Editing Tenrikyo (section)

===Causality===
====Comparison to karmic belief====
{{see also|Karma}}
The concept of {{nihongo3|"causality"|いんねん (因縁)|innen}} in Tenrikyo is a unique understanding of [[karma|karmic belief]]. Although causality resembles karmic beliefs found in religious traditions originating in ancient India, such as [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]], Tenrikyo's doctrine does not claim to inherit the concept from these traditions and differs from their explanations of karma in a few significant ways.

Broadly speaking, karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/312474/karma Karma] Encyclopædia Britannica (2012)</ref> In other words, a person's good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering.<ref>Lawrence C. Becker & Charlotte B. Becker, Encyclopedia of Ethics, 2nd Edition, {{ISBN|0-415-93672-1}}, Hindu Ethics, pp 678</ref> Causality and karma are interchangeable in this sense;<ref>Kisala, Robert. "Contemporary Karma: Interpretations of Karma in Tenrikyō and Risshō Kōseikai." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Mar., 1994), pp. 73–91: "In accord with traditional karmic understanding, it is the accumulation of bad innen that is offered as the explanation for present suffering."</ref> throughout life a person may experience good and bad causality. In Tenrikyo, the concept is encapsulated in the farming metaphor, "every seed sown will sprout."<ref>Fukaya, Yoshikazu. "Every Seed Sown Will Sprout." ''Words of the Path.'' [http://www.tenrikyo.or.jp/en/newsletter/html/tt5/innen.html online link]</ref> Karma is closely associated with the idea of [[Reincarnation|rebirth]],<ref name=jamesloch>James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing, New York, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, pp 351–352</ref> such that one's past deeds in the current life and in all previous lives are reflected in the present moment, and one's present deeds are reflected in the future of the current life and in all future lives.<ref name=jbowker>"Karma" in: John Bowker (1997), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Oxford University Press.</ref> This understanding of rebirth is upheld in causality as well.<ref>Kisala, p.77. "...traditional karmic beliefs in personal responsibility, extending over innumerable lifetimes, are upheld in doctrines concerning individual innen."</ref>

Tenrikyo's [[ontology]], however, differs from older karmic religious traditions such as Buddhism. In Tenrikyo, the human person is believed to consist of [[mind]], [[Human body|body]], and [[soul]]. The mind, which is given the freedom to sense, feel, and act by God the Parent, ceases to function at death. On the other hand, the soul, through the process of {{nihongo3|{{lit|to make a fresh start}}|出直し|denaoshi}}, takes on a new body lent from God the Parent and is reborn into this world. Though the reborn person has no memory of the previous life, the person's thoughts and deeds leave their mark on the soul and are carried over into the new life as the person's causality.<ref name="Kisala, p.77">Kisala, p.77.</ref> As can be seen, Tenrikyo's ontology, which rests on the existence of a single creator deity (God the Parent), differs from Buddhist ontology, which does not contain a creator deity. Also Tenrikyo's concept of salvation, which is to live the Joyous Life in this existence and therefore does not promise a liberated afterlife outside of this existence, differs from Buddhist concepts of [[saṃsāra]] and [[nirvana]].<ref>''Tenrikyo-Christian Dialogue'', p. 429-430.</ref>

===="Original causality"====
At the focal point of Tenrikyo's ontological understanding is the positing of {{nihongo|"original causality," or "causality of origin"|もとのいんねん (元の因縁)|moto no innen}}, 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.<ref name="Kisala, p.77"/>

===="Individual causality"====
Belief in individual causality is related to the principle of original causality. Individual causality is divine providence acting to realize the original causality of the human race, which through the use of suffering guides individuals to realize their causality and leads them to a change of heart and active cooperation towards the establishment of the Joyous Life, the world that was ordained at the beginning of time.<ref>Kisala, p.77-8.</ref>

Tenrikyo's doctrine explains that an individual's suffering should not be perceived as punishment or [[retributive justice]] from divine providence for past misdeeds, but rather as a sign of encouragement from divine providence for the individual to reflect on the past and to undergo a change of heart. The recognition of the divine providence at work should lead to an attitude of {{nihongo3|"joyous acceptance" in Tenrikyo gloss|たんのう (堪能)|tannō}}, a Japanese word that indicates a state of satisfaction. {{Transliteration|ja|Tannō}} is a way of settling the mind – it is not to merely resign oneself to one's situation, but rather to actively "recognize God's parental love in all events and be braced by their occurrence into an ever firmer determination to live joyously each day."<ref>Doctrine of Tenrikyo, Tenrikyo Church HQ, 61.</ref> In other words, Tenrikyo emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive inner disposition, as opposed to a disposition easily swayed by external circumstance.<ref>Kisala, p.78.</ref>

===="Three causalities"====
In addition, ''The Doctrine of Tenrikyo'' names {{nihongo|three causalities|さんいんねん (三因縁)|san innen}} that are believed to predetermine the founding of Tenrikyo's teachings. More precisely, these causalities are the fulfillment of the promise that God made to the models and instruments of creation, which was that "when the years equal to the number of their first born had elapsed, they would be returned to the Residence of Origin, the place of original conception, and would be adored by their posterity."<ref>''The Doctrine of Tenrikyo'', p.20.</ref> The "Causality of the Soul of Oyasama" denotes that Miki Nakayama had the soul of the original mother at creation (Izanami-no-Mikoto), who conceived, gave birth to, and nurtured humankind. The "Causality of the Residence" means that the Nakayama Residence, where [[Tenrikyo Church Headquarters]] stands, is the place that humankind was conceived. The "Causality of the Promised Time" indicates that October 26, 1838 – the day when God became openly revealed through Miki Nakayama – marked the time when the years equal to the number of first-born humans (900,099,999) had elapsed since the moment humankind was conceived.<ref>''A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms,'' p.436.</ref>