Unconditional Love is Too Big to Recognize

You are living in this World of Reality. This fact itself is a miracle and it proves that God exists. People die easily. When I was an elementary school child, I would often catch frogs and crayfishes to keep them in a glass tank at home. I could keep them alive for only a few months. I let them die over and over because of my lack of knowledge. In the glass tank(=a universe), only death occurred, not birth. I was not God for the creatures.

• miracle  奇跡
• prove　証明する
• exist　存在する
• crayfish　ザリガニ
• lack　欠如
• occur　起こる

How about this World of Reality? Creatures are born, grow up, give birth to their children and die, and the children grow up, give birth to their children and die. The cycle of life and death goes on and on without any breaks. Especially humans try to live as long as possible. Some people take these for granted and think that everything is a product of chance. But it’s easy to deny them, for the modern science shows that there is no such planet as the earth in the universe. The planet earth is quite rare. The Great Creator is watching over it.

• give birth to A　Aを産む
• go on　続く
• break　中断
• especially　特に
• product　産物
• chance　偶然
• deny　否定する
• rare　珍しい

Birth of a baby is a miracle, but the fact that the baby grows up for a few years after the birth is also a miracle because a baby can’t live without any assistance from others. That is, there was unconditional love there. You all experienced, and have been experiencing, miracles. Unconditional love of God, who keeps alive all creatures and the earth, is too big to recognize. It’s beyond the cognitive capability of human beings. The affectionate ruler,or God, will be satisfied to see human beings trying to live between heaven and earth through good times and bad.

• go through A　Aを経験する
• assistance　援助
• unconditional　無条件の
• recognize　認識する
• cognitive　認知の
• affectionate　愛情深い
• satisfied　満足して

As long as you live, you are destined to experience things associated with sex, aging, illness and death. All of them are hints for developing your conscience. In the profound sense, there is no misfortune in this world, for everything passes and changes for sure. There’s nothing to be afraid of. After death, unfair things that happened to you never fail to turn into fortunate ones because of a universal law that makes the accounts of good and bad balance.

• as long as S+V　SがVする限り
• destine　運命付けられて
• related　関係した
• hint　ヒント
• develop　大きくする
• conscience　良心
• misfotune　不幸

A life comprises both this world and the other world. Perfect good is implemented. The bigger changes in life, the happier and more joyful you feel. All you have to do is be grateful to God every day after all.

• comprise　〜から成る
• joyful　楽しい
• grateful　感謝して
• afer all　結局は

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE

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Diary on a Trip to Ise and Mt.Hakusan – PART 11

Standing in front of the main building of Hakusan Chukyo Shrine（白山中居神社）, I felt spiritual vibrations of ancient deities. They were those of Izanagi（イザナギ） and Izanami（イザナミ）or of the whole mountain. In large shrines that have fain in Mt.Hakusan, rituals for Izanagi and Izanami are performed. It was in the later years that Kukurihime-shin（ククリヒメ神）was added to the main deities Izanagi and Izanami. Originally, Hakusan Shrines were shrines where only Izanagi and Izanami were worshipped.Kukurihime-shin had been concealed for a long time as the secret deity who harmonized her parents, Izanagi and Izanami.

• ancient　古代の
• whole　全体の
• ritual　儀式
• originally　元々は
• worship　崇拝する
• conceal　隠す
• harmonize　調和させる

According to Japanese myths, Izanagi and Izanami gave birth to all deities belonging to Amatsu-kami （天津神）and Kunitsu-kami（国津神） and produced the land of Japan. However, just as Izanagi and Izanami are not especially worshipped in Ise Grand Shrine, most present shrines that worship deities belonging to Amatsu-kami don’t make much of them.

• myth　神話
• give birth to A　Aを産む
• produce　生み出す
• make much of A　Aを重要視する

In the present shinto shrines, various rites and rituals are performed not with Izanagi and Izanami being the main deities but with Kukurihime-shin being such. In Hakusan shrines, in contrast, Izanagi and Izanami have been worshipped as their main deities since ancient times. It can be said that Mt. Hakusan is the mountain where Izanagi and Izanami still rest.

