Religion of Japan Shintoism is the traditional national religion, culture and philosophy. Shintoism translates as the way of the gods. State Japanese Shintoism based on the rituals and animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese. The Shinto religion, as Wikipedia points out, has many objects of worship called kami. Shintoism has many gods, but in it the cult includes not only gods, but also numerous ranked deities, spirits of the dead and forces of nature. The religion of Japan, Shinto, was influenced not only by Buddhism, but also by Taoism, Confucianism and even Christianity. To briefly describe Shinto, the religion of Japan is a symbiosis, with millions of objects of worship, as well as hundreds of new religions that appeared after the 18th century, not counting the influence of Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Of enormous, one might say decisive, importance is the ritual, that is, the practice that must be followed in a given situation.

Shintoism as a religion in Japan cannot be called a highly organized religion, like Christianity, for example. Shintoism or Shinto, its essence lies in the deification of all kinds of natural forces and phenomena and the corresponding worship of them, rituals. It is also believed that many things have their own spiritual essence - kami. Shintoism describes kami precisely as spirituality, the spiritual essence of the subject. Kami in Shinto can exist on Earth in any material object, and not necessarily in one that is considered alive in the usual standard sense of the word. Shintoism states that kami is in everything, for example, in a tree, a stone, a sacred place, or one or another natural phenomenon. Shintoism also describes that under certain conditions, a kami can attain divine dignity.

The Japanese religion of Shinto describes that some kami are spirits of a particular area or of certain natural objects, for example, the spirit of a particular mountain. Kami of other levels represent global natural phenomena, and besides them there is the central goddess of Shintoism - Amaterasu Omikami, the goddess of the Sun. Shintoism also honors kami as patrons of families and clans; among the kami there are also spirits of deceased ancestors, who are considered patrons and protectors of their descendants. The Shinto religion of Japan also includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various protective talismans and amulets. It is also considered possible in Shintoism to protect against hostile kami or subjugate them with the help of special rituals and spells.
Briefly, the essence of Shintoism can be described as a spiritual principle - it is life in harmony with nature and the people around you. According to the ideas of Shinto adherents, the whole world is a single natural harmonious environment where kami, people and the souls of dead people live side by side with each other. Shintoism holds that kami are immortal and included in the cycle of birth and death. Shintoism claims that through such a cycle there is a constant renewal of everything in the world. Shinto also claims that today's cycle in its current form is not endless, it will only exist until the destruction of the earth, after which this process will take on other forms. In Shinto there is no concept of salvation as such, as in Christianity. Here, each believer himself determines his natural place in the world around us through his feelings, motivations and actions.
State Japanese Shintoism cannot be considered a dualistic religion. Shinto does not share the same strict law as the Abrahamic religions. The Shinto concepts of good and evil differ significantly from European traditional Christian ones, first of all, in their relativity and specificity. One can give an example of enmity between two antagonistic natural essence or keeping personal grievances, kami is considered completely natural and does not make one of the opponents unconditionally bright or good, and the other dark or absolutely bad. In ancient Shintoism, light and dark forces or good and evil were denoted by the terms yoshi, which means good, and ashi, which means bad. Shintoism fills these definitions with meaning not as a spiritual absolute in Christianity, but only what should be avoided and what should be strived for in order to avoid tsumi, which is socially condemned, harmful to people around, distorting human nature actions, motives and actions.
Japanese Shintoism states that if a person acts with a sincere, open heart, perceives the world as it is, if his behavior is respectful and impeccable, and his motives are pure, then he is most likely to do good, at least in relation to himself and your social group, which is extremely important. Shinto recognizes as virtues compassion for others, respect for elders in age and position, the important ability to live harmoniously among people and maintain sincere and friendly relationships with everyone who surrounds a person and makes up his society here and now. Shintoism in Japan condemns anger, human selfishness, competition for the sake of competition itself, as well as intolerance towards other people's views and opinions. In Shintoism, everything that violates the established social order, destroys the harmony of the surrounding world itself and interferes with the service of the kami and the spirits of the dead or the forces of nature is considered evil.
The Shinto religion defines the human soul as the original good, because it is sinless, and the world is initially good, that is, it is correct, although not necessarily good. Shinto states that evil invades from without, evil is brought in evil spirits who take advantage of various weaknesses of a person, his various temptations and unworthy thoughts and motives. Thus, evil in Shintoism is a kind of disease of the world, as well as of man himself.
Shinto thus shows that the process of creating evil, that is, deliberately or unconsciously causing harm to a person, is generally unnatural, because a person creates evil only when he is deceived or has been subjected to self-deception. A person does evil when he cannot or does not know how to feel happy, to distinguish evil from good, living among people, when his life is bad and wrong, burdened with bad thoughts and negative motives that have invaded a person’s life.
Traditional Japanese Shintoism shows that there is no absolute good and evil, and only the person himself can and should be able to distinguish one from the other, and for correct judgment he needs an adequate perception of reality. Shintoism defines adequacy very poetically, that is, a person must have a heart like a mirror, and there must be a union between man and God. Such high condition any person can achieve by living rightly and not committing evil deeds.
Traditional Japanese State Shintoism as religious philosophy, is a development of the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands. There is no consensus on how Shintoism arose. There are several traditional versions of the origin of Shintoism. One of these versions talks about the export of this religion at the dawn of our era from continental states such as ancient China and Korea. There is also a version about the origin of Shintoism directly on the Japanese Islands. It may also be noted that animistic beliefs are typical of all known cultures in the world at a certain stage of development, but of all the large and civilized states, only in Japan were they not forgotten over time, but became, only partially modified, the basis of the state religion of Japan, Shintoism.
Shintoism or the way of the gods as the national and state religion of the Japanese dates back to the period of the 7th-8th centuries AD. BC, when Japan was unified under the rule of the rulers of the central Yamato region. During the unification process, the state religion of Japan was canonized, and the system of internal mythology received the main goddess of Shintoism. The goddess of Shintoism is the sun goddess Amaterasu, declared the ancestor of the ruling imperial dynasty, and local and clan gods took a corresponding subordinate position. The Shinto religion has a hierarchy that is similar to the government ranks of government officials.
Shintoism was formed into the state religion of Japan, and Buddhism helped it in this. Shintoism initially united into a single religion of Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Since Buddhism had penetrated Japan by this point, it was very popular primarily among the Japanese aristocracy. At this moment, the authorities did everything to prevent interreligious conflicts. In Shintoism, kami were first declared the patrons of Buddhism, and later some kami began to be associated with Buddhist saints. Ultimately, as a result of such religious mergers, the idea emerged that kami, like people, may need salvation, which is achieved in accordance with Buddhist canons. Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan can be seen to be quite intertwined from the very beginning.
It can also be noted that on the territory of Shinto temple complexes they began to place various Buddhist temples, where the corresponding religious ceremonies. Thus, Buddhist sutras were now read directly at Shinto shrines. Shintoism recognizes the emperor as the direct follower of god on earth. A particularly strong influence of Buddhism began to manifest itself starting from the 9th century. At this time Buddhism became state religion Japan. At this time, the Japanese state apparatus transferred many cult elements from Buddhism to Shintoism.
Various images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to appear in Shinto shrines. In Shintoism, new holidays began to be celebrated, details of various rituals, ritual objects, as well as architectural features buildings and temples. At this time, various mixed Shinto-Buddhist teachings appeared, such as Sanno-Shinto and Ryobu Shinto, viewing spiritual kami as manifestations of the Buddhist Vairocana, that is, the Buddha himself, permeating the entire Universe, that is, the primary Buddha, and the kami as their Japanese incarnations.

