What does the word Tenrikyo mean?
This universe is the body of God.
Ponder this in all matters.
In this section I will offer three interpretations of the word Tenrikyo, there are many others but I choose to play with these three.
The first and most obvious interpretation assumes that Tenrikyo is the name of a Japanese religion and that as such, Tenrikyo, is an expression of a particular Japanese sub-cultural and doctrinal belief system. At first glance that certainly appears to be the case. According to this interpretation the promise or goal of Tenrikyo, the reason why anyone would be interested in it, is a long and Joyous Life, free from illness and trouble. The means for realizing this goal is Single Hearted Salvation, which is the gift that is given to the human mind that returns to its original condition and knows and understands the truth of origin, the truth of any and everything. The methods for preparing the mind for Single Hearted Salvation are basically three:
The truly sincere performance of the Service. Depending upon one's point of view the Service or services are usually interpreted as a joyous dance, the perfect performance of which recreates the original creation and current sustenance of human beings or as a solemn prayer for the realization of some goal or another.
The truly sincere administration or calling upon of the power of the truth of our origin (Sazuke). The "Sazuke" is a procedure that is performed on behalf of a person whose condition is hopeless and beyond the help of scientific medicine. Though a procedure for administering or calling upon the power of our origin (Sazuke) can be described, the power and truth of our origin is beyond description.
Truly sincere selfless acts on behalf of one's fellow human beings or on behalf of the world (Hinokishin). The emphasis here is on "selfless" and not on the scale or scope of the action.
There are ample testimonials in support of this interpretation and the efficacy of the means and methods mentioned above. This interpretation is indeed what Tenrikyo is; however it is not all that Tenrikyo is. This first culturally loaded interpretation, though necessary and effective, is burdened by the limitations of the cultural truths that of necessity need to be "worked through". Those cultural limitations run contrary to its larger stated mission and which, if left unattended to, will eventually alienate it from its core truth and the realization of its goal of universal Single Hearted Salvation. For this reason much of the work of Tenrikyo, the Japanese religion, is centered around "hastening the maturity" of its followers and "adding real substance" to its churches. In this respect the organization is admirably committed to radical change at a natural pace. The intention is to leave no one behind, while the risk of the interpretation is one of becoming mired down and lost in the multitude of truths that make up any culture. It is a rather tricky and ambitious program to work with and requires "true sincerity" to stay on course and in pursuit of the one truth of origin.
The second interpretation assumes that Tenrikyo is or means the "Reason of Heaven". This second interpretation is amply supported in the poems collected as "Tip of the Writing Brush" which are the foundational instructions that show Tenrikyo to be a way or path of reasoning to a result. As a way of reasoning Tenrikyo guides a sincere aspirant to the truth of origin, the truth of any and everything, through a course of logical reasoning which anyone anywhere at any time can do as long as their mind is open to reason. As with any reasoned path, contradictions need to be eliminated for the path of reasoning to remain open and valid. For example, the truth that is promised is freely available to all human beings equally. That of course eliminates any cultural bias from the path and to continue all of those cultural truths of necessity need to be left behind. This interpretation then is a way of deep self-reflection and resolve. Through it one can quickly pass from the shallow everyday truths that cloud our minds to the depths of the one truth which is the source of all of the other truths and beyond description.
Aspirants to this interpretation are guided through the long journey of mankind. Sincerely following the instructions and reasoning from the beginning of human beings to the present and the future and from the present back to the beginning. Quickly making the path of reasoning their first priority and sincerely reasoning through the provided contradictions (somewhat like passing their thoughts through a series of filters) so that when the contradictions are removed only the original truth of origin, the truth of any and everything, the truth of self, remains. This one truth then is available to inform and transform all of the other truths that make our lives so dear and interesting.
The third interpretation assumes that Tenrikyo means the "Truth of Heaven". That it is a way or path of tested proof is also supported by the "Tip of the Writing Brush". This way of truth is an investigation of subjective causality. It is similar to science in that it offers a hypothesis that can be tested and proven by anyone who duplicates the experiment but is different in that science would like to insist upon testing physical objects while this test involves what is currently thought of as a subjective test of ones own consciousness. In short it proposes that the truth of any and everything is the proof that remains when the investigator purposely temporarily removes, quiets or settles all of the noise of the very interesting self-centered imaginings (the voice of our self-centered imagination and the associated pictures) that occupy our waking hours. The experiment, when done correctly, exposes the true core of our mind. The proof is certain and everyone who performs the experiment correctly comes to the same result. Lots of people complete this test and they can pretty much identify each other. It is common for them to describe their previous state as being "lost in the darkness of their self-centered imaginations without any sure guide" or as "having been walking around in a dream". For the truly sincere investigator this is a lightening fast test for proof of the proposition - that what remains when the "water" (mind) is made clear is the truth of any and everything. Concerning the test, the simple message is "there is nothing about it that will hurt you, try it, you'll like it".