by Masuo Nezu

This Tastes Good!

The following story comes from a woman in Japan who for many years has been active as both an educator and as a shiatsu (finger-pressure massage) therapist.

The woman would visit the home of the Niwano family from time to time and use her relaxing massage technique on the founder and some other members of the family. One day the procedure took a little longer than usual, so she was invited to join the family at dinner and to stay overnight. One of the dishes served at dinner was abalone. Rev. Niwano said to the massage therapist, "This tastes good. You should try some." He then added, "People often comment that a typical home-cooked dish is nothing special, but I don't agree. Instead I recommend the dish, saying 'How delicious this is.' Since the food was carefully prepared and tastes good, I want others to try it."

Days later, when the therapist went to the church to which she belonged, she related this to the chapter heads. They thanked her politely, bringing their hands together in prayer.

They all looked pleased by what they seemed to consider a wonderful story. The therapist wondered why, although anecdotes concerning Rev. Niwano were usually well received, the chapter heads seemed to think so highly of this one, so she asked them about it.

One of the chapter heads replied, "When we talk about the Dharma to people, we should say, 'This tastes good,' just as Founder Niwano did about the food. The teachings of the Buddha are very valuable. We must tell that to people directly. This should renew our enthusiasm for dissemination from now on." When she heard this, the therapist said she was ashamed of her own shallow understanding of Founder Niwano's words.

"The next time, I visited Rev. Niwano to give him a massage," she commented, "I reported this incident to him. Then he said to me, 'You engaged in guidance work.' 'Oh no, sir,' I responded. 'They are chapter heads. I have done nothing like guidance.' But Rev. Niwano responded, 'Not at all. Chapter heads will have what they heard from you in mind when they guide others. You helped them in this, so it is equivalent to your doing guidance.'"

Some years later Founder Niwano hurt his back and was confined to bed. With age, it had become difficult for him to get around by himself in that condition.

The shiatsu therapist asked him on one of her visits: "Are you happy every day?" "Yes, I am," he replied. Then she asked, "You are not able to move about freely, yet still you are happy?"

His answer was: "Although I am unable to move about, I can still pray for others. Therefore I am still happy." He always thought of others. Realizing this, the therapist was deeply moved.

This series of articles was originally published in Japanese in 2000 under the title Kaiso Zuimonki: Egao no Ushirosugata.