User:Singularity/sandbox

To do

• Classification in Religious Sociology: Tenri Kyokai
• Easier tasks
  • Add history of Service instruments to Service (Tenrikyo)
  • User:Singularity/sandbox/18 Tenri Jihosha (already exists in Japanese)
  • User:Singularity/sandbox/21 Tenri Kyoko Gakuen High School (天理教校学園高等学校)
  • Check Template:学校法人天理大学
  • Jiba (Tenrikyo)
    • Jiba and Kanrodai Modern Japanese Religions: With Special Emphasis Upon Their Doctrines of Healing is based on van Straelen study.
  • Kanrodai

• Harder tasks
  • Add Teachings and History of Tenrikyo content to existing articles on institutions (Tenrikyo Church Headquarters Oyasato-yakata Tenri University Sankokan Tenri Central Library Tenri Hospital)
  • Add Tracing the Life of Oyasama and Life of Oyasama content to Nakayama Miki
  • Add The Measure of Heaven content to Iburi Izo

Pages in progress:

• User:Singularity/sandbox/6 (Tenrikyo cosmology)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/9 (Tenrikyo administration)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/10 (Tenrikyo symbols)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/11 (Tenrikyo literature)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/12 (Nakayama Shozen - Second Shinbashira)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/13 (Nakayama Shinnosuke - First Shinbashira)
• User:Singularity/sandbox/14 Tenrikyo and Shinto
• User:Singularity/sandbox/16 Tenrikyo apocrypha
• User:Singularity/sandbox/19 Tenrikyo no Jikan (already exists in Japanese 天理教の時間)

To do list:

• Tenrikyo
  • add info from Encyclopedia of Shinto [1]

Beliefs

Joyous Life

See also: Joyous Life

Tenrikyo adherents believe that the purpose of human existence, or God's intention behind the creation of humankind, is to live the 'Joyous Life' (yoki-gurashi 陽気ぐらし). The 'Joyous Life' is also essential to Tenrikyo's concept of salvation and of the utopia.

There are two senses in which the term 'Joyous Life' is used – as a state of mind that an individual can cultivate and achieve at the present moment, or as an ideal world when everyone achieves this state of mind.

Tenrikyo Christian Dialogue, 301-4.!!!

As a state of mind

The Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten (Revised Tenrikyo Dictionary) describes the 'Joyous Life' as follows:

The Joyous Life means living each day with a joyous mind, a bright and spirited mind. The term indicates that happiness is to be found in the midst of daily living. Or more precisely, it is to be found within oneself, who engages in daily living, not in external things, things that are other than oneself such as material things like money or social status or prestige. In brief, whether or not humans can attain the Joyous Life depends entirely on how they live their lives each day...The Joyous Life entails living consciously each day, conscious of how one's way of living shapes one's experience of life, moment to moment, rather than merely going through daily life mechanically and automatically. Whether, at the end of the day, one feels that it is just another day gone by or whether one has actually savored the joy of being alive depends on how consciously and responsibly one lives.

As an ideal world

Oyasama has indicated some concrete features of the world of the Joyous Life. Found in such sources as the Scriptures and the Anecdotes: eternal peace will be established, no longer suffering from any illness. All human beings will be able to enjoy a long life of 115 years and, thereafter, stay as long as they wish, work just half a day and spend the rest of the time on joyous play, will be blessed with rain at night and fine weather in the day time, will always be blessed with a rich harvest, a couple will be blessed with one boy and one girl.

"God teaches us that when we have all purified our minds and attained the mind of sincerity, we shall receive kanro, heavenly dew, by virtue of the Salvation Service. Whoever partakes of kanro will live one hundred fifteen years. Further, one will be allowed to live forever, if so desired."

