Contribution and Dedication

What do "contribution" and "dedication" mean in concrete terms?

"Contribution" and "dedication" mean to "contribute our utmost sincerity" and "dedicate our energies" in working for God the Parent's universal salvation. For example, we may visit our church to perform the service, make a daily visit to the church to pray for the salvation of others who are suffering from illness, or donate what we can with a sincere mind so that we can help others be saved.

In order for us to savor true happiness--the Joyous Life--God the Parent lends us everything we need including our life itself. The essence of the Tenrikyo faith is to make repayment for these blessings every day. We should use our mind and body to express our gratitude for God the Parent's blessings in such a way as to bring the most joy to God. This is the original and primary meaning of "otsukushi," the Japanese word that is translated as "contribution." What is embodied in such an act is nothing short of our sincerity.

What brings the greatest joy to God the Parent is that we, God's children, help each other and dedicate ourselves in saving those who are suffering from illness and other troubles. Therefore the highest form of contribution is to dedicate ourselves to the salvation of others. There have been many followers of the path who even gave up their occupations to engage in helping others be saved.

For various reasons, however, not everyone is in a position to work for the salvation of others in such a way. Therefore, some started to express their sincerity by offering money and other things to be used for universal salvation. This practice spread among followers and eventually became one of the representative forms of contribution.

In order to promote world salvation, it is important and even necessary for all of us to contribute our utmost sincerity in a variety of areas. We sometimes need to contribute our energies, ideas, and possessions, and we may discuss our individual roles in this endeavor. Such efforts can also be called "contribution" because what is embodied in them is our sincerity.

There are those whose excessive attachment to money and material goods is inviting misfortune and taking them to a dead end in life. Such people may sometimes be advised to contribute money or other possessions toward the cause of world salvation, in order for them to become free from attachment and rely on God the Parent.

Oyasama taught us the importance of the "mind of saving others," as recorded in the Scriptures as well as in Anecdotes of Oyasama, the Foundress of Tenrikyo. How to make repayment for God's blessings seems to be up to the individual to decide based on true sincerity. "Contribution" is one way of expressing our true sincerity and is as worthy an effort as salvation work.

Each of you should dedicate yourself to serving the world and the path without entertaining such thoughts as "This person might say this" and "That person might say that." The truth of your decisiveness will endure for a lifetime and for eternity. This one truth I have now told you.

Osashizu, January 12, 1899, supp. vol.

You might think, "What if I lose everything as a result of carrying out contribution, which may entail going through hardships and difficulties?" However, the truth of your contribution will endure for a lifetime and for eternity. The truth of delight in your mind will be accepted by Heaven. Listen and understand well. A human being lives only for a lifetime and cannot be said to live forever. However, you can take delight if I tell you that the mind is eternal. The truth of your contribution cannot be allowed to go unnoticed or be abandoned--such is the truth. The truth for eternity cannot be allowed to go unnoticed or be abandoned, because its effectiveness builds gradually year after year.

Osashizu, February 12, 1900, supp. vol.

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Does "contribution" primarily mean "offering money to God"?

What we think in our minds will only become apparent when it is given tangible expression. It is important to express our feeling of gratitude to God the Parent in a tangible manner in order to ensure that God will accept our gratitude.

We should contribute our utmost sincerity toward God the Parent's work of world salvation with a sense of gratitude for God's boundless blessings. One of the simplest ways to show our sincerity can be monetary donation.

Money is indeed considered important in our daily life. God the Parent will accept our true sincerity in donating money to God's salvation work--the true sincerity with which we let go of our greed and miserliness. This sincerity will ensure that we can receive God's salvation ever more vividly. The point is to rid our minds of the last vestiges of greed and rely totally on God the Parent. It is a requirement we must fulfill if, for example, we are to receive God's wondrous blessing that will save a person's life that is about to end.

Offerings that express our gratitude for God's providence, including monetary offerings, will help connect us to God. Sincere offerings that we make for the sake of world salvation even by cutting down on our spending can certainly be a worthy form of contribution.



(This article was excerpted from Questions and Answers about Tenrikyo, 153-156.)