Joyous Life

In Tenrikyo, the Joyous Life (yōki yusan or yōki gurashi) is the ideal taught by spiritual leaders and pursued through charity and abstention from greed, selfishness, hatred, anger and arrogance. Theologically, the Joyous Life functions as the purpose of human existence preordained by God during the creation of human beings and as the means for the salvation of humankind.

Etymology

The term "Joyous Life" refers to several related terms that appear in Tenrikyo scriptures and historical documents in the original Japanese. In the Ofudesaki, the term is written as yōki yusan (よふきゆさん), while in the Osashizu, it is written as yōki asobi (陽気遊び) and yōki gurashi (陽気ぐらし). Early outlines of the Tenrikyo teachings use the terms yōkinaru yusan asobi (よふきなるゆさんあすび) and yōki yusan (陽気遊参).^[1]

The characters that make up yōki yusan/gurashi are as follows:

Yō (陽) is "positive", the same character as Yang in the Chinese Yin and Yang.
Ki (気) is "spirit" or "energy", the same character as Qi in Chinese.
Yusan (遊山) is "an outing to the mountain or fields" (lit. excursion), implying an outgoing life.
Gurashi (暮) is "livelihood", implying life in a more day-to-day sense.

History

See Tenrikyo.

Theology

Creation

At the focal point of Tenrikyo's ontological understanding is the positing of original causality, or causality of origin (moto no innen もとのいんねん), which is that God the Parent created human beings to see them live the Joyous Life (the salvific state) and to share in that joy. Tenrikyo teaches that the Joyous Life will eventually encompass all humanity, and that gradual progress towards the Joyous Life is even now being made with the guidance of divine providence. Thus the concept of original causality has a teleological element, being the gradual unfolding of that which was ordained at the beginning of time.^[2]

Salvation

The Joyous Life is understood as the salvific state which individuals can work toward through prayer (i.e. Service, Sazuke) and practice in everyday life (i.e. tannō, hinokishin).

Tannō

Tannō (たんのう), or "joyous acceptance," is the spiritual practice of the Joyous Life. It is the state of mind which accepts all occurrences in one's daily life positively and as the intention of God, including hardships.^[3]

Hinokishin

Hinokishin (ひのきしん), or "daily contribution," is the physical practice of the Joyous Life. It is an expression of joy and gratitude that materializes in the world through service for one's community or surroundings.^[4]

Eschatology

Tenrikyo doctrine and tradition assert the spiritual maturity of humankind will gradually improve over many rebirths^{[citation needed]} and countless millennia, and by so doing will grow in more joy and bliss and will get closer to the world of the Joyous Life. It is said that when the hearts of humankind have been adequately purified, God will inaugurate the world of the Joyous Life by bestowing a sweet dew on the basin to be placed on top of the Kanrodai, which when consumed, will allow people to live the full lifespan of 115 years without illness or misfortune, and die painlessly to be reborn. Therefore Tenrikyo eschatology maintains a progressive and a millenarian outlook on the future of humankind.^[5]

References

Citations

^ Ishizaki 1986, p. 368.
^ Kisala 1994, p. 77.
^ Higashibaba 2016, pp. 42–3.
^ Higashibaba 2016, p. 43.
^ Ellwood 1982, p. 92.

Bibliography

Ellwood, Robert, S. (1982). Tenrikyo, a Pilgrimage Faith: The Structure and Meanings of a Modern Japanese Religion. Tenri, Japan: Tenri University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Higashibaba, Ikuo (2016). "Salvation through hinokishin". Tenri Journal of Religion. 44: 41–50.
Ishizaki, Masao (1986). "A historical background of yōkigurashi". The Theological Perspectives of Tenrikyo. Tenri University Press. pp. 359–375.
Kisala, Robert (1994). "Contemporary karma: Interpretations of karma in Tenrikyō and Risshō Kōseikai". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 21 (1): 73–91. doi:10.18874/jjrs.21.1.1994.73-91.