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Similarities between Shinto and Buddhism
The similarities between Shintoism, Hinduism and Buddhism
Shintoism and Buddhism
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Around 500 CE, China was on its rise as a powerful and advanced civilization. Japan, an island off the coast of China, had been growing in its shadow. The idea to bring concepts from China back to Japan was recognized by many leaders who wanted to help the country prosper. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan in 552 CE. Since then it has influenced many aspects of Japanese culture. Prince Shotoku was an avid supporter of Buddhism, and he worked to further introduce Buddhist ideas into Japan. He became regent in 593 CE and besides being known as the champion of Buddhism, he also introduced Confucian ideas to Japan. In 604 CE, Shotoku published the Seventeen Article Constitution, which was based on Confucian principles, to help centralize the …show more content…
government. Furthermore, during the Nara Period (710-784 CE), the Ritsuryō state officialized Buddhism as a state religion and incorporated it into their government. Additionally, many monks and temples benefited from the officialization of Buddhism. Likewise in the Heian Period, from 794-1185 CE, Buddhism changed to include several features of Shinto. Overall, Religion and philosophy influenced Japanese society by helping the government manage the country effectively. Buddhism influenced Japanese society by increasing the diversity and government control of the country.
When Buddhism came from China into Japan, it offered many ways to change certain factors of Japan. One part Buddhism had a big impact on was religion. Before Buddhism was introduced to Japan, Shintoism was the main religion. The arrival of Buddhism prompted Buddhism and Shintoism to become closely knit. A crossover of the two religions occurred when Shinto priests began to build Buddhist temples, and Buddhist priests took over multiple Shinto shrines (“Shinto”). Once temples and shrines of different religions appeared in the same area, it was evident for there to have been fusions of Buddhism and Shinto. Worshipping of the Buddha and praying to the deities of Shinto were common in Japan. These differences in beliefs led to an increase in diversity because the religions formed a community where people could share their beliefs and accept other values. Another part of Japan Buddhism had an effect on, was the intellect of the society. Many monks were encouraged to study the Buddhist scriptures. By doing so, the state hoped the monks would “settle in the government-controlled temples” (Araki). Buddhist monks’ lifestyle is centered around living monastically for a religion. Since the monks were encouraged by the government to continue studying scriptures, the monks believed the government could be trusted. Due to the building of trust between the government and the monks, the government gained the support of the monks and the monks began to go to government-controlled temples. Buddhism spread throughout Japan and with monks studying the doctrines of Buddhism, they were able to teach it to more people. Considering Buddhism was already a part of the government and the society was pursuing Buddhist teachings, the society is essentially following the government. As the number of people supporting Buddhism increased, the more power the government received. The increase in
diversity of the community makes the society smarter and more accepting. With a smarter and more accepting society, the government does not have to spend as much effort to educate and persuade the people. By gaining more control over the public, the government has an easier time managing the country. Through the changes made in the diversity and governmental control of the country, Buddhism helped the government manage the country effectively. Confucianism influenced Japanese society by impacting Japan’s administration and creating a respectful society. The Confucian principles appealed to Japan because it showed a way to help unify Japan and centralize it more. The Taika Reforms of 646 CE officialized the Confucian standard of an undivided rule over Japan. Also, a complex governmental system based on the rules of the Chinese Tang Dynasty was introduced to help further centralize Japan rule (Nosco). The Confucian Principles from China made Japan’s administration more centralized and unified than before. When making the administration more centralized, more power goes to officials, Shoguns, and emperors, and less of the power went to nobles, landowners, and the middle class. The amount of power in the court helped them to manage the country effectively. The Confucian principles also appealed to Japan because they laid a foundation for social harmony. The Seventeen Article Constitution issued by Prince Shotoku “emphasized the moral quality of rulers” (Strayer). By stressing the ethical quality of a ruler, the constitution aided in building strong relationships between the ruler and the society. If the Japanese ruler was honest and righteous, the society viewed the ruler as a good leader and as someone they can trust. The trust then led to respect between the ruler and the society. The newly centralized government of Japan had the power to control a multitude of aspects of society, and the various principles introduced from Confucius created a respectful environment for everyone. By impacting Japan’s administration and creating a respectful society, Confucian principles helped the government manage the country effectively.