Religion
Polytheistic, national
Traditional religion of Japan

Name

Name of religion Shinto Chinese origin ( That- whale Tao), in Japanese it corresponds to the concept kami no michi, which translated means “path of the gods” or “path of the spirits.” This concept is of relatively late origin, it was introduced to distinguish traditional Japanese beliefs from Buddhism, which came to Japan in the 6th century.

Origin and development

Shintoism has a very ancient origin, but the final formation of this religion occurred in the 6th – 7th centuries. Some of the religious ideas were probably borrowed by the Japanese from the indigenous inhabitants of the islands - Ainu. These ideas are the oldest layer of Shintoism, essentially representing the cult of natural elements: earthquakes, tsunamis, snowfall, rain, etc. This layer also includes the veneration of landscape deities: spirits of streams and mountains, as well as remnants of totemism - the cult of the monkey, fox and deer.

The first archaeological sites of religious significance belong to the Neolithic culture Jomon. These are clay female figurines ( dogu) and polished stone cylinders ( sekibo). In the subsequent era ( yaey) the inhabitants of the Japanese islands practiced fortune telling on bones and tortoiseshells. By period kofun include burials where the buried were placed on all fours (it has not yet been possible to establish why).

In the process of colonization of the islands by the Japanese who came from China, religious ideas conquerors mixed with ancient local beliefs, forming a single religious complex, known today as Shintoism.

Confucianism had a strong influence on Shintoism. It was brought to Japan from China at the beginning of the 5th century. Under his influence, the cult of ancestors began to develop ( ujigami), and also formed an aristocratic moral code that influenced the political and social life Japan throughout its history.

In the middle of the 6th century. Buddhism begins to actively penetrate into Japan, mainly from Korea (the first mention dates back to 538). New religion gets the name butsu. Since Shintoism is extremely poor in terms of theology and philosophy, Buddhism quickly gained a strong position in the Japanese islands, taking away popularity from official religion emperors. At the same time, there is an active mutual penetration of Buddhist and Shinto beliefs and practices. At the same time, it is believed that Shintoism is associated with the “lightest” sides human life, and Buddhism is with the “dark” ones, so marriages usually take place in Shinto shrines, and funeral rites are performed in Buddhist.

Soon the concept appears honji suijaku, according to which Shinto deities are incarnations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. In particular, the goddess Amaterasu is hailed as the incarnation of Buddha Vairochana(Buddhas of Diamond Light).

The imperial court begins to support Buddhist monks ( bozu) on a par with the servants of the Shinto cult. Thus, in the traditional Shinto “ceremony of eating the fruits of the new harvest” people also take part Buddhist monks. A temple is being built in Nara Todaydei with a statue of Buddha, but “permission” for construction is sought from the goddess Amaterasu. In 701 a special department was created Jingikan("administration for the affairs of heavenly and earthly deities"), which oversees the ritual and sanctuaries of both religions.

During Nara(VIII century) Buddhism becomes the state religion, and by the 9th century. a syncretic system is emerging rebushinto("the way of Buddhism and Shinto"). It is noteworthy that in Shinto temples it was forbidden to pronounce the words “Buddha”, “pagoda”, “monk”, etc.

