Shintoism Essay

Human search for meaning in Shinto is based off of their beliefs, rituals, origins and culture. There are four components that make up the Shinto human search of meaning, Simplicity, one with the world, peace within the world and the individual journey to self-discovery and potential. Simplicity refers to the lack of scripture, rules and expectations the individual to interpret hoe they are to live their lives. Peace with the world is to be what the individual interprets to be the best person they can have an optimistic approach to the world encouraging world peace and peace within themselves. One with the world refers to the immanent nature of the religion, the way the world is viewed individually contributing to their connection with the

I feel that Shinto is similar to Confucianism. There is an unequivocal accentuation in transit. The "to" some portion of the word is based of "do" which is the way. Shinto additionally is vigorously centered around nature. In japan that is really simple in light of the fact that in spite of contamination there is huge regular excellence. Indeed, even today the Japanese respect nature by making rock greenhouses and tea functions.

The nobles of Japan claim that they are the descendants of the five gods which Susanoo-Wo created. In Japanese art Amaterasu is seated with her other brother Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, who is the moon god. The cocks from the myth are associated with her and the rising sun. In Japan the Ise Grand Shrine is the most important Shinto shrine. It is dedicated to Amaterasu, and represented with three of her symbols. The cocks, the mirror, and a raven (who is believed to be her messenger.) The mirror is called the Yata no Kagami, held in the center of Japan at the Great Shrine at Ise. The mirror has been hidden for over a thousand of years but it is said to have eight sides which is also Shinto’s number of perfection.

The Orange County Buddhist Church located in Anaheim at 909 South Dale Avenue is one of the few temples that practices and teaches Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America. Although Shinran Shonin first established these traditions about 800 years ago in Japan, it did not reach the United States until the late 19th century by Japanese immigrants. Since then, Shin Buddhism has grown and developed Americanized features that contribute to its message of acknowledging the interdependence of all aspects in the universe as a way to reach a state of self-realization and happiness. With the help of Buddhist believers, the establishment of Shin Buddhist temples continues to grow and more people are welcomed to absorb the unique beliefs about oneness and transcending duhkha.

A Religion where spells are acceptable, the earth is celebrated and nature is a basic mold of the major concepts, paganism. The word "pagan" originates from the Latin term paganus which is defined as country dweller, at one point any person not being an active Christian was considered to be a pagan. Pagan followers have a different view on life, such as they believe in the natural forces of the earth, and consciously try to live with it. Another example illustrating how unique this religion is the fact that pagans are polytheistic, but have the one chief god that rules over the others, it's contradicting that a pagan can also have no belief in any one god. An interesting concept about this religion is that you are not told a certain way,

The supernatural powers and deities of Shinto are Kami. Kami are not Gods but spirits that intervene with humans that do not live in a separate dimension but in the same dimension as humans. Kami can take form of elements of nature such as rivers, mountains, storms and earthquakes but they were also the deities that created the universe as stated in their holy text. They can also be spirits that take the form of the living and the souls of humans that have demonstrated outstanding achievement (such as soldiers that gave up their lives for war, emperors and leaders) becoming Kami after their death. Kami are also the ancestors and protectors of human beings. Kami can also influence the course of nature and events of humans. They like the human

One of the first aspects of Shinto to look in regards to relations with Buddhism is the name itself; the meaning of the name “Shinto”

• The historical significance of the phrase Shinto is that it is a type of religion that was based on respect for the forces of nature and on the worship of ancestors. Also, worshippers believed in kami which are divine spirits that lived in nature. Shinto religion was also influenced by the Koreans because they introduced Buddhism to them. Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals. This made the Japanese take an interest in the Chinese writing system, art, and the Chinese styles of simple arts of everyday life.

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

Since Japan's earliest days, Shinto has been the code of honor and action for the Japanese. It is also a polytheistic religion, they believe there is a God for everything.(brittanica)

Amaterasu, also known as Ōkami Amaterasu, is a fictional character from Capcom’s video game Ōkami. Amaterasu is a white wolf that appears in the Marvel vs. Capcom series (Wikipedia). Her backstory claims that she is from the Celestial Plains, the domain of the spirits, and rules over the Celestials and the mortal world as a “proctor deity” (Wikipedia). Ōkami Amaterasu is based off the Shinto goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami , meaning “shining in heaven,” who is seen as the goddess of the sun and the universe (Wikipedia). She is deemed to be the most important deity of the Shinto religion, she like Ōkami Amaterasu is the ruler of the Celestial Plains (Cartwright).

As an ancient religion of Japan, Shinto was originally a combination of nature worship, divination techniques, and shamanism. Meaning "the way of the Gods", the origins of Shinto are not apparent in comparison to other religions, especially other Asian religions and beliefs. With no obvious founder, as well as original written scriptures and authentic laws, a number of theories exist about the origination of Shinto as a religion and its development across the Japanese lands. However, the significance of the religion has shifted the importance of discovering its origins to the religious influences that Shinto has embarked upon Japanese

Of all topics which have been discussed in books about Jodo Shinshu the life of the believer is one that is rarely touched on, and even less is it mentioned what ritual behaviors the believer is to embody. It must be first stated though, what is being referred to as the life of the believer. The life of the believer will be defined here in as the specific attitudes, actions, and rituals that are undertaken by a professed believer in the Jodo Shinshu teachings. This crucial part of the Jodo Shinshu sect has often been neglected within academic writings, and this absents has led to a general ignorance of a very key part of Jodo Shinshu. A part of Jodo Shinshu that without knowledge of it will led to a distorted understanding of the sect. In order

Buddhism      For over 2000 years Buddhism has existed as an organized religion. By religion we mean that it has a concept of the profane, the sacred, and approaches to the sacred. It has been established in India, China, Japan and other eastern cultures for almost 2000 years and has gained a strong foothold in North America and Europe in the past few centuries. However, one might ask; what fate would Buddhism face had Siddartha Guatama been born in modern times; or more specifically in modern day North America? Would his new found enlightenment be accepted now as it was thousands of years ago?

One of the key aspects of Shinto, and an aspect that made it somewhat difficult for me to study in a more isolated context, is the flexibility of it. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, there is no strict religious doctrine or meticulous set of rules that governs the practitioners. Instead, it's much more a conceptual idea that carries with it various commonalities, specifically in terms of practices and a very nature-based system of deities (Religions of the World). Although, despite Japan's more isolated society, they did share certain ideas with other Eastern religions, such as a focus on the cosmos and harmony with nature and others (Return of the Gods).