1200CE. The Tang Dynasty Tales and The Diary of Lady Murasaki helped surface the Chinese
Buddhism is a religion from the East that has spread to many different countries all over the world. It has spread to the West, and has had a great influence and impact, especially in America. However, the Buddhism that is practiced in the United States is not exactly the same as the one that is practiced in Asian countries. If Buddhism differs between the different traditions of the Asian countries themselves, it is obvious that it will differ greatly in America as well. However, even though there are obvious differences, it is important to maintain the core values and fundamental principles the same. This research explores how the three different types of Buddhist practitioners have adopted Buddhism in America, and it describes some differences
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
The development and evolution of the different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four major periods, which was shown in the way that the Nara period, the Heian era, the Kamakura period, and the Edo period were all shaped by the ascent and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad, but fascinating web of interconnecting events that manages to confuse even the most veteran historians. At first, Buddhism was only a pastime of the elite class of landowners and daimyo that held no special significance to the common peoples. It was mainly another way for the central government to gain power and influence among the many local lords that it had to contend with on a regular basis. Although it is to be noted that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their earlier religions, but instead blended it together with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). This created several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through the process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly branched off and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped contemporary Japanese culture (Kasahara, 302).
Originally from Japan, Soyen Shaku was the first Zen master to arrive in America. His followers urged him not to come to a nation that was so ill-mannered and uncultivated and that the Japanese were facing extreme discrimination. Shaku’s countrymen Hirai Ryuge Kinzo “offered pointed examples: the barring of a Japanese student from a university on the basis of his race; the exclusion of Japanese children from the San Francisco public schools; the processions of American citizens bearing placards saying ‘Japs Must Go!’” (Eck 185). After several decades, there was a Zen boom of the 1950s and that was how Buddhism affected western culture, especially in regards to entertainment. “‘Zen’ is “the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character "chan," which is in turn the Chinese translation from the Indian Sanskrit term "dhyana," which means meditation’” (Lin).
Shimazono, Susumu. 2005. "State Shinto and the Religious Structure of Modern Japan." Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion 73, no. 4: 1077-1098. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
Japan has been a home for Shinto and Buddhist religions for centuries. The Christian missionaries during the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries worked hard to evangelize the Japanese nation but could not get desired success. There efforts in past failed partly due to sanctions imposed by the local rulers. The Jesuits missionaries traveled with Spanish and Portuguese traders to many areas of America and Asia-Pacific and established their churches and religious missions. They were funded, sponsored and trained by their respective governments in order to spread Christianity. At several places they preached the Christian faith by force but the aboriginal population did not accept it wholeheartedly. Initially the Jesuits targeted the elite class of the country and a large number was converted. The rulers also forced their subject to embrace the same faith. About 300,000 Japanese were converted in the first phase. Later on, Christianity was prohibited as the rulers started seeing them as a threat to their authority. Following a change of regime, the ban was lifted and missionaries were again allowed to enter Japan. Like many Native American tribes, the Japanese also resisted the new religion. As a result, presently Christians form only 1% of the total population in Japan. This paper is focused on how the Christian religion was introduced in Japan, the evolution of evangelism, establishment of churches, the restrictions and hurdles faced by the missionaries and priest of the new religion and the response of Japanese nation towards an alien faith. All these queries are answered in detail given as follows.
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
Fourteenth century Japan was a time of peace for many people. Buddhism had just become a major part of Japanese culture due to the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He became ruler in 1367 at the sapling age of ten (Waley 21). Yoshimitsu needed to distinguish himself from his ancestors and he did this by being devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Zen Sect (21). “Zen Buddhism and the life and teaching of Shinran are popularly identified as typical Japanese Buddhism.” (Takeda 27) However Buddhism, in Japan, is different and unique from Buddhism in other countries because it is considered the “funeral religion” (27). This is mainly influenced by ancient Japanese beliefs of the onryo.