With the beginning of the period of fragmentation (12th century), the cult of the emperor receded into the background. Official Shintoism is in decline.

In 1261 - 1281, in the face of the threat of the Mongol invasion, the patriotism of the Japanese intensified, and they again turned to national religious shrines - as a result, the role of Shinto in the life of the country increased. In particular, when a strong storm scattered the enemy fleet (which actually saved the country from conquest), this was clearly perceived as the intervention of the ancient gods who came to the defense of Japan. This is where the name comes from kamikaze- "wind of the gods".

At the same time, the process of merging Shintoism with Buddhism continues. During the shogunate dynasty Kamakura(1185 – 1333), appear Tendai Shinto and Tantric Shintoism ( Shingon). Subsequently, as a reaction to the process of syncretization, an opposite movement arises, striving to cleanse Shintoism from Buddhist influence ( Watarai And Yoshida Shinto).

In the 1630s, Portuguese traders first entered Japan, followed by Christian missionaries. Christianity is quickly gaining followers not only among the common people, but also among the nobility. According to some sources, by 1597 the number of Japanese Christians reached 2,000,000 people. In this situation, Shintoism becomes for adherents of Japanese national-religious traditions a banner of resistance to foreign influence. 100 years after the “discovery” of Japan, the attitude of the Japanese authorities towards Europeans and Christianity also changed. In 1641, all contacts with foreigners were stopped - Japan set a course for self-isolation. Christianity was outlawed, and Shintoism, as a national ideology, was again in demand, although not in its pure form, but in combination with Confucianism ( Suika Shinto) and Buddhism. This "Shinto Buddhism" would remain the state religion of Japan until 1867.

IN mid-19th V. the isolation period ends. Foreigners are coming to Japan again, the rapid development of capitalism begins, and this causes dissatisfaction among many. Followers of Shintoism raise the slogan " sonnojoi"("veneration of the emperor, expulsion of the barbarians"). Revolution Meiji(1867 – 1868) restores the power of the emperor. Emperor Matsuhito proclaims the principle " Wakon Yosai"("Japanese spirit, European knowledge"). Under Japanese spirit Shintoism was understood primarily. In March 1868, the government made a statement about the unity of religion and politics: shrine Shintoism became the state religion.

The religious ministry of Jingikan is being restored, which carries out religious reform. In particular, it establishes the official classification of Shintoism, according to which there are four schools: Kositsu or "Imperial Shinto" Jinja (Jingu) or "temple Shinto" Kyoha or "sectarian Shinto" and Minkan or "folk Shinto".

There is also an attempt to ban Buddhism (since the former rulers of Japan - shoguns relied primarily on the Buddhist clergy). However, this attempt failed - Buddhism had already become an integral part of Japanese culture and had deeply penetrated the consciousness of the people. The attempt to clearly distinguish between the religious functions of Buddhism and Shintoism was also unsuccessful. As a result, freedom of religion was proclaimed in 1889.

At the same time, Shintoism remains the state religion, which supported the absolute power of the heir of the gods - the emperor and the ideology of the national superiority of the Japanese as a people of divine origin. Observance of Shinto rituals becomes a state duty. Before World War II, there were approximately 16,000 Shinto clerics and more than 110,000 shrines and temples in the country.

Based on Shinto ideas, the concept " Hakko Ichi u" ("eight corners under one roof"), according to which all of Asia, and then the whole world, should unite under Japanese rule. This concept became the most important ideological support of Japanese militarism.

The defeat of Japan in World War II (September 2, 1945) radically changed the situation. The winners, not without reason, saw Shintoism as an ideology hostile to them, therefore, by the directive of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces on December 15, 1945, the state religion was abolished. Shintoism became one of many religions and had to rely only on the voluntary support of the population. In his New Year's address to the nation on January 1, 1946, the Emperor Hirohito gave up his divine origin. According to the 1947 constitution, it is only a symbol of the state and the unity of the nation.

Despite the formal separation of religion and state, Shintoism retained great social significance. Already in 1946, an influential organization was created " Jinja honcho"("Association of Shinto Shrines"). In 1952, a Shinto ceremony took place for the installation of the heir to the throne Akihito, the ritual of the “great cleansing of the entire nation” was also restored ( obarai). In 1966 the holiday was restored Kigensetsu– Day of the founding of the state (February 2). In 1969, the Shinto Political Peace League was founded.

In 1989, after the death of Emperor Hirohito, all ceremonies associated with the life of the emperor were again considered a state matter.

The temple plays a special role in the revival of the cult of the emperor Yasukuni in Tokyo. In this Shinto shrine, the object of worship is the souls of soldiers and officers killed in wars. Visits by officials often lead to aggravation in Japan's relations with Asian countries, in particular China, which suffered from Japanese expansion.

Sacred texts

The Shinto tradition is based on ancient Japanese sources Kojiki, Fudoki And Nihongi. They are chronicles that describe both historical and mythological subjects, in particular, myths about the origin of the gods, the Japanese nation and the Japanese islands themselves. The emergence of these chronicle sources dates back to the 7th – 8th centuries. according to R.H.

The oldest of them is the book Kojiki ("Records of Ancient Affairs"), compiled by order of the Empress Genmei military leader Ono Yasumaro around 712. The book is based on tales recorded from the words of a singer gifted with a phenomenal memory. The Kojiki recounts the history of Japan from the creation of the world to 628.

