Phúc lợi xã hội

Mọi người trên thế giới đều là anh chị em một nhà

Dựa vào sự giảng dạy "Mọi người trên thế giới đều là anh chị em một nhà", "Tôn trọng với nhau, giúp đỡ lẫn nhau", từ xưa đến nay, Đạo Tenrikyo đã và đang đóng góp những hoạt động liên quan tới phúc lợi xã hội. Tiền thân của sự hoạt động phúc lợi xã hội là việc thành lập một trại trẻ mồ côi, Tenrikyo Yotokuin vào năm 1910. Nhân dịp lễ khai trương của cơ sở này, vị Shinbashira đầu tiên làm một bài thơ mang ý nghĩa "Xin hãy nuôi dưỡng các cháu như là con ruột của mình với đầy niềm yêu thương". Và bài thơ ca này đã trở thành một hướng dẫn của các hoạt động phúc lợi xã hội của Đạo này.
Các hoạt động phục lợi xã hội của Đạo này luôn luôn quan tâm các vấn đề xã hội cũng như các vấn đề của thời đại như Cha mẹ nuôi, hiến máu, chăm sóc các bệnh nhân đã bị bệnh phong, tư vấn thiệt hại về rượu v.v... Ngoài ra, vào năm 1980, Đạo Tenrikyo đã thành lập Khoa Hinokishin để đào tạo người truyền đạo có thể giúp đỡ người khác gặp những vấn đề trên người, tin thần và những vấn đề khác.

Lists of Related Organizations and Committees

Tenrikyo Social Welfare Facilities Association

As part of the effort to bring about universal salvation, Tenrikyo Church Headquarters announced three major strategies in 1948. One of the strategies was to encourage establishing more social welfare facilities in many parts of Japan, which resulted in the establishment of many child welfare facilities and other social welfare facilities. In 1951, Tenrikyo Social Work Association was established in an effort to facilitate organized activities and efficient management at those facilities. The name of the association was later changed to Tenrikyo Social Welfare Facilities Association.
Tenrikyo Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps

Tenrikyo Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps was established in 1971 as a nationwide disaster relief organization. It conducts regular training sessions and maintains a system designed to ensure that the Hinokishin Corps can be quickly dispatched to disaster affected areas when a disaster takes place. While working closely with the local community, the corps conducts “self-contained” disaster relief activities that place no burden on the community.
Tenrikyo Prison Chaplains Association

Prison chaplains, who are religious leaders, are people who are dispatched to correctional facilities—prisons, detention centers, juvenile prisons, juvenile detention centers, women’s guidance homes, and other facilities—which correct and rehabilitate suspected, accused, and convicted persons. Their mission is to provide spiritual counseling to inmates, give lectures, and conduct religious and spiritual ceremonies, thereby instilling into inmates spirituality and ethics.

Tenrikyo Prison Chaplains Association was established in 1953. Since its founding, the association has been holding annual conventions and seminars so as to help its members develop their chaplaincy skills and provide venues for them to discuss things and encourage one another. Each diocese appoints a set number of prison chaplains, and, in recent years, there has been a steady increase of correctional facility volunteers.
Tenrikyo Volunteer Probation Officers Association

Volunteer probation officers are people who are appointed by the Minister of Justice. Their duties include facilitating the reintegration into society of people who are released from correctional facilities, making arrangements to secure adequate living conditions for them, and help rehabilitate criminals who are placed on probation or parole. Established in 1956, Tenrikyo Volunteer Probation Officers Association has been holding the annual conventions and various seminars ever since.
Tenrikyo Welfare Volunteers and Child Welfare Volunteers Association

Welfare volunteers and child welfare volunteers are people who are appointed by the local authorities to give counsel and guidance to community residents, thereby providing them with necessary assistance. There are many of them in the Tenrikyo community, and they comprise the membership of the association. First established as Tenrikyo Welfare Volunteers in 1959, the association adopted the present name in 1996. Basing themselves on the teachings of the path, the association members have been making efforts to help make local communities safer places to live. The association has been holding annual conventions and various seminars.
Tenrikyo Missionary Association for the Visually Impaired

This association was established in 1957. It carries out hinokishin activities to guide visually impaired people at Tenri Railway Station and at a parking lot for the physically disabled located near the west basement of the Sanctuary precincts on the Church Headquarters’ Monthly Service day and the previous day every month. It has also been holding a training seminar once a year to help cultivate friendships among the members and strengthen their faith.
Tenrikyo Missionary Association for the Hearing Impaired

This association was established in 1961. The core members comprise people with hearing impairments who completed attending the Besseki lecture, Shuyoka and/or the Lay Minister Preparatory Course. It has been holding training seminars several times per year to help the members learn the teachings in sign language.
Tenrikyo Missionary Association for the Physically Challenged