P. 187. “...because as I understand it there is a strong sense of eschatology in the teachings of Tenrikyo. There is a vision of the future of the whole humanity and there are also a direction leading to fulfillment and a new promise for humanity. If you understand eschatology in the full theological sense of a historical movement ultimately transcending history, then, I think, you also find a similar aspect in Tenrikyo thought.”

p 187-9… Hashimoto. Tenrikyo aims at realizing the Joyous Life in this world. In this sense, the “Joyous Life” can be a Tenrikyo equivalent of eschatology. The Joyous Life which God the Parent desires us to realize is not just a pleasant and amusing way of living. Rather, it is fulfilled when all of us can help, respect, and inspire one another. It is extremely difficult to realize fully the Joyous Life, and we cannot foresee when it will be. However, as in Christianity as well, there is an existential interpretation of eschatology, that is, the final moment is now or we are experiencing it right now. Teruaki Iida: We generally understand the Christian eschatology in terms of the Last Judgement at the last moment which classifies people into those for heaven or for hell. Tenrikyo does not have an eschatology in that sense. According to the Tenrikyo teaching, human souls, by their spontaneous efforts to mature the mind, gradually progress through births and rebirths until we will finally be able to realize the Joyous Life in this world by God the Parent’s guidance. Further, Tenrikyo does not have a teaching concerning the world after death. We are taught that each person’s soul is resting in the bosom of God the Parent. In this respect, Tenrikyo is this-worldly centered.

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The Joyous Life in Tenrikyo is defined as charity and abstention from greed, selfishness, hatred, anger and arrogance. Negative tendencies are not known as sins in Tenrikyo, but rather as "dust" that can be swept away from the mind through hinokishin and ritual. Hinokishin, voluntary effort, is performed not out of a desire to appear selfless, but out of gratitude for kashimono-karimono and shugo (providence).

Adherents believe in a single god, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, who is defined as the creator and caring parent of all human beings. It is also taught that the universe is the body of God. The ultimate spiritual aim of Tenrikyo is the construction of the Kanrodai, a divinely ordained pillar in an axis mundi called the Jiba, and the correct performance of the Kagura ritual around the Kanrodai, which will bring about the salvation of all human beings. The idea of the Jiba as the origin of earthly creation is called moto-no-ri, or the principle of origin. A pilgrimage to the Jiba is interpreted as a return to one's origin, so the greeting okaeri nasai (welcome home) is seen on many inns in Tenri City.

Ontology

With human beings: the body is a thing lent by God, a thing borrowed from God, the mind alone is yours. From just one mind, any kind of truth will appear daily. Osashizu, November 15, 1889 In the Ofudesaki, we read: So long as you remain unknowing that the body is a thing borrowed, you can understand nothing at all. Ofudesaki 3:147

The most basic teaching of Tenrikyo is kashimono-karimono, meaning "a thing lent, a thing borrowed". The thing that is lent and borrowed is the human body. Tenrikyo followers think of their minds as things that are under their own control, but their bodies are not completely under their control.

In this view of salvific truth, which expresses a this-worldly orientation that is also characteristic of other Japanese new religions, the mind (kokoro) is defined as the basis of human existence and is indeed considered to be the only thing that belongs to human beings. This is expressed in a commonly cited phrase, “the mind alone is yours” (kokoro hitotsu ga waga no ri) (TCH 1993:52). The human body, which exists in relation to the mind, is described as a “thing lent, a thing borrowed” (kashimono karimono) from God the Parent. The official interpretation of this expression is that the human body is being kept alive by God’s providence (TCH 1993:50-52). The divine providence with which human beings are sustained is referred to as God the Parent’s “complete providence” (jūzen no shugo), which delineates ten aspects of God’s workings relating to the creation and sustenance of human life as the entirety of divine functioning in the human body (TCH 1993:30-32). This relationship between the human body and God further extends to an idea that the existence of all things including human beings and the physical world are reliant upon the providence of God (TCH 1993:32). Described as such, the concept of God is viewed as a synonym of the phenomenal world itself, an idea that is encapsulated in a scriptural phrase, “This universe is the body of God” (Ofudesaki III:40, 135).

