Single-hearted salvation

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Single-hearted salvation is the standard gloss for “tasuke-ichijo” たすけ一条.

Definitions

Tenrikyo theologian Yoshinaru Ueda has defined tasuke-ichijo as, “The love a parent has for a child that causes the parent to want to save the child to such an extent that doing nothing to save the child is not an option.… Tasuke-ichijo is a term that perfectly embodies a parent’s immense, generous love.” [1]

A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms describes single-hearted salvation as “a state in which the mind is singly intent on saving others and to the singleness of intention with which one devotes oneself to salvation.” The text then explains that while this “might suggest an exclusive devotion to the work of bringing the teaching of salvation to greater numbers of people, the actual emphasis is placed on a frame of mind that is focused on doing whatever one can to help save others.” [2]

Analysis of the term “tasuke-ichijo”

Tasuke

Whereas it is a convention to write tasuke in hiragana in Tenrikyo literature, depending on the kanji used to write it, “tasuke” can take on slightly different nuances.

Meanings include “help, rescue; assistance” (助)[3] “help” (扶),[4], “help, aid” (援) [5] as well as “rescue, save, aid” (救)[6].

“Tasuke” also can have the nuance of meaning “saving,” “salvation,” “relief,” and “liberation.”

Ichijo

Whereas the “jo” of ichijo is written in kana in the Ofudesaki[7] is usually written in Tenrikyo publications with the kanji 一条, which means a “line” or “streak.”[8]

Alternate kanji

Ichijo is often written as 一條 in older publications.

Nobuyuki Kaji of Osaka University once suggested that 一乗 (“single vehicle”) was a more appropriate kanji to write ichijo in the Ofudesaki since the term 一条 was not in common usage.[9]

Appearances/frequency of “tasuke-ichijo” in Scripture

External links

Notes

  1. 上田嘉成 Ueda Yoshinaru. In 『天理教教典稿案講習録』 Tenrikyo kyoten koan koshu roku, pp. 73–4.
  2. A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pp. 398–9. For Japanese equivalent, refer to 『改訂 天理教事典』 Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten, p. 520.
  3. Spahn, Mark and Hadamitzky, Wolfgang. Japanese Character Dictionary. Tokyo: Nichigai Associates, p. 293.
  4. Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 602.
  5. Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 631.
  6. Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 1148.
  7. While mainly written as 一ちよ and 一ぢよ, there is one instance of ichijo being written in the Ofudesaki as 一ぢよふ. 『おふでさき索引』 Ofudesaki sakuin, p. 174.
  8. Spahn and Hadamitzky, p. 5.
  9. 加持伸行 Kaji Nobuyuki. 「「おふでさき」私観—その思想的背景」 “Ofudesaki shikan—sono shisoteki haikei.” 『G-TEN』 41 (May 1989), pp. 21–30.
  10. 『おさしづ索引』 Osashizu sakuin, pp. 1349–51