First off let me take back through time. Watch your step as you now proceed to the earliest time in Japan’s history, the Jomon era. This is basically Japan’s Stone Age. The modern Japanese persons were fishermen, gatherers, and hunters. All pretty primitive if you ask me. Okay, get a move on; we have lots of places to go. Our next stop is the Yayoi era. During this time Yayoi, relatives of the Mongols, imported rice and iron to Japan and obviously through this foreign influence a new religion and language formed. About 0 A.D. Shintoism became the main religion in Japan and many rituals and ceremonies were held during the following years as Japan developed. In 57 A.D China mentions Japan for the first time in their history. Between 200 A.D and 300 A.D. sushi was invented; the Shinto shrine Ise is founded and Japan visits China for the first time. The very first emperor was during this era, he was Jimmu-dono. The following era is known as Kofun, between 300 A.D. and 538 A.D. In this era the culture begins to develop, modeling after Chinese culture. Japan adopts the Chinese alphabet and Korea introduces Buddhism to the current Japanese emperor which was Senka-dono (535-539). After this, is the Asuka era which was the time Buddhism was introduced to Japan. The Sun clan gains rule as the dynasty and move to their home...
Buddhism for the first time was practiced by the masses and China was no longer an idol that they followed. The change from an aristocratic government to the Feudal Bakufu militarism was one of the main causes for transforming the culture of the Heian period. During the Heian period, “only the elite class could enjoy the grandeur of Buddhist art and ceremony” (A Brief History of Buddhism in Japan.). During the Kamakura rule, Buddhism had become widespread and everyone, no matter their rank could practice Buddhism. Another change has to do with the hierarchy system itself. During the Heian period there were many more levels to their ranking system and were very specific and many were completely exclusive to the upper class. Many of these specificities “applied to one less than one tenth of one percent of the total population” (Green). John Green describes this system as “rigidly hierarchical”. To create such specificities for such a small portion of the population is superfluous. However during the Kamakura era, the rank system became much simpler. Instead of the elite and rich ruling japan, Daimyo and their samurai ruled the regions. Honor was still important as well as their customs, at least that much stayed consistent. New artwork emerged. Much of the new artwork was inspired by the spread of Buddhism and the Bushido. Bushido simple means “The Way of the
The United States and Japan are amazingly different, but also very similar. Japan is located in Eastern Asia, and its capital is Tokyo. Japan’s government structure is quite similar, but different compared to the U.S’. Japan, as the U.S, has three legislative branches: executive, legislative, and judiciary. Japan has a prime minister, whom is like the president of the U.S.
Confucianism spread to long-time trade partner, Korea, around this time through Chinese commanderies who had control of the northern territories. The presence of Confucianism in Korea affected education and government, as well family culture. Buddhism remained the official state religion of Korea despite this. According to traditional Japanese writings, Confucianism was introduced to Japan around 285 AD by Korea.
Japan is a large island off to the east of China it is a great country that has a rich culture. The Japanese religion is based off of two main beliefs, the belief in Shinto and Buddhism many Japanese people believe consider themselves both. The Japanese people were known to be around as early as 4,500 B.C. They have constructed their government style to a constitutional monarchy where they do in fact have an emperor, but he has limited power within the country. The main power of the country is held by the Prime Minister of Japan. Japan is made up of many islands that extend along the Pacific coast of Asia. The land area is made up of a lot of forest and mountainous area that cannot be used for agricultural, industrial or residential use. Japan also has one of the largest and growing economies in the world. They are growing every day and it is all because the people of Japan work very hard in order for their economy to flourish as it has.
Most Japanese would refer to themselves as believers of Shintoism and Buddhism. Christianity was introduced to the Japanese in 1543 when missionaries led by Francis Xavier arrived in Japan. However during this time Japan’s national religion was Buddhism. The Japanese adopted Confucianism from the Chinese as a moral guidance principle. The Japanese believed that the Christians were taking away the Japanese faith; thus, during the Edo Period most of the Christians in Japan were exiled or executed.