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What does Tenrikyo say about death?The "death" of a person usually means that he or she permanently disappears from this world. In more precise terms, death is seen as the permanent cessation of all functions of life in an organism. Tenrikyo, on the other hand, starts by saying that God the Parent provides us with the gift of life in the world as well as the blessings that enable us to use our body, which functions in accordance with the workings of our mind. We are also taught that our body is a thing lent by God the Parent, a thing borrowed. We exist in the world by borrowing the body, which belongs to God, and live in the embrace of God's providence. Therefore, we can understand that death is not the end of everything but the returning of the body, a thing borrowed, to its Lender. Oyasama likened the body to a garment and taught that dying is like simply casting off a garment that is worn out. Death represents an opportunity to start life anew by returning the body, a thing borrowed, to God the Parent so as to borrow a new body. Dying is simply a new start in life, not the permanent end of our existence. Therefore, we refer to dying as "passing away for rebirth."
Is it possible for anybody to live for 115 years, the length of time that Tenrikyo says represents the "natural term of life"?God the Parent intended that all human beings live to be 115 years old. That is why the natural term of our life is said to be 115 years. However, some may live longer than 115 years while others may pass away for rebirth earlier. We may say that passing away for rebirth before fulfilling the natural term is because of the immaturity of our mind and, in most cases, it is due to the mind's dust, which we have not cleanly swept away. If only the dusts are cleanly swept away, then I shall work marvelous salvation. By this salvation given in accordance with the mind of sincerity, you shall be freed from illness, death, and weakening. By this salvation, to fix the natural term of life at one hundred and fifteen years is the single desire of God. Ofudesaki III:98-100
What will happen after we pass away?Tenrikyo does not teach that there is a heaven, Pure Land, hell, or Purgatory, which are supposed to be high above us, or deep down in the earth, or otherwise separate and distant from this world where we live. This does not mean that there exists only this visible, tangible world--the world as we know it. Before being reborn, human souls are embraced in God's bosom, according to Tenrikyo. However, God's bosom is not somewhere far away from this world, like heaven or the Pure Land. The whole world is, in fact, in God the Parent's bosom, in which we are living even now. In some religious traditions, heaven and hell refer to places to which God sends people when they die on the basis of the good or bad deeds they performed in life. In Tenrikyo, however, we are taught to establish the world of the Joyous Life here in this world, as is indicated by this line from The Songs for the Service: "Here is paradise on this earth." According to Tenrikyo, there is no such thing as another world where the souls of the deceased are supposed to go. Some religions teach that true happiness lies in the next life, whether in heaven or in the Pure Land. Such a notion takes a negative view of this world. Tenrikyo, however, does not reject this world. Rather, it teaches that this world--which is in the embrace of God the Parent--is where human beings are intended to live and that the most important goal for us is to complete and perfect our life right where we live. Again, Tenrikyo does not teach that this world is an impure world of suffering. This world, rather, is where we are intended to lead the Joyous Life, the purpose for which God the Parent created humankind. This world is permeated by God the Parent's providence. Born in this world, we can bask in the happiness of being alive here and now, embraced as we are by God's providence, and spiritedly endeavor to realize the Joyous Life while making repayment for God's providence.
What is the difference between the soul and the mind?The soul is the core of the human personality, and it is eternal. When the soul borrows a body from God the Parent, the mind starts working. In other words, only after we borrow the body from God the Parent do we become a human being who is alive in the world. Without the body, we have no sense of self, and we cannot use the mind. The condition of the soul, as the core of the human personality, affects the working of the mind; at the same time, the working of the mind will change the condition of the soul. Thus, the soul and the mind affect each other. The Scriptures do not clearly distinguish the soul from the mind and sometimes include the working of the soul within that of the mind.
What will happen to the soul after we pass away for rebirth?Tenrikyo refers to death as "passing away for rebirth" and does not consider it the permanent end of a person's life even after all functions of the body cease. Oyasama told us that the phenomenon of death was like casting off an old garment, which metaphorically refers to the body that can no longer function. This implies that the soul--the borrower of the body, which is lent by God the Parent--does not perish at death but will borrow a new body when being reborn. It is true that death means the end of the lifetime of a person in the world. The soul, however, does not perish but will be reborn borrowing a new body from God the Parent to make a new start toward the Joyous Life. Such is the view of life and death embodied in the phrase "passing away for rebirth." Souls that are embraced by God the Parent until beginning a new lifetime are memorialized so that people can praise and venerate their achievements.
