What Is Tenrikyo? Core Beliefs and Practices Briefly

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God the Parent’s Plan for Salvation

Tenrikyo’s belief is that God the Parent’s plan for human salvation was set at the time of Creation and involved three key elements: the Person, the Place, and the Time.

The Person refers to Miki Nakayama, who became Oyasama, the Shrine of God. Chosen to serve as the model for the path to the Joyous Life, she demonstrated through her own life how to live in full accordance with God’s will.
The Place is the Jiba, the original place where human beings were first created. Located in what is now Tenri, Japan, it is regarded as the spiritual center of the world and the site of God’s revelation.
The Time is what we currently refer to October 26, 1838, using the modern calendar. This marks the moment when God the Parent became openly revealed through Oyasama, setting the path of salvation into motion.

Who is Oyasama?

As the Shrine of God, Oyasama was to teach us why God created human beings—by lending us physical bodies—so that He could share in our experience of the Joyous Life. God is not a distant or judgmental figure, but a loving Parent who desires only our happiness and spiritual growth.

God is also an active participant in our journey, constantly working to guide and support us as we move toward the Joyous Life. Prior to Oyasama’s appearance, not only were we unaware that this was our true purpose, we also did not know how to achieve it. Oyasama became the Shrine of God to lead us, offering Herself as a model for how to walk the path toward this goal.

What Are The Proper and Improper Uses of the Mind?

Following Her Divine Model, Oyasama taught us about the proper uses of the mind—such as being sincere, joyful, humble, and considerate of others. These mental attitudes create harmony and allow us to align with God’s intention. Improper uses of the mind, on the other hand, cause us to stray from the path and prevent us from reaching the Joyous Life. God, our ever-loving Parent, helps guide us by providing physical manifestations—such as illness or suffering—when we misuse our minds. These are not punishments but signs of divine love, meant to awaken reflection and help us return to the right path.

Tenrikyo teaches the principle of Innen, or causality, which explains that our current experiences are shaped by our past thoughts and behaviors, either in this life or previous ones. Unlike fatalistic interpretations of karma, Innen is always presented as an opportunity for spiritual growth, supported by God’s active and compassionate guidance.

Proper uses of the mind include sincerity, gratitude, helping others, humility, and maintaining a joyful heart. Improper uses include miserliness, covetousness, hatred, self-love, grudge-bearing, anger, greed, and arrogance.

The Salvation Service and Sacred Practices

Oyasama also taught us the Salvation Service and how to perform it, offering it as a tool to unite us in spirit and action as we work together to help others progress toward the Joyous Life. The Service includes many elements, one of which is to help us recenter and purify our minds—something essential to our spiritual efforts. Tenrikyo followers strive to perform this aspect of the Service every morning and evening.

Whenever appropriate, we also perform the Sazuke, akin to “faith healing”—another sacred gift from Oyasama to help bring comfort and healing to those who are suffering.

Hinokishin: Joyful Service

An important expression of Tenrikyo faith is Hinokishin—joyful and spontaneous acts of selfless service. These are daily opportunities to express gratitude for God’s blessings and to contribute to the happiness and well-being of others. In doing so, we participate in creating the Joyous Life, not just for ourselves, but for all people.

As mentioned above, God “lends” us physical bodies to help us work toward the Joyous Life. These bodies are only temporarily entrusted to us. The divine plan is for us to use them for this purpose while they are lent to us, and eventually return them to God, so we may be reborn and continue our efforts. Throughout this journey, God remains intimately involved—guiding, nurturing, and rejoicing with us every step of the way.

Inspirational Stories

Unstoppable Triumphs

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Dan And Taci

Dan and Taci’s journey together began amidst the hallowed lands of the Jiba, where their hearts were bound not only by their shared studies but by a deep devotion to Tenrikyo. When the time was right, they couple moved back home, to the United States, but, returned many times, heeding the Jiba’s call.

Saved By Woman In Red Kimono

On one such return, their paths crossed with Glenn’s. Was it a meeting orchestrated by fate or perhaps by divine design? They trio had assebled, along with others, to attend training to be a Tenrikyo minister. As they delved into the teachings of their faith, their friendship blossomed, rooted in mutual understanding and unwavering faith.

Rose, Lilly, Peanut And Celeste

The story follows Dan and Taci, a married couple, and their friend Glenn as they study to become Tenrikyo ministers, known as kaicho. Their deep friendship is cemented when Taci has a vivid dream in which God speaks to her, delivering messages of reassurance and prophecy for Glenn and Dan. Recognizing the divine nature of the dream, the trio’s bond strengthens, and they embark on a lifelong journey together, united by their faith and shared experiences at the Jiba.

Helen Falls

tell me the story of dan and taci, husband and wife, who met glenn at the Jiba while the three were studying to become Tenrikyo ministers, also known as, kaicho. The three became fast friends and confided with eachother their thoughts and feelings about their faith in Tenrikyro, and, their aspirations to lead their respective churches. One night, after a long day of studying and hinokishin, God visited Taci in her dreams, telling her to let Glenn know that his prayers are being heard, and, to let Dan know that he will become a great leader. The next morning, Taci told her Dan and Glenn about what God said. As she told the story, Glenn and Dan knew that because they were at the Jiba and

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What is Tenrikyo in a Nutshell?

God the Parent’s Plan for Salvation

Who is Oyasama?

What Are The Proper and Improper Uses of the Mind?

The Salvation Service and Sacred Practices