• rite　儀式
• in contarast　対照的に
• ancient times　古代
• rest　鎮る

Then I went to a small shrine on the right side of the main building where Amaterasu-o-ho-mi-kami was worshipped, when I got the same vision of a sundisc as the one I get in Ise.  And at another small shrine whose main deity was Ninigi shin（ニニギ神）, I felt the same kind of holy energy. Also, at a small shrine near the entrance of Hakusan Chukyo Shrine whose main deity was Sarutahiko-shin（猿田彦神）, I sensed a holy energy.

• sundisc　日輪
• entrancce　入り口
• holy　神聖な

Such a shrine is rare in that all small shrines in the precincts are active. Though there are a lot of shrines whose main deity is Ninigi-shin all over Japan, this was the first one where I could feel the holy energy. It is unfortunate that most of them have become so polluted with visitors’ energy of greed that I can’t feel any holy energy there.

• rare　珍しい
• in that S+V　SがVするという点で
• unfortunate　残念な
• pollute　汚染する

Hakusan Chukyo Shrine is where all stars of deities who descended to earth in ancient times, which is called Tensonkorin（天孫降臨）, including Izanagi and Izanami, still reiside and rest. It can be the main stage for the second Tensonkorin. It is interesting that Geku（外宮） of Ise Grand Shrine and Hakusan Chukyo Shrine were both founded during the reign of Emperor Yuryaku（雄略天皇）. I feel that here lies the divine will of Kuni-tama（国魂）, the guardian deity of a country who steers the state behind the scenes.

• descend　降りる
• including A　Aを含めて
• found　創建する
• reign　治世
• divine　神の
• behind the scenes　背後から

As the line between Mt.Hakusan and Ise on which holy energy falls “opens up,” this shrine will be more and more famous. It is when a lot of people visit this shrine and Ise that these places are spiritually connected and a new door of the World of Gods will open. This is what was designed by God a long, long time ago. When this happens, all conflicts will be resolved in harmony, such as conflicts between Amatsu-kami and Kunitsu-kami, nations, people, family members and so on.

• famous　有名な
• connect　結び付ける
• conflict　争い
• resolve　解決する
• harmony　調和

It seems that intervention from the future into the present is needed for children of the future to be born. This has to do with the advent of UFOs, which suggests the intervention from the future. In Japanese myths, Kukurihime-shin disappears suddenly after mediating the quarrels of her parents, never to appear. After her disappearance, a lot of deities were born. That is, she came from the future beyond time and space to save her parents. This is the reason she had to disappear.

• intervention 介入
• have to with A　Aと関係がある
• advent　到来
• disappear　姿を消す
• suddenly　突然
• mediate　仲裁する

If you can afford to make a round trip between Ise and Mt.Hakusan, you may be the one that came from the future with the mission to harmonize human beings. I want you to do this with care as a representative for those who cannot afford to or all human beings.

• can afford to~　〜する余裕がある
• round trip　往復
• mission　使命
• representative　代表

Even If you cannot afford to for some reasons, there’s no problem. All you have to do is cleanse your spiritual line and remind yourself of gratitude, which contribute to the world. It’s also important to visit the shrine of your birthplace and a shrine near your house. But remember, when you do these, you must do it by yourself or with your family, not in a group, because doing them in a group doesn’t meet the will of the gods.

• cleanse　浄化
• contribute　貢献する
• brithplace　生まれた場所
• by oneself　一人で
• in a group　集団で

After this, I visited Nagataki Hakusan Shrine（長滝白山神社） and Shirayama Hime shrine（白山比咩神社） and completed this trip to Ise and Mt.Hakusan finally. Now I feel everyday that I’ve become much younger in body and in mind.