The Book of Nihongi (Annals of Japan) consists of thirty-one volumes (thirty survive) - this extensive compilation was completed around 720.

More information about the original Japanese beliefs is available in Fudoki(VIII century), Kogoshui (807 – 808), Shinsen Shojiroku And Engi Shiki (927).

Creed and mythology

Shinto deities are designated by the concept kami, which originally meant “above”, “superior”. Usually these are deities of heaven and earth. There are two main classes of deities: "natural gods" and "human gods." It is believed that the Shinto pantheon contains 800 myriads of deities, according to another version, 8 million.

The most popular deities are: Amaterasu Omikami("Great Heavenly Shining Deity"), Susa-no-vo or Susanoo("The Furious Husband") and Inari("Rice Man")

According to Shinto mythology, the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother gave birth to three gods, from whom came two more. The last couple were Izanagi("He who invites") and Izanami(The one who invites). They sink into the salty sea ​​water on a floating sky bridge and create the first island. Having set foot on it, they, by observing the wagtail, comprehend their gender and the ability to use it. However, during the first intercourse they make a mistake, and as a result, Hiruko(“Leech”), unable to stand on his feet even at the age of three. The second time they give birth to the Japanese islands and several gods, but the fire deity, being born, burns his mother, which is why she dies. Izanagi, in a rage, cuts off the head of the culprit, and from the blood gushing onto the ground, many other deities arise.

To save his sister-wife, Izanagi goes to the Underworld (“Country of the Yellow Spring”), but they don’t want to let her go because she has already tasted hellish food. Izanami hopes for the help of the deity of Place, but sets the condition that Izanagi should not come for her at night. Izanagi breaks his oath and, by the light of the torch, sees that Izanami has turned into a disgusting, decaying corpse.

The Eight Dire Witches of the Land of Night give chase to Izanagi, but he throws back his helmet, which turns into a vineyard, and the witches stop to eat the berries. This episode is repeated three times with different variations - the next obstacles are bamboo thickets and a river. So Izanagi manages to escape, but Izanami herself rushes after him, accompanied by eight thunder deities and one and a half thousand Warriors of the Land of Night. Then Izanagi blocks their path with a rock, thereby dividing the kingdom of the living and kingdom of the dead. On both sides of the rock, spells of eternal separation are pronounced: Izanami will take a thousand living beings every night, and Izanagi will create new one and a half thousand so that the world does not remain a desert.

Having performed a cleansing ritual after contact with death, Ijinagi gives birth to the solar goddess Amaterasu from his left eye. He also gives birth to the gods of the storm, the moon, the wind, etc. Countless generations of deities successively fill the time gap separating the original gods from people. Some gods act as the main characters in a number of mythological tales. The most important of them are the Izumo and Kyushu cycles, in which researchers see a reflection of the struggle between clans.

They say that Amaterasu fought the storm god Susa-no-wo, threw him out of the sky and exiled him to the Izumo region, in the southwest of the island of Honshu (this deity is still revered in the area). The inhabitants of Kyushu, in turn, found refuge in the country Yamato. Among them was Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi, to whom she handed over three objects that became symbols of imperial power: jasper pendants (a symbol of compassion), a mirror (a symbol of honesty) and a sword (a symbol of wisdom). Ninigi in Japanese mythology is a culture hero and the first emperor ( Jimmu tene) - the founder of the imperial dynasty that exists to this day. The year of his accession is considered to be 660 BC. This year also begins the calendar in the traditional Japanese calendar.

The cult of the emperor as her direct descendant, called tennoism. Imperial Cult Center – Ise-jingu(in Ise), founded at the end of the 7th century. This branch of Shintoism is called ise-shinto.

Ethics

The ethical teaching in Shintoism was poorly developed. Ideas about the duty and honor of a samurai ( bushido) are probably based on Confucian ethics. Today, the moral sphere of life of Japanese believers, as a rule, is determined by Buddhism and partly Christianity. The following are considered sins in Shinto: damage to dams, cruelty to animals and desecration of sacred places.

Cult

In ancient Shinto there were no temples, since the kami were considered the omnipresent manifestations of all that was sacred. The territory belonging to them was designated only during rituals in their honor. Open sanctuaries and then temples appeared later under the influence of Buddhism. The temples were small and were regularly rebuilt or moved to a new location, since it was believed that spirits remained at rest in one place for only twenty years.

In the 7th century, under the influence of the Chinese political system, government officials tried to identify all the gods of the empire so that the central government could build temples for them and provide them with due honors. It was not possible to carry out complete codification and create a single pantheon, but in the 10th century. the state supported the existence of more than three thousand temples.

The temple is divided into two parts:

Hondan– closed part. It contains the symbol of the deity - Xingtai(for example, a mirror symbolizes Amaterasu) or a figurine, as well as gohei– white ribbons on bamboo sticks.

Hayden– an external hall for prayers.

The temples are surrounded by a fence with high gates ( Tory).

Upon entering the temple, believers throw a coin into a box in front of the altar, bow and clap their hands, and sometimes say a prayer ( norito), then they leave. Solemn ceremonies are performed only on holidays 1 or 2 times a year. At this time, the palanquin is taken out, into which the deity is believed to move. The ritual is called Cinco("sacred circumambulation"). A procession with the kami emblem marches through the entire quarter. During the festival, a sacrifice is also made: fish, rice and paper are offered to the deity.

