...Shinto Anthony Pisciotto REL/133 February 2nd, 2015 Jerry Nwonye Shinto Shinto, composed of two ideographs, literally means the "way of the kami." Although kami can be translated as gods or deities, it also refers more generally to spirit-beings, the supernatural, or to a sacred quality in which an individual can even participate” (Yamamoto PG 2028).Shinto is revered within Japan and is Japan’s original religion and way of life. Shinto pushes belief in nature and that the world and humans are a singular being. Shinto is still very much a part of Japan’s culture and shrines can be found even in bustling cities. Shinto practices are still followed today. Those include worship at shrines, celebration of the New Year, and observances of the seasons and nature. Shinto’s origin and founder are unknown. It is understood that Shinto followers have a strong relationship with nature and hold their ancestors in high regard. All these things come to the forefront when practicing their rituals and beliefs. One of them is traveling to shrines to worship or worshipping in their homes. This is a practice that survives in Japan to this day. “Most Shinto rituals take place either in the home or the jinja (shrine). Traditionally, homes in Japan would have a small replica of a shrine (kamidana) set up in a niche near the ceiling, beside the main pillar (daikoku-bashira) of the house. These kamidana were supposed to be cleaned daily, and offerings of water, wine, food, and salt placed...
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... Shinto REL/133: World Religious Traditions I 5/21/2014 David Bolton 2 Shinto Shinto meaning “the way of the gods”, is centered upon the relationship between practitioners and a multitude of supernatural entities called kami who are associated with all aspects of life. Being Japan’s major religion alongside Buddhism, Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions, having no founder and sacred scriptures like the sutras or the bible. Shinto is an optimistic faith, there is no right or wrong, and nobody is perfect. Humans are thought to be fundamentally good and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. There are those in the world who reject foreign religions as heresy, and will only believe in their indisputable truth of their own faith. In Shinto, they consider this tendency to be unhealthy in human society. Believing that it is better to learn the good points from all the religions of the world, just as learning from the good actions of our parents, teachers or others in society. Shinto has an openness to foreign religions, even those of a totally different character like Buddhism. By nature, a religion has a tendency to split into several factions due to differences over interpretation of dogma. However, in Shinto, there...
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...The Relevance of: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto on Asian behavior I)The principles of Buddhism Buddha = Awaken, enlightenment, wise man. Last reincarnation into our world: Siddhartha Gautama (SG) 563 – 483 BC obtained the perfect knowledge. All of us can reach the enlightenment. Buddhism is not articulated around the idea of a god, but it does not denied the existence of one. Human situation is supreme because we are today what we were before and what we will be tomorrow. DHARMA:It is based on the reasonning and the experience of each person, it is the key to inner peace and enlightenment. If you take actions → results. (ne pas oublier les conséquences) TOLERANCE NIRVANA: is the objective of every Buddhist and to do so there are the 4 noble truths and the 8 fold paths. There are 2 other concepts: -Samsara: Perpetual life circle don't fear (reincarnation) -Karma: all the actions in our lives (positive and negative, it depends of the good or the evil of the action.) II)Confucius wisdom The society of humanism and the wisdom of Confucius 551 – 479 BC focused on man as individual therefore the teaching concentrating on a concept. Jun Xi which literally means the son of a sovereign, must achieve a good behavior which does not imply a perfect goodness but involve the goodness of a man to another. In business: Team Spirit The relationship between members of the family and the society is crucial. Loyalty is very important to, as learning, experience...
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...Matthew Weed REL/ 133 May 3rd, 2014 Stephen Allen Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Paper Shinto began in a time when the religion had no name and it was just a way of life. Long ago, people lived close with nature and so the religion began in worshiping the spirits of nature as a reality of the world (Molly, 2010). Shintoism is one of the oldest religions in Japan and to keep its teaching alive Japan gave it its name when Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century. Although, this did not stop people from coming to Japan to compare their religions, how this religion interacts with the modern world, and how Shintoism would influence other religions in the modern world (Molly, 2010). When comparing Shintoism to other religions such as, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism many people may automatically say there are not comparisons between the religions. When researching comparisons between these religions, people can say they all believe in a higher power, but that is not where the similarities end. Shinto and Buddhism care two religions that taught and learned from each other by adopting beliefs from each other. The both believed in having a place of worship called shrines and temples. They also believed in more than one higher deity who were a loving and benign (Find the best, 2014). When China entered Japan, the Chinese introduced Buddhism, and the Shinto believed Buddhism was another deity to be worshiped. They also believed in salvation and for them this...
