Illness, suffering, and misfortune in Tenrikyo aren’t viewed as arbitrary punishments but as signals—like flickering beacons—pointing toward inner “dust,” those impure thoughts and desires that cloud the “mind” (心 tsutsugaki). Every headache, setback, or heartbreak becomes an invitation to sweep away that dust and return to a naturally joyful life.

Three core practices help in this “spring cleaning” of the spirit:

1. Tannō (Acceptance): Rather than wrestling with pain or blaming the world, practitioners embrace challenges as lessons from God the Parent. This doesn’t mean passivity; it’s more like pausing to take a deep breath before tackling a tough trail, recognizing that endurance and gratitude can transform bitterness into a kind of sweet relief.

2. Hinokishin (Joyous Service): Rolling up sleeves for community cleanups, volunteering at shelters or offering simple acts of kindness—these aren’t chores but joyful expressions of divine gratitude. Recent relief efforts after last year’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria saw Tenrikyo volunteers distributing emergency kits and spreading hope; it turns out that offering a helping hand can work wonders on personal hardship, too.

3. The Sazuke (Healing Grant): Authorized ministers administer this prayerful ceremony, believed to channel divine healing power. During the COVID-19 surge, many mission centers shifted services online, offering remote Sazuke sessions and dispatching masks and sanitizer packs to vulnerable neighborhoods. That ripple of care eased both physical ailments and emotional isolation.

Daily recitations from the Ofudesaki and Mikagura-uta reinforce a mindset of joyful perseverance. Every chapter reminds followers that suffering, while unwelcome, carries a silver lining: the chance to deepen gratitude, strengthen community bonds, and rediscover life’s innate brightness. In a world where stress and uncertainty often grab the headlines, Tenrikyo’s approach offers a gentle yet powerful roadmap: clean the heart’s clutter, serve with a cheerful spirit, and trust that even the darkest moments can spark genuine, lasting joy.