Rituals are performed by all members of a certain social community - this is a family in in a broad sense words ( dozoku) or people living next door ( cumi).

The ritual of remembrance of ancestors is carried out in front of the home altar kami-dan, in the middle of which rises a miniature temple. At the same time, there may be two altars in the house at once - Shinto and Buddhist.

Much attention is paid in Shintoism ritual purity. Blood and everything associated with death is considered unclean. Purification rites precede important ceremonies and also accompany menstruation and death. Initially, these rituals could be performed by all believers - now this is the prerogative of the Shinto priest, who has the exclusive right to perform harai(cleansing ritual with a stick - haraigushi. Following purification, sprouts of a sacred tree are offered as a gift. sakaki- a symbol of the harvest. The main part of the purification ceremony is the offering of rice, sake, etc. The ritual action is accompanied by music, dancing and prayers addressed to the spirits. Twice a year: on June 30 and December 31, national cleansing ceremonies are performed ( matsuri).

The funeral rites of Shintoism are closely related to the cult of ancestors. In former times, when buried in the grave, clay figurines of people, animals and various items which were called Haniwa.

Holidays

In ancient times, Japanese farmers celebrated two main holidays: autumn holiday harvest and spring - the awakening of nature. Japan now celebrates about 50 religious holidays, both Shinto and Buddhist. The most popular holidays during which Shinto rituals are performed are:

New Year ( sogatsu);
Spring Festival ( setsubun, February 13);
Puppet Festival ( Hana Matsuri, April 8);
Boys' Day ( tango no-sekyu, 5 May);
Kami Water Festival ( suijin matsuri, June 15);
Star Festival ( tanabata, July 7);
Remembrance of the Dead ( bond, July 13-16);
Summer equinox ( aki no-higan).

Clergy

Initially, Japanese priests were ordinary shamans who served as soothsayers and healers. Gradually a professional priesthood emerged kannusi(“masters of spirits” or “masters of kami”). Servants of the Shinto religion were divided into two main categories: hurray(fortune tellers) and imi-bae(spellcasters). There are 8 ranks of priests in total.

From 1868 to 1946 Shinto clerics were officials in the service of Jingikan or the Department of Shinto Affairs. In modern Japan, priests perform their religious functions only during holiday rituals. The rest of the time they work in secular institutions and do not stand out from the crowd. Priesthood is a kind of honorable duty and is inherited.

Modern Shintoism

The religious worldview of modern Japanese is highly flexible. It simultaneously includes elements of several religions: Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and even Christianity. It is no coincidence that they say that a Japanese lives like a Confucian, marries like a Shintoist and dies like a Buddhist. The Shinto element has greatest influence in the provinces Izumo and Satsuma, in the remaining provinces Buddhism dominates.

Today, the main (and in fact the only) function of Shinto is the preservation of Japanese national traditions. The actual religious element in it gradually fades away.

Literature

1. Arutyunov S. A., Svetlov G. E."Old and new gods of Japan." M.: "Nauka", 1968;
2. Svetlov G. E."The Cradle of Japanese Civilization." M.: "Iskusstvo", 1994;
3. Svetlov G. E."Traditional Beliefs of Japan". // Local and syncretic cults. M.: "Science", 1991.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

We have known for a long time that Buddhism is one of the world religions, the oldest and incredibly interesting. For several millennia it has been slowly wandering around the world: in some countries it is “passing through”, and in others it lingers for many centuries, friendly neighbors with other religions, and sometimes even merges with them.

Something similar happened in Japan - Buddhism entered a place where its own religion, Shinto, dominated, mixed with it and became a full-fledged religion. Our article today will tell you about the differences between Buddhism and Shintoism.

Shintoism

To begin with, it would be useful to remember what Shintoism is. This japanese religion, which can be called a national treasure. For more than two millennia, people collected ideas, observations, views about life, spiritual traditions, and only in the 8th century did they acquire a name that was first used in writings called the “Annals of Japan.”

This religion developed with the penetration of the ubiquitous Buddhism, Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, but at the same time it stood apart from them. The keyword "Shinto" consists of two characters: "shin" - kami, "to" - path. Literally this can be translated as “the path of the gods.”

In Japanese culture, the term “kami” is very important for perception; it denotes the deity, the spirit that every thing has. Kami is a truly Japanese concept, a national one; it gave birth not to all people on Earth, but only to the Japanese.

The main feature of Shintoism is the deification of phenomena and objects, endowing them with a soul. Even seemingly inanimate objects, such as stone, have a spirit in Shintoism. This is "kami".

There are kami - deities of a certain territory, and there are also nature spirits or patrons of the clan. These ideas were mixed with ancient rituals of worship of the phenomena and forces of nature, animals, the souls of the dead, with the cult of ancestors, and shamanism. The family of the emperor is especially exalted and deified.

It is believed that spiritual harmony is achieved precisely in this world and precisely through unity with the kami, fusion. Belief in it has given rise to several types of Shintoism, which are characterized by where traditional ceremonies are held and on what scale:

• folk - faith is rooted in the minds of most of the nation and influences the social way of life;
• home - rituals are held at home, at the altar;
• sectarian – religion at the level of individual independent organizations;
• temple - special temples are created;
• imperial - rituals performed in the temples of the imperial palace;
• state - a synthesis of temple and imperial Shintoism.

