Newpath Tenrikyo - Terms and Phrases - Tenrikyo, What's in a Name? -

The name Tenrikyo:

The name Tenrikyo means the reason or truth of heaven. It implies reasoning from the knowledge and understanding of a single  truth. Since there is no such place as a heaven that exists as an otherworldly supernatural home of gods and spirits who live in another world in the sky or on another plane and from there interact with human beings, in this context "heaven" means the One Truth of Origin, the one truth that really and provably exists at the core of all human minds equally and indeed at the core of any and everything. The purpose then of Tenrikyo is to teach, by all means, ways to expose the one truth of origin to all of the minds in the world. In each mind to which that one truth is exposed or revealed a way or reasoning is made available and introduced into the world as a flow of reason and logic. It is that way of reasoning logically from the point of view of the one truth of origin that will, if the work or service required to reveal it is completed, bring about the world of joyous life for all equally.

Briefly, the Tenrikyo Dynamic Mission is intended to draw upon the power of the one truth of origin to provide hastening and guidance to any and everyone who would wish to return their mind to its original pristine condition and in so doing receive the high spirited, free and unlimited workings that flow from the knowledge and understanding of that one truth.

A little more detail for those who crave it:

• The unimaginable power of the truth of origin continuously fills the universe and is the original cause of all that exists or that can be known. Stop for a moment and think. Nothing can be known without consciousness. In organisms that we would consider to be alive it is the truth of origin that gives the experience of life. In each living organism that experience is limited to the capabilities of the basic fundamental instruments (from virtually nothing, to matter, to elements, to complex life forms) that have entered into each other joining together and evolving into the diversity of organisms, including humans, that we are aware of today.

• In the human organism and in fact in all others, it is the power of the origin that makes reproduction and birth possible. From the moment we are conceived we are nurtured and sustained by the power of the original cause. It is that same power that makes the birth of a baby, regardless of outcome, possible. In what we would consider a successful birth a baby is conscious but not self-conscious and that is an important distinction.

• In the human organism, at about three years of age the truth of origin illuminates and makes possible the emergence and gradual development of the human self-centered imagination. That is our self-image or who we imagine our self to be. For that reason it can be said to be the place where human beings are made or manufactured. That is to say that it is the original cause and place where the idea of a self image that is authentically experienced as being a free agent that is physically separate from everything else in the universe is made. From the truth of origin our idea of our self rises up and goes out  to make its way in the world.  

• In order for the human self-centered imagination to develop and function properly it needs to be fundamentally grounded, that is  located in time and space, otherwise it would just be a dream adrift in a world that it couldn't make any sense of.  Recall dream sleep for an example of this condition. From the truth of origin, the original cause of all things, rises the fundamental idea " I am this body" or "this is my body". This is a very subtle development and as soon as this fundamental idea rises up it is understood. This single idea  provides an absolutely authentic experience of a separate self freely acting in the world. Currently in all or almost all human minds it is this idea that is the foundation of all thinking and all human thoughts are relative to it. Otherwise who is it that is thinking? Because I have a body I can learn to imagine relationships between other bodies and objects. We begin this task of figuring out relationship as soon as we can crawl. Parents and care givers know this well as they have to watch little children to make sure that they don't get hurt as the developmental process proceeds.



• Some people have made the sincere commitment to intentionally act as instruments of that one truth. In the Tenrikyo organization people who convey the intention and  teaching of the parent of origin are called  Timbers "Yoboku". They are intended to be used for the construction of a new world of joyous life for all equally.
  


• As  instruments or timbers those people work to keep the flow of the one truth unobstructed by worldly common truths and work to discover and employ all means to help anyone who wishes to hear and follow God the Parent's directions to quickly return their imagination to its original pristine state and awaken to the one truth of origin, the truth of self that all human beings have in common equally.
  


• The purpose of exposing the one truth that resides at the core of every human mind is to make available to all human beings equally the knowledge and understanding that can be used as the foundation of a totally new logical way of reasoning. This is called the replacement of the mind. It is in fact an upgrade of unimaginable significance for the human species.
  


• It is intended that a new foundation for human thinking replace the current relatively shallow, narrow and totally self-centered foundation of human thinking. This replacement of the foundation of our thinking can take place instantly as in the case of totally surrendering the mind to receive the Sazuke or gradually and intentionally through sincere work as in the perfection of the Service.
  


• The intended new broader, more stable and enhanced foundation, one that includes an understanding of the distinction between our original core consciousness and our self centered imagination can inform our new self-centered imagination with  the confidence and courage that flows from knowing our place in the universe, the meaning of eternal life and the freedom and unlimited workings that flow naturally from that new evolved way of reasoning.
  


• From that new foundation and logical way of reasoning a new intentional creation of joyous living for all equally can emerge freely, naturally and of its own accord.

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