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...Chapter 8,9,& 10 1. Are Taoism and Confucianism truly religions argue both sides. Taoism and Confucianism are two very different religious traditions of ancient China. Both Taoism and Confucianism cannot clearly be explained as a religion with certain doctrines and rituals as other well –known religions. As religious and social forces, they have coexisted for centuries in China and have spread to other Asian regions. The name Taoism is taken from the title of the book called “Tao Te Ching, which translates to “the way of nature. Taoism is based on the ancient Chinese understanding of the universe. Historically, the origin of Taoist philosophy is unclear, but it is said that the founder of Taoism is Lao-tzu, who lived in the sixth century B.C.E. Taoism can be described in terms of its history and its effects on Chinese people, nut it cannot be clearly delineated as a religion with a certain body of doctrine and rituals of Chinese antiquity. Philosophically, for Taoism, the ideal life is one that is lived in harmony with the way of this shifting nature. By the early centuries of the Common Era, Taoism had been converted into a religion complete with gods, priests, temples and sacrifices. In the modern days, Taoism is mainly associated with charms, exorcisms and magical attempts to prolong life, in which there is a self-generating force called chi (rather than there being a Creator Deity). This force manifests two interplaying aspects: yin and yang. Yin is the dark...
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...their religion backgrounds and beliefs. Within three diverse faiths that are less well-known than the mainstream faith such as Shintoism, Buddhism, and Baha'i, the author will compare the philosophy of providing care from the perspective of each of these three faiths with that of the Christian perspective and the author own personal perspective. Shintoism Shintoism is the religious beliefs and practices of Japan. According to Shouler, Shinto is an optimistic faith in believing that all humans are fundamentally good and evil is caused by evil spirits. It is a form of animism and involves the worship of kami which mean “sacred spirit”. Shinto is created by combining two works: “Shin” means God or spirit and “to” means way or path. Shinto beliefs are in the mysterious creating and harmonizing power of kami and in the truthful way of kami. The kami began as the mysterious forces of nature associated primarily with permanent features in the landscape, such as unusual mountains, rocky cliffs, caves, springs, trees and stones("Shinto Therapies," 2002, p. 4) Most Japanese considered death is a natural process as a part of life cycle. Therefore, Shintoism or Buddhism patients may be more open to end-of-life discussions. Conversion to Christianity or other religions, it would certainly have some impact on views of death, dying, and end-of-life issues. Therefore, organ donation is not favored because of the...
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...Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Shinto, “way of the gods”, is one of the two major religions in Japan besides Buddhism. There was no name for the religion up until Buddhism came from China;” there was no need to name the religion that was already present—it was simply what everyone did (Molloy, 2010).” Shintoism is known as the nature religion, however, it’s not just that it focuses on worshiping spirits, mostly the spirits of departed family members, and gods. There are numerous rituals that are carried out diligently to connect the people of Japan to their ancient ancestors and past. There are numerous public shrines all throughout Japan for devoted people to worship multiple gods. Though many of the nature based religions have slowly died out over the course of thousands of years, however, Shintoism has done no such thing. The Shinto religion has not only retained its connection to nature but also to shamanism and mysterious healing techniques. They show homage to the shrines that can be found situated in between skyscrapers. There are no known founder of the Shinto religion. It is believed to have been founded to in 660 BC according to the Japanese origin myth, though the first practices and ritual were not recorded until the eighth century in what is known as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. According to the Kojiki, in the beginning there was a primeval chaos, which populated many deities called kami. “Of those kami there...
