Tenrikyo

Tenrikyo (天理教; lit. Religion of Divine Wisdom) is a Japanese religion with a following of several million. It was founded in 1838 by a female peasant, Nakayama Miki.

The focus of the religion is to attain the 'joyous life' on Earth through charity and abstention from greed, a self-serving life, hatred, anger and arrogance.

Adherents believe in a single god, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto ("Lord of Divine Wisdom"), who is seen as the creator and caring parent of all mankind. Continuing reincarnation is part of the religion; after being born a human, one goes through a cycle of 8008 animal lives before being born a human again.

The spiritual center of the religion is in Tenri city in the Nara prefecture, believed to be the place where God created the universe.

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See also: Religions of Japan