When mankind contemplates the infinite, and ponders upon origins, he is often led to the conclusion, or hope, that there is meaning in the interplay of the natural forces that he sees about himself.

     And the concept of a Creator of everything, while uplifting, can be intimidating also.  To whom does one direct one’s prayers and supplications in the hope that that great All is not entirely oblivious and uncaring to the goings on of conscious beings?  How can one presume upon such a high being?

     The Catholics seem to have decided to not importune the High Creator so much, but to call upon lesser deities such as angels and the saints which they have determined can intercede for people.  Other religions have populated the cosmos with small gods also.

    This can be seen in the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, Hinduism and Shinto, and Sumer and many others, with the beliefs in many gods.  Shinto for example populates natural objects with spirits or kami.  Such beliefs people the natural world with spirits and essences, the spirit of a spring, or a boulder, a valley, mountains, etc.

     Thus one can possibly achieve one’s needs by consulting a lesser deity without bothering the supreme being

The inflictions continue:

Becoming

Once I was full of words and ideas bubbled forth and I

talked endlessly.

Gradually the words describing my inner panorama

became inadequate and trite

meaningless and redundant.

And my talk

became punctuated

with silences that grew

and soon

I became silent

and a calm filled me

and I felt as a broken

wind-blasted tree

on the edge of a rocky precipice

overlooking great mist-swathed distances

with gnarled roots gripping

the stony heart of the mountain.

You know, I write about some things in order to learn more about them. I try to synthesize some of this information to make it more understandable for myself. I know that these syntheses are inadequate, but it helps me to get a handle on some of these subjects.

Shintoism is peculiarly Japanese. In one way it’s hard to ascribe the term “religion” to such a system since there is no particular set of beliefs that is followed, no creed, no founder, no real set of doctrines. The word originates from the words shen and tao, which literally means the “way of the gods.” Shintoism has existed long before written records and can be looked upon as a type of animism, or nature worship, and involves the worship of kami, or sacred spirits, that represents natural processes or objects such as trees, springs, rivers, wind, fertility, etc. These beliefs reflect those of the indigenous people of Japan and most likely migrated to this area from central and southeast Asia.

Others say that the beliefs came from China and Korea along with various shamanistic and agricultural rites which transformed under the unique conditions found in Japan. Still others say that Shinto did not really exist as we understand it today, but that at one time it should be referred simply as “kami worship.”

Modern Shinto customs are a syncretic mixture of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddism. Upon the original kami worship was fused various customs and teachings of Confucianism and Taoism. Originally each tribe and region has its own set of kami. However, around the third to fifth centuries in order to lend more credence and power to the Yamato Kingdom, the ancestors of the emperor were mythologized and given prominence over others. The kojki which is the earliest surviving historical book dealing with Japanese history, claimed that the emperor’s family descended from the Sun Goddess herself.

The introduction of writing (fifth century) and Buddhism (sixth century) led to the fusion of many of Buddhist beliefs and these beliefs of early Japan. Later there was an effort to separate the beliefs of the two and to establish Shintoism as the pure state religion of Japan (Meiji Restoration).

Selected Links:

Site critical to the religion

http://staff.jccc.net/thoare/shinto.htm

Good summary

Some say that when the Buddha began his travels throughout India, two guardians followed him in order to protect him. These Nio brothers, were manifestations of the protector deity Vajrapani. Adopted by Japan into their own pantheon, the Nio, or Benevolent Kings, often stand at the entrance to Buddhist temples to guard the grounds from demons and thieves.

These fierce wrath-filled figures stand in wrestler-like postures. Named after particular cosmic sounds, Agyo stands with his mouth open baring his teeth; his hand is outstretched and he bears a thunderbolt stick–a symbol of overt violence. He is uttering the sound “Ah” meaning birth. The fierce figure on the other side of the entrance, has a closed mouth and is called Ungyo and relates to “un” or “om” meaning death. He stands straighter and wields a sword and symbolizes latent strength.

“Ah” is the first letter in the Sanskrit alphabet and “Un” is the last (similar to Japanese also), and thus the combination of these figures represent all possible outcomes from Alpha to Omega in the cosmic dance of existence. It is interesting that these muscular Nio brothers may have been inspired from the Greek god Hercules adapted from the Hellenistic culture of Central Asia.

I find this highly interesting…this fusion of western belief with Indian, and then the fusion of Indian beliefs with those of China’s Taoism, and then the peculiar blend of such a fusion, Zen Buddhism with Japan’s shintoism. The beliefs vary in their details, but it seems to me that in this syncretism there is some underlying motif to it all…some underlying truth that different cultures seem to sense.  And if there are universal “truths,” then we we would expect them to endure and to be expressed in religions world wide.  Perhaps we can search out these underlying truths to inspire us as we go through our own personal “cosmic dance of existence.”

Sunday, April 17, 2008, 12:46 PDT

ADDENDUM:  I happened to come across this entry the day after I had written the above.  The similarity of thought here is remarkable.