In light of this ontological view, the human mind comes to play a key role in Tenrikyō’s soteriological discourse. In the process toward the realization of the Joyous Life, the mind is considered to be the determinant of human experiences and all the phenomena in the world. In this view, God the Parent is believed to provide human beings with divine blessings, such as good health or harmonious relationships with others, depending on the ways in which they use their minds. In this way, the human mind is believed to be able to affect the ways in which divine blessings are provided to human beings. (https://wrldrels.org/2015/03/22/tenrikyo/)

God the Parent

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Creation story

Tenrikyo refers to its creation story as the "Truth of Origin" (moto no ri 元の理) or the "Story of Creation" (moto hajimari no hanashi 元初まりの話). The officially sanctioned version of this story currently appears in Chapter Three of The Doctrine of Tenrikyo, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. The chapter is based on what is written in the Ofudesaki, composed by Miki Nakayama, and the writings of disciples who listened to Nakayama (koki こふき).???????

The creation story lies at the heart of Tenrikyo doctrine and practice. The story begins with God defining the purpose of human existence, which is to see humankind live the Joyous Life and thus share in that joy. The story explains that the settling of Miki Nakayama as the shrine of God was preordained. At the time of human conception, models and instruments of creation "Discerning their single-heartedness, God obtained their consent and received them, promising that when the years equal to the number of their first-born had elapsed, they would be returned to the Residence of Origin, the place of original conception, and would be adored by their posterity."

This creation story is significant because it explains the reason for Miki Nakayama, the meaning of the "Kagura Service" (the most important component of Tenrikyo's liturgy),

Jiba/Kanrodai: p. 125-130, 149-150 Significance in the liturgy.

The Doctrine of Tenrikyo describes the ten 'providences' involved in the creation of human beings:

• Kunitokotachi-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of the eyes and fluids; in the world, the providence of water.
• Omotari-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of warmth; in the world, the providence of fire.
• Kunisazuchi-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of the female organ, of skin and joining; in the world, the providence of joining in general.
• Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of the male organ, of bones and support; in the world, the providence of support in general.
• Kumoyomi-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of eating, drinking, and elimination; in the world, the providence of the rise and fall of moisture.
• Kashikone-no-Mikoto: in the human body, the providence of breathing and speaking; in the world, the providence of wind.
• Taishokuten-no-Mikoto: the providence of cutting off the ties of the child to its mother at birth, and also in cutting off the breath of life when one passes away for rebirth; in the world, the providence of cutting in general.
• Otonobe-no-Mikoto: the providence of pulling out the child from its mother during birth; in the world, the providence of pulling forth in general.
• Izanagi-no-Mikoto: the model of man, the seed.
• Izanami-no-Mikoto: the model of woman, the seedplot.

P.364 According to the Tenrikyo , shown in the Truth of Origin, this world is the body of God and is protected by God the Parent. Since the time of human creation, we human beings have been in the bosom of God the Parent and have been kept alive because of the complete providence of God the Parent. God the Parent is also constantly working in our human body. In this respect, our human body is a thing lent by God and a thing borrowed from God. This Tenrikyo cosmology is fundamentally based on the complete providence of God the Parent which correspond each other between the divine workings in the human body and those in nature.

A sacred name is given to each of the ten aspects of the complete providence of God the Parent as follows: Juzen-no-Shugo – ten principles involved in the creation, which exist in Futatsu Hitotsu (two-in-one relationships) and are considered to be applied continuously throughout the universe

Causality

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P. 429-430. The first question asks how salvation is related to reincarnation. Tenrikyo does not have the concept of “reincarnation” (samsara). We indeed have the teaching of rebirth in this world, that after we pass away, we will be born again in this world. This teaching is often confused with the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, but what our teaching signifies is very different from that concept in Buddhism. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation stands on the premise that there exists no reality called God. However, Tenrikyo teaches that this world is the body of God and our lives are sustained by the blessings of God the Parent so that we can lead a Joyous Life. Namely God the Parent has given human existence the original mode of existence that is called the Joyous Life. Such a concept lies at the basis of the Tenrikyo teachings. Also Tenrikyo has the teaching of innen. This teaching, as you mentioned, actually implies a meaning comparable with karma, that is, your good conduct will result in good results and bad conducts bad results. If we live each day selfishly and without knowing the parental heart of God the Parent, we will accumulate dusts in the mind, which will become an individual’s innen. However, the root meaning of innen is the original innen or the original cause of human existence, the Joyous Life. The Buddhist teaching of innen as believed on the level of popular faith, has rather negative connotations. The Foundress adopted the term innen which was in popular use in those days, but She fundamentally transformed its negative connotations into positive ones by infusing the notion of the Joyous Life into the meaning of innen in order to show the true way of living of human beings – the “original innen.”

