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Re: Shinto beliefs and Hinduism
M.Ranganathan (ranga@cs.umd.edu) wrote:
:
: I visited Japan once some years ago and I walked into several Shinto
: temples. I was 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). 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 ?
:
: Thanks/ Dhanyavad / Domo harigato (hope I got that one) for your replies.
:
Most of the countries, atleast those in Asia, are influenced by
the teachings of Hinduism in some way or other. I would presume
that your experience in Japan could not be a coincidence. For example,
in Malasia, Indonesia and other countries in this region, though
Islamic in their faith, have a lot of similarities in their life
style, names, and rituals of India. China, Japan and Thailand being
Budhist countries, they may have been more influenced than their
neighbours in the region. In Malay ( language of Malasia ) you
see a lot of Sanskrit words as well like Bhumi Putra ( son of the
soil) , Pradhana Manthri(Prime minister), Raja (King) very
frequently used.
Regards,
Santhosh
