From Shiawase o yobu kokoro by Eiji Ozaki: The Truth of Arising Occurrences (1)

All-knowing

The world is entirely under God the Parent’s providence, whereby all of us human beings are in the embrace of God’s heart, which is filled solely with parental love for us, God’s children. Guided by the complete providence, we are indeed living in the bosom of God the Parent, who is able to nurture all of us because God is all-knowing . Says the Ofudesaki, The Tip of the Writing Brush:

 

To Tsukihi, who can see everything in this world, nothing is unknown.

Ofudesaki VIII:51

 

God the Parent is aware of everything and provides for all, irrespective of how remote or out-of-the-way your part of the world may be. The following story is found in the Anecdotes of Oyasama:

 

Oyasama was confined in Nara Prison for twelve days starting from October 29, 1882. . . .

On November 9th, Oyasama was met by numerous persons when She returned to the Residence. She called Umetani to Her and said: “Shirobei, thank you very much for your trouble. I did not feel hungry at all, thank you.”

In the prison they could only deliver things for Oyasama and were not allowed to see Her. No one could have told Her that it was Shirobei who had delivered the things. Therefore, Umetani wondered how She knew that it was he.

While Oyasama was in prison, Shirobei’s wife, Tane, in Osaka also prepared meals for Oyasama and served Her symbolically every day, calling to mind Oyasama’s hardship.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 106

 

Apparently, Oyasama was aware what Tane was doing. The following story, attributed to Yoshikazu Takai, was related to me by my father-in-law, Shigeyoshi Okamoto.

 

This event took place during the years when Naokichi Takai and his wife were spreading the teachings while living in hardship. One day, three magnificent daikon (long white radish) were sent over to them by one of the sick people that the Takais were working with. Naokichi immediately set out to gift-wrap the daikon in order to offer them to Oyasama. Then his wife said, “Well, right now we have nothing to eat here, so why don’t we keep one of them.” “No, that won’t do,” said Naokichi. After some argument with his wife, Naokichi grabbed all three daikon and rushed out of the house for Oyasama’s Residence. When presented with the three daikon, Oyasama removed the gift-tying yarn and re-tied two of them with the yarn. Referring to the remaining daikon, She then told Naokichi, “Please take this one home for your wife.”

Naokichi later said: “I knew that Oyasama was all-knowing, but the extent to which She was even aware of our inner thoughts really astounded me at the time.”

Eiji Ozaki, Michi no tomo, February 1973

 

Permit me to quote another story:

 

Once, having come from Kawachi Province, a follower offered his greetings to Oyasama. She said, “You went back from Tatsuta, didn’t you?” Wondering what She could possibly be talking about, the follower pondered these words again and again, trying without success to understand them. In the end, however, it occurred to him that, although he had been focusing his thoughts on the Jiba until passing Tatsuta, he had started thinking about his home thereafter. “Ah,” he thought, “this is what She was talking about.” Suddenly, he felt a feeling of awe.

Tenrikyo Sekishin-kai (Ed.), Oyasama to sono kotei itsuwa-shu

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