All people are called to participate in the final establishment of this joyous life by reflecting now on the cause of their suffering, in order to understand their innen, or karma. Karma— in Tenrikyo doctrine the good or bad effects of past actions, either in this life or previous lives— is the cause of all experience.

Practices

Hinokishin

See also: Hinokishin

About Tanno, hinokishin (157-166) 355 Salvation and its achievement.

Hinokishin (lit. daily service) is a spontaneous action that is an expression of gratitude and joy for being allowed to "borrow" his or her body from God the Parent. Such an action ideally is done as an act of religious devotion out of a wish to help or bring joy to others, without any thought of compensation. Hinokishin can range from helping someone to just a simple smile to brighten another person's day. Examples of common Hinokishin activities that are encouraged include cleaning public bathrooms and parks among other such acts of community service. Doing the work that others want to do least are considered sincere in the eyes of God.

Hinokishin is a method of "sweeping" the "mental dusts" that accumulate in our minds. The "mental dusts" are referring to the Eight Mental Dusts. The official translations of these dusts are: Miserliness (Oshii), Covetousness (Hoshii), Hatred (Nikui), Self-love (Kawai), Grudge-bearing (Urami), Anger (Haradachi), Greed (Yoku), Arrogance (Kouman).

The Tenrikyo Young Men's Association and Tenrikyo Women's Association are Tenrikyo-based groups that perform group activities as public service. To participate in such groups may be considered Hinokishin.

P. 191 “We do not have meditation or contemplation in Tenrikyo. Tanno is concerned with an individual’s state of mind. It is taught as important that each person seriously ponders over the intention of God and express it in his or her own attitude and action.” “What is relevant to the issue in question now is that we are called to have the mind of other centered-ness, or the mind that desires salvation of others. Methods to have such a mind could perhaps include meditation or contemplation, which Professor Fuss mentioned, but it alone would not suffice. Tenrikyo strongly emphasizes that we actually engage in action, whatever action it may be, that will save others. Hinokishin is, after all, such an action. It literally means our daily dedication to God. Our daily action itself can become our dedication to God. At any rate, when we repeat actions for saving others, whatever it may be, then, our mind will gradually change into the one that desires to save others. Different religious traditions have different methods of training. Tenrikyo hardly uses the term training, but our efforts to change our minds by actually engaging in the act of saving others may be understood as, so to speak, a mechanism of training.”

• Tanno (Joyous Acceptance) – a constructive attitude towards troubles, illness and difficulties

Sazuke

See also: Sazuke

A Yoboku administering the Sazuke on a follower.

The Divine Grant of Sazuke is a healing prayer in which one may attain through attending the nine Besseki lectures. When one receives the Divine Grant of Sazuke, he or she is considered a Yoboku (lit. useful timber). The Sazuke is to be administered to those who are suffering from illness to request God's blessings for a recovery. However, recovery requires the sincere effort from both the recipient and the administrator of the Sazuke to clean their minds of "mental dust." Only with pure minds then can the blessings be received by the recipient through the Yoboku administering the Sazuke. It is taught that when God accepts the sincerity of the person administering the Sazuke and the sincerity of the person to whom it is being administered, a wondrous salvation will be bestowed. This is accomplished through having the recipient be aware of the mental dusts and the teachings of Tenrikyo to remedy their dusty minds. Sazuke

Eight Dusts, Greed...etc.???