• complete　終える
• finally　とうとう
• in body and in mind　心身ともに

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE

 

————————    THIS IS THE END OF THE UNIVERSE VOL.8  ——————————

Diary on a Trip to Ise and Mt. Hakusan – PART 10

I got back home from Ise, thinking that I could be relaxed staying at home on holidays. Though I had spent three days in Ise on business,  I wasn’t tired at all. On the contrary, I was full of energy. During the business trip, I visited about 50 shrines, including small ones, with gratitude. At the shrines on the last day, just putting my hands together made me full of feelings of gratefulness. I came to be able to visit them with gratitude unconsciously.

• get back home 　家に帰る
• on the contrary　それどころか
• gratitude　感謝の気持ち
• put A together　Aを合わせる

On the next day, taking a rest after putting Kenbarai-fuda（剣祓札, a kind of talisman of shitoizm） of Geku（外宮）, Naiku（内宮） and Izougu（伊雑宮） in my household shinto altar, I was asked by family members to take them for a drive to Mt. Hakusan（白山）. At first, I was reluctant, for I had just driven as many as 1000 kilometers. But my families insisted on it, so I decided to go there the next day, thinking that I couldn’t complete this trip to Ise without going to Mt.Hakusan for sure.

• take a rest　一息つく
• household shinto altar　神棚
• at first　最初は
• reluctant  　いやいやな
• insist　主張する
• complete　完成させる
• for sure　確かに

Firstly, I visited Heisenji-Hakusan shrine（平泉寺白山神社）, which I visited after a long time. The green mos covering the shrine that survived the harsh, long winter was beautiful. The precincts of the shrine had been cleaned up by local people on the day I visited. The shrine was so spiritually clean that I could pray at it smoothly.

• after a long time　久しぶりに
• mos　苔
• survive　生き残る
• harsh　厳しい
• precinct　境内

Then next, I headed for Hakusan-Chukyo shrine（白山中居神社）. The prefectural road on the way was narrow and since I saw some fallen rocks on the road that must’ve fallen from a cliff on the left side, I drove carefully. My car navigation system didn’t tell me exactly where the shrine was located, but I managed to reach it on instinct.

• prefectrural　県の
• narrow　狭い
• cliff　崖
• exactly　正確に
• manage to~　どうにかして〜する
• instinct　本能

I stopped my car in the parking lot in front of the shrine and looked up the huge trees on both sides of the approach leading to the main building of the shrine. I saw two Tengus（天狗）protecting the shrine on the tree tops. I hadn’t seen such a shrine for a long time. As in Tamaki Shrine（玉置神社） in Nara prefecture, Tengus, being a nature spirit, disappear from shrines as the traffic around them gets heavy and noisy.

• parking lot　駐車場
• huge　巨大な
• approach　参道
• traffic　交通

When you visit such a shrine where Tengus keep an eye out for intruders, you had better not take any insulting and disrespectful act. Thinking “I must get hurt if I’m not serious enough,” I told my families to walk slowly and watch their steps.

• keep an eye out for A 　Aを見張る
• had better not~　〜しない方が良い
• insulting　侮辱的な
• disrespectful  　無礼な
• get hurt　怪我をする

I found a huge rock in the middle of the approach, when I saw a vision in my mind that, when a man with a disrespectful mental attitude intruded into the precincts, a long long time ago though,  a Tengu threw the huge rock at the man and he was squashed by it. Thinking that his bones must’ve been under the rock, I gazed at it on bended knees together with my families.

• in the middle of A　Aのど真ん中に
• irrelevant　不適切な
• squash　押しつぶす
• gaze　じっと見る

The approach descended abruptly and its stone steps were slippery because of spring water. In case you fall and hit your head on the ground, you’re sure to get seriously injured. So if you have weak legs, you should avoid the approach and instead take the path on the left side of the front guard gate that leads to the main building.

• descend　下がる
• slippery　滑り易い
• spring water　湧き水
• path　小道

We went on the approach, which looked as if it refused any visitor, and managed to get to the main building, where a chief priest of the shrine was preparing for a purification ceremony. A child, who seemed like his grandson, was following around him, with his tiny hands holding the priest’s Hakama（袴）, a man’s formal divided skirt.

