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InTenrikyo,God is asingle divine being andcreator of the entire universe. God in Tenrikyo is most commonly referred to asOyagami (親神) (lit. 'God the Parent'),Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto (天理王命) (lit. 'absolute ruler of divine reason'), andTsukihi (月日) (lit. 'Moon-Sun').[1][2]
The first two characters in the Japanesekanji for Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto are 天理, where 天 refers to heaven or divinity, and 理 refers to reason or knowledge, thus "Tenri" (天理) refers to divine or heavenly knowledge, and in a sense adds a divine nature to truth itself whereas "天理" also means "natural law" or its pseudonym, "divine law."[3] The English name most frequently used to refer to Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto outside of ritual is "God the Parent"; in Japanese, the equivalent common names areOyagami (親神) andOyagami-sama (親神様). In Tenrikyo, God has nogender.
Tenrikyo followers vary in their understanding of this creator, from the early understanding of spirit (kami, god/deity) through the underlying natural causality (Tsukihi, moon-sun) and eventually to an understanding of a parental relationship between the creator and themselves (oya, parent). This progression of understanding is a key teaching of Tenrikyo, where it is accepted that everything must proceed "step by step" — by small stages of understanding instead of by greatleaps of faith.
In historical documents and scriptures related to Tenrikyo, a number of different appellations are ascribed to God.[4] The most commonly used names for God are:
In theOfudesaki, God identified as three different entities. In 1869, when the first verses were composed, God initially identified askami (神), a spirit in the JapaneseShinto tradition. The designationkami was broader than theAbrahamic notion of God, as it could be applied to any object that possessed divine power or inspired awe, such as animals, trees, places, and people. However, theOfudesaki stressed the uniqueness of thekami (神) by adding various qualifiers such asmoto no kami (元の神; Godof origin),shinjitsu no kami (真実の神; Godin truth), andkono yō o hajimeta kami (このよふをはじめた神; Godwho began this world).[5] From 1874, God began to identify astsukihi (月日), or moon-sun, and from 1879, God began to identify asoya (をや), or parent, thoughkami andtsukihi continued to be used until the last part of the scripture.[6]
In Tenrikyo's creation story, outlined in theOfudesaki and elaborated upon in various notes on her talks known collectively askōki, there are ten figures credited with the creation of human beings. Some Tenrikyo authorities suggest that two of these figures,Kunitokotachi-no-Mikoto andOmotari-no-Mikoto, representtsukihi, or more precisely the dualitytsuki-sama (月様) andhi-sama (日様). The other eight figures are tools subordinate totsukihi that were drawn in, consulted, and trained in the creation of human beings.[7]
In theMikagura-uta, the songs of Tenrikyo'sliturgy, God is commonly referred to askami. At the end of most of the songs, God is invoked with the nameTenri-Ō-no-Mikoto (てんりおうのみこと or 天理王命), or "absolute ruler of divine reason."
The historical sources written during Nakayama Miki's lifetime and in the years following her death suggest a number of other appellations of God. InNakayama Shinnosuke'sOyasama gyōden, the source on whichThe Life of Oyasama is primarily based, Miki refers to God asten no shōgun (天の将軍,Shōgun ofHeaven) in the initial revelation. In early attempts to obtain religious sanctions from the Yoshida Administrative Office of Shinto and a Shingon Buddhist temple, the name of God was recorded asTenrin-Ō-Myōjin (天輪王明神) andTenrin-Ō-Kōsha (転輪王講社) respectively. An early doctrine of the Tenrikyo church, written to conform to the State Shinto doctrine at the time, records the name asTenri-Ōkami.
Tenrikyo's current doctrine maintains thatTenri-Ō-no-Mikoto is the divine name to be used in the context of prayer.[8] The doctrine frequently refers to God as God the Parent (親神様oyagami-sama), emphasizing the parental nature of God revealed toward the end of theOfudesaki.[9] The doctrine claims that the changes in God's names in theOfudesaki, fromkami totsukihi tooya, were made in accordance with the spiritual growth of the early followers.[10]
A number of qualities have been ascribed to God as understood in Tenrikyo, by both Tenrikyo andreligious studies scholars.
Out of a fundamental desire to see people thrive, God, throughNakayama Miki, showed followers several ways by which they could receive God's healing power. At first, Miki administered the grant of safe childbirth, where she would lay her hands and breathe on the hands of pregnant women and would assure them of easy delivery if they relied on God. Later, Miki taught ahealing prayer called theSazuke and aliturgy called theService, intended as specific rituals followers could perform to heal people physically and spiritually. In addition, Miki gave sacredamulets to those who had visited her residence, which she said would protect her followers from disease and decay. However, Miki asserted that, for God's healing to be effective, the participants must have full faith in God and the desire to purify their hearts (Ofudesaki X:20–24, XII:91–94).[11]
In Tenrikyo, God isimmanent in the sense that God provides for all matter in theuniverse, such as human bodies, living organisms and inanimate objects, and sustains all of the physical processes behind them. In theOfudesaki, the universe is referred to as the "body of God" (Ofudesaki III:40, 135).[12] In Tenrikyo's doctrine, God's providence over the universe explained as the "ten aspects of God's complete providence" (十全の守護jūzen no shugo; see section on Providence).