Tenrikyo uses metaphors from construction, carpentry, and farming to help followers to understand the teachings in its scriptures. It visualizes the construction of a better world as a step-by-step process, in which people can make small steps forward by working together. Spiritual growth in Tenrikyo is also viewed as a step-by-step process in which followers walk their own paths at their own pace.

Texts

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Other texts

Kakisage Koki

Liturgy

See also: Service (Tenrikyo)

Monthly services

Tenrikyo service performers wearing traditional montsuki after a monthly service.

Tsukinamisai or the monthly service is a performance of the entire Mikagura-Uta, the sacred songs of the service, which is the service for world salvation. Generally, mission headquarters and grand churches (churches with 100 or more others under them) have monthly services performed on the third Sunday of every month; other churches perform on any other Sunday of the month. The monthly service at the Jiba is performed on the 26th of every month, the day of the month in which Tenrikyo was first conceived – October 26, 1838.

Instruments used in the monthly service are all of those aforementioned. Performers also include dancers – three men and three women – and a singer. Performers wear traditional montsuki, which may or may not be required depending on the church.

Daily service

The Otsutome or daily service consists of the performance of the seated service and, optionally, the practice of a chapter or two of the 12 chapters of Teodori (lit. hand dance) or Yorozuyo. The daily service is performed twice a day; once in the morning and then in the evening. The service times are adjusted according to the time of sun rise and sun set but may vary from church to church. Service times at the Jiba in Tenri City go by this time schedule and adjust in the changing of seasons.

Instruments used in the daily service are the Hyoshigi, Chanpon, Surigane, Taiko, and Kazutori (a counter, to count the 21 times the first section is repeated). The Hyoshigi is always played by the head minister of the church or mission station. If the head minister is not present, anyone may take his or her place.

The daily service does not need to be performed at a church. It can be done at any time and anywhere, so long as that one faces the direction of the Jiba, or "home of the parent".

The purpose of the daily service, as taught by Miki Nakayama, is to sweep away the Eight Mental Dusts of the mind.

A typical in-house shrine

Instruments

Instruments used to perform Otsutome

(audio) Music being performed during a local daily service.

Tenrikyo utilises traditional musical instruments in its otsutome (lit. service or duty), Hyoshigi (wooden clappers), Chanpon (cymbals), Surigane (small gong), Taiko (large drum), Tsuzumi (shoulder drum), Fue (bamboo flute), Shamisen, Kokyū, and Koto. These are used to play music from the Mikagura-uta, a body of music, dances and songs created by Nakayama.

The Hyoshigi, Chanpon, Surigane, Taiko, and Fue were traditionally the men's instruments but are now acceptable for women to play. The Shamisen, Kokyu, and Koto were traditionally women's instruments and, although not very popular, are now acceptable for men to play as well.

Most of the world's foremost authorities on Gagaku music (the ancient classical Shinto music of the imperial court of Japan) are also Tenrikyo followers, and Gagaku music is actively promoted by Tenrikyo, although, strictly speaking, the Mikagura-Uta and Gagaku are separate musical forms.

Life of Miki Nakayama (Oyasama)

See also: Nakayama Miki

History of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters

See also: History of Tenrikyo

Background

Due to constant persecution from local government authorities and from members of established religions, the followers of Tenrikyo wanted to apply for legal authorization to establish a church. However, Japanese law during the Meiji period stipulated that legal authorization could only be granted if the church were classified under an established tradition, such as Shinto, Buddhism, or Christianity. Though Tenrikyo does not consider itself a Shinto tradition, early followers agreed to file under Shinto in order to obtain the protections from legal authorization. Several failed attempts were made; the first one was in April 29, 1885 to the governor of Osaka Prefecture.