• as if S+V　まるでSがVするかのように
• refuse　拒む
• chief priest　神官
• purification 　祓い
• grandson　孫息子

The priest had a great, dignified face.  It’s hard to explain but he had the same distinctive aura as that of an ascetic mountain priest. Then we climbed up the steep stone steps and finally stood in front of the main building.

To be continued.

• dignified　威厳のある
• aura　雰囲気
• ascetic 　苦行の
• steep　険しい

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE

Diary on a Trip to Ise – PART 9

When I was in my early twenties, I would often go to Mt. Miwa（三輪山）in Nara prefecture, Takinohara-miya shrine（瀧原宮）, and Geku（外宮） of Ise Grand Shrine（伊勢神宮）, riding on my medium-sized motorbike.

• would often~　よく〜したものだ
• motorbike　バイク

There are two important lines of the solar orbit in Japan in terms of the sun worship. One is the straight line between Ise Grand Shrine and Awaji Island. The holy energy fell on this line about 3000 years ago, when the present Japan civilization rose.

• orbit　軌道
• in terms of A　Aの観点から
• civilization 　文明
• rise  興隆する

Nara on this line became the center of politics and the Japan civilization started. On this line, along which the sun moves from Ise through Awaji Island to Izumo Taisha Shrine（出雲大社）, a lot of dwelling places of deities and sites for the sun worship were built in ancient times.

• center　中心
• politics　政治
• dwelling　住居用の
• deity　神

Though this Ise-Awaji line functioned well until the end of Showa era, it was replaced with the straight line between Ise and Mt.Hakusan as the line on which holy energy falls at the beginning of Heisei era.

• function　機能する
• replace　取って代わる

The sun orbit is “the heavenly line,” while “the earth line” related to the energy of underground  still lies between Ise and Awaji Island. When the earth line moves, a big earthquake will occur at dawn.

• haevenly　天の
• related　関係した
• occur　起きる
• dawn　夜明け

This important line between Ise and Mt. Hakusan is beginning to wake. However, the truth is, before the Ise-Awaji line began to function, the Ise-Hakusan line had been functioning for a long, long time. The civilization at that time had been gone and is  unknown. The Ise-Awaji line and the Ise-Hakusan line have been playing the main role by turns through civilizations. The content or characteristics of a civilization changes depending on which of the lines plays the main role.

• wake　目覚める
• be gone　なくなる
• unknown　未知の
• by turns　代わる代わる
• content　中身

While the Ise-Awaji line is related to the material world, the Ise-Hakusan line to the spiritual world. The Sengu ritual（遷宮）of Ise Grand Shrine where all the buildings are replaced with new ones every twenty years symbolizes this change of the heavenly line.

• material　物質的な
• relatead　関係した
• every ~ years　〜年毎に
• symbolize　象徴する

I visited Takihara-no-miya shrine for the first time in twenty years. The impression I got this time was very different from that I got in Showa era. It looked very slimmed-down. A typhoon might have reduced the number of giant trees around the shrine. The approach to the main building of the shrine used to be dark and there used to be a lot of sprites of trees in the holy place of the shrine.

• for the first time in ~ years　〜年ぶりに
• slimmed- down　ほっそりした
• recude　減らす
• sprite　妖精

Takihara-no-miya shrine was used by Yamato-hime-no-mikoto  (倭姫命）as a transit point when she went to and returned from Mt. Miwa and Ise. The shrine still reminds me of ancient affairs. As the Ise-Hakusan line replaces the Ise-Awaji line, the shrine will cease to be active quietly.

• transit point　中継地点
• remind A of B　AにBを思い出させる
• affairs　出来事
• active　活発な

What impressed me most during this trip to Ise is how important mutual concessions are. Old roadways in Ise and those in the town near the beach are very narrow. I gave way to others on the road again and again. I went on the mountain paths, too, but I could get back safe and sound.

