Important points in administering the Sazuke
When we administer the Sazuke, we serve as the Everliving Oyasama’s hands and feet in the most noble task of saving others. Consequently, it is important for you to administer the Sazuke with an awareness of your role as one of Her instruments and with an attitude befitting that role.
You should wear clean and presentable clothes, though formal garments would be even better. In pressing situations where there is no time to change into suitable clothes, you should apologize to God the Parent for your improper dress before administering the Sazuke.
The following list of important points should be learned well, so as to avoid making errors in administering the Sazuke.
(1) Conveying the teachings single-heartedly
Before administering the Sazuke, you should convey God the Parent’s teachings to the sick person and explain God the Parent’s blessings, which are constantly given to everyone. Please do not try to win the person over by argument, but talk lovingly and comfortingly with the sincerity of mind that desires to have the person saved at all costs.
If the sick person is in such a serious condition as to be unconscious, the teachings should be conveyed to the family members instead. You should then make a resolution together with them, offer a prayer to God the Parent, and administer the Sazuke to the sick person. The Sazuke is to be administered in a similar manner if the sick person is suffering from a serious mental illness.
In the case of the illness of a child under fifteen, you should convey the teachings to the parents and get them to make a resolution with you before administering the Sazuke to the child.
(2) How to pray
Having conveyed the teachings, you are ready to make the prayer. To begin, clap twice. State the sick person’s address, name, age, the name and state of the illness (including approximate date of onset) and then the prayer itself. Now begin the administration of the Sazuke.
To administer the Sazuke, first intone the words “Ashiki harai, tasuke tamae, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto” three times while performing the accompanying hand gestures, and then intone the words “Namu, tasuke tamae, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto” three times while lightly stroking the afflicted part with your hands. Repeat this set of steps two more times. After finishing the third set, clap twice to end the administration.
In the prayer, please set a time period for the prayer. The longest possible term that may be set for a given prayer is three days and three nights. If the term is set for three days and three nights, please do not think that you need only administer the Sazuke once during that period. It is important for you to make every effort to visit the recipient each day in order to convey the teachings and administer the Sazuke.
If no sign of a cure has been shown after the completion of a three-day, three-night prayer, you must reflect on where your sincerity is lacking and then start another three-day, three-night prayer with deeper sincerity. Depending on the sick person’s condition, terms of prayer may also be set for one day and one night, or two days and two nights. In pressing situations such as childbirth, you can set the term of prayer for even shorter periods of time such as one hour.
(3) In cases where the Sazuke is to be administered to more than one part of the body
If more than one part of the sick person’s body is afflicted, the Sazuke is administered to these parts individually. Please note that you are to make a bow when proceeding from one part to the next; no further handclaps are needed other than at the very beginning and end.
The order is from the top of the body to the bottom and from front to back. For instance, on the front side of the body, the Sazuke is administered to the head first, then the face, the arms, the chest, the stomach, and the legs; and on the back side, first the shoulders, then the back, and the buttocks.
If both eyes or both ears are afflicted, the Sazuke is administered to both at once. If only one eye or one ear is afflicted, the Sazuke is administered only to that part.
In the case of the arms and legs, however, the Sazuke must be administered to one limb at a time.
(4) How often the Sazuke can be administered to the same person
The maximum number of administrations of the Sazuke that a person can receive in one day is six times: three times during the day and three times during the night (more specifically, once in the morning, once at noon, once in the evening, for a total of three times during the day, and then, once in the early night hours, once at midnight, and once at dawn, for a total of three times during the night). Even if you have a close relationship with the sick person or are caring for the sick person throughout the day, do not exceed this limit, for to do so would be to treat the truth of the Sazuke too lightly.
(5) Notes on animals and crops
The Sazuke can only be administered to human beings. Ill conditions that appear in animals or crops are manifestations of the state of the mind of the keeper or grower and are considered to be afflictions of the household. The teachings, therefore, must be conveyed to the keeper or grower and to the other members of the family and, after a resolution is made, you prayer is made to God the Parent to receive divine blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment