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Short notes on Shintoism
Short notes on Shintoism
Short notes on Shintoism
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Shintoism began in 550 A.D. It is an ancient Japanese tradition. Shinto does not have a true founder like the Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad. Also, it has no sacred texts that it refers to. Shinto was not recognized as a religion until the 12 century. It started out more as a philosophy. (World Religions Online) Shinto literally means “the way of the Kami” (Student Resources in Context) or “the way of the Gods”. They believe that all natural things have their own spirituality. They also believe the spiritual powers exist in the natural world. Kami can be found in many natural places for example, animals, mountains, plants, etc. (URI Kids) Although you are able to practice Shintoism, it is not considered evangelical. The Japanese used Shintoism to bring the nation together to help get support for their emperor. Shinto has created many themes for the Japanese people to follow, for instance, creating harmony among the Kami, having a strong relationship with family, love, and reverence for the natural artifacts and processes. (BBC-Religions)
It was not until 1868 that many changes would oc...
Analysis: Shinto: The Way Home’s organization is quite useful because it moves in chronological order and it leads the reader in a way that allows for understanding the most unrelatable Ideas of Shintoism. The book uses many Japanese terms and names that may lead confusion for the audience as they have to learn the vocabulary to understand many of the statement Kasulis uses. Kasulis also lack an argument through most of this work and he seems to focus on supplying information as accurately as possible. The author discusses a variety information pertaining to Shintoism making it useful
The origins of Shinto and Judaism are rich in history, yet it is the steadfast strength of their belief systems that are most fascinating. While the beliefs of most religions will evolve with time, the core beliefs of these two religions seem impervious to the cultural and generational changes in modern times. In fact, their belief systems seem to be the very foundations of which their cultures were originally built upon In exploring the completely diverse beliefs of Shinto and Judaism, an appreciation for the longevity of each is undeniable.
He was Shinto and Buddhist. Shinto is a set of practices establishing a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past. Buddhism is a religion that has a variety of traditions, beliefs based on teachings from Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama is known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one".
Shintoism has no founder ,and the history behind the technicalities of the rise of Shinto are rather obscure. Experts don't agree as to when Shinto became a unified religion more than just a label to give to the different faiths of Japan. Before the arrival of Buddhism, Shinto referred to the many local cults of the prehistoric Japanese people. These people were animists; devoted to the worship of nature and spirits. These spirits were the Kami; found in living things, nonliving things and natural phenomena. The early Japanese created a spiritual world—and rituals and stories to accompany it—that seemingly gave them control of their lives. It wasn't considered a religion at those times, early Japanese people regarded their faith as a commonality as a part of the natural world. The realms of Earth and the supernatural were closely integrated into each other for them. (“Religions”)
Shinto or “the way of the gods,” is one of the oldest religious beliefs. A large part of the Shinto beliefs have to do with regular catastrophes, animals, and plants. Over time Shinto has changed to keep up more with present day and the developing world, yet Shinto’s major ideals are still the same and is not any different than it was in 6 B.C.E. Shinto has had to change to keep up with the different emperors and world events so as not to disappear. Today a considerable amount of Japanese culture, like dance, writing, and music come from the religion and individuals can see Shinto’s mark on Japanese
The religion of the Japanese people is called Shinto. Shinto translates to Way of the Spirits. Some say that it is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the Japanese people. It is closely paralleled by the Japanese cultures and way of life (Hirai, 2007). Shinto has been a way of practicing faith and living a pure life in Japan for over 2,000 years. Shinto is in every aspect of the Japanese life. For example: ethics, politics, social structure, artistic life, sporting life, and of course spiritual life (Religion, 2017). Nowadays, the people of Japan mix some Shinto and Buddhism in their lives as far as their spiritual beings are concerned. Shinto is a very free religion. There is no God, no commandments, no founder, and no scriptures. Rather than worshiping a God, Shinto followers worship kami, or spiritual energy (Hansen 2007).
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).
Shinto is said to be among the oldest Japanese religious beliefs and practices. The statement Shinto is literally interpreted ‘the way of Kami’ where Kami refers to mystical, divine or superior power. In essence Kami refers to a sacred power or a range deities or gods. The primary reason for the introduction of Shinto into the Japanese culture was to distinguish native Japanese beliefs from Buddhism (Hiral). Shinto is a very unique faith with neither a founder nor a prophet accredited and without a major text that highlights its foremost beliefs. Even without these, it has managed to preserve its guiding beliefs over the past ages.
The Shinto religion is not a spiritual faith but more of a ritualistic way of life. Shinto or way of the gods, was not an established uniform religion until the 6th century c.e. after Buddhism was introduced into Japan through Korea in 538 c.e. However, the Shinto faith begins over a thousand years earlier around 660 b.c. when the world was still pure chaos. The two deities responsible for bringing order were Izanagi and his wife Izanami. They lowered a jeweled spear into the ocean and when they removed the spear 4 drops fell from the tip of the spear, which fell and formed the main islands of Japan. It was on this new paradise, where they decided to live and continue to create other gods and deities. Unlike Christianity or Buddhism, there is no founder or known true origins. However, the creation myth of the Shinto faith is written in the Kojiki (712 c.e.). In the Kojiki, the solar goddess Amaterasu-no-Omikami is born from the eyes of Izanagi. Amaterasu’s descendants will be told to be the high ruler of all Japan. Emperor Jimmu then becomes the first human ruler of Japan. This line is still in power to this day.
Similarly, another monk by the name of Kukai made his way to China to study a new sect called Shingnon. Shingnon was based on mystical and esoteric rituals, and became popular in the Japanese court. Buddhism became so popular in Japan that the traditional Shinto deities began to rank second in society. Since both religions addressed different aspects of life, syncretism occurred. Emperors practiced Buddhism, while at the same time taking part in Shinto rituals to aid in harvests.
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens is a Japanese animation TV series that brings together drama, romanticism, and comedy all in one. Kannagi is about a boy named Jin Mikuriya who uses wood from the sacred tree of Kannagi and carves a statue of a girl. The statue comes to life as a goddess, whose name is Nagi. Both Nagi and Jin work together to remove impurities that are congregating in the town. There are numerous symbols, references to beliefs, and tie-ins to the Shinto religion throughout Kannagi. Whether they are intentional or not, they are still present and can be used for analysis.
This is what later Shinto that absorbed the idea of Buddhism and Confucianism look
I miss you two so much and the Japanese culture that I was surrounded by everyday. Hawaii and its people are nothing like Japan and working here in the sugar plantation is completely different from what I have expected. I really hope you two are doing well, but what has changed during the whole decade that I have been gone? Is uncle Kaito still causing trouble to our family? I have a lot to catch up on with everyone in Japan and a lot to tell them. It’s been very difficult for me getting used to this new lifestyle for the first few years, but luckily, I’m quite used to it now. There’s so many different ethnic groups here and communicating with others is pretty challenging.
In Asia during 6th century BCE the religion of Taoism first started. The original form of Taoism beliefs that there is no God, instead they have an ethereal being that they do not know, making them unique in the world as most religions have a deity to fall behind as a uniting factor. In modern Taoism the ideas have changed a lot since its conception. Taoism is an interesting religion because of its beliefs, and its practice now.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...