• impress　感銘を与える
• mutual　相互の
• concession　譲歩
• roadway　街道
• narrwo　狭い
• give way　道を譲る
• safe and soud　無事に

I thought of this experience in Ise as a divine message that although the world would go on a difficult path, mutual concessions between nations could iron out all the world problems after all.  I thought I could go back home and rest, but …

To be continued.

• divine　神の
• path　道
• nation　国家
• solve　解決する
• iron out A　Aを解決する

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

 I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE

Diary on a Trip to Ise – PART 8

When I was driving toward a highway leaving Ise behind, where I stayed for three days, I noticed there were a lot of signboards with the word “Uji（宇治）” or “Yamada（山田）” on them. I considered what “Uji-Yamada” really meant. Some local person told me that old people living in Ise had called the Ise region “Yamada” since long time ago. When they go to Ise, they say “I’m going to Yamada,” not “Ise.”

• leave A behind 　Aを後にする
• notice　気がつく
• signboard　看板
• consider 　よく考える
• region　地方

In the study of folklore, it is said that oral tradition often depicts the ancient world correctly. Though there are many theories on the origin of the name Yamada, what came to my mind was the word “confrontation.”

• folklore　民俗
• oral　口の
• depict　描く
• theory　説
• confrontation　対立

According to my spiritual vision, the area before the main gate of Geku used to be called Yamada, while the area around Naiku Uji. One day in an ancient time, one of the three stone pillars that acted as a medium for the presence of God was brought from Mt.Hakusan to Geku, and after this many rites and rituals came to be held there. At this time, Naiku didn’t exist yet. The foundation of Naiku is relatively recent.

• according to A　Aによると
• ancient　古代の
• stone pillar　石柱
• medium　媒介物
• exist　存在する
• relatively  比較的に
• recent　最近の

Because the stone pillar was one and only, wooden pillars of Hinoki, a Japanese cypress, were substituted for it and put under the grounds of the main buildings of Geku and Naiku as special holy objects of worship. This pillar is called “Imibashira（忌柱）” “Ameno-mi-hasira（天ノ御柱）” or “Ameno-mi-hakari-no-hashira（天ノ御量柱）.” I can “see” the ancient stone pillar brought from Mt. Hakusan has been buried deep under the ground of a certain holy area of the precincts of Geku.

• substitute　代用する
• object　対象
• worship　崇拝
• precinct　敷地

The shinto ritual where a new wooden pillar is put under the ground of the main building of Geku and Naiku every twenty years is the most important of all. It is a secret ritual held by high-ranked shinto priests at midnight.

• every A years　A年毎に
• high-ranked　高位の
• priest　神官

I feel that ancient people in Ise lived only in the area in front of Geku. Naiku was surrounded by a huge forest. Ruins of the Jomon Era such as pit dwellings must be discovered at the Yamada district where Geku is located. The name of Yamada is derived from the transition of pronunciation from “Yamatai” to “Yah-ma-tai” to “Yah-ma-da” to “Yamada.” That is, Yamada was part of Yamataikoku（邪馬台国）, the historical Japanese state thought to have existed during the late Yayoi period.

• ruin　遺跡
• era　時代
• pit dwelling　竪穴式住居
• be derived from A　Aに由来する
• transition　移り変わり

The sound of Yamataikoku lies in the name of Yamada. Yamataikoku that the Gishi-wajin-den（魏志倭人伝） refers to  ruled the regions, ranging from Ise to the whole region of Kumano, and its capital was near Mt. Miwa in Nara prefecture. I feel that Himiko（卑弥呼） is the name of a position and there were successive Himikos. Yamatohime-no-mikoto（倭姫命）was one of such Himikos.

• refer to A　Aに言及する
• range　範囲に及ぶ
• successive　歴代の

It was when Princess Yamato-hime came to the present Ise, carrying part of Amaterasu-oho-mi-kami（天照太御神）on her back that the area around Naiku was developed. Uji （氏）clan of a privileged class, came to Ise from Nara and developed the present district of Uji（宇治）. The name of “宇治” comes from that of the clan, “氏.”

