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 were two, Izanagi-no-Mikoto (male) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (female), who were called by all the myriad gods and asked to help each other to create a new land which was to become Japan. They were given a spear with which they stirred the water, and when removed water dripped from the end, an island was created in the great nothingness. They lived on this island, and created a palace and within was large pole. When they wished to bear offspring, they performed a ritual each rounding a pole, male to the left and female to the right, the female greeting the male first. They had two children (islands) which turned out badly and they cast them out. They decided that the ritual had been done incorrectly the first time. They repeated the ritual but according to the correct laws of nature, the male spoke first. They then gave birth to the eight perfect islands of the Japanese archipelago. After the islands, they gave birth to the other Kami, Izanami-no-Mikoto dies and Izanagi-no-Mikoto tries to revive her. His attempts to deny the laws of life and death have bad consequences (Wikipedia, 2014).”
The Shinto creation story is considered intriguing due to the kami of the moon, sun and wind being related thus allowing stories to harmonize into one. Each kami would have been worshipped separately by different tribes. It also focused on the thought of purity, which is a major focus in Shintoism. Being polluted by the contact of death is not a good thing to be, but a simple ritual of washing oneself can restore your purity. Traditional Japanese beliefs are that even though our world and the spirit world are on the same realm, spirits are on an upper world and can appear when need. Their belief is that the goal of humans is to live up to the heavenly world that they were born into.
The Shinto is also known as Shintoism, it is the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of Japan. They have no founder, or official sacred scriptures there is no fixed creeds. Shinto comes from the word shin Tao which means the “Way of Kami”, is used to distinguish the Japanese beliefs from Buddhism this was introduced into Japan around the 6th century A.D. Buddhism is tied to the Shinto and the Japanese society and culture lifestyle, they are cooperative and harmonious individuals, they have their own characteristics while they are being placed into a peaceful mind frame of the human beings that surround them. ya yoi culture is related to Japanese cultures and Shinto. Buddhism was brought to Japan in Ad 552 and developed very, very fast. The Shinto Kami was viewed as the protectors of Buddhism. In the late 8th century Kami were thought to be the incarcerations of the Buddha’s and bodhisattvas. Confucianism reached Japan in the 5ty century A.D. and by the 7th century it spread among people together in philosophy stimulated the development of Shinto ethical teachings. When the second world war ended Shinto had lost the official religion contributors were voluntary. Nationalization is still the current issue for the Shinto people. The belief is mysterious and harmonizing of Kami, Kami will not be explained by just words alone it transcends us all and were not even aware of it. Shinto is generally a more positive view of the human nature. The beliefs of the Shinto’s rituals of the local community and its very important roles in the harmonizing all the elements and the powers, Shinto practices in a traditional Japanese home will have two family altars, one is for Shinto and the another is Buddhist for the families ancestors all through do things all the different all of the ceremonies are done in the Shinto style. Shinto people do not have any type of weekly services, but they have certain days they go to the shone which are the 1st and 15th of each and on certain occasions of the rites of festivals this al takes place at fixed times throughout the year. You can visit the Shrines at any time you like, but most people visit in the mornings on each day of the week Shinto’s believe that a newborn baby to visit the tutelary kami this will happen between the first 30-100 days after the child is born, this is done to initiate the new baby as a new adherent. Shinto has major festivals; most of them are observed generally in accordance in an order. The Shinto religion does not have any philosophical literature or official scripture that is comparable to the texts as we know and refer to as the Bible and the Qur’an. The Shinto have laws that deal with governing shrines ceremonies, or the organization of religious leadership.

Shinto is a religion that was forced to define itself when Buddhism arose in Japan. Previous to this Shinto had no label it was just what everyone did and followed it was what was passed on by ancestors through generations. When Buddhism arrived to Japan it was easy for them to enter and create a sense of similarity between the two since there was no definition of Shinto. The reality is there are more differences between Buddhism and Shinto then they are similarities. As explained earlier Shinto is the native spirituality of Japan with the set purpose of establishing a connection between the modern Japan and its ancient past. The term Shinto literally means “the Way of the Gods.” The very word Shinto denotes an idealistic path of study or path of existence. On the other hand, Buddhism is a tradition thought of as the ultimate path of salvation which is to be achieved through an imminent approach into the absolute nature of reality and existence (Find the Best, 2014). Another difference between Buddhism and Shinto includes their founder, Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Guatama “the Buddha” and Shinto has no known founder. In Buddhism the religion is followed by the teachings of Buddha yet in Shinto religion there is, no official sacred scriptures, and no fixed creeds, but it has preserved its main beliefs and rituals throughout the ages. In the Shinto religion is also believed that ancestors or family that has passed away continues to live in spirit form and watches over their surviving family. Unlike in Shinto in Buddhism it is believed that one is reborn, and that there is no such thing as a spirits it’s rather an illusion. The ultimate goal in Buddhism is to break the rebirth cycle and achieve Nirvana. Buddhist practices and rituals include meditation, blessing self and others, prayer wheels, mudras and mantras in the Shinto religion they worship and bring offerings to Kami at shrines and from home, they also practice purification rituals.