Tomo-no-Kai (Friendship Society) was formed in 1967 in Hyogo Prefecture. Tenrikyo Friendship Society for the Physically Challenged was founded in 1970 and it was later renamed Tenrikyo Missionary Association for the Physically Challenged. It carries out hinokishin activities such as guiding pilgrims in wheelchairs and lending wheelchairs on the days of Church Headquarters’ Grand Services and Monthly Services.
Tenrikyo Federation for Foster Parents

Tenrikyo Foster Parent Association was founded in 1981. The name was later changed to Tenrikyo Federation for Foster Parents. It aims to assist the healthy growth of children who have problems at home and consists of those who support foster parent activities. It strives to promote and develop foster parenting through a number of activities such as workshops among the members and training seminars at each diocese.
Tenrikyo Missionary Sanatorium Committee

This committee was founded in 1965 by people who engaged in salvation work at leprosy sanatoriums. There are thirteen national sanatoria in Japan. Yoki Moya Dormitory was built to accommodate people with leprosy when they return to Jiba. During their stay in Jiba, the committee and Tenri University’s Seijinkai Association work together to take care of them.
Tenrikyo Preschool Teachers Training Committee

In order to dispatch preschool teachers to Tenrikyo child welfare facilities, the committee was founded in 1971 to train and nurture Yoboku preschool teachers. Graduates work for one year as a preschool teacher at one of the child welfare facilities in the Home of the Parent and then work for another two years at one of the Tenrikyo child welfare facilities located in various parts of Japan.
Tenrikyo Blood Donation Promotion Committee

The current blood donation drive commenced in 1964 in Japan. Having received a request from Nara Prefecture in that year, the blood donation activity in Tenrikyo was started by some Tenri University students in the following year. A blood donation drive was proposed around 1969 by the Young Men’s Association and developed by the association’s diocese and district chapters. In order to coordinate blood donation activities carried out by various Tenrikyo groups, Social Welfare Section has become responsible for all blood donation activities organized in the Tenrikyo community.

In 1979, Tenrikyo Blood Donation Promotion Committee was established, resulting in the creation of the current system of blood donation activities in Tenrikyo. In 1995, the committee received the Showa Emperor Memorial Blood Donation Promotion Award, which was the first time that a religious organization received this prestigious award. The committee has been conducting not only training seminars to promote blood donation at Church Headquarters and in each diocese but also discussion meetings with people in charge of blood donation activities in their respective dioceses.
Tenrikyo Social Welfare Research Society

This society was launched in 1969 as one of the advisory bodies to the head of the Mission Department. Its purpose is to find a suitable direction for Tenrikyo’s social welfare activities by drawing on the teachings and faith and to support missionary work through such research and studies. Its members include not only Tenrikyo members but also social welfare experts, all of whom are appointed by the head of the Mission Department. They hold meetings regularly.
Tenrikyo Alcoholic Counseling Room

In the mid-1970s, the issue of alcoholism was brought into the open in Japan. In 1982, Tenrikyo sponsored a meeting to discuss measures against alcohol abuse due to concerns about increasing alcoholism in its community. A counseling room was then set up in Social Welfare Section. On 25th and 26th of every month, counselors give advice on alcohol problems at Social Welfare Section.
Hinokishin School

Hinokishin School was launched in 1980 against the backdrop of a growing interest in social welfare in the midst of the high economic growth that Japanese society was experiencing. As the society was becoming prosperous, its aging population began to be regarded as an issue, and worryingly there was a rapid rise in the number of people with emotional problems. Seeking to provide followers with an opportunity to acquire knowledge and techniques useful for addressing those social problems, the school started with a basic course in March 1980. In September of the same year, it began to provide specialized courses on senior care and on aftercare for people with mental disabilities. Over the years, the school has diversified its range of specialized courses to meet contemporary social needs. It has drawn a total of about 80,000 participants, many of whom have played crucial roles in conducting hinokishin activities and salvation work in their local communities.
Tenrikyo Braille Library (Braille Research Section, Audio Book Research Section, and Sign Language Research Section)

In 1949, Tenrikyo undertook the publication of Braille books. After that, we established Braille Research Section, Audio Book Research Section, and Audio Books Library, thereby enhancing publications and circulation services of Braille books and audio books. In 1971, we established Tenrikyo Braille Library.

Today, our library publishes Braille books and DAISY books—the Digital Accessible Information System, a format of digital audio books—and provides library services for people with visual impairments. We publish Braille books such as the Ofudesaki, the Mikagura-uta, and the monthly Hikari magazine, produce publications in the DAISY format such as the Tenri Jiho newspaper, the Yoki magazine, the Michi no tomo magazine, and the Oyazato magazine, and provide circulation services. Currently, our library has about 17,000 Braille books, 11,000 audio books, and 3,200 DAISY books.