• develop　開発する
• clan　族
• privilleged class　特権階級

There was an emotional conflict for a long time between the people who had lived in Yamada district since ancient times with their indigenous faith, and the aristocracies who came to live in Uji, with a river lying between. It can be said that the confrontation between them corresponded to that between Kunitsu-kami （国津神）and Amatsu-kami（天津神）. I feel that people in Yamada district had exchanges with those in Isobe（磯部） district,  a seaside town beyond a mountain, because they also kept the second stone pillar of Mt.Hakusan.

• conflict　摩擦
• indigeous　土着の
• aristocracy　貴族
• transcription　転写
• corrspond　相当する
• exchange　交流

I left for another shrine, Takihara-no-miya shrine（瀧原宮）, enjoying the ancient view my holy spirit showed me.

To be continued.

• another　もう一つの
• view　眺め
• holy　聖なる

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE.

Diary on a Trip to Ise – PART 7

After finishing my job, on the last day of my stay in Ise, I changed my clothes, put on the best suit I had brought with me and headed for Naiku（内宮）of Ise Grand Shrine（伊勢神宮）. It is not how much your suit is that matters but how much consideration and thoughtfulness you try to show to God, which is the very offerings to God.

• head for A Aに向かう
• whether S+V　SがVするかどうか
• consideration  配慮
• thoughtfulness　思い遣り
• offering　捧げ物

Every time I visit Naiku, I often see a “guru” taking his several female believers along with him. One of the gurus I saw was wearing tattered shirt and jeans and carrying a backpack with his hair in disorder. He put an empty bin with a Sakaki plant in it on the top of the hedge in front of the main building of Ise Grand Shrine without permission and read a shinto prayer aloud. The female believers behind him looked ashamed. Other visitors in suit were directing a suspicious look at him. They looked sad because the guru was ruining their special occasions.

• every time S+V　SがVする度に
• tattered　ボロボロの
• empty　空の
• hedge　垣根
• permission　許可
• ashamed　恥じて
• ruin　台無しにする

I perceived an ascetic monk who died crazed possessing the guru, so I thought words would be wasted on him. It is shameful that such weird persons do what they want at other shrines than the main building of Ise Grand Shrine where security guards keep an eye. If you find such a strange guru in front of a main building of a shrine, it’s better to make a bow at a distance or visit there again later because while you close your eyes and concentrate behind such a person, it’s possible for you to receive his spiritual dirt.

• perceive　知覚する
• ascetic monk　修行僧
• crazed　狂って
• shameful　残念な
• keep an eye　見張る
• at a distance　距離を置いて
• dirt　垢

I went to the reception desk of the shrine office to hand over all of my Ofuda in my house because I had had a divine message that I should take them to Naiku. The five Ofuda should’ve been light, but when I put them on the hands of a priest, his hands were lowered under their heavy weight. The Ofuda were mediums for deities to settle on, so their accumulated spiritual magnetism must’ve been huge. At this time, I managed to return the holy energy of Kunitsu Kami（国津神） to Naiku.

• reception　受付
• hand over A　Aを渡す
• divine　神の
• lower　下げる
• medium　媒介物

After this, I went to the guard office to apply for a special visit that allows you to go inside the hedge in front of the main building of Naiku. But a ceremony that celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Emperor’s marriage were being performed at the time, so I prayed to God in front of the main building of Naiku and headed for Geku（外宮）, instead.

• apply for A　Aを申し込む
• allow A to~  Aが〜するのを許す
• celebrate　祝う

When I got to the guard office in front of the main building of Geku to apply for a special visit, a pleasant, young shinto priest with short hair made the arrangement. He led me inside the small door and performed a purification ceremony with salt. I walked a path in the left side of the building led by him, passed through the gate, and stepped into the inside of the hedge.

