When torrential rains or earthquakes lead to severe damage, Tenrikyo followers in Japan respond with disaster-relief hinokishin efforts.

People who know little or nothing about Tenrikyo might see "hinokishin" as volunteer work, community service, or free labor. However, none of these interpretations can do anything more than scratch the surface of what hinokishin is really about.

If we are to break down and analyze the word hinokishin, we get "hi no" ("daily") and "kishin" (contribution), giving us "daily contribution." "Kishin" is an old word that means "to make a monetary or material donation to a place of worship such as a temple." Oyasama took this word--which originally referred to a contribution made by a wealthy person during a special occasion--and gave us something completely different. Instead of a monetary or material contribution that was reserved for certain individuals, Oyasama taught us a new way to make an offering to God the Parent, a way that anyone can implement in everyday life. Such is hinokishin.

"Hinokishin" refers to any action that comes from a mind filled with joy and gratitude. It is an expression of the joy and gratitude that one feels for being allowed to use a healthy body each day, having the day go smoothly, and, above all, being kept alive by God the Parent. So on top of material and monetary offerings, cleaning the roadside and open spaces, contributing to disaster relief efforts, devoting oneself to construction at the Home of the Parent, showing a touch of kindness, and saying a few words that cheer a person up are all forms of hinokishin. To dedicate oneself toward guiding others to the Tenrikyo faith is also a significant act of hinokishin. It is not the outward form it takes but the mind behind the action that is important.

"Hinokishin" can be done at anytime and by anyone, regardless of age, gender, or whether a person is healthy or sick in bed.

As we sing in the Songs for the Service, "bearing straw baskets in hinokishin" (Song XI:3), hinokishin can be a simple act like carrying earth in straw baskets that anyone can participate in. However, it can also be said there is a profound joy in engaging in this action that cannot be savored just by casually watching from the sidelines. When we engage in hinokishin, forgetting our greed and our self-centeredness, our mind will become purified of itself and become a mind of true sincerity, which God the Parent most earnestly wishes for.