Buddhism

How much we have already learned about Buddhism together! Its founder was Siddhartha Gautama, Indian prince, who later became - awakened from the world of luxury, excess and achieved nirvana. This is what all the Buddhists of the world want.

Nirvana is a state of complete peace and tranquility. It is achieved through long practices, meditation, conscious calming of the mind, renunciation of worldly amusements, earthly empty joys and attachments.

The goal of every Buddhist is to follow the advice of the Awakened One and find that “middle path” - a balance between two extremes: empty earthly pleasures and complete self-denial.

The teachings of the Buddha reached the borders of Japan through Tibet, incorporating the features of the Tibetan movement. Here it was divided into several traditional schools, which are predominantly Mahayana.

What’s interesting is that they were not implanted here by force, so in Japan Buddhism took root as harmoniously as possible, peacefully adapted in art , culture and religious views.

What is the religion in Japan?

Scientists cannot clearly understand what role Shinto played in the formation of the state, and what significance Buddhism had in this matter. At one time, a noisy controversy erupted around this issue. Therefore, at present, Japan is ruled by the so-called religious syncretism- a union of different faiths.

The majority of the population considers themselves either Buddhists or Shintoists, or both. At the birth of a child, they can perform rituals in a Shinto shrine, a wedding ceremony in a Buddhist one, and read “ Tibetan book dead."

Over time, the boundaries of religions are erased so much that Shinto-Buddhist teachings appear, for example, Shingon-shu, Shugendo, the difference between which may seem simply illusory to ordinary people.

What are the differences?

The rituals that are carried out in temples, the worship of numerous deities, merging with nature - this is what Shintoists and Buddhists have in common. What is the difference between one faith and another?

In Buddhism they say special prayers- mantras that are addressed to a specific saint. Shintoism in this regard contains remnants of shamanism, when people use spells to call upon the forces for rain or an end to the storm.

Siddhartha's teaching is flexible, can adapt to any mentality and is able to travel around the world, flowing into different forms. The Shinto faith is something national, close and dear only to the Japanese.

In general, it is something more than religion in the usual sense; it is a whole complex of knowledge that does not lend itself to strict structuring or listing unambiguous dogmas. What is needed here is not orthodoxy, but continuous practice, ritualism with a pretense of magic and animalism. The main thing in Shinto is not blind adherence to the canons, but simplicity, not formal rituals, but sincerity.

What is especially striking when delving into Shintoism is the absence of a founder, such as Gautama, Jesus, Muhammad. Here the preacher is not a single holy person, but the whole nation, from generation to generation.

And most importantly: the meaning of a Buddhist’s life is to break out of a series of rebirths and finally achieve nirvana, complete liberation of the soul. Shintoists do not seek salvation in the next life, in the afterlife or in an intermediate state - they reach agreement, merging with the “kami” in real life.

Conclusion

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The complex process of cultural synthesis of local tribes with newcomers laid the foundations of Japanese culture proper, the religious and cult aspect of which was called Shintoism. Shinto (“the way of spirits”) is a designation for the supernatural world, gods and spirits (kami), which have been revered by the Japanese since ancient times. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all the forms of beliefs and cults inherent in primitive peoples - totemism, animism, magic, the cult of the dead, the cult of leaders, etc. The ancient Japanese, like other peoples, spiritualized the natural phenomena around them, plants and animals, dead ancestors, and treated with reverence the intermediaries who communicated with the world of spirits - magicians, sorcerers, shamans. Later, having already experienced the influence of Buddhism and adopted a lot from it, primitive Shinto shamans turned into priests who performed rituals in honor of various deities and spirits in temples specially built for this purpose.

Ancient Japanese sourcesVII- VIIIcenturies – Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi– allow us to present a picture of the beliefs and cults of early, pre-Buddhist Shintoism. A prominent role in it was played by the cult of dead ancestors - spirits led by the clan ancestor ud-zigs, who symbolized the unity and cohesion of the clan members. The objects of veneration were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains. Like other ancient peoples, Japanese farmers solemnly, with rituals and sacrifices, celebrated the autumn harvest festival and the spring festival - the awakening of nature. They treated their dying fellow tribesmen as if they were leaving for some other world, where the people and objects around them had to follow to accompany the dead.

Both were made of clay and were buried in abundance in the place with the deceased (these pottery items are called haniwa).

The events described in most myths take place in the so-called “era of the gods” - the period from the emergence of the world to the time immediately preceding the creation of collections. Myths do not determine the duration of the era of the gods. At the end of the era of the gods, the era of the reign of emperors - the descendants of the gods - begins. Stories about events during the reign of ancient emperors complete the collection of myths. Both collections describe the same myths, often in different forms. In Nihongi, in addition, each myth is accompanied by a list of several variants in which it occurs.

The first stories tell about the origin of the world. According to them, the world was originally in a state of chaos, containing all the elements in a mixed, formless state. At some point, the primordial chaos was divided and Takama no hara (Japanese 高天原?, High Sky Plain) and the Akitsushima Islands (Japanese 蜻蛉島?, Dragonfly Islands) were formed. At the same time, the first gods arose (they are called differently in different collections), and after them divine couples began to appear. In each such pair there was a man and a woman - brother and sister, personifying various natural phenomena.