Under Shinto Main Bureau (1888–1899)

Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was established in 1888 as a religious organization belonging to the Shinto Main Bureau (神道本局 Shinto Honkyoku). The legal authorization removed the threat of suppression and allowed followers could seek permission to establish branch churches and to gain official recognition for missionary work. The membership rose sharply in the first decade of the Headquarters' existence. In 1892, the number of Tenrikyo followers had allegedly reached over one million, a thirty-fold increase in membership in five years. By December 1896, Tenrikyo had 3,137,113 members belonging to 1,078 churches, and there were 19,061 ministers. This growth invited negative reactions from Buddhist institutions, which were concerned about losing adherents, and from newspapers, who labeled the religion as "anti-social."

On April 6, 1896, the Home Ministry (内務省 Naimu-shō) issued "Directive No. 12," which ordered strict and secretive surveillance over Tenrikyo Church Headquarters under the pretense of maintaining and strengthening the state polity of Japan. Issues raised by authorities were the congregation of both men and women together, the obstruction of medical treatment and the alleged policy of enforced donations."

The Tenrikyo leaders complied to the state's demands in several ways. They changed several aspects of their prayer ritual, known to adherents as the "Service". The name of the Tenrikyo deity Tenri-O-no-Mikoto was changed to Tenri-no-Okami. Tenrikyo's doctrine was altered to conform with the official State Shinto doctrine. Tenrikyo Church Headquarters' conformity with the state demands resulted in a dual structure of the Tenrikyo faith, where on the surface, Tenrikyo complied with the state demands, while adherents disregarded those changes and maintained the teachings and rites as initially taught by Miki Nakayama.

Preparing for independence from Shinto Main Bureau (1899–1908)

In 1899 the Shinto Main Bureau advised the Tenrikyo Church Headquarters officials about the possibility of official recognition as an independent religion (independent meaning to be classified directly under the Meiji government, which upheld State Shinto ideology). Tenrikyo leaders worked to systemize the Tenrikyo doctrine and institutionalize the organization so that the petition for independence would pass. Tenrikyo Church Headquarters made a total of five attempts before it finally achieved independence in 1908.

On April 1, 1900, Tenri Seminary, Tenrikyo’s first educational institution, was founded as a training school for ministers. In 1902, Tenrikyo arranged its mission administration system in Japan, which divided the country into ten dioceses and appointed superintendents to supervise regional missionary activities.

In 1903, a edition of Tenrikyo's doctrine was compiled (known today as the Meiji kyoten, or the Meiji version of Tenrikyo's doctrine). This edition of the doctrine differs significantly from the present edition because the teachings of State Shinto were incorporated in order to gain the Home Ministry's approval. Although Tenrikyo Church Headquarters complied with many of the state's requests, it did not compromise on the request to completely eliminate the Mikagura-uta ("The Songs for the Service"), one of Tenrikyo's main scriptures.

Around this time, Tenrikyo began to open its first churches overseas in Taiwan (1897), Korea (1904), Manchuria (1911), the U.S. (1927), Brazil, and Southeast Asian countries.

Independence from Shinto Main Bureau (1908–1937)

The fifth petition for independence was submitted to the Home Ministry on March 20, 1908 and accepted later that year in November 27. Tenrikyo Church Headquarters set up its Administrative Headquarters, formally appointed Shinnosuke Nakayama as the first shinbashira, the spiritual and administrative leader of Tenrikyo, and established its constitution. On February 25, 1912, the Home Ministry invited representatives from seventy-three religious groups to the Three Religions Conference (三教会同 Sankyokaido) including a Tenrikyo representative (the three religions represented were Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity, and Tenrikyo was categorized under Shinto). This conference initiated a program of national edification, and with the support of the government, Tenrikyo was able to hold lectures at 2,074 places through Japan, drawing nearly a quarter million listeners. Due to the relative relaxation of state control on Tenrikyo rituals, the performance of section one of the Mikagura-uta was restored in 1916, after two decades of prohibition under the Home Ministry’s directive.

In 1925, a school of foreign languages was established for missionaries, including what would become Tenri Central Library. The same year saw the establishment of a printing office, a department for researching of doctrinal and biographical materials, and a major expansion of the church's education system, including a new girls’ school, nursery, kindergarten, and elementary school.

