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Tenrikyo is a Japanese new religion which is neither strictly monotheistic nor pantheistic, originating from the teachings of a 19th-century woman named Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as "Oyasama". Followers of Tenrikyo believe that God of Orig ...
, the Joyous Life (''yōki gurashi'', or ) is the ideal taught by spiritual leaders and pursued through
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
and abstention from greed, selfishness, hatred, anger and arrogance.
Theologically Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ana ...
, the Joyous Life functions as the purpose of human existence preordained by
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
during the creation of human beings and as the means for the
salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
of humankind.


Etymology

The term "Joyous Life" refers to several related terms that appear in Tenrikyo scriptures and historical documents in the original
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
. In the ''
Ofudesaki The Ofudesaki (おふでさき or 御筆先, "Tip of the Writing Brush") is the most important scripture in Tenrikyo. It is one of Tenrikyo's three scriptures (''sangenten'' 三原典), along with the '' Mikagura-uta'' ("The Songs for the Serv ...
'', the term is written as ''yōki yusan'' (よふきゆさん), while in the '' Osashizu,'' it is written as ''yōki asobi'' (陽気遊び) and ''yōki gurashi'' (陽気ぐらし). Early outlines of the Tenrikyo teachings use the terms ''yōkinaru yusan asobi'' (よふきなるゆさんあすび) and ''yōki yusan'' (陽気遊参). The
characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...
that make up ''yōki yusan'' and ''gurashi''/''kurashi'' are as follows: * ''Yō'' () is "positive", the same character as ''Yang'' in the Chinese
Yin and Yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...
. * ''Ki'' () is "spirit" or "energy", the same character as Qi in Chinese. * ''Yusan'' () is "an outing to the mountain or fields" (), implying an outgoing life. * ''Kurashi'' () is "livelihood", implying life in a more day-to-day sense.


Theology


Creation

At the focal point of Tenrikyo's ontological understanding is the positing of ''original causality'', or ''causality of origin'' (''moto no innen'' もとのいんねん), which is that God the Parent created human beings to see them live the Joyous Life (the salvific state) and to share in that joy. Tenrikyo teaches that the Joyous Life will eventually encompass all humanity, and that gradual progress towards the Joyous Life is even now being made with the guidance of divine providence. Thus the concept of original causality has a
teleological Teleology (from , and )Partridge, Eric. 1977''Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' London: Routledge, p. 4187. or finalityDubray, Charles. 2020 912Teleology. In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 14. New York: Robert Applet ...
element, being the gradual unfolding of that which was ordained at the beginning of time.


Salvation

The Joyous Life is understood as the salvific state which individuals can work toward through prayer (i.e.
Service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...
, '' Sazuke'') and practice in
everyday life Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or Normality (behavior), normal. Human diurna ...
(i.e. ''tannō,'' ''hinokishin''). In Tenrikyo terminology, salvation is known as ''tasuke'' (たすけ or 助け).


''Tannō''

''Tannō'' (たんのう or 堪能), or "joyous acceptance," is the spiritual practice of the Joyous Life. It is the state of mind which accepts all occurrences in one's daily life positively and as the intention of God, including hardships.


''Hinokishin''

''Hinokishin'' (ひのきしん or 日の寄進), or "daily contribution," is the physical practice of the Joyous Life. It is an expression of joy and gratitude that materializes in the world through service for one's community or surroundings.


Eschatology

Tenrikyo doctrine and tradition assert the spiritual maturity of humankind will gradually improve over many rebirths and countless millennia, and by so doing will grow in more joy and bliss and will get closer to the world of the Joyous Life. It is said that when the hearts of humankind have been adequately purified, God will inaugurate the world of the Joyous Life by bestowing a sweet dew on the basin to be placed on top of the ''
Kanrodai The ('stand for the heavenly dew', or ) is a sacred entity in Tenrikyo and Tenrikyo-derived Japanese new religions, including (but not limited to) Honmichi, Honbushin, Kami Ichijokyo, Tenri Sanrinkō, and Daehan Cheolligyo. Tenrikyo, as well as a ...
,'' which when consumed, will allow people to live the full lifespan of 115 years without illness or misfortune, and die painlessly to be reborn. Therefore Tenrikyo
eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of Contemporary era, present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic and non-Abrah ...
maintains a progressive and a
millenarian Millenarianism or millenarism () is the belief by a religious organization, religious, social, or political party, political group or Social movement, movement in a coming fundamental Social transformation, transformation of society, after which ...
outlook on the future of humankind.


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * * {{Tenrikyo bottom Tenrikyo Japanese religious terminology