Kami as beings
ritual rather than belief is at the heart of
The concept of kami is hard to explain.
Shintoists would say that this is because human beings
are simply incapable of forming a true understanding of
the nature of kami.
To make understanding easier kami are often described
as divine beings, as spirits or gods. But kami are not
much like the gods of other faiths:
Kami are not divine like the transcendent and
omnipotent deities found in many religions.
Kami are not omnipotent.
Kami are not perfect - they sometimes make mistakes
and behave badly.
Kami are not inherently different in kind from human
beings or nature - they are just a higher manifestation
of the life energy... an extraordinary or awesome
version.
Kami do not exist in a supernatural universe - they live
in the same world as human beings and the world of
nature
Kami include the gods that created the universe, but
can also include:
The spirits that inhabit many living beings
Some beings themselves
Elements of the landscape, like mountains and lakes
Powerful forces of nature, like storms and earthquakes
human beings who became kami after their deaths
The term kami is sometimes applied to spirits that live
in things, but it is also applied directly to the things
themselves - so the kami of a mountain or a waterfall
may be the actual mountain or waterfall, rather than
the spirit of the mountain or waterfall.
Not all kami are sufficiently personalized to have names
- some are just referred to as the kami of such-and-such
a place.
Three types of kami are particularly important:
Ujigami, the ancestors of the clans: in tribal times, each
group believed that a particular kami was both their
ancestor and their protector, and dedicated their
worship to that spirit
Kami of natural objects and creatures, and of the forces
of nature
The souls of dead human beings of outstanding
achievement
Is Shinto a Religion?
The nature of Shinto as a faith should not be
misunderstood.
Shinto is often called the 'Japanese religion' and has
been a big influence on Japanese culture and values for
over 2000 years. But some writers think that Shinto is
more than just a religion - it's no more or less than the
Japanese way of looking at the world.
Because 
Shinto, Japanese people don't usually think of Shinto
specifically as a religion - it's simply an aspect of
Japanese life. This has enabled Shinto to coexist happily
with Buddhism for centuries.
Shinto is involved in every aspect of Japanese culture: It
touches ethics, politics, family life and social structures,
artistic life (particularly drama and poetry) and sporting
life (Sumo wrestling), as well as spiritual life.
Many events that would be secular in the West involve
a brief Shinto ritual in Japan - for example, the
construction of a new building would involve a Shinto
ceremony.
Although most Japanese follow many Shinto traditions
throughout life, they actually regard themselves as
being devoted to their community's local shrine and
kami , rather than to a countrywide religion.
So many Japanese don't think that they are practicing
Shinto nor are followers of the Shinto religion, even
though what they do is what constitutes actual Shinto,
rather than official or academic Shinto.
Today many Japanese mix Buddhism and Shinto in their
lives; something that can't be done with more exclusive
religions like Christianity or Islam. About 83% of
Japanese follow Shinto, and 76% follow Buddhism (1999
figures).
Although early Christian missionaries were hostile to
Shinto, in more recent times it was seen by some
Christians as so different from their own faith that they
were willing to allow Japanese Christians to practice
Shinto as well as Christianity. (For example, a Vatican
proclamation in 1936 allowed Japanese Catholics to
participate in Shinto ceremonies, on the grounds that
these were merely civil rites of "filial reverence toward
the Imperial Family and to the heroes of the country".
Purity is at the heart of Shinto's understanding of good
and evil.
Impurity in Shinto refers to anything which separates us
from kami, and from musubi, the creative and
harmonizing power.
The things which make us impure are tsumi - pollution
or sin.
Human beings are born pure
Shinto does not accept that human beings are born bad
or impure; in fact Shinto states that humans are born
pure, and sharing in the divine soul.
Badness, impurity or sin are things that come later in
life, and that can usually be got rid of by simple
cleansing or purifying rituals.
The causes of impurity
Pollution - tsumi - can be physical, moral or spiritual.
'Tsumi' means much the same as the English word 'sin',
but it differs from sin in that it includes things which are
beyond the control of individual human beings and are
thought of as being caused by evil spirits. In ancient
Shinto, tsumi also included disease, disaster and error.
Anything connected with death or the dead is
considered particularly polluting.
Shinto does not split the universe into a natural physical
world and a supernatural transcendent world. It regards
everything as part of a single unified creation.
Shinto also does not make the Western division
between body and spirit - even spirit beings exist in the
same world as human beings.
Visible and invisible worlds
Shinto does distinguish between the visible world
(kenkai) and the invisible world (yukai), but the invisible
world is regarded as in some way an extension of the
everyday world, and not a separate realm.
Kami and the universe
Kami provide a mechanism through which the Japanese
are able to regard the whole natural world as being
both sacred and material.
