Shinto beliefs and Hinduism
Basically all ancient indigenuous belief systems, be the Japanese,Hawaiian, Native American, African etc are very similar. They are
suited to their sorroundings, nature based, generally peaceful and
stable (in the sense that they don't go out and destroy and subjugate
other belief systems like the semitic religions).
It is unfortunate that these systems which also includes Hinduism
which was all over the planet belittled as pagan, animistic, primitive
have been virtually wiped off in many parts of the world like Europe,
Africa, Americas etc. It is to be seen how long India can withstand
the current attacks against our beliefs.
If you walk into several Shinto temples in Japan, you will be struck
by the similarity between Shinto rituals (at least in the temples I
visited) and Hindu rituals (for example ringing the bell as one enters
the temple). Is this similarity merely co-incidental or is there some
basic connection between the Dharma and Shintoism? What are the "basic
beliefs" of Shintoism ? Is it a polytheistic religion ? What is the
relationship between Shintoism and Budhism ? What percentage of Japan
in Shinto/Budhist/Christian ?
You will be struck by a similarity between Shinto rituals (at least in
the temples I visited) and Hindu rituals (for example ringing the bell
as one enters the temple,People worshipping the Tall Pillar that
similars our "Gajathomba"). Is this similarity merely co-incidental or
is there some basic connection between the Dharma and Shintoism?
It is likely, in my opinion, that such a perceived similarity is
merely coincidence... unless one wishes to look at the universal
aspects of human religious beliefs as stemming from deep archetypes or
other such Jungian sources. For instance, the gesture known as
*gassho* in japan (and found widely throughout the world), the placing
together of the
palms of the hands in front of one's face or upper chest (perhaps
accompanied by bowing the head), is also typically recognized by
Christians in the West as a posture of prayer. This does not mean that
the meanings given to these gestures are exactly the same in each
religion's context! (In Thailand, this is simply how one says 'hello!'
-- although it of course in deeply rooted in that nation's Buddhist
tradition). The superficial appearances of similarity between
cultural phenomena can easily be misinterpreted, which is why the
discipline of Anthropology had to outgrow such a tendency many years
ago, when Western scholars went out among 'native' peoples in search
of knowledge about Human diversity and often came up with absurdly
misguided interepretations due to their own European 'ethnocentrism.'
There is no discernable *special* similarity between Shintoism and Hinduism.
There are perhaps some similarities in comparison to other teachings
like Buddhism, but to the best of my knowledge the belief in
reincarnation (or transmigration) is not one of them; an important
distinction.
What are the "basic beliefs" of Shintoism ? Is it a polytheistic religion ?
Yes, Shinto could be called "polytheistic" but is more typically
labelled "animist." Like many other indigenous belief systems that
were later subsumed by or coexisted with imported beliefs, Shinto was
less *universal* and more *localized* than a teaching like Buddhism.
Shinto included a belief in gods ("o-kami") dwelling in streams,
rocks, trees, and other natural features. There are local spirits, and
there are important gods that dwell in specific places (important
national shrines) that are believed to 'guard' the entire Japanese
nation. In that sense, it would be absurd for a non-Japanese living
outside Japan to *convert* to Shintoism -- which is mostly concerned
with japan and the japanese as a special *chosen* people.
Lacking a vast system of philosophy like that which characterizes
Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judeo-Christian-Islamic beliefs, Shinto is for
most Japanese now, I think, a way of being connected to their deceased
relatives and ancestors. It may have been developed into more of an
organized philosophy in recent times, as when the gross corruption
known as State Shinto was forced upon the japanese as the ideological
basis for warlike aggression (at the onset of the Second World War).
Shinto does not offer a very satisfying teaching about the issue of
Death (for instance, dead bodies are *impure* and Shinto is very
preoccupied with *pollution* ... in that sense, like Hinduism, yes)
and therefore most funeral services came to be conducted as Buddhist
rituals.
What is the relationship between Shintoism and Budhism ? What
percentage of Japan in Shinto/Budhist/Christian ?
Many japanese are married in a Shinto ritual and buried in a Buddhist
one. Buddhism came to Japan (from China) and was gradually accepted
not in place of all Shinto beliefs but in co-existence with them,
which of course is typical of Buddhism historically. The centuries
since have seen a blurring of the distinctions between the two
religions, a degradation of Japanese Buddhism, and the theft of
Buddhist ideas by Shinto (yes, it's a strong word) so that at present
it may be difficult for the unschooled person to distinguish between
those things which were originally Buddhist and those which were
Shinto. The majority of Japanese profess to be "Shinto/Buddhist" or
they profess to be just one or the other.One might wonder if many ever
question which one they are or care about the real ideological
conflicts between the two.
posted by Unknown @ 2:47 AM
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