Very indicative for understanding the Shinto worldview is the story of Izanagi and Izanami - the last of the divine couples to appear. They created the island of Onnogoro - Middle pillar the whole earth, and entered into marriage with each other, becoming husband and wife. From this marriage came the Japanese islands and many kami who populated this land. Izanami, having given birth to the god of Fire, fell ill and after some time died and went to the Land of Darkness. In desperation, Izanagi cut off the head of the Fire God, and new generations of kami arose from his blood. The grieving Izanagi followed his wife to return her to the world of High Sky, but found Izanami in a terrible state, decomposing, was horrified by what he saw and fled from the Land of Darkness, blocking the entrance to it with a rock. Enraged by his flight, Izanami promised to kill a thousand people a day; in response, Izanagi said that he would build huts every day for one and a half thousand women in labor. This story perfectly conveys the Shinto ideas about life and death: everything is mortal, even the gods, and there is no point in trying to bring back the dead, but life conquers death through the rebirth of all living things.

From the time described in the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, myths begin to mention people. Thus, Shinto mythology dates the appearance of people to the time when the Japanese islands first appeared. But the very moment of the appearance of people in myths is not specifically noted; there is no separate myth about the creation of man, since Shinto ideas generally do not make a strict distinction between people and kami.

Returning from the Land of Darkness, Izanagi purified himself by washing in the waters of the river. When he performed ablution, many kami appeared from his clothes, jewelry, and drops of water flowing from him. Among others, from the drops that washed Izanagi’s left eye, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu appeared, to whom Izanagi gave the High Sky Plain. From the drops of water that washed the nose - the god of storm and wind Susanoo, who received the Plain of the Sea under his power. Having received parts of the World under their power, the gods began to quarrel. The first was the conflict between Susanoo and Amaterasu - the brother, having visited his sister in her domain, behaved violently and unrestrainedly, and in the end Amaterasu locked herself in a heavenly grotto, bringing darkness to the world. The gods (according to another version of the myth - people) lured Amaterasu out of the grotto with the help of birdsong, dancing and loud laughter. Susanoo made an atoning sacrifice, but was still expelled from the High Sky Plain and settled in the country of Izumo - the western part of the island of Honshu.

After the story of the return of Amaterasu, the myths cease to be consistent and begin to describe separate, unrelated plots. They all talk about the struggle of kami with each other for dominion over a particular territory. One of the myths tells how Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi, came to earth to rule the peoples of Japan. Together with him, five more deities went to earth, giving rise to the five most influential clans of Japan. Another myth says that a descendant of Niniga, Iwarehiko (who bore the name Jimmu during his lifetime), undertook a campaign from the island of Kyushu to Honshu (the central island of Japan) and subjugated all of Japan, thus founding an empire and becoming the first emperor. This myth is one of the few that has a date; it dates the Jimmu campaign to 660 BC. e., although modern researchers believe that the events reflected in it actually took place no earlier than the 3rd century AD. It is on these myths that the thesis about the divine origin of the imperial family is based. They also became the basis for the Japanese national holiday - Kigensetsu, the day of the founding of the empire, celebrated on February 11.

Shinto Pantheon huge, and its growth, as was the case in Hinduism or Taoism, was not controlled or limited. Over time, the primitive shamans and heads of clans who performed cults and rituals were replaced by special priests, kannusi (“masters of spirits,” “masters of the kami”), whose positions were, as a rule, hereditary. Small temples were built to perform rituals, prayers and sacrifices, many of which were regularly rebuilt, erected in a new place almost every twenty years (it was believed that this was the period of time that it was pleasant for spirits to be in a stable position in one place).

Shinto shrine is divided into two parts: the inner and closed one (honden), where the kami symbol (shintai) is usually kept, and the outer prayer hall (haiden). Those visiting the temple enter the haiden, stop in front of the altar, throw a coin into the box in front of it, bow and clap their hands, sometimes say words of prayer (this can also be done silently) and leave. Once or twice a year there is a solemn holiday at the temple with rich sacrifices and magnificent services, processions with palanquins, into which at this time the spirit of the deity migrates from sintai. These days, the priests of Shinto shrines look very formal in their ritual robes. On other days, they devote a little time to their temples and spirits, do everyday things, merging with ordinary people.

Intellectually, from the point of view philosophical understanding world, theoretical abstract constructions, Shintoism, like religious Taoism in China, was insufficient for a vigorously developing society. It is therefore not surprising that Buddhism, which penetrated from the mainland to Japan, quickly took a leading position in the spiritual culture of the country.

Word Shinto(literally "path kami") is a term today denoting religion. This term is quite ancient, although it is not widely used in old times neither among the population nor among theologians. It is first found in written sources in the Nihon seki - “Annals of Japan”, written at the beginning of the 8th century. There it was used to distinguish the traditional local religion from Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, continental beliefs that had entered Japan in previous centuries.