In 1928, the Ofudesaki was published. Three years later, in 1931, the publication of the Osashizu was completed, making the three main scriptures of Tenrikyo available to all followers for the first time.

On the occasion of the completion of the South Worship Hall of the Main Sanctuary in 1934, the Kagura Service was restored for the first time since it had been prohibited in 1896.

Wartime Japan (1937–1945)

As the war between Japan and China grew from the Mukden Incident to the Second Sino-Japanese War, state control of religious and secular thought intensified. For example, in December 1935, state authorities destroyed the buildings of Omotokyo Headquarters and arrested the organization's leaders. One week later, on December 16, 1935, around four hundred policemen were sent to investigate Tenrikyo Church Headquarters on suspicion of tax evasion, even though there were no grounds for that accusation.

After the National Mobilization Law was passed in 1938, Japan’s wartime polity strengthened. In 1939, Tenrikyo Church Headquarters announced that it would reform its doctrine and ritual, under threat of forced disbanding of the organization by state authorities. Under the reformation, copies of the Ofudesaki and Osashizu were recalled, certain chapters were deleted from the Mikagura-uta, and the Kagura Service, an important Tenrikyo ritual, was not allowed to be performed. All preaching, rites, and events were to follow the Meiji version of Tenrikyo's doctrine from 1903. The 1940 Religious Organizations Law further increased state surveillance and oppression in Japan.

After World War II (1945–present)

In its own historical account, Tenrikyo refers to the years following the surrender of Japan and the conclusion of World War II as fukugen, or "restoration." One of the significant aspects of the "restoration" was the republishing and reissuing of the three scriptures of Tenrikyo in their entirety: the Mikagura-uta in 1946, the Ofudesaki in 1948, and the Osashizu in 1949. In addition, the doctrine, which for decades had been colored by State Shinto ideology, was revised to reflect the teachings conveyed in the main scriptures and authorized in 1949.

Another aspect of the "restoration" was the construction of the Oyasato-yakata, begun in 1954. As of 1998, twenty four wings have been completed and are used for various purposes, such as educational facilities, medicinal facilities, institutes for doctrinal studies and religious training, and followers' dormitories. The construction continues to this day.

The "Tenrikyo-Christian Dialogue," a symposium cosponsored by Tenri University and Pontifical Gregorian University, was held in Rome, Italy from March 9–11, 1998. Three years later, the universities cosponsored another symposium, "Tenrikyo-Christian Dialogue II," held at Tenri, Japan from September 28–30, 2002.

Institutional structure

See also: Tenrikyo Church Headquarters

Shinbashira

Honbuin

Other

Initiatives, activities that it currently deals with.

Tenrikyo is subdivided into many different groups with common goals but differing functions. These range from the Daikyokai (lit. large church), to disaster relief corps, medical staff and hospitals, universities, museums, libraries, and various schools.

Tenri Judo is renowned as a successful competition style of Judo that has produced many champions, while there are also other sporting and arts interest groups within Tenrikyo. Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City, ...etc.

Notable followers

• Avram Davidson, an American writer of fantasy and science fiction
• Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin, a noted American shakuhachi teacher
• Bunmei Ibuki, a Japanese politician
• Naoki Matsuyo, Japanese footballer
• Ayaka Hirahara, Japanese pop singer

Extra stuff

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Classification of God

“While Tenrikyo is monotheistic, it is not restricted to monotheism.” Tenrikyo: Its History and Its Teachings, Critique of van Straelen’s “The Religion of Divine Wisdom” by Yoshinori Moroi.