A frequently appearing term in theOfudesaki isjūyō (自由) orjūyō jizai (自由自在), translated as "omnipotence" or "free and unlimited workings." This omnipotence permeates the physical world and its laws, for example, the God of Tenrikyo is the cause of natural disasters such as rainstorms and earthquakes (Ofudesaki VI:91), and of events in one's personal life, such as dreams and diseases (Ofudesaki VIII:58). However the physical laws of the world can be superseded at times in order to produce miracles, which suggests that God's power is not purely mechanical or rigid.[13][14]
TheOfudesaki implies God'somniscience by asserting that there is nothing that God does not know (Ofudesaki VIII:11, XVI:42) and that God scrutinizes the hearts of all people (VIII:52–3, XVII:29). With this omniscience, God gives appropriate returns to each individual depending on how close his or her mind is in accordance with God's intention.[15]
In Tenrikyo, God is apersonal god who acts as an idealized parent. Just as parents conceive and raise their children, God took part in the conception of human beings and continues to be involved in their upbringing. God moves, plans, acts, and expresses emotions such as love and regret in order to guide human beings toward greater spiritual maturity and joy.[14][16]
The God of Tenrikyotranscends time and space and rejects systematic classification. Because of this quality, God has the ability to become finite and limited so that God's teachings could be understood by human beings, i.e. through the life and writings ofNakayama Miki.[17]
Tenrikyo's doctrine claims that God was revealed throughNakayama Miki on the lunar calendar date of 26 October 1838, in order to clarify the means of humankind'ssalvation. Because God was hidden before that time, God's teachings could not be fully understood by human beings.[18] Verses in theOfudesaki acknowledge the revealed nature of God (e.g. I:3, XI:67), and theOsashizu makes a number of references to the time when God became revealed.[19]
The immanent providence (守護,shugo) of God in Tenrikyo is distinguished into ten aspects, each endowed with a sacred name, a function in the human body, and a function in the world.[20] Known asJūzen-no-Shugo or theTen Aspects of God's Complete Providence (十全の守護,jūzen no shugo), these ten aspects are represented by ten individual dancers in the portion of Tenrikyo'sliturgy known as theKagura Service. The ordering below follows that of the list of divine aspects given in Chapter 4 ofThe Doctrine of Tenrikyo.
Although the names of the ten divine aspects are mostly derived from the names of Shintokami, the aspects are not considered to be separate kami or deities in Tenrikyo, but rather as different characteristics of God.
| Sacred name | Name in kana | Name in kanji | Function in the human body | Function in the world |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kunitokotachi-no-Mikoto | くにとこたちのみこと | 国常立尊 | eyes and fluids | water |
| Omotari-no-Mikoto | おもたりのみこと | 面足尊 | warmth | fire |
| Kunisazuchi-no-Mikoto | くにさづちのみこと | 国狭槌尊/ 国狭土尊 | female organ, skin and joining | joining |
| Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto | 月よみのみこと | 月読尊/ 月夜見尊 | male organ, bones and support | support |
| Kumoyomi-no-Mikoto | くもよみのみこと | 雲読尊 | eating, drinking and elimination | rise and fall of moisture |
| Kashikone-no-Mikoto | かしこねのみこと | 惶根尊 | breathing and speaking | wind |
| Taishokuten-no-Mikoto | たいしよく天のみこと | 帝釈天尊 | cutting off the ties of the child from its mother at birth, cutting off the breath of life when passing away for rebirth | cutting |
| Ōtonobe-no-Mikoto | をふとのべのみこと | 大苫辺尊 | pulling out the child from its mother at birth | pulling forth |
| Izanagi-no-Mikoto | いざなぎのみこと | 伊弉諾尊 | model of man, the seed | model of man, the seed |
| Izanami-no-Mikoto | いざなみのみこと | 伊弉冊尊 | model of woman, the seedplot | model of woman, the seedplot |
In 1880, in order to evade continuous persecution by the government, Tenrikyo placed itself under the administration of aShugendo temple named Jifukuji. During this timeTenri-Ō-no-Mikoto was officially calledTenrin-Ō-Nyorai and thekanji of various other deities were changed. However, by 1890, Tenrikyo was given approval by theMeiji government, and the original names were restored.[21]
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