Articles and exerpts from a variety of books, on the teachings of Tenrikyo
At the entrance to a Japanese Shinto shrine, there is usually a gateway and a path leading to the shrine; there is a certain route for worshipers. In addition, the boundaries of the shrine precincts are easy to recognize in most cases. How about Jiba? A black gate stands about…
The Tenrikyo faith is inseparable from Jiba. We are taught that Jiba is the place where humans were first conceived at the time of creation. Because of this causality, God the Parent descended there at the arrival of the promised time, settled Oyasama as the Shrine of God, and began…
Oyasama once told a young man who was visiting Her for the first time in order to thank Her for saving him: “Go through life without erring. As long as you do not err, in the end, your happiness will exceed all bounds.” Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 103 We are…
Oyasama once gave Her great-grandson Sotaro Kajimoto a tangerine segment after removing the white pith, opening the segment, and turning it inside out. She placed it on Sotaro’s finger, saying: “The kite cries ‘toh, toh,’ and the crow, ‘caw, caw.’” Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 192 This scene vividly portrays Oyasama’s…
Oyasama once said to someone who had come asking for help after having been to many places to pray: “You have come the long way around. What a pity! You could have met all those gods if only you had come here.” Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 10 Let’s take a…
Oyasama once said to a follower: “The bur of the chestnut is rough and prickly. Take away the bur and inside it there is a shell and then there is a bitter coating. Shell it, then peel the coating, and you will find a tasty nut. If a man listens…