Torii Essay

Takis, the perfect amount of spicy, crunchy, and flakiness. According to "Takis/ Detailed Statistics," more than 4,457 people become fans of Takis in one month. One article written by Tracie Lee from Seriousseats.com said "Holy sweet Jesus, it was everything I wanted out of a snack. It has the strong corn flavor that comes through on Fritos, but it's much more complex and satisfying with the addiction of sour lime and a big kick of spicy chile at the end." The very first time I tried Takis, I fell in love. I immediately wanted to finish the rest of the bag. I then continued to eat a bag every other day even though I knew it wasn't healthy. My friends and i used to argue about which chips were the best, either Hot Cheetos or Takis. Honestly Takis are some of the best chips I have ever had, just the way the chile rubs off as soon as you take a bite out of them or how you can hear the crunch while you chew, or even the knock of lime that appears after the first bite. Takis have almost everything someone could possibly want in a chip. They just have a certain taste and texture that makes

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

Shintoism: The Way of the Kami. Israel defines Kami as spirits that affiliate with natural objects such as the sun and the moon. In the opening of Buddha in the Land of the Kami, the narrator shares the historical background of the Kami, stating that a spiritual duo came down to Earth to stir up the sea waters, creating the archipelago of Japan. The sprits figure out reproduction and multiply, inhabiting the chain of Islands known as Japan. The narrators also mention the Kami in mountains, wind, grass and other natural entities. According to the film, spiritual rituals performed in earlier eras show continuity in Shinto shrines today. Israel explains that later, during the Asuka-Nara Period, The Yamato high courts establish a system that would monitor Shinto shrines. “The Yomato court developed a centralized

facilities, residential complexes, office towers, department stores, and high-tech structures are some excellent examples of Japanese Architecture (hkuhist2.hku.hk).

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.

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 an ancient religion that originated in Japanese culture. Shinto is a general term for the activities of the people of Japanese descent to worship all the deities of heaven and earth, and at the end of the 6th century the Japanese were conscious of these activities and called them the "Way of Kami" (the deity or the deities)'. The practice of Shintoism 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. Then Yomei accepted Buddhism, a foreign religion, the Japanese realized existence of a tradition of their own faith.

This is completely different from US religious beliefs in many ways. For one, all the religions practiced in the United States worship a specific god or gods. Another thing that’s completely different in Japan than in the US is that they are more accepting of different religions. The other religion that is widely practiced in Japan is Buddhism. Brought over by missionaries in 552 AD and emphasizes simplicity to beauty, devotion to study and severe self-discipline. All the concepts of both of these religions are not concepts that American religions emphasize. Religion is huge for the Japanese and in most houses Shintoism and Buddhism are both practiced and shrines are usually done of both religions. There are many other cultural customs in Japan that are different from those in the US.

Mevlana Jalal al- Din Rumi is one of the most influential Islamic mystics of all times. It is no surprise that even seven hundred years after his death; he remains to be the best selling poet in North America. His poetry reflects the teachings of Islam and his opinions on various matters such as faith, prayer, love, free will etc. are assembled in a book called “The signs of the Unseen”. Occasionally, commentators dissociate Rumi poetry’s from Islam but the fact is that Rumi’s entire writings are inspired from the Quran and sayings of Prophet (PBUH) and represent the essence of Islam.

Torionne participated in the Reader’s Theater as a strategy to support her comprehension of the story.

First, let’s talk about Ise Jingu situated in Japan. It is the largest Shinto shrine located in the city of Ise. Millions of people make their pilgrimage to this shrine for either tourism or religious purposes. It holds a lot of both spiritual and historical value of Japan. Spiritually as the shrine was made in light of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Omikami, and the traditional progenitor of the imperial Japanese family, later another God Toyaku Okami being another sacred being, being worshipped. (Pletcher) The architectural design of the shrine consists of many rows of buildings but the most distinct are two large huts, being the inner (Naiku) and outer shrine (Geku). (Pletcher) Naiku was first constructed, which had the Goddess of Amaterasu, later Geku with the intention of worshipping Toyaku Okami, the god of food and benevolence. (Pletcher) The shrine is surrounded by a thick forest, which the buildings were made from. Using the essence of nature, or “ke”, the priests and priestesses used the surrounding trees as the buildings blocks of the shrine, as the trees had much devotion and spirituality of the Japanese people.

For any Japanese person who may practice Shinto, another religion that may dually be practiced is Buddhism. Are these religions common to one another in theory? Do they serve the same purposes? And what other

This led to an interesting dynamic when other Asian religions and philosophies made their way into Japan. While there might have been a certain amount of abrasiveness between Shinto and the others at first, the nature of the religion allowed a unique blending that isn't to often scene between the unique (or semi-unique) religions of multiple countries. The three most prominent influences came from Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, and Indian Buddhism. Buddhism in particular had the most influence on their religion, becoming a near inseparable part of it (Religions of the World).

The dominant religions are Shinto and Buddhism both complement each other in various ways. They have harmonious cohabitation within the nation and promote peace and harmony. Moreover, religion does not necessarily play a large part in the average everyday life of a Japanese person outside of holidays and special occasions.