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 Shintoism
Shintoism
is the religion the Japanese follow. In Japan Shintoism
is more a way of life. Shinto as it is called is more a
teaching and not any set theory or concept. Shintoism
preaches that there is God in all of us and believes in
the theory of visible and invisible. This theory is akin
to Hinduism where the “atman” (soul) inside each of
us is God and that our body that is visible is the
temple for the soul to reside in. Shintoism leans more
towards Hinduism and is no way connected to Confucius or
Buddhism.
Shintoism
believes in the Absolute loyalty to the Sovereign
Emperor, who is regarded as a direct descendant and
representative of the highest God, respect for
ancestors, profound feeling of piety towards ones
parents and love for children form the fundamental
structure of the Great Universal Way. The teachings of
Shinto are the ten preaching’s or perceptions of
Shintoism. They may sound similar to the Ten
Commandments of Christianity but the basis is very
different for both the religions.
Remember
god and do not forget that “He” exists.
Learn
to respect elders. Don’t forget your obligations to
ancestors.
Do
not violate the decrees of the State.
Calamities
occur by the will of the Supreme Being. Do not profound
goodness of the Gods. Prayers can heal the sick.
Do
not forget that the world is one great family.
Remember
that you are limited by your intelligence.
Remain
calm even when others get angry.
Do
not be lethargic in your work. Remember that work is
worship.
Do
not bring blame to the teachings of Shinto
Do
not get carried away by teachings of foreign religions.
Shintoism
also guides its believers in the right path to
liberation. Their sayings and common prayers help people
lead calm and collected day to day life.
“Let
not the mind sees the filth the eyes see." Our ears
may hear filth but not our mind.”
These
two sayings clearly indicate that Shintoism preaches
tolerance, patience and endurance. A peace loving
religion that is similar to Hinduism that preaches that
the only way to reach God is through devotion. The Way
to God is righteousness or Dharma. The way to God is
shown by the Guru or spiritual preceptor. He guides you
and leads the way to the almighty. If you stick to your
Guru, you will surely attain God-realization.
Hinduism preaches total “saranaagathi” that
is surrendering yourself to God and let Him guide you.
In Saranagati there is no two ways. The only way to
reach the Almighty is through prayer and devotion.
Krishna in Baghavad Gita, the holy book of the Hindus
says that “he who prays to me and worships me reaches
me fast. He can be anybody if he thinks of me constantly
then he reaches me”.
Shinto’s
worship Anaterasu-omi kami the Sun god who stands
supreme above all of them. It denotes natural beauty,
flowers, plants and mount Fiji. Shintoism is divided
into four main forms: Koshitsu, Shuha, Folk, and Jinja.
Their prayers are called ‘norito”. The only deity
actually recognized in higher Shintoism is the
spiritualized human mind. The sacred treasures of
Shinto’s are mirror, jewel and sword. “Tori” is
the symbol of prosperity and abundance in Shintoism and
the sacred gates that are found in front of all Shinto
temples in Japan. People believe that if they write
their wishes on the Tori gates it will come true.
Generally people wish for good health, wealth and
prosperity.
God
Jino is placed in the gardens as he is the protector of
property. The “Shakaki” is a holy tree that is
sacred and worshipped by the Japanese. The Shinto
principle is the basis for Japanese culture, code of
ethics, fine arts, family and national structure. To
understand Japanese culture one needs to first
understand Shintoism. Shintoism is a cosmic religion
where God manifests with Nature.
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