Seeing the truth
The following two stories appeared in the Michi no tomo magazine (August 1972) and Koshiro Masui’s Osashizu katarigusa (p. 96)
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One summer’s day, a devout follower who visited Oyasama regularly was digging a well at home from early morning. His well was more than two-thirds completed when Oyasama’s messenger arrived to tell him that She would like him to come to Her Residence. The follower crawled out of the well, got himself ready for the visit, and hurried to the Residence. “May I ask,” he said to Oyasama, “what it is that You wished to see me about?” “There is nothing in particular,” She said. “I just wanted to see your face, so I sent for you.” In that case, he thought to himself, I should have finished digging that well!
“Actually, I am in the middle of digging a well at my house,” he said, “but I interrupted my work to come here as I heard that You requested my presence. If there is nothing in particular that requires my attention, however, I should like to get back to digging the well.”
Upon obtaining Her permission, he took his leave. On the way home, curiously enough, he saw one of the members of his household coming his way. He asked him what was going on and was told that his well had collapsed—in retrospect, around the time he reached the Residence. Flabbergasted, he rushed back to the Residence and, telling Oyasama what had happened, thanked Her for saving his life.
“Ah, how lucky you are!” She said. “You see, God sent for you in order to save you. But remember, it is your mind’s simple openness to whatever God provides that enabled you to be saved.”
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On March 25, 1887, Izo Iburi was settled as the Honseki. That night, shortly after midnight, he suddenly said to bring Yahei Nishiura of Sonowara. This request coming in the middle of the night, and Sonowara Village being in the mountains far away from the Residence, the Honseki’s wife, Osato, and daughter Yoshie were at a loss as to what to do. The Honseki, however, was insistent, repeatedly telling them to get Yahei. Yoshie thought, “He must be saying those things because he is becoming delirious from exhaustion, having been ill for several days.” The two decided that it would be a good idea if they prayed at the place for the Kanrodai that he be allowed to sleep peacefully. They went outside.
The Honseki lived in the South Gatehouse at the time, and there was as yet no sanctuary next to the gatehouse. Therefore, once you went out of the gatehouse, you had a full view of the place for the Kanrodai.
Osato and Yoshie, now outside, noticed a figure in a prayer posture in the dark, facing in the direction of the Honseki’s living quarters though they could not tell who it was. As they approached, who should they see there but Yahei Nishiura, the very person the Honseki was insisting that they bring!
“Hurry, please,” Osato and Yoshie exclaimed. “The Honseki is calling you now!” Yahei rushed inside. Thereupon, the Honseki began to say, “Sah, sah—.” He bestowed the Sazuke, the Divine Grant, on Yahei. It was the Sazuke of the Kanrodai. This marked the first time the Sazuke was granted through the Honseki. Yahei was beside himself with joy to receive the Sazuke.
Later, Yoshie asked Yahei what had brought him to the Residence at that hour of the night and found out that he had been visiting the Residence every night to pray for the Honseki’s recovery since learning of the Honseki’s mysterious fever accompanied by profuse perspiration that was so sticky as to form gooey threads. God the Parent had discerned Yahei’s true sincerity.