Shintoism

Introduction to World Religions and Belief System

1. SHINTOISM An Introduction to World Religions

2. ITS BEGINNINGS Shintoism

3. ORIGIN Shinto has always been considered the original and native religion of the people of Japan.

4. ORIGIN When Buddhism came to japan from China in the 6 th Century CE, an identifying label was needed to distinguish the nameless ancient way.

5. ORIGIN From the Chinese shen-dao “way of the sacred” it came to be know in Japan as “Shinto” or kami-no- michi [“path/way of the kami”].

6. ORIGIN Shinto has no founder; No omnipotent deity; No sacred scripture and No organized system of theology.

7. ORIGIN With the influence of China as the center and source of the greater Asian cultural sphere, Chinese writing was introduced.

8. ITS FORMS Shintoism

9. FORMS DOMESTIC SHINTO STATE SHINTO SECTARIAN OF SHINTO

10. 1. DOMESTIC SHINTO It is the very simple and common form that is practiced in many Japanese homes. The basic symbol of domestic Shinto is the Kami-dana [“god-shelf”], which usually contains the names of the family ancestors or statues of beneficial or highly regarded kami.

11. 2. STATE SHINTO It is established as a religious foundation with no other function other than to stimulate patriotism and loyalty to the Japanese nation under its emperor.

12. 3. SECTARIAN SHINTO The religious side of Shinto was forced to create a separate sectarian identity.

13. CREED Shintoism

14. CREED Shinto provides a world view that has become central to Japanese culture and national identity.

15. CREED Shinto is more a diverse collection of traditional rituals and ceremonies, than a system of dogmatic beliefs or ethics.

16. CREED Shinto has no all-inclusive canon of sacred texts. There are no extant Shinto manuscripts from before the seventh century CE.

17. CREED Shinto is founded on belief in kami, which are spiritual being/essences/forces belonging to nature that animate everything in the world.

18. CREED There are kinds of kami: 1. Mythological Creators- ancestors of the clan and of the nation, e.g. Amaterasu the mother goddess of Japan.

19. CREED 2. Exceptional Persons- the emperors of Japan and souls of dead leaders.

20. TEACHINGS Shintoism

21. TEACHINGS According to Shinto and its adherents, all beings-human and nonhuman, living and non-living possess a spiritual aspect which makes them sacred.

22. TEACHINGS It is assumed that there is a preordained appropriate pattern of behavior for every being in the universe.

23. TEACHINGS Since its very survival is contingent on the preservation of this cosmic harmony, humanity has a special responsibility.

24. TEACHINGS Amaterasu and her descendants on earth, the emperors of Japan, are perceived as promoting this harmony in the universe.

25. TEACHINGS Shinto is being cosmocentric in orientation, maintains a way of life that affirms life and the world by following the rhythms of a beautiful nature, especially through the changes of season and agricultural activities.

26. TEACHINGS Happiness is constant self-cultivation to become an upright and virtuous person.

27. TEACHINGS According to Shinto and its adherents, all beings-human and nonhuman, living and non-living possess a spiritual aspect which makes them sacred.

28. RITUALS Shintoism

29. RITUALS Shinto is a set of traditional rituals and ceremonies rather than a system of dogmatic beliefs or a define code of ethics.

30. RITUALS Shinto Jinja or shrines can be found in groves of trees all over Japan.

31. RITUALS All Shrines has sacred gates in the form of a distinctive Japanese archway known as toril [a common global symbol for Shinto], and often contain water for symbolic purification of hands and mouth.

32. Thank You! Shintoism