How does Tenrikyo's teaching of rebirth differ from the traditional teaching of karmic retribution?The teaching of karmic retribution says that bad deeds performed in the past, even in previous lives, will bring due retribution, which is said to be one's inevitable fate. Previously, not knowing that God the Parent was working to save human beings in response to their efforts, people simply resigned themselves to thinking that whatever was happening was their fate. According to Tenrikyo, however, the past does not entirely determine what we are now. Trials and difficulties that we go through now can be seen as "road signs" and "guidance" provided by God the Parent, who takes account of our past use of the mind, in order to save us in the present life. This teaching of rebirth does not say that we should resign ourselves to life being what it is now while pinning our hopes on the next life, whether in the Pure Land or in heaven. This teaching, rather, encourages us to see each rebirth as a chance to create a better destiny while living courageously and positively and viewing such occurrences as illnesses and troubles as perfect opportunities to repent our past deeds.
What does Tenrikyo say about curses and spirit possession?The Ofudesaki says: Never think in the least that curses, demons, or evil spirits exist in this world. Ofudesaki XIV:16 Oyasama taught that there is no such thing as a curse, demon, or evil spirit. God the Parent created humankind and the world out of the parental love that desires to see us lead the Joyous Life. God did not create demons or evil spirits, which would harass us or cause trouble for us. Such things do not exist. To fear them and deal with them in religious practices may date from ancient times. Tenrikyo, however, teaches that all our troubles and sufferings come from our misuse of the mind and puts emphasis on the importance of our free and responsible use of the mind.
What does Tenrikyo say about ancestor spirits?Japan has an old tradition of ancestor worship. It is considered important to express gratitude for the virtues of one's ancestors, enshrine their spirits, and venerate them. In Tenrikyo, followers enshrine the spirits of their forebears and perform memorial services to express their sense of indebtedness to them. However, it is not as if followers were worshiping ancestor spirits, or in any way treating them as deities. Though there is something to be said for praising the achievements of their forebears, the object of their faith is God the Parent and Oya-sama. God the Parent, incidentally, is seen as God of Origin, God in Truth, who created humankind including all our ancestors and who is constantly providing for all humanity and the world.
Can we become like God if we polish our soul?We cannot easily say that we can become like God if we polish our soul. We are taught that we should sweep and purify our mind so that it can reflect God the Parent's intention. We tend to accumulate dust in our mind without noticing that we are doing so, and our causality will cloud our mind. Therefore, we should always strive to sweep away the dust and cancel our causality. To sweep away the dust and polish the mind just once is not enough to ensure that our mind remains pure. It is necessary for us to keep sweeping away the dust of the mind and making efforts to cancel causality. It is very difficult for our mind to reflect God the Parent's intention without any distortion. Even after we have made considerable progress, our negligence and carelessness in sweeping away the dust of the mind will cause our mind to revert to its previous unpurified state, thereby clouding the soul. Therefore, there is a limit to the extent to which we can become like God, because we humans, living in time, are finite and relative.
What is meant by "having virtue" or "not having virtue"?"A person who has virtue" is a person whose salvation work bears fruit. Such a person's great capacity to help others be saved comes from having sown seeds of true sincerity for the purpose of saving others, and those seeds are now sprouting. "Virtue" has nothing to do with having good luck or being in a high social position. The word "virtue" is often used in relation to salvation work, and "a person who has virtue" refers to a person who can save people and receive God's wondrous blessings. Virtue, which resides with the soul or mind, can be regarded as an aspect of causality. Our virtue is not a fixed aspect of our being but can be easily lost if we are negligent in sowing seeds of sincerity in salvation work. It is important to strive tirelessly to help others be saved every day. Anyone who makes this effort can build virtue, through which he or she can receive God the Parent's blessings.
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