On February 8, Ms. Michiko Araseki, a Tenrikyo follower living in Munich, gave a presentation on the teachings at a Catholic church in the city on request from local Catholics who showed an interest in learning about the Tenrikyo teachings.
In front of 19 Catholic church officials and members, Ms. Araseki showed slides to explain eight topics ranging from God the Parent, Oyasama, and the Teaching’s day of origin, to core teachings such as “hinokishin,” “eight dusts of the mind,” and “passing away for rebirth.”
The presentation was followed by a Q-and-A session, in which the listeners raised various questions such as “Is God the only God?” and “If God wishes humans happiness, how come there are illnesses?” Ms. Araseki answered those questions by referring to the teaching of the “Joyous Life” and sharing how her father’s administration of the Sazuke helped her mother receive a blessing of recovery from an injury caused by an accident she had before marriage.
Born to a Tenrikyo father and a former Catholic mother, Ms. Araseki attended Catholic schools from kindergarten to university. Mr. Takashi Araseki, her father, commented: “Through seeing those Catholic followers listen earnestly to my daughter’s presentation and ask various questions, I felt their honest desire to learn about Tenrikyo. It was because my daughter was born and raised in a predominantly Catholic society and spiritually inspired by the Tenrikyo teachings that she managed to allow polite dialogue to take place in a way that appreciated and respected both points of view. I am very grateful that God gave us such an opportunity.”