Essay on Shintoism and Buddhism

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

One of the transformations that Buddhism had was in the representative structures, like statues of the Buddha or temples that marked the religion in that area. From the picture shown is a bell-shaped stupas at Borobudur, which represents the large influence that Buddhism had on Indonesia (Doc 2) Considering that there are multiple similar structures and they are spread over an extensive area, it must have been an important concept to this society. As seen in another photo, Buddhism

Firstly, the traditions within Shintoism were important to help the Japanese people to connect with their ancestors and the nature around them. The word ‘Shinto’ itself means way of the gods. It is as old as the Japanese culture and was the only religion in Japan until the 6th century. According to the Shinto religion, there exists a basic life force called kami. Kami are close to human beings and respond to human prayers. They can influence the course of natural forces, and human events. Shinto tradition says that there are eight million kami in Japan. Due to their deep respect and love for nature and Japan itself, many shrines were set up in places of natural beauty. Followers went to pray here to receive good fortune and samurai would often go to the shrines to pray for victory before and after battle. Shinto’s traditions involved having a clean lifestyle. They washed and bathed everyday which made most of japan a fresh

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.

• 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.

Shinto was originated in Japan and formed in five hundred BCE. Shinto “the way of the Kami” is the religion of Japan that was first used in the 6th century. Shinto has no founder, no sacred texts and no formalized system. Shinto is uniquely Japanese, and believes in a god named Kami, the Shinto believe that Kami exists both as spiritual beings but as well as in nature. The Kami is not like Western Religions, because the Kami is not perceived as an all-powerful god, but as a creative force. Buddhism was formed in the 5th century B.C.E. in northern India. The religion was started by a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who is also referred to as the Buddha or the enlightened one. The way this man started the religion was by training his meditation for six years, and then once he felt he was close to “full enlightenment” he went into meditation and vowed not to come out until he reached full enlightenment. Buddha then

For instance, shrines, temples, and alters are very important in each religion because it allows the follower to connect with whatever deity they are trying to worship, let it be the Buddha or the kami. However, another difference between Shinto and Buddhism are the practices. One practice that sets the two apart is purification. Purification, such as Harai (the rinsing of hands and mouth before proceeding to a shrine), is a vital part of Shinto because it rids away evil and unrighteousness. Outer self and inner self purification includes acts such as the observance of festivals throughout the year or simply living before the kami in reverence and worship. Buddhism does not have purification or a different form of it. However, one thing that Buddhism has that Shinto doesn’t is images and sculptures of what it is being worshipped. Shinto does not have images or sculptures of the kami unlike Buddhism which has them of the Buddha. Additionally, Buddhism does not have prayer like Shinto, but rather meditation. According to The Essence of Shinto, to pray correctly in Shinto, “a yearning feeling for kami that flows from the bottom of your soul and reaches the end of the universe” must be felt. Buddhism has equal love and respect for the Buddha as Shinto does for the kami, but the goals of the two traditions are different which is why the forms of prayer and meditation contrast.

When approaching the shrine of a Kami, it is custom to wash the hands and mouth with water from a chozuya, or pavilion for cleansing one’s self (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom to bow at the altar and ring the bell to call the deities attention (Nakano, para 5). Before beginning the prayer, a small offering is made to the Kami (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom bow twice, with the first bow being at 90 degrees to show respect to the deity, and clap twice (Nakano, para 5). Then the hands are placed together and the right hand is shifted down slightly (Nakano, para 5). Then the person claps and is purified by otodama. A small prayer to the Kami may then be made When finished, it is customary to bow at 90 degrees, back up three steps and bow again, making sure that you do not turn your back to the deity of the shrine (Nakano, para 5). This process shows the strength of the Shinto religion by the people of Japan, and the necessary rituals they undergo to pay respect to a Kami or spirit. These ancient customs have been passed down from generation to generation and continue to this day in the same manor that they were conducted hundreds of years ago (Nakano, para 5).

Shintoism is Japan native religion. In this religion, every living thing in nature, from the wind, animals, trees and even sound contain gods which are referred to as kami (1). The religion worships nature and arose by the desire to include human life in the great harmony manifested in the universe. They have shrines to honor the gods. While Shintoism contains the spirituality of the living, Buddhism contains the spirituality of the afterlife and soul. This is why these religions compliment each other so well. Bought over from Chinese culture was Confucianism, which is a code of ethic that also influenced the way Japanese lived their lives. As you place these religions together, the health of each individual determines if they are living a purified and meaningful life or if there soul has been tainted, unclean, and impure.

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)

For week 7 I decided that I would do my assignment on Shinto, since taking this class and reading about Shinto it started to interest me, especially now that I can look back and think about what I saw when I was in Japan and wondered what the religion was that they were practicing. Shinto’s meaning is “way of the gods”, this is one of the oldest religions in Japan, which began during the period of the Yayoi culture (c. 300 BCE - 300 CE). The faith has neither a founder or prophets and there is no major text which outlines its principal beliefs. Shinto's key concepts of purity, harmony, family respect, and subordination of the individual before the group have become parts of the Japanese character whether the individual claims a religious affiliation

Nature, spirits, and life’s existence are important to the Shinto religion. The way in which spirits existed towards humans can be seen as follows: “In their world myriad spirits shone like fireflies and every tree and bush could speak”. Religion had manifested itself into the Shinto religion. Nature was the main religious symbol of the religion. The kami, or religious Gods and spirits could be found everywhere in the Shinto life and religion.

Many religions are popular within the Japanese culture. Two of the most influential religions, Shinto and Buddhism that help shaped a lot of Japanese values are Shinto and Buddhism, played a large role in shaping Japanese values. Numerous similarities and differences run between these two religions; nonetheless, the Japanese often believe in more than one religion at the same time. This is possible due to the polytheistic nature of most popular religions in Japan. It is not hard to say that religion is a big part of Japanese culture because a lot of religious beliefs can still be seen in their everyday lives.

All around the world, religion is a dominant idea for many cultures; exemplifying a certain way of life, serving as a basis for faith, and bringing charity to the world, religion is a extensive concept. For several cultures and countries religion may vary according to demographics, socio-economical class, and ethnicity. Main concepts of religion in Japan are natural and superstitious based. The leading religion in Japan remains Shinto, while other religions have come and go, interweaving themselves among the Japanese society.

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).