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...Week 5 Team Paper REL/133 March 8, 2012 Week 5 Team Paper Shintoism is an ancient religion that originated in the Japanese culture. Shinto is a general term used and is defined by the various activities practiced by those of the Shintoism religion. The Japanese worship deities of different worlds. Their worship of these deities is called the "Way of Kami," with Kami meaning deity or deities. The practice of Shintoism was finally recognized when Yomei, the 31st Emperor of Japan, prayed before an image of Buddha for the first time as an emperor for recovery of his illness. At that time, Yomei accepted Buddhism, a foreign religion, and the Japanese realized the existence of the tradition of their already existing faith. Shinto dates back to 660 BCE and is an organized religion of the Japanese. Shinto in its basic sense is a religious form of Japanese nationalism and patriotism. The basic belief that the Japanese people were brought to Japan by a divine creator and believe that the Japanese emperors were direct descendents of the Sun Goddess, Kami Amaterasu. There are two sacred books of Shinto, the Kojiki, (the Chronicles of Ancient Events) and the Nihongi (the Chronicles of Japan). The Kojiki tells the story that in the beginning there was kami, (gods or spiritual forces). Two of the deities, Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) gave birth to Japan. There is no one deity that is over all, but some of the kami were raised to higher ranks and the one who held the...
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...religions that have similar characteristic of Christianity. I choose Candomble an Afro-Brazilian that has over a million followers. Candomble is a syncretic religion, meaning it has a combination of beliefs. The core of the religion is the traditional African beliefs of Yoruba, Fon and Bantu. Candomble has elements of Christianity, particularly Catholicism. Candomble means “dance in honor of the gods.” Dancing and music play an important role in the Candomble rituals. The center of Candomble religion is God (Oludumare) and the deities are called Orixas which serves Oludumare. Candomble does not have any holy scriptures. Shinto is an all-pervading indefinable way which is quite universal. Shinto or Kaminomichi is the name of the religion observed by the Japanese from time immemorial. ‘Kami’ means God or deity. Shinto implies the following ‘Way of the Gods’. Shinto is not really an ‘ism’ but only a teaching. Confucianism is a religion found by Confucius influential Chinese philosophers. His idea of social and political harmony is through better governance, a proper human relationship and individual development to shape Chinese though out many centuries. Candomble Candomble is an Afro-Brazilian religion that was brought to Brazil by the African slaves. The majority of the slaves were from West Central Africa (Yoruba, Aja-Fon, and Banhu). The religion was influenced by the chattel slavery and merchantilistic context; which emerged during the fifteenth and nineteenth...
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...Women Status and Eastern Religions The Eastern religions are a major part of the world religions. They have a significant influence on the women status. We will try to examine Korea’s Shamanism, Japan’s Shintoism, and India’s Buddhism and attempt to see how women status be change throughout the course of the time. Since two thousand five hundred BCE, Shamanism is an indigenous religion in Korea. Shaman is a medium between the physical and spiritual worlds. Typically, Shamans are mostly women. They are responsible to contact spirits, to obtain wisdom, guidance, future knowledge, healing cures, and good fortune. In order to becoming a Shaman, there are three steps. First, one is called to be a Shaman. One cannot be a Shaman by one’s will and need to be chosen. Second, one will first experience a lot of suffering. For example, one will have illness, madness, poverty, family issues. Third, one will experience spontaneous prophecy and trances. If the one refuse the call, one will suffer more illness and misfortune. If the one accept the call, it will lead to relief of the suffering. If the woman is in a marriage, the marriage tends to dissolve. Shaman bonds with other shaman. The young shaman will get train by the older shaman. After the initiation ceremony, prophecies will come pouring out of the new Shaman. She is able to make a living. She will provide wisdom from the spirits: great mother spirit, deceased ancestors (clan leader individual). Primary...
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...religions. Instead the institutions commonly referred to as religions in China, such as Confucianism and Taoism focus on how people act in relationships between one another each other and the forces of nature around them. In contrast the religion of Shinto, the homegrown religion of Japan, has a more western structure, with the Gods and spirits who influence the mortal realm. Shintoism is a religion based on animism and polytheism. Most of their followers are Japanese, they have about 50 million adherents and their legends are collected in the Kojiki. They believe in many “Kami” which is there word for “God” such as Amaterasu the sun goddess and they believe that there are spirits everywhere with a strong belief in ghosts. Shintoist followers have deep respect and admiration for their ancestors and are deeply worshipped and that all human life and nature is sacred. They often refer to this as “Matsuri” and it is one of the four affirmations Shinto follows. The other three include tradition and family, which is the main mechanism for how traditions are preserved and celebrations pertain to marriage and birth. Another is their love for nature and most sacred nature objects are associated with the divine. Lastly is physical cleanliness. Shinto followers like to take baths often, rinse out their mouth and wash their hands a lot. This is one of the biggest affirmations and it takes place within the shrine grounds in a washbasin. Although Amaterasu is one of...