Word " Shinto» is composed of two hieroglyphs: “shin”, symbolizing the original Japanese kami, and “that”, which means “path”. The corresponding Chinese word "shendao" in a Confucian context was used to describe the mystical laws of nature and the road leading to death. In the Taoist tradition it meant magical powers. In Chinese Buddhist texts, the word "shendao" once refers to the teachings of Gautama, in another case the term implies the mystical concept of the soul. In Japanese Buddhism, the word “shendao” was used much more broadly to designate local deities (kami) and their kingdom, and kami meant ghost beings of a lower order than buddhas (hotoke). Basically it is in this sense that the word “ Shinto"was used in Japanese literature for centuries following Nihon seki. And finally, starting around the 13th century, in a word Shinto called religion kami, to distinguish it from Buddhism and Confucianism, which were widespread in the country. It is still used in this meaning today.
Unlike Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Shintoism but there is no founder such as the enlightened Gautama, the messiah Jesus or the prophet Muhammad; not in it and sacred texts, such as the sutras in Buddhism, the Bible or the Koran.
From a personality point of view, Shinto presupposes belief in kami, observance of customs in accordance with the mind of the kami and spiritual life achieved through the worship of the kami and in merging with them. For those who worship kami, Shinto- a collective name denoting all beliefs. This is an all-encompassing term covering most different religions, interpreted according to the idea kami. Therefore those who profess Shintoism They use this term differently from the customary use of the word “Buddhism” when talking about the teachings of Buddha and the word “Christianity” when talking about the teachings of Christ.
In a broad sense, Shintoism there is more than just religion. This is a fusion of views, ideas and spiritual methods that over more than two millennia have become an integral part of the path of the Japanese people. Thus, Shintoism- and personal faith in kami, and the corresponding social way of life. Shintoism formed over many centuries under the influence of various merging ethnic and cultural traditions, both indigenous and foreign, and thanks to it the country achieved unity under the rule of the imperial family.

Ise-jingu at Mie Amaterasu Shrine

Types of Shinto

Folk Shintoism.

There are several types Shintoism A. The most accessible of them is folk Shintoism. belief kami deeply rooted in the Japanese consciousness and leaves an imprint on their daily life. Many ideas and customs inherent in this religion in ancient times were preserved for centuries and passed on in the form folk traditions. The combination of these traditions with borrowings from foreign sources led to the emergence of the so-called “folk Shintoism a" or "folk faith".

Homemade Shintoism.

Under home Shintoism om understand the performance of religious rituals at the home Shinto altar.

Sectarian Shintoism.

Sectarian Shintoism represented by several heterogeneous religious groups that found themselves under the supervision of a special department in the Meiji government, which nationalized temples and made Shinto the state religion. Subsequently, the main splinter groups became independent religious organizations and received the official name "sectarian" Shintoism" There were thirteen such sects in pre-war Japan.

Shintoism of the imperial court.

This name was given to religious ceremonies that are held in three temples located on the territory of the imperial palace and are open only to members of the imperial family and people serving at the court. Central Temple- Kashiko-dokoro, dedicated to the mythological ancestress of the imperial family, arose thanks to the inheritance of Ninigi-no-mi-koto, the grandson of the Sun Goddess, who was given the sacred mirror - Yata-no-kagami. For several centuries, the mirror was kept in the palace, then an exact copy of it was made, which was placed in the Kashiko-dokoro temple, and the sacred symbol itself was transferred to inner temple(Nike) Ise. This mirror, symbolizing the spirit of the Sun Goddess, is one of the three imperial regalia passed on by emperors from generation to generation. In the western part of the complex is the Sanctuary of the Ancestral Spirits - Korei-den, where (as the name of the temple suggests) the sacred spirits of the emperors found peace. In the eastern part of the complex is the Kami Shrine - Shin-den, which is a shrine to all kami - both heavenly and earthly.
In ancient times, the Nakatomi and Imbe families were responsible for conducting Shinto ceremonies at court, and this honorable mission was passed down through generations. Today this tradition no longer exists, but the ceremonies held in the palace temples are almost entirely consistent with the imperial law on ceremonies adopted in 1908. Sometimes solemn rites are performed by ritual experts - employees of the imperial court, but in most of the most important ceremonies, according to ancient tradition, the ceremony is led by the Emperor himself. In April 1959, the sanctuaries attracted everyone's attention during the crown prince's wedding, which was held at the palace. In the Shinto tradition of the imperial court, the custom was preserved of sending messengers with offerings to certain temples that had established special relationship with the imperial family.

Shinto priests open the Momote-shiki Archer Festival at Meiji Shrine

Shrine Shintoism.

The most ancient and widespread type of faith in kami- this is a temple Shintoism. Temples in the country began to be built from time immemorial, even before the beginning of Japanese statehood. Over the centuries, as the clans expanded their possessions, the number of temples increased and by the beginning of the 20th century there were already about two hundred thousand. After the Meiji Restoration, the temples were nationalized and included in the so-called "Temple System", after which their number gradually decreased to one hundred and ten thousand. After World War II, churches lost their state status and became private organizations. Now there are about eighty thousand of them.
Great Temple Ise. Great Temple Ise is considered unique and deserves a separate story. Its main deity, the Sun Goddess, was originally kami- keeper of the family Yamato, from which comes the imperial family that has ruled Japan throughout its history. When in the hands of the clan Yamato turned out to be the reins of government of the entire country, the temple, in a sense, became the main national temple. Great Temple Ise, by general recognition, surpasses all other sanctuaries. Services there express not only faith in the kami, but also mean a manifestation of the deepest respect for the Emperor, for all the best that exists in the culture and history of the country, expressing national identity Japanese.

State Shintoism.

Based Shintoism and the imperial court and the temple Shintoism and in combination with certain ideas that tendentiously interpret the origins and history of Japan, another type was formed Shintoism and, until the recent past, known as “state Shintoism" It existed at a time when churches had state status.

Characteristics of men