—What does the other sub-goal—“helping others in the spirit of hinokishin to contribute to society”—mean?
For example, there are many followers who are actively engaged in cleaning activities around their churches and in their communities. There are also many who are fulfilling roles such as neighborhood council members, PTA members, probation officers, and religious counselors.
It goes without saying that hinokishin is any action that we perform with a sense of gratitude while taking an attitude of exerting our utmost with joy as The Doctrine of Tenrikyo says, “Hinokishin is an action arising from the joy of fervent faith and can take many forms.”
We as followers of the path have this attitude of hinokishin instilled in us. I believe that many followers who, through their attitude and acts of hinokishin, have earned the trust of their communities. Each community has its needs. When we are actively involved in addressing the local needs with this spirit, we can bring joy to people. We should actively build such momentum. From this angle, I think we can create more and more opportunities for salvation.
—You mean we can carry out church activities by “providing support to people in difficult situations” and by “helping others in the spirit of hinokishin to contribute to society”?
What we are doing as “salvation work” or “hinokishin” is seen as welfare activities or volunteer activities by the public. I think that is fine.
As I have said many times before, these are just some of the ways to create opportunities. What is important is how we can help others be saved, and this is what we want to focus on. First of all, I would like church head ministers to think concretely about what kind of opportunities they can find to help save others and how they want to engage in that salvation work.
—How can we get information about “those in need of help?”
In terms of creating opportunities for salvation work, I think such information is available from the Mission Department of Church Headquarters.
For example, there are networks related to “children’s cafeterias” and foster parent activities, whose momentum is currently growing. There are also networks of people who are developing various forms of salvation activities, so it would be a good idea to learn about them.
The local governments also have a system to support those who actually need assistance. However, since the efforts of the local governments alone are not sufficient to meet the needs of those in need, there is a need for the private sector to provide assistance. Other sources of information include social welfare councils and various NPOs that act as contact points for people in difficult situations. So one way is to visit these councils and NPOs—which can provide information about people who are in difficulties and about the kind of help needed—as well as to offer cooperation to the local government so that we can gain the trust of the community before starting salvation work.
—Are you suggesting that each church should seek various forms of contact with people who need to be saved?
In Tenrikyo, we have the wonderful groundwork that has been laid over the years. The “attitude of hinokishin,” which I mentioned earlier, has led to Tenrikyo gaining the trust of the local community, and the “Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps,” which has earned a high reputation from the public in recent years, has been able to fulfill its roles because of the teachings of Oyasama and the groundwork in salvation and hinokishin activities. I believe that we ourselves must be well aware of these facts. I think it is important for us to have confidence, think about what kind of salvation work we can do, and work proactively and concretely at each church.
—We should recognize the potential strength of the path, look for ways to help those in need, and proactively work to make our churches places of salvation, shouldn’t we?
We have the path we have today because our predecessors have earnestly and diligently engaged in salvation work over a long time. I still hear people say things like, “Tenrikyo accepts all people and takes care of them with kindness,” “Tenrikyo helps people without asking for anything in return,” and “Tenrikyo is known for hinokishin.” However, the honest truth is that such attitudes among us are becoming less and less prevalent. I am sure that there are many reasons for this. One reason is that perhaps not much salvation work is being done, and we are not spirited enough to help save others. I feel that this kind of atmosphere is creating a situation that is hindering the development of faith among today’s young people. I believe that by revitalizing the momentum of salvation work and by showing more and more spiritedness in hinokishin activities, we will be able to create a foundation for young people to seek the faith and grow spiritually.