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...recognized in Japan by the government. He also complains about the concept of two high-naked men wrestling within a small roped ring, and the deeper meaning of it all. He goes ahead to elaborate that this encompasses both Shinto beliefs and Japan’s most understated cultural nuance. He explains how old the sport is dating back to 1500 years and professionalized in the 18th century. Gutman, B. (1995). Sumo wrestling. Minneapolis: Capstone Press. This interesting book helps to uncover the mystery and tradition of the ancient fighting arts. Gutman explains in a very interesting way how, many years back, Asian warriors found out that the human body can serve as a weapon to be used in attacking enemies and protecting oneself. Sharnoff, L. (1993). Grand sumo: The living sport and tradition. New York: Weatherhill. This book by Sharnoff gives readers an insight about the men who wrestle each other. It also talks about their reasons for entering Sumo, and the way their lives are in the sumo world. The book also gives readers rules, rankings, techniques, and ceremonies of Sumo. Sandifer, J. (2011). The unofficial history of sumo wrestling. S.l: s.n. Sandifer gives a very comprehensive history of Sumo wrestling, including how the sport is made up and how vital Shinto religion is. He also explains...
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...The Prominent religions in Japan are Shintoism with 79.2% of the population practicing this religion, Buddhism with 66.8%, and Christianity with 1.5%. The total adherents exceed 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism (World Factbook, 2015). Shinto, or the “way of the spirits or deities,” began to take form in Japan’s early period before the sixth century C. E. Shinto deities, or kami, were seen as infusing the natural world. Uniquely shaped trees, mountains, rivers, and rocks were all considered kami, but human beings could be viewed as kami as well. Since early Shinto did not have a founder or produce sacred texts, it was through common rituals that the religion was transmitted. The goal of the rituals was to maintain...
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...Econmoy, import/export , fast pace Japan is one of the fastest and largest imports and exports economy in the world. Most of their exports are mainly cars, computers, and electronic device. Japanese electronic products are renowned for their innovation and quality. Japan’s industrial production growth rate was the highest among the G20 nations. US statistics (2012) mention that Japan achieving one of the highest economic growth rates in the world from 1960s to 1980s, it slowed down tremendously in the early 1990s, when the economy collapsed by the stock markets and real estate prices. Japan real GDP grew an avenge of 4% per year. After a few years, the Japanese economy began to slow down in line with the global economic conditions, and it encounter it firsts recession for about 6 years in 2008. Bank of Japan reported real GDP growth of -5.5% in FY 2009. In 2010, Japan’s real GDP grew back of 4.4%. Until a natural disaster hits Japan heavily, causing factories, agricultural land, homes , and lives destroyed. It was one of the worst disaster in Japan ever had. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami falls on March 11, 2011. Nuclear power is the biggest source of energy in japan, it accounts with 29% of nuclear. Nuclear war plants were destroy, fire and explosion heats up, thousands were killed, and even radioactive iodine were exposed everywhere. Sanatana (2011) indicated that Overall exports in March declined 2.2% to 5.87 trillion yen (£43bn), marking the first year-on-year...
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...made. Sacred texts as well as an oral tradition have been established through world religions. Many indigenous religions have only oral traditions that have not been written down. There are some indigenous people who do not have a written language and so their religious tradition is passed down orally from generation to generation. It is harder for an individual to study and stay connected when there is only oral tradition’s to follow. A critical issue is to find what the text or story is doing for the religion. What a religion says usually functions in a few different ways whether it is a mythical story or doctrine. There are two main ways that religion can be expressed. The first is answers to where the world came from. For example, the Shinto religion of Japan, is beginnings of the Japanese islands are A distinction between oral traditions and written traditions will need to be made. Sacred texts as well as an oral tradition have been established through world religions. Many indigenous religions have only oral traditions that have not been written down. There are some indigenous people who do not have a written language and so their religious tradition is passed down orally from generation to generation. It is harder for an individual to study and stay connected when there is only oral tradition’s to follow. A critical issue is to find what the text or story is doing for the religion. What a religion says usually functions in a few different ways whether it is a mythical story...
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