• "We must recognize at the outset that there are polytheistic expressions in older books written by Tenrikyo believers, and from this it may be concluded that Tenrikyo is a polytheistic faith. In particular the expression "eight myriads of gods" (yao yorozu no kami) was used in the Tenrikyo doctrine of the Meiji era as collectively indicating the God of Divine Wisdom (Tenri-O-Kami); but we should not conclude from this that the original teaching itself was necessarily polytheistic. As has already been stated, Tenrikyo was able to attain independence only because it put itself in the category of Shinto, which is a polytheistic faith..." (Tenrikyo Its History and Teachings 268).
• "The God of Tenrikyo is God the Parent, but we do not attach too much importance to the oneness of God. We believe in God the Parent as the Parent whose action is Tsukihi, which means oneness in duality. Therefore, if anyone asks whether Tenrikyo is polytheistic or monotheistic, we can only answer that, while Tenrikyo is monotheistic, it is not limited to monotheism. The way of thinking which divides religions into the two categories of polytheism and monotheism is itself open to criticism." (Tenrikyo Its History and Teachings 270).
• According to the Tenrikyo worldview, this world of existence is the “body of God” and is sustained by the providence of God the Parent, that is, the “Truth of Heaven.” In this regard, Oyasama writes in the Ofudesaki as follows: “This universe is the body of God. Ponder this in all matters.”...This teaching, however, never implies a pantheistic worldview. Rather it signifies that this world is filled with the working of God the Parent. While making this world God’s own body, God the Parent stands transcendent of the world and protects it. This expresses that not only human beings, but also all living things live in the body of God the Parent, and that their lives are sustained by the blessings of God. We borrow our body from God the Parent, and only the mind is ours. This is the essential mode of human existence. (Tenrikyo-Christian, forget which chapter)

• "Kami, or God, Tsukihi or Moon and Sun, and Oya or Parent are used throughout the Ofudesaki. At first God the Parent was called Kami, Creator of this World, Original God, or True God. But the word Kami created the impression that He was of a fearful and inaccessible nature, an invisible Supreme Being having the power to inflict punishment. Therefore, He was then called Tsukihi after the heavenly bodies which give light and warmth to all creation at all hours of the day and night as the manifestation of God the Parent. Finally He is revealed as Oya or Parent...The expression Oya was used to associate His parental love with that of ours by which we bring up our children. We instinctively think of the parental love of God the Parent because of the word parent. In reality, the meanings of Kami, Tsukihi, and Oya are one. From the standpoint of our feeling, however, the word Oya has a more definite effect on us. Herein, I believe, lies the greatest expression of parental love."

• "In order to help us understand the nature of God the Parent, Oyasama first utilized the word "Kami" (God)--a word familiar to everyone around Her--and added phrases to it, giving us the expressions "God of Origin" and "God in Truth." Oyasama taught that God the Parent, who embodies warm parental love and boundless divine providence, is, on the one hand, God of Origin in the sense of having created the world, humankind, and all that exists out of where there was no shape or form. On the other hand, God the Parent is also God in Truth, in the sense of actually sustaining the world and all life for all eternity, constantly providing for our existence from within. Unlike the deities in whom the people around Her believed, God the Parent is related to humanity and all else on the most fundamental and essential level and is also the actual, constant sustainer of all life.
• When Oyasama felt that the people around Her began to understand the concept of God of Origin and God in Truth, She started using the word "Tsukihi" (Moon-Sun) as the Moon and Sun are the visible manifestations of God the Parent in the heavens. Whether it is night or day, the Moon and Sun shine upon the world continuously without rest. This reflects the truth that Tsukihi, God the Parent, impartially provides everyone in the world with light and the blessings of divine providence, while seeing and knowing everything. Our existence is sustained by God the Parent's blessings manifested in fire and water, in warmth and moisture, and in the loving embrace of heaven and earth.
• Lastly, Oyasama referred to God the Parent simply as "Oya" (Parent). Thus She taught that God the Parent is not only God whom we regard with utmost veneration, but is our Parent whom we can feel intimate with and whom we can freely cling to and confide in. God the Parent is certainly not a fearsome god who rules apart from the world, commanding and punishing humankind from the heavens above. God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, is the true Parent of humankind. God the Parent's only concern is for humans, God's beloved children, to live joyfully and cheerfully. This universe is the body of God the Parent and overflows with the blessings of the divine providence. We live each day in God the Parent's bosom, embraced by God's warm parental love."