• get to A　Aに着く
• pleasant　爽やかな
• purification　浄化
• path　小道

The white stones on the ground were much larger than I had thought. Walking after him, I was looking down all the way. His wooden shoes with a high heel sometimes inclined because the ground paved with large white stones was uneven. I got a little bit worried about him.

• all the way　ずっと
• wooden　木製の
• incline　傾く
• get worried　心配する

I stood in front of the main building and prayed to God. I got refreshed very much. I didn’t hear any construction noise outside somehow. Only a silent world was there. The white large stones were giving off special magnetism. The thought energy of priests and visitors was accumulated in the stones. I suppose that one of the reasons that all the buildings and stones of Ise Grand Shrine are renewed every twenty years is that the memory capacity of the stones fill in twenty years. Then, I left for the last shrine to visit that was located on the way back home from Geku.

To be continued.

• get refreshed　さっぱりする
• construction　工事
• silent　静寂の
• give off A　Aを放つ
• suppose　思う
• renew　新しくする
• memory capacity　記憶容量
• locate　位置する

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE.

Diary on a Trip to Ise PART 6

Then next, we visited Saminaga shrine（佐美長神社） near Izawa-no-miya（伊雑宮）. I had never been to the shrine. It was a small shrine without a resident shinto priest, but it was very clean and pure. What I always feel amazing about Ise Grand Shrine is that any small shrine belonging to Ise Grand Shrine is spiritually clean and pure. The style of the main buildings of these small shrines are the same, a miniature of the main buildings of Naiku and Geku. But just preserving the traditional architectural style doesn’t keep the shrines spiritually clean.

• shinto priest　神官
• miniature　ミニチュア
• preserve　保持する
• spiritually　霊的に

Well, what keeps them spiritually clean and pure? I gave it a thought walking in the precinct of Saminaga shrine surrounded by trees. Looking down at the grave path, I found that there was no fallen leaves on it. There being a lot of trees in the precinct, a lot of leaves should fall on the ground. Yes, there is someone who keeps it clean with care every day. Such labor and cost for the maintenance would be huge.

• give A a thought　Aを考えてみる
• precinct　境内
• surround  囲む
• grave　砂利
• huge　莫大な

In the World of Reality, it is human beings with God inside that make the holy energy manifest itself by taking care of shrines which are made from natural trees and stones. Human beings are a precious, important part of nature.

• holy　神聖な
• manifest oneself　顕現する
• precious　尊い
• part　一部

The next day, we went to MIshio-dono shrine（御塩殿神社）, where salt is made used at Ise Grand Shrine. It owns a salt farm and they make salt by boiling sea water with a large caldron. Unexpectedly, the seawater for the salt farm is taken from Isuzu river. There is a water intake near the shrine, where the river flowing through the town and seawater join together. I got worried a little, thinking that domestic wasted water might mix in the river, for I had thought that the seawater is taken at some deserted coast.

• own　所有する
• farm　田んぼ
• caldron　釜
• intake　河口
• domestic　家庭の
• deserted　人気のない

During the two days of my trip, I visited not a few small shrines. Every time I visited a shrine, I just left my gratitude toward God there, saying “I am grateful for being kept alive.” As I offered my gratitude for being kept alive to the shrines I visited over and over, I was gradually filled with energy mentally and physically. I felt as if God said to me “Then, I’ll keep you alive.”

• not a few A　たくさんのA
• every time S+V　SがVする度に
• gratitude　感謝の気持ち
• fill 満たす

The next day was the last day of my trip to Ise. After finishing my work, I was going to undergo a special shinto ceremony at Naiku and Geku of Ise Grand Shrine for the first time. Having made donations to Ise Grand Shrine many times before, I had a lot of special tickets for the ceremony. But I had failed to receive the ceremony because of timing and its dress code. I said goodbye to Mr.H in front of the entrance of Geku. It was getting dark outside.

To be continued.

• undergo　受ける
• ceremony　儀式
• donation　献金
• fail to~　〜しない

生かして頂いて　ありがとう御座位ます

I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te  A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su

I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING KEPT ALIVE