Shinto Research Paper

Taoism is an ancient Chinese religion dating back to the sixth century. The basic foundation of Taoism is a life philosophy and method

1a) Taoism originated with a man named Lao Tzu. A shadowy figure, born about 604 B. C. Before his retirement from society, he left five thousand characters titled Tao Te Ching, or The Way and Its Power. He didn't preach he didn't organize or promote, he wrote a few pages on request, rode off on a water buffalo, and that was it as far as he was concerned

Taoism was founded on the principles of Tao Te Ching written by Lao-Tzu a Chinese philosopher living in the 4th century BCE. It

There are many aspects of this world such as culture, technology, or art that have been influenced by other things. The way that things influence each other has allowed for new possibilities and ideals to be formed. Religion is no exception; there have been many instances where religions have influenced each other and blossomed due to new ideas being presented. A good example of this the relationship between the two religions: Buddhism and Shinto. Buddhism was brought into Japan during the early 6th century from Korea, and was later institutionalized as the state religion in the late 6th century by Prince Shōtoku. The Prince was a great patron of Buddhism and by having made it the state religion, it would help Buddhism spread. However, Japan was not without its own religion—Shinto—which had been there for many years prior to the arrival of Buddhism. With Buddhism gaining traction in Japan with the help of Prince Shōtoku, what then does it mean for the Shinto religion? However, Shinto was not long forgotten, which leads to the question: how did the two religions, Buddhism and Shinto, interact with each other when Buddhism arrived in Japan? In this essay, I will discuss how both Buddhism and Shinto were closely tied to each other in Japan, and how they would influence each other in different ways that allowed them to grow into new directions.

Shinto and Buddhism are two different traditions that have flourished in Japan for hundreds of years. Generally, followers from one of the traditions tend to follow the guidance of the other as well, which makes the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism very rare in world religions. At first, when these two traditions contacted each other in ancient Japan, there was a lot of confusion, but eventually they were able to coexist. However, even though Buddhism and Shinto share similarities regarding flexibility and independence, there are more differences between them proven by Buddhism’s spread to ancient Japan, their contrasting practices and beliefs and the different outlooks on the afterlife.

The Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by its religions, and one of the most influential religions has been Shintoism. Shintoism has been dated back to 500BC, when the descendants of the sun goddess, Amaterasu-OmiKami, worshiped the gods and goddesses of Japan. Shinto means "way of the gods" and that represents what people who practice Shintoism believe in. Shintoism is a religion based on Japanese mythology, which is centered on a male god, Izanagi, and a female goddess, Izanami. These two gods were believed to have created Japan, which was thought to be the only land in the whole word. The two gods had two children, the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the storm god, Susanowo. These two gods fought over control of the people of

Taoism is a very complex cultural tradition. It is one the Three Teachings that, along with Confucianism and Buddhism, had a profound influence on Chinese ways of thinking and spiritual practice. The keystone work of

In eighty-one petite chapters, the oldest source of Taoism teaches humans how to live a pure, honorable life, and is followed by millions in the East. As well as an Eastern following, certain themes compliment yet conflict with that of Western Philosophy. The Tao represents Eastern philosophy, and influences all people, of both Eastern and Western descent. The Tao is best represented in two of its chapters; Chapters 29 and 44.

Taoism or also called Daoism was influenced by many religions and philosophies that existed in ancient China. Although it does not have a specific founder this religion is believed that it first developed as a religion in the 4th or 3rd centuries BC. In 142 AD in China, the Tao revealed itself to Zhang Daoling, who formed the first organized school of the religion. There are two main schools within Taoism, usually called philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism although the two are not very distinguished. Philosophical Taoism tends to focus on the philosophical writings of Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu and other early mystics while religious Taoism emphasizes religious rituals aimed at attaining immortality.

Larry White Hum-103-002 Instructor Prof. Williams Date 5/13/18 Differences and Similarities between Shinto and Christianity and How Progressive Ideas Take Away From These Religions While thinking about what to do my final paper on I asked myself, what defines a cultures perspectives? I finally deduced that religion is the core of any culture. This helps define how one acts to the way ones beliefs are formed. Both Shinto and Christianity are ancient religions that have held a place in the East and West respectively until recent years. Christianity is essentially the religion by which the Western calendar was dated, with dates divided between AD (anno domini Latin for year of Our Lord) and BC (before Christ) which the birth of Christ serving


Taoism is China’s oldest religion. At one time, the land called China was the home of numerous peoples with different racial origins. All these ethnic groups probably had their own special gods and religious beliefs. Over time, kingdoms and empires grew in various areas and started incorporating more and more people into them. One common theme in these kingdoms and empires was a belief in life after death as can be seen in ancient tombs all over China. So people had to pay homage to and care for the dead. Some Chinese have fear of the dead, and they try to obey the dead or appease them. Another idea that is very strong in Chinese philosophy is as Chinese

deities act “harmoniously” with one another. Nature, in turn, is a vital part of both the spiritual world and the human world; “Japanese love and reverence for nature lies at the root of Shinto”. For many other religions, this is not the case. For Western religions, the “Creator and the created, and the human and natural realms” do not relate with one another immediately. The Shinto religion can again be seen acting in a more spiritual way than any other religion. The spirituality of Shinto and its people can be expressed further:

Though no one is completely certain, The Urantia Book Fellowship(Sprunger) many scholars believe Taoism’s foundation goes back to 604 BC, by Lao Tzu. Taoism is one of the more influential religious practices of the Eastern culture and many view it as a way of life rather than a religion. It emphasizes various themes centered on naturalness, vitality, peace, non-interference/non-resistance, refinement, detachment, flexibility, receptiveness, spontaneity, and the ways of life, speaking, and guiding behavior. Taoism represents the road, path followed in life, the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order of life that keeps the universe balanced and ordered. There are several variations of Taoism practiced around the

Early Taoism in the 2nd century was founded in the ideas of the Taoist intellectuals who each added their own local religious rituals and beliefs. This helped to provide examples of the philosophy and to incorporate Taoism into the current views of the Chinese people. Some of these early rituals focused on meditation, breathing and the recitation of verses (Robinson 1). However, Taoism began to really

When first deciding to write my term paper on Taoism I thought it would be just another religion. In my research I found so many different translations that my head started spinning. There are really no known facts about the founder of Taoism, Lao Tsu, except that he was possibly a contemporary of Confucius. He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. (Religious Tolerance, 2007) Since there are many aspects to Taoism in this paper I will do my best to explain what Taoism is and also explain some of its main concepts.