Kami include gods and spirit beings, but also include
many other things that are revered for the powers that
they possess. Oceans and mountains are kami, so are
storms and earthquakes.
Festivals
Shinto festivals - Matsuri
Oshogatsu (New Year)
Seijin Shiki (Adults' Day)
Haru Matsuri (Spring festivals)
Aki Matsuri (Autumn festivals)
Shichigosan
Rei-sai (Annual Festival)
Places
Shinto shrines
A shrine (jinja) is a sacred place where kami live, and
which show the power and nature of the kami. It's
conventional in Japan to refer to Shinto shrines and
Buddhist temples - but Shinto shrines actually are
temples, despite not using that name. Every village and
town or district in Japan will have its own Shinto shrine,
dedicated to the local kami.
The Japanese see shrines as both restful places filled
with a sense of the sacred, and as the source of their
spiritual vitality - they regard them as their spiritual
home, and often attend the same shrine regularly
throughout their lives. Shrines need not be buildings -
rocks, trees, and mountains can all act as shrines, if they
are special to kami.
A large shrine can contain several smaller sub-shrines.
Shinto shrines can cover several thousand acres, or a
few square feet. They are often located in the landscape
in such a way as to emphasize their connection to the
natural world, and can include sacred groves of trees,
and streams.
Various symbolic structures, such as torii gates and
shimenawa ropes, are used to separate the shrine from
the rest of the world. Some major shrines have a
national rather than a local role, and are visited by
millions of people from across Japan at major festivals.
Japanese people don't visit shrines on a particular day
each week. People go to the shrine at festival times, and
at other times when they feel like doing so. Japanese
often visit the local shrine when they want the local
kami to do them a favor such as good exam results, a
good outcome to a surgical operation for a relative, and
so on.
Yasukuni
The most controversial Shinto shrine is at Yasukuni and
honors 2.5 million Japanese soldiers, including
convicted war criminals such as former Prime Minister
Hideki Tojo, who was executed after World War II.
Yasukuni - which means 'peaceful country' - was
founded in 1869 under the orders of Emperor Meiji and
is dedicated to the souls of all those who have fallen in
battle for Japan since that time. Within the shrine the
souls of the dead are worshipped rather than just
remembered. They are referred to as deities who have
sacrificed their lives for the making of modern Japan.
Surrounded by war banners and military regalia, they
are venerated by the hundreds of thousands of visitors
who attend the shrine each year to pay homage to
them.
Controversy over Koizumi's visits
The 2001-2006 Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro
Koizumi, sparked argument after argument when he
insisted on visiting the Yasukuni shrine every year.
He refused to offer an explanation or stop visiting the
shrine, causing tensions with China and South Korea.
Itsukushima
The main building of Itsukushima shrine, in the town of
Miyajima on Itsukushima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture,
is believed to have been built in the 6th century.
The dramatic torii (gate) of Itsukushima is one of Japan's
most popular tourist attractions, and the view of the
gate in front of the island's Mount Misen is classified as
one of the Three Views of Japan.
At high tide, the torii appears to float on the water.
Itsukushima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because
the foundations are underwater and the building is
frequently battered by storms (including a major
typhoon in 2004); repair and maintenance is a continual
process.
Shinto Worship
Shinto worship is highly ritualized, and follows strict
conventions of protocol, order and control. It can take
place in the home or in shrines.
Although all Shinto worship and ritual takes place within
the patterns set when the faith was centralized in the
19th century, there is much local diversity.
The spirit of Shinto worship
In keeping with Shinto values, Shinto ritual should be
carried out in a spirit of sincerity, cheerfulness and
purity.
Shinto worship and the senses
Shinto ritual is intended to satisfy the senses as well as
the minds of those taking part, so the way in which it is
carried out is of huge importance. Shinto ceremonies
have strong aesthetic elements - the setting and props,
the sounds, the dress of the priests, and the language
and speech are all intended to please the kami to whom
the worship is offered.
Private and public worship
Although Shinto worship features public and shared
rituals at local shrines, it can also be a private and
individual event, in which a person at a shrine (or in
their home) prays to particular kami either to obtain
something, or to thank the kami for something good
that has happened.
Worship at home
Many Japanese homes contain a place set aside as a
shrine, called a kami-dana (kami shelf), where they may
make offerings of flowers or food, and say prayers.
The kami-dana is a shelf that contains a tiny replica of
the sanctuary of a shrine, and may also include amulets
bought to ensure good luck (or absorb bad luck). A
mirror in the center connects the shelf to the kami.
If a family has bought a religious object at a shrine they
will lay this on the kami-dana, thus linking home to
shrine.
Worship at a shrine
There is no special day of the week for worship in Shinto
- people visit shrines for festivals, for personal spiritual
reasons, or to put a particular request to the kami (this
might be for good luck in an exam, or protection of a
family member, and so on).
