"Trouble, Matter" (Jijo)

This term refers to a state of affairs that is out of the ordinary and may be translated as "trouble," "problem," or "matter." In common Tenrikyo parlance, the term is not usually applied to health disorders but to worrying situations. Yet, strictly speaking, it can refer to any kind of problem or worry including illness, as is clear from a number of Divine Directions that were delivered in response to inquiries about illness and that use the term in question to refer to it. We find passages such as the following:

Concerning the matter [jijo] about which you are inquiring, it is now quite serious.

Osashizu, April 6, 1900; on the pneumonia of Azuma Branch Church Head Minister Sasuke Uehara, 51

The term does not always refer to negative situations but may be applied to situations that are out of the ordinary in a positive way (positive in the sense of offering potential for further development or growth). For example, a Divine Direction delivered in response to an inquiry concerning the establishment of a church starts by saying, "Concerning this one matter [jijo] about which you are inquiring. . ." (Osashizu, August 1, 1889; request for permission to establish Kyoto Kawaramachi Branch Church's sub-branch in Uda Village, Koga County, Omi Province). It is clear that the term in question is not referring to a crisis or breakdown of the church's situation but to something that could lead to further development and growth.

In a sense, jijo has the same significance as illness. That is, just as illness is not regarded as a disease but "guidance," a "road sign," and "admonition" provided by God, so what is called "trouble" or "matter" should not be seen only as a crisis situation. That such things arise means that God is working to communicate something to us. It is important to seize the opportunity provided by the situation to calm and purify the mind so as to listen to God's word and awaken to God's intention.

(This article was first published in the May 2006 issue of TENRIKYO.)