Shintoism is a practice that is still being used by many Japanese people throughout the world. Shintoism is a practice that would be hard to understand and follow if you are not familiar with Japanese history and tradition, but it is not to say that it cannot be learned by someone who is not of Japanese descent. Shinto is not only practiced in Japan, it is practiced anywhere there is a community of Japanese people reside. To practice Shintoism one would have to have knowledge of the different traditions. By not having doctrines and text it would be very difficult to follow the practice of Shintoism properly without being taught by a Japanese person. Shintoism can also be learned and practiced by other races.
Shrines are very important in Shinto beliefs. Most original shrines are still located in Japan. Shrines are actually called temples. Before State Shinto was abolished after World War Two shrines were scattered all over Japan. Shrines are very important in Shintoism beliefs. "Many Shinto followers have small shrines in their home which allows them to practice daily worships. These shrines are called kamidana, which is usually kept on a high shelf and prayer is offered to it every morning", Molloy (2010). There are also shrines in Honolulu, Hawaii since there is a large presence of Shinto tradition there. Shrines are just as important today as it was in the earlier years of Shintoism. Shrines are also being used by other cultures and religions due to the example that has been giving by the Shinto practice. In addition in the Shinto religion they hold rituals during certain holidays and seasons.
Shintoism is celebrated by believers through holidays and festivals. These holidays and festivals are ways to celebrate the ways of Shintoism and also allow other races and cultures to learn about Shinto practices. Shogatsu is the celebration of a new year. It is one of the most important annual festivals. Most businesses are closed from January first to the third. Seijin no Hi is a coming of age celebration for young men and women 20 years old. Hammond said, " twenty is the age of majority in Japan, and people who have reached this age are subject to adult laws and gain the right to vote in elections as well as to drink", (1998). Toshi-goi no matsuri is the celebration of winter solstice. It is a new year’s prayer for good crops. Setsubun is the first day of spring. It is also known as the bean throwing festival. Roasted soybeans are thrown while chanting out with evil. This is done to prevent evil ogres from entering ones house.
Hina-matsuri is a holiday to pray for young girl’s growth and happiness. This occurs on March third. This is also known as the Dolls Festival and the Each Festival. It is called this because it is a display of about 20 different dolls arranged on a five or seven-tiered stand covered with red carpet and peach blossoms are dedicated to them. Shubun-sai is also known as spring equinox. It is celebrated on the 20th or the 21st of March. On this day graves of the departed are visited. Leaving fresh flowers, cleaning the area, and washing gravestones are how respect is shown. Shichi-go-San is also called 7-5-3 day. It is very important day in Japan for children. Parents with boys three and five years old, daughters three and seven years old will take them local Shinto shrines and pray to Ujigami a Shinto guardian god of good health wishing for the well being of their children. Just as other cultures have expressed certain days as importance in their religion the Japanese have shared certain days they celebrate that are important to them. The Japanese has come a long way since it practiced State Shinto before World War Two. They have welcomed other cultures and races to learn their culture and they have also inspired others with their beliefs and practices. By keeping up with how the world is constantly advancing allowed the Shinto practices to advance as well. By Japanese people expanding to other countries the Shinto teachings will expand as well. With that taking place Shinto teachings will become more common in other areas if the world.

References
Find the Best. (2013). Shinto vs Buddhism (General). Retrieved from http://religions.findthebest.com/compare/40-48/Shinto-vs-Buddhism
Hamano, S. (2007). Nihongo Instructor Club Japanese Language School. Retrieved from http://www.nicjapanese.com/english/e-cul-shogatsu.html
Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religions (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Wikipedia. (2014). Shinto. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto