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When did The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo start to be compiled? And what was the basic policy in compiling it?It was the followers' long-cherished desire to tell others about Oyasama's ninety-year physical life and especially to correctly convey to others the fifty-year Divine Model of the Joyous Life, which Oyasama demonstrated in Her role as the Shrine of God. This desire grew even stronger after Her withdrawal from physical life. The first Shinbashira started to compile a biography of Oyasama around 1896. This effort involved systematically collecting and carefully examining historical materials. Approximately fifty years were to be spent accumulating available materials with great care. When the freedom of belief was restored in 1945, the second Shinbashira proclaimed "Restoration" and immediately started the compilation of both The Doctrine of Tenrikyo and The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo. For approximately ten years thereafter, huge amounts of materials were sorted out and the text was written and meticulously checked and re-checked. Eventually, "A Manuscript of The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo" was carried in Michi-no-Tomo--one of Tenrikyo's monthly publications--in January 1956. It was further refined before it was officially published on October 26, 1956.
Why is The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo a manuscript edition?It is because the second Shinbashira, who authorized The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, humbly thought that some parts might need to be researched and re-examined further. This publication, however, has no deficiencies with regard to clearly showing Oyasama's position to be the Shrine of Tsukihi and the essence of Oyasama's path to be the Divine Model of the Joyous Life. Therefore, the term "manuscript" never detracts from the value of the book as the standard for practicing the faith.
In what respects does The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo, compiled by Church Headquarters, differ from the biographies of Oyasama that others wrote?It is on the basis of the Three Scriptures that The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo inquires into Oyasama's mission and clearly shows it to be the Divine Model of the Joyous Life. The book is not an ordinary biography. Rather, it represents the standard for understanding Oyasama's life and explains Oyasama's intention as well as the efforts She made in Her role as the Shrine of Tsukihi. It is a doctrinal publication that accords with the Scriptures and records historical facts exactly as they were without any embellishment. On the other hand, it might be said that the other biographies of Oyasama were written more or less as novels, and that some are largely fictional in nature. Some reflect their writers' personal images of Oyasama, while others express their authors' views on humanity and religion through telling about Oyasama. The journeys of Oyasama described in those books have little value from the perspective of illustrating the Divine Model of the Joyous Life.
In what respects does The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo differ from the life of Jesus Christ in the four gospels or the life of the Buddha in the Buddhist canon?It is said that the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is a compilation of writings by four apostles, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who were led by the Holy Spirit to write about the life of Jesus Christ respectively during the period between fifty and one hundred years after his death. The traditional account of the Buddha's life was orally preserved in the first few centuries after his death. Both the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and the life of the Buddha contain material that has not been verified. The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo was written by using historical materials whose veracity had been carefully and thoroughly examined in the light of the Ofudesaki, the Mikagura-uta, and the Osashizu as well as the verbal evidence given by followers who had served Oyasama and directly listened to Her words. In this sense, we can say that The Life of Oyasama, Foundress of Tenrikyo is an accurate record of the Divine Model as well as the authoritative biography of Oyasama.
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