Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Shintoism: The Seven Dimensions :tada: (Mythical (There is no god or gods.…
Shintoism: The Seven Dimensions :tada:
Experiencial
‘…one could say that being a Shintoist consists in feeling that one is a member of the Japanese community. Only very rarely are philosophic or religious movements so clearly and exclusively tied to a people to the degree that Shintoism is.’ – Michael Malherbe Les Religions de l’Humanité
Mythical
The Land of the Dead:
The Power of Purification:
The Foundation of Japan:
Amaterasu and Susanoo:
There is no god or gods. It’s a bunch of spirits that want attention from human beings. If treated properly, they give wealth and prosperity to their followers.
Kami
-
‘any divine being or indeed anything in the world or beyond that can inspire in human beings a sense of its divinity and mystery’. – Yamamoto Yukitaka, Kami no Michi ch. 7
‘The Japanese people themselves do not have a clear idea regarding the kami.’ – Sokyo Ono Shinto: The Kami Way
Doctrinal
‘Even “official” Shinto, derived from inchoate folk beliefs, does not demand organization, consistency – or even a desire for comprehension – to affirm life.’ – George de Vos, foreword to Czaja’s Gods of Myth and Stone
Ethical
Following the will of kami. Promoting harmony and purity in all spheres of life.
Interesting fact: Shinto followers don’t tend to accept organ donations, because they believe it’ll interfere with the purity of the body and that it’ll hinder the relationship between the dead and the bereaved (itai) by hindering with the corpse.
Everything is, by default, good.
The world and the people in it started out as good, and evil spirits were the ones who brought the bad and evil.
No moral absolutes: depends on circumstance
Ritual
Religion to the local spirits, rather than preaching the same divine spirit.
It’s more of a cultural backdrop than anything; it’s the belief of animism, hence why it’s been coexisting with Buddhism for so many years.
meditation
‘a system of worship of heroes and of the forces of nature’ – W.E. Griffis The Religions of Japan
Social
kannoshi/shinsoku - the people who maintain the shrines and lead the community in prayer for the local spirit
‘Matsuri is such an important part of shrine ritual that Shinto is sometimes described as a religion of rites and festivals.’ – Joseph Cali in A Guide to Shinto Shrines
Material
shrines, attributing to the local spirit
torii, a large gate entrance to a Shinto shrine