RELIGION IN ASIA

Shinto

the way of the kami; loosely organized native religion of Japan; shrine worship; Japanese religious nationalism; animism, ancestor worship; developed in 6th century BCE

Shen Tao

or Kami-no-michi- The way of the gods

Japanese folk religion

can be described as indigenous; worship of deity tablets; belief in spirits; worship of natural objects; kami of fileds and mountains; dvination; oracles

Kami

natural and supernatural persons and powers worshipped in Shinto; present everywhere in nature and in people; worshipped in Japan from prehistory

Jinja

shrine, came out of the outdoor practice of rites, area that usually included a rock or tree was roped off and the Kami were invited there. Influenced by Buddhist altar worship, the idea of enshrining the Kami in a building became more prevalent; generally set in a natural environment and the construction reflects simplicity and purity; objects used for worship are generally a mirror or Heihaku

Heihaku

paper/cloth strips attached to a stand

honden

inner sanctuary or main shrine

heiden

hall of offerings

haiden

outer sanctuary of shrine

Japanese mythology

competition from chinese writings/outside cultural influences in the 8th century CE caused the Japanese people to record their religious dramas

kojiki

major source for Japanese mythology; Chronicles of ancient events

Izanagi

he who invites; creator god; created the islands of japan; became divine parents of the other kami

izanami

he who invites; creator goddess;created the islands of japan; became divine parents of the other kami

Amaterasu

sun goddess; one of the most important and worshipped kami, all of the Japanese emperors are said to have descended from this line

Japanese reaction to Buddhism

solidified the idea of native worship as a distinct religion; advocates of Shinto recognized Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as revelations of the kami

ryobu

two aspect Shinto; a syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism that developed in Japan between the 6th and 9th centuries CE; day to day life Shinto domain, concerns for the afterlife Buddhist domain;

Revival

for several centuries shinto was hardly distinguishable from Buddhism; during the 17th century CE with the rise of the Tokugawa regime, shinto received official support; during this era Japan ruled by military leaders who were isolationist; in 1853, commodore matthew c perry came to japan to insist that they open their ports for trade with the U.S.; the Japanese were forced to open up trade, and after sometime, decided upon a western style religious reform

State Shinto

one of three forms of Shinto; emerged from the constitution of 1889; other religions were allowed to exist and propagate; patriotic rituals, state funded shrines; meant to engender patriotism and loyalty towards the nation of Japan and the Emperor; majorly declined after the Japanese surrender to the allies in 1945

Sectarian shinto

Religious side of Shinto, developed outside of nationalism; can be divided into several categories based on the focus of their worship; mountain worshipers; shamanism and divination (faith healing); pure shinto, maintained religious and mythological elements of early shinto

domestic shinto

common form of shinto; takes place in japanese homes; usually involved ancestors; patron deities; used as an altar; used in conjunction with butsu-dan

kami-dana

god shelf; contains symbols of whatever may be of religious significance to the family; part of domestic shinto

filial piety

ancestors

teachings/ethics

built around maintaining the community; purity-ablutions, purifying areas with salt/the sea is seen as purifying; sin includes acts against social constructs like festivals; injury murder, infanticide, poisoning, cursing; rites of purification to pacify natural forces; harmonious relationships, country, family, society

afterlife

focus is on life; spirit remains forever, like kami does; different worlds that kami can exist in, all of which are similar to ours but have different locations; access between these worlds is open

new years eve festival

travel to shrines, special meal, amulet for the home

bon festival

ancestral soul's day, influenced by buddhism, visit graves, special meal

hatsumiya mode

new born brought to shrine

shichi-go-san

7, 5, 3 - brought to shrine, receive blessings

coming of age

20 go to shrine, receive blessings

marriage festival

go to shrine

shinto today

still exists in Japan today, although it is not the state religion; faced challenges of modernization and industrialization in Japan, as well as the popularity of Buddhism; the most prominent forms are sectarian(faith healers) and domestic; shrines and altars are still used as places of worship

atheism

Perspective that denies the existence of God or gods.

cosmology

Understanding of the nature of the world that typically explains its origin and how it is ordered.

emic

relating to, or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of one who participates in the culture being studied

empathy

The capacity for seeing things from another's perspective, and an important methodological approach for studying religions.

essentialist/essentialism

to see religion as having some fundamental core or essence by which it may be defined.

etic

relating to, or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of one who does not participate in the culture being studied

family resemblance model

the attempt to define a set of characteristics shared by some group, whereby they may be identified.

functionalist

in the study of religion, the perspective according to which religion is explained in terms of its social, psychological, or cultural functions.

