Nakayama Miki

Nakayama Miki (June 2, 1798 – February 18, 1887), referred to adherents as Oyasama, founded the Tenrikyo religion on October 26, 1838.

Quotes

I am God of Origin, God in Truth. There is causality in this Residence. At this time I have descended here to save all humankind. I wish to receive Miki as the Shrine of God.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 1

Whoever may come, God will not retire. It is natural that you are filled with anxieties at present, but after twenty or thirty years have passed, a day is sure to come when all of you will admit the truth of My intention.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 5

You shall do as God of Origin wills and comply with My demand. I shall save all humankind if you will listen to Me; but if you should object to it, I shall destroy this house so completely that not a trace of it will remain.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 6

Whoever comes to this house shall never leave without being filled with joy. To Me, the Parent, all human beings in the world are My children.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 19

Now I shall begin to build a new world. Celebrate the occasion with Me!
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 27

Whatever I intend to do, I shall test it first on My own family.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 28

However wretched you may be, never say you are wretched, for I shall never make beggars of you.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 33

There is no need for a shrine. Start building something small. [...] It is to be one square tsubo. This structure of one square tsubo is not for human habitation. [...] Additions can be made depending on your minds.
- The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, p. 42–3

January 13, 1887 (Dec. 20, 1886, lunar calendar)
Sah, sah, because Tsukihi exists, the world exists. Because the world exists, things exist. Because things exist, your bodies exist. Because your bodies exist, law exists. Although the law exists, to resolve your minds is primary.
Sah, sah, where there is sincerity, you shall receive sincerity. You may not know what My sincerity is. It is My providence—fire, water, and wind.
Sah, sah, you are to purchase My sincerity. Purchase My sincerity with your own sincerity.
- An Anthology of Osashizu Translations, p. 15

February 17, 1887 (Jan. 25, lunar calendar), night
Sah, sah, I shall begin to level the ground completely. Sah, sah, with the portals opened, opened, I shall level the ground all over the world. Sah, I shall step out to level the ground. Sah, sah, shall I open the portals and level the ground? Shall I close the portals and level the ground?
- An Anthology of Osashizu Translations, p. 17

This path cannot be followed by human thinking. It is the path that is being formed by the law of nature.
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 17, "The Law of Nature," p. 13.

You know there is the Fudesaki. What do you think of it? The seventeen parts of the Fudesaki were not completed in a short while. God spoke into my ears, saying, ‘Do not look at any writings, even the charge book from a bean curd shop.’ I wondered why. Then God said, ‘Brush, brush, take up the brush.’ I took the brush up for the first time at New Year’s when I became seventy-two years old. And when I took the brush up, My hand moved by itself. From heaven, God did it. After what was to be done was finished, My hand became numb and it could not be moved. God said, ‘Calm Your mind, and read this. If You find something You cannot understand, ask Me.’ I added brush strokes when I found something I could not understand. That is the Fudesaki.
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 22, "Writing the Ofudesaki," p. 16.

If the path is cleared from up above, can the people down below get near? If the path is cleared from down below both the people up above and the people down below can easily get near, can they not?
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 28, "Clear the Path from the Bottom," p. 23.

"Oh, I am so glad to see you have come. God the Parent lent a hand to bring you home. You had a hard time, slipping at many places. However, you were joyful. Sah, sah, God the Parent accepts fully, fully. Whatever you ask, it is accepted. God protects you. Enjoy it, enjoy it, enjoy it!"
So saying, Oyasama grasped Rin’s cold hands with both Her own. It was something more than warming them over the brazier. Rin was moved with gratitude and awe at the inexpressible warmth of Oyasama.
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 44, "A Snowy Day," p. 39.
- Nakayama's exchange with Masui Rin, upon her arrival at the Nakayama residence during a stormy day.

Early rising, honesty, and work. There is a great difference in merit between being awakened and waking up someone else. Working in the shadows and praising others is honesty. If you do not put into practice what you hear, you will become a lie. Work on top of work, saying to yourself, ‘Just a little more, just a little bit more’; this is not greed, it is work that comes from true sincerity.
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 111, "Being Awakened in the Morning," p. 94.

That is it. Did you notice those pumpkins and eggplants? They are big, aren’t they? The plants bear fruit because the flowers bloom. Not a single plant bears fruit without its flower. Now ponder deeply. The world says woman is unclean, but there is nothing unclean about woman. Man and woman are equally children of God and there is no discrimination. Woman has a duty, a duty to bear children. Her monthly period is the flower. Without the flower there is no fruit. Understand this well. Take the pumpkin; if its big flower is gone, that is the end of it. In many things, there are flowers that bear no fruit. But to bear fruit without any flower is impossible. Ponder deeply. There is nothing unclean about it.
- Anecdotes of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, from Anecdote 158, "Monthly Period is the Flower," p. 128.

If, doubting God's words, you believe this Grant to be false, it will indeed be false. Yet, if you truly believe that you have received this Grant from the Parent and do just as God says, you will be blessed, regardless of whether there is usually good or bad in your mind. The bad will appear elsewhere. In the case of childbirth, you will be blessed with a rapid and easy delivery if you just discard doubt from your mind and follow the teachings of God. But if you harbor doubt and fear, even though there be no wrongdoing in your mind, then the wheel of fear will be set in motion and your fears will be borne out.
- From Yoshikazu Nakayama's biography of Miki, My Oyasama, vol. 2, p. 40–1.

Nakayama, Y. (1984). My Oyasama, Volume One (Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department, Trans.). Tenri, Japan: Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department.
Nakayama, Y. (1986). My Oyasama, Volume Two (Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department, Trans.). Tenri, Japan: Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department.
Tenrikyo Church Headquarters (1977). Anecdotes of Oyasama, the Foundress of Tenrikyo (Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, Trans.). Tenri, Japan: Tenri Jihosha. (Original work published 1976)
Tenrikyo Church Headquarters (1996). The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo (Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, Trans.). Tenri, Japan: Tenri Jihosha. (Original work published 1956)

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