qualification to perform the "Osazuke."
The Osazuke is a divine ritual that plays a central role in Tenrikyo faith, and one is expected to follow the Foundress' teachings and strive to help others.
Before long,
Toshi also began to go on
"Odjibagaeri" (returning to the Home of the Parent)with the missionary.
๐ God's Teaching: "The Joyous Life"
The Tenrikyo creation story,"The Story of the Origin,"begins like this.
"At the beginning of this world, it was a muddy ocean. God found this uninteresting, so God created human beings and thought that by watching them live the Joyous Life, God would enjoy it along with them."
"God the Parent began the creation of human beings because God wanted to see them living the Joyous Life."
Human beings were originally created to live together in harmony and joy, and it is revealed that thepurpose of life is the "Joyous Life."The name of the Creator God is "Tenri-O-no-Mikoto."
We call God
"God the Parent"because God is the Parent who gave birth to and nurtures us humans.
๐ธ Odjibagaeri (Returning to the Home of the Parent)
The place where human beings were first conceived at the time of creation is called
"Jiba."In Tenri City, Nara Prefecture,there is a vast worship hall covering 3,175 tatami mats, extending in all four directions.
At the center, the "Jiba,"
as proof of the origin of human creation,
the "Kanrodai"
is placed,serving as the focus of worship.Above it, the sky opens up.
There are no shrines or Buddhist statues,
just the "Jiba" where space opens up.
God the Parent resides at this "Jiba."
People worship from the worship areas in all four directions, facing toward the "Jiba"as if bowing to each other.
It is a mysterious sight for those seeing it for the first time.
"Jiba" is the
hometown of all human souls.
Therefore, visiting the "Jiba" is called
"Odjibagaeri"
with the meaning of returning to one's hometown.The area around the "Jiba" was originally a small village called Shoyashiki-mura in the province of Yamato (present-day Mishima-cho, Tenri City), but eventually many people gathered there, and now it is affectionately called "Oyasato" (the Home of the Parent).The "Jiba," the home of human creation,
is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
so that anyone can visit freely at any time.
Toshi, while repeatedly returning to the Jiba, accumulated the required number of special sessions, finally attended the nine special sessions, and received the 'Osazuke'.
She began her journey as a missionary.
********
However,
missionary work was a series of doors slammed in her face.
'No thank you!'
'We don't do religion here!'
Every time the front door was slammed shut,
she felt like her heart would break.
Even so,
with a single-minded desire to repay the grace she had received from God, she never stopped walking, no matter how many times she was turned away.
At times, she was not even allowed to enter the house, and she would quietly administer the Osazuke from outside the gate.
'Please, may the daughter of this house get better...'
Rain or shine,
she continued to pray from outside the gate.
Then, one day,
the daughter, who had been bedridden for years with spinal caries, was able to get up one morning after receiving the Osazuke repeatedly, and she expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you..."
ใEven though I couldn't get up at all..."
Seeing her press her hands together in tears,
Toshi felt a warmth in her heart.
And,
Toshi's own health also improved each time she administered the "Osazuke."
"If you save others, you save yourself."
It was the moment she finally truly understood those words.
---I must learn more about God!
(To be continued...)
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