Worship takes place in shrines built with great
understanding of the natural world. The contrast
between the human ritual and the natural world
underlines the way in which Shinto constructs and
reflects human empathy for the universe.
The journey that the worshipper makes through the
shrine to the sanctuary where the ritual takes place
forms part of the worship, and helps the worshipper to
move spiritually from the everyday world to a place of
holiness and purity.
The aesthetics (or to put it over simply, the 'look') of the
shrine contribute substantially to the worship, in the
way that the setting of a theatre play contributes
significantly to the overall drama.
Although Shinto rituals appear very ancient, many are
actually modern revivals, or even modern inventions.
Rituals
Jichinsai - Ji Matsuri
Jichinsai are ceremonies held before the construction of
a building (business or private) in Japan. The aim is to
purify the ground, worship the local kami and pray for
safety during construction.
Norito
Norito are Shinto ritual prayers that are addressed
directly to the kami during formal ceremonies. They are
recited by a priest on behalf of the worshippers. The
norito are spoken in formal Japanese phrases of great
beauty.
Shinto believes that certain words have spiritual power
if properly spoken, and this style of language is used
because of a belief that using these 'beautiful', 'correct'
words will bring about good
During the State Shinto period formal prayers were laid
down by the government, but priests can now use any
appropriate prayers - or can compose their own.
Norito include the yogoto, which is a blessing
specifically for the preservation of the imperial reign.
The Nakatomi no yogoto is pronounced on the day of
the emperor's accession to the throne.
Typical ritual
The conventional order of events in many Shinto festival
rituals is as follows:
Purification - this takes place before the main ceremony
Adoration - bowing to the altar
Opening of the sanctuary
Presentation of food offerings (meat cannot be used as
an offering)
Prayers (the form of prayers dates from the 10th
century AD/CE)
Music and dance
Offerings - these are symbolic and consist of twigs of a
sacred tree bearing of white paper
Removal of offerings
Closing the sanctuary
Final adoration
Sermon (optional)
Ceremonial meal (this is often reduced to ceremonial
sake drinking)
Ethics in Shinto
Note: Because Shinto coexists with Buddhism and
Confucianism and their ethical values, it's hard, and not
very useful, to isolate the distinctly Shinto elements in
Japanese ethics. Confucian values in particular have
inspired much of the Japanese ethical code.
No moral absolutes
Shinto has no moral absolutes and assesses the good or
bad of an action or thought in the context in which it
occurs: circumstances, intention, purpose, time,
location, are all relevant in assessing whether an action
is bad.
Good is the default condition
Shinto ethics start from the basic idea that human
beings are good, and that the world is good. Evil enters
the world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These
affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and
reduce their ability to resist temptation. When human
beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon
themselves, which obstructs the flow of life and blessing
from the kami.
Things which are bad
Things which are usually regarded as bad in Shinto are:
things which disturb kami
things which disturb the worship of kami
things which disrupt the harmony of the world
things which disrupt the natural world
things which disrupt the social order
things which disrupt the group of which one is a
member
Texts
Shinto holy books
The holy books of Shinto are the Kojiki or 'Records of
Ancient Matters' (712 CE) and the Nihon-gi or
'Chronicles of Japan' (720 CE).
These books are compilations of ancient myths and
traditional teachings that had previously been passed
down orally.
The Kojiki was dictated by Heida no Are to the scribe O
no Yasumaro on the orders of the Emperor Temmu.
The holy books are not exclusively Shinto
The dates are very significant, since by the 8th century,
when they were compiled, Japanese religious life had
received considerable input from Buddhism and
Confucianism, both of which colored the contents of
these books.
Political purpose
Some of the myths have a very clear political purposes.
In a wide sense, they are intended to establish the
primacy of Japan and the Japanese over all other
countries and peoples and in a narrow sense, to give
divine authority to the ruling classes of Japan, and to
some extent to establish the political supremacy of the
Yamato clan over the Izumo clan.
Daoism(Taoism)/
Confucianism
Religions of East Asia –largely China.
These religions coexist and complement each other.
Ancient Chinese Tradition.
Chinese believed that the world is full of invisible spirits-
ancestral spirits,nature spirits- plants, animals, etc.
Nature spirits personified and honored as deities.
Shangdi (Shang-Ti) –the Supreme Being, the great spirit,
ruler of the universe, masculine.
This belief is traced to the Shang Dynasty (1751-1123
BCE).
Ancestral Spirits
Veneration of ancestors- funeral mourning rites,
sacrifices.
Li- the sacred ritual directed towards ancestors for
blessings/ to avoid trouble.
Kings sought ancestors help through medium of oracles
bones.
Mandate of Heaven
Belief traced to the Zhou (Chou dynasty (1122-221 BCE)
that overthrew the Shang di dynasty.
