What happens after death in the religion Tenrikyo?

Answer 1

The process in how people pass away is taught as "passing away for rebirth" or denaoshi, in Japanese, which literally means to "start anew." In short, Tenrikyo believes in reincarnation, but in a cycle in which we "return" our bodies and are born into new ones, but retain the "causality" we have accumulated from our previous lives.

To explain this teaching, there are three fundamental teachings that need to be understood.

• A thing lent, a thing borrowed (kashimono karimono)
• Divine Guidance (tebiki)
• Causality (innen)

A thing lent, a thing borrowedIn Tenrikyo, it is taught that our bodies are "a thing lent, a thing borrowed," being that our bodies are not our own and borrowed from God the Parent. Therefore, when we pass away, our souls are being transferred or reborn into another body. We are also taught that we are guided by God the Parent from our wrong uses of mind through illness and troubles. This would be called "Divine Guidance." Divine GuidanceAs explained above we are guided by God the Parent through troubles and illness and thus we must reflect on our use of mind and not stray away from the "path of single-hearted salvation" or having a mind of saving others. In some cases, we may not know if this guidance is from something you have done in your present life and may have to accept that it is the result of something you have done in a previous life. This is the concept of "causality." Causality"Causality" is the glossed translation for innen, the teaching which is probably best described as karma that traverses lifetimes. The good or bad things you have done in your present life or previous life will come back.

This teaching is sometimes taught as a metaphor with seeds. If you plant good seeds, they would grow into something good. If you plant bad seeds, it would grow into something bad. However, you will not know whether these seeds will grow in your current life or in the ones following thereafter.

ConclusionSo with these concepts altogether, we are living a cycle of lifetimes as our souls will continue to face our causality until we understand what God is trying to teach us. This is Tenrikyo's concept of spiritual maturity and how Tenrikyo followers build their relationships with God. So while you might be doing good things in this present lifetime, you should do it with the mindset that you will benefit from this in a future lifetime and thus benefit your spiritual growth.

Answer 2

In Tenrikyo, it is believed that after death, the soul returns to the origin of the universe. This process is seen as a transition to a new existence rather than an end. Through sincere prayers and rituals performed by the living, it is believed that positive influences can be sent to guide the soul in its journey.