Verified Document

Shintoism Beliefs On Nature And Openness Essay

¶ … Shinto Religion The non-Buddhist religious practices of Japan are given the name Shinto, "Way of the Gods." Presently, there are over one hundred million members of Shinto religion in Japan, which is about eighty percent of the population. Many Shintoists in society are moral and live happy lives because the society provides the religion etiquette. Moreover, Shinto acceptance of other religions makes it possible for the religion to practice Buddhism, and the vice versa applies to Buddhists (Coogan, 2005). This openness belief in Shinto religion has managed to tie many people back to the society, and this has made it a national religion. Besides, people do not necessarily have to devote completely to the religion, and thus, its members are allowed to practice parts of the religion they feel comfortable handlings or performing. The Shinto religion is different and is seen in most western religions yet one religion is to be practiced in the countries. Accordingly, religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism all influenced Shinto religion.

Concerning nature, Shinto has been changed openly and has been adapted to Japanese people's lives. Therefore, it is a unique religion since it has little to do with the 'normal' western religions....

There is no push and no real dogma to make Shinto religion popular and continues to rely on Japanese society to continue performing its rituals and practices of praying in shrines and their traditional practices. The climate of Japan is rich and natural and enjoys seasons classified as spring, fall, summer, and winter. The continuity of these seasons has provided Japan with richness and bounty to people living in Japan. The people of Japan are deeply indebted to the blessing of nature and come to the acknowledgment of spiritual powers that have brought prosperity, life, and fertility. Musubi, the divine power of growth, is the natural life-power that conceived things perceived manifold works and nature. The Japanese continue to revere their ancestors as they contributed to society's goodness by the enthronement of spirits as the divine (Katu, 2010, p. 8).
The classification of the deities is by individual names by specific nature's spiritual powers. Among Japan deities, no hierarchy is present but forms a single divine realm that is centered on Amaterasu Omikami, which is the sun's representation, and revered as Japanese people's ancestors that also includes the Imperial Family. As such, the Japanese felt the workings and blessings of the divine…

Sources used in this document:
References:

Coogan, M. D. (2005). Eastern Religions: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places. New York: Oxford University Press.

Katu, G. (2010). A Study of Shinto: The Religion of the Japanese Nation. New York: Routledge
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Shinto Religion
Words: 665 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Shinto Today Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. It is often called 'nature worship' because of the way the material world is invested with spiritual significance. The world is populated with kami: "the best English translation of kami is 'spirits', but this is an over-simplification of a complex concept - kami can be elements of the landscape or forces of nature" ("Kami," 2009). Kami may include nature, the spirits of

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now