Believed in heavenly beings, impersonal power that
controlled the universe.
Rulers were urged to rule according to the “mandate of
heaven” I.e the wish of heavenly beings.
Qi / Chi- Impersonal Self generating energy.
Cosmos is a manifestation of an impersonal self
generating energy Qi / Chi.
Qi / Chi has two aspects to it- the Yin and the Yang.
These aspects interplay causing the ever-changing
phenomenon of the universe.
Yin- dark, receptive, female
Yang- the bright, assertive, male.
Wisdom
Wisdom lies in recognizing the ever shifting but regular
patterns moving within the Yin and the Yang.
Dao/ Tao- The way of nature
The creative rhythm of the universe.
Divination
Forms of divination are necessary to understand how to
stay in harmony with the universe.
Yi Jing (I Ching) “The Book of Changes” is an ancient
scripture of methods of divination.
It instructs on how to interpret patterns in divination
items e.g coins, stalks, bones that represent yin and
yang (p. 179).
Actions produce opposites as a balancing reaction.
Hence extreme actions produce extreme opposites-
refrain from these.
The Yin and that Yang is the basis of Daoism (Taoism)
and Confucianism.
Daoism- The Way of Nature and immortality
Living according to Tao- the way of nature.
Stay in harmony with the universe.
Daoism- an invention of western scholars to refer to
traditions which developed from early philosophical
texts and practices.
It involves meditation.
Dao de Jing (Tao Te Ching)
Dao de jing- “the classic of the way and the power”
This is that Daoist scripture believed to have been
authored by Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) in the 6 th century –
debatable.
Laozi (Lao Tzu) – was a curator of the royal library of the
Zhou dynasty.
He was leaving society to retire to the mountains at age
160 when a border guard recognized him as sage and
requested him to share his wisdom. He sat down, and
wrote Dao- de Jing.
Dao de jing teaches “Wu Wei” – “actionless action” I.e
one can harmonize with the natural flow (Dao) by being
receptive and quite.
I.e direct experience of the universe requires accepting
and cooperating with things the way they are.
Nothing is evil, things may only be out of balance.
Zuangzi (Chuang Tzu) (365-290) was a sage, a
government official who expounded on these teachings.
He advocated detachment from the world.
Golden age of Dao has declined as people depart from
the way. Civilization leads to chaos.
Developments in Daoism
The 2nd century saw the institutionalization of Daoism.
Prophecies and revelations led to political and religious
organizations.
Some prophecies predicted the fall of the Han dynasty
in 184BCE which led to rebellion and decline of this
dynasty
At the decline of Han dynasty (206-220CE) e.g Kan Ji
received a vision that yin and yang were no longer in
balance because rulers had not followed the ways of
nature.
In western China, Zhang Dao Ling (Chang Tao Ling)
claimed to have seen a vision of Laozi as a heavenly
lord. In this vision, Laozi was appointed as the
representation of Dao on earth.
He was given the title of “Celestial Master”
He taught about healing by faith, and organized religion
attracting many followers.
Involves breathing techniques, diets, gymnastics,
vocalization, sexual energies, meditation absorption of
solar and lunar energies. Etc.
Alchemy- tapping these energies to achieve physical
immortality.
Daoism today
Still common in China, Taiwan, Hong King and Chinese
communities overseas.
Daoism blends with popular religions and cultures.
Chinese temples combine Daoism, Confucianism and
Buddhism.
Indigenous Daoism seeking to spread their teachings to
the young.
20th Century, the west became interested in Daoism
with centers being established in the U.S.
Acupuncture therapy uses Chinese traditional spiritual
knowledge of energy believe to be in the body/ organs
and the spine.
Chinese traditional medicine and practices such as Taiji
Quan (training for martial arts ) draw from Qi energy in
trying to become one with yin and yang.

Highest Purity Daoism

In 365, an aristocrat family in southern China claimed to
receive revelations from a deceased member –Lady Wei
These were revelations of names and powers of new
deities, meditation methods, alchemy and rituals.
They were recorded in exquisite calligraphy and
transmitted to a few disciples.
Practiced by elite group of celibates.
Despised celestial masters rituals and commoners.

The Numinous Treasure School

Arose around 4th Century
Assimilated many elements of Buddhism e.g meditation,
divine beings scriptures, rebirth, heaven and shells.
Complete Perfection.
-Arose in the 12th century.
-practiced in monastic schools.
Unites Daoism inner alchemy with Zen Buddhist
meditation and Confucianism,
Teaches detachment to the world.
Found in Beijing.

Longevity Daoism
Use force that is within the body to maintain health,
strength and to perceive the order of the universe.
Jing- generative force
Qi- vital life force
Chen- spirit