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Re: Shinto beliefs and Hinduism
Hi Soren (Am I right to call you like this?),
Thank you for your great job. I'm just a Japanese who've read only one
book of Hinduism, recently, and having no rigid religion on me.
In this sense, I may be a typical Japanese as you can imagin. :-)
In the article <4e8uv8$o6u@babbage.ece.uc.edu> of newsgroup soc.religion.hindu,soc.culture.japan
sorentin@computer.net 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).
Ringing Bell is seen only in Shinto, but not in Buddhism temple.
| Shinto. The majority of Japanese profess to be "Shinto/Buddhist" or
| they profess to be just one or the other. I sometimes wonder if many
| ever question which one they are or care about the real ideological
| conflicts between the two. Responses from some Japanese?
Never mind. There is no unique idea which can cover all the universe. :-)
This is definitely true, when it's concerned with the idea which
controles/teach human himself. If it conflict with the other, one of
them or BOTH of them should be correct enough. I don't care, because
I do not entirely depend on those ideas.
| and I will stand by the points I have made here. If I seem to some
| persons to be hostile or prejudiced on the subject of Shinto, I would
| have those who say so explain why Shinto is closely connected to the
| most regressive, nationalistic (even fascistic) right-wing-extremist
| elements and groups in japan today. Much as, I regret to note,
| Hinduism is so associated in India (and Islam in the Muslim/Arab
| world, and Christianity in the USA and Europe ...) ... :)
In the case of Shinto, there may be some special reason in it. Modern
Shinto was built during the same era when modern Japanese society was
re-organized at the last of feudal Japan (Edo Era). Some idea to unify
the feudal Japanese to a nation was neccessary at that time, and Shinto
was adopted as it. So, the Tenno became a "God" in new Shinto.
Now, most Japanese do not need such a unified and over-simplified idea
to identify themselves, because they know they are japanese without
special forced ideas to insist. However, someone still needs it
for their own deformed :-) purpose.
By the way, I wonder whether any direct communication between ancient
Japan and India were there.
Kenji
