Articles and exerpts from a variety of books, on the teachings of Tenrikyo
Oyasama once told a follower shortly after he began to follow the path: “Become a person with a gentle heart.” Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 123 There may be times when, after receiving a negative comment from someone we know, we feel so angry that we can barely contain ourselves. We…
Once a little boy of five or six who had dislocated his right wrist was brought to the Residence by his grandmother, and Oyasama said to him: “Welcome home, dear.” Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 103 Childhood is a time when the values of social responsibility and caring for others are…
Oyasama often said: “Buds sprout from knots.” The Life of Oyasama, p. 142 There are times when things go so wrong that we feel at a loss as to what to do next. At such times, we begin to see who we really are. For example, we might realize that…
The Main Sanctuary of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters centers around Jiba, and to the north of it stands the Foundress’ Sanctuary, which is dedicated to Oyasama. The two Sanctuaries are connected by the Corridor. Tenrikyo followers refer to the Foundress, Miki Nakayama, as “Oyasama,” a word written with two Chinese characters…
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…