globalization

The linking and intermixing of cultures

henotheism

The belief that acknowledges a plurality of gods but elevates one of them to special status.

modernization

The general process through which societies transform economically, socially, and culturally to become more in keeping with the standards set by industrialized Europe

monoism

The belief that all reality is ultimately one.

monotheism

The belief in only one god.

multiculturalism

The coexistence of different peoples and their cultural ways in one time and place.

mystical experience

A general category of religious experience characterized in various ways, for example, as the uniting with the divine through inward contemplation or as the dissolution of the sense of individual selfhood.

myth

A story or narrative, originally conveyed orally, that sets forth basic truths of a religious tradition; myths often involve events of primordial time that describe the origin of things.

nontheistic

Term denoting a religion that does not maintain belief in God or gods.

pantheism

The belief that the divine reality is identical to nature or the material world.

polytheism

The belief in many gods.

revelation

The expression of the divine will, commonly recorded in sacred texts.

ritual

Formal worship practice.

secularization

The general turning away from traditional religious authority and institutions

theistic

Term denoting a religion that maintains belief in God or gods.

transtheistic

Term denoting a theological perspective that acknowledges the existence of gods while denying that the gods are vital with regard to the most crucial religious issues, such as the quest for salvation.

urbanization

The shift of population centers from rural, agricultural settings to cities.

Arati

Worship with light, involving the waving of a lamp in front of the deity.

atman

The eternal self or soul that is successively reincarnated until released from samsara through moksha.

avatar

A "descent" of God (usually Vishnu) to earth in a physical form with the specific goal of aiding the world.

bhakti marga

The path of devotion.

Brahman

For monistic Hinduism, the supreme, unitary reality, the ground of all Being; for dualistic Hinduism, Brahman can refer to the supreme God (e.g. Vishnu).

brahmin

A member of the priestly class of the varna or caste system, 4th top level

Dalit/untouchables

Self-designation of people who had traditionally been classified as untouchables or outcastes.

darshan

Worship through simultaneously seeing and being seen by a deity in the presence of its image.

dharma

Duty, righteousness, "religion"; basis for living in a way that upholds cosmic and social order.

hindutva

A modern term that encompasses the ideology of Hindu nationalism.

jati

One of thousands of endogamous groups or subcastes, each equal in social and ritual status.

karma

Action; also the consequences of action.

karma marga

The path of ethical and ritual works, or "action."

kshatriya

A member of the warrior and administrator class of the varna or caste system, 3rd level

mantra

A ritual formula recited to produce a spiritual effect.

maya

In the Vedas, the magical power the gods used to create this world; in Vedanta philosophy, illusion that veils the mind.

moksha

Liberation, the final release from samsara.

puja

Generally, worship; usually the offering before an image of the deity of fruit, incense, or flowers.

Purana

A religious text of myth, usually with a sectarian emphasis.

samsara

The continuing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; also the thisworldly realm in which the cycle recurs.

sannyasi

Renouncer in the fourth stage (ashrama) of life.

Shaiva

A devotee of Shiva.

Shakta

A devotee of the Great Goddess, Devi.

shruti

Term denoting the category of Vedic literature accepted by orthodox Hindus as revealed truth.

shudra

A member of the servant class of the varna or caste system - 1st level

smriti

Term denoting the vast category of Hindu sacred texts that is not shruti.

Upanishad

A philosophical text from the later period of Vedic literature, also called Vedanta ("end of the Vedas").

Vaishnava

A devotee of Vishnu and his avatars.

vaishya

A member of the producer, farmer and merchant, class of the varna/caste system - 2nd level

varna

Caste or class; the four main classes form the basis of the traditional hierarchical organization of Hindu society. (lit: "color")

Vedas

Broadly, all Vedic literature; narrowly, four ancient collections (samhitas) of hymns and other religious material. (lit: "knowledge")

Vedanta

Synonym for Upanishads; prominent Hindu philosophical school. (lit: "end of the Vedas")

yoga

Generally, uniting of the self with God; sometimes used as an alternative to marga when referring to the three main paths to liberation; also one of the six philosophical schools, focusing on moral, physical, and spiritual practices leading to liberation. (lit: "yoking" or "uniting")

anatman

The doctrine that there is no independent, eternal self or soul underlying human existence.

arhat

In Theravada Buddhism, one who has attained enlightenment. (lit: "one who is worthy")

bodhicitta

In Mahayana Buddhism, the wise and compassionate intention to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all other sentient beings. (lit: "the awakening mind or heart")

bodhisattva

One who is on the verge of enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has taken a "bodhisattva vow" to remain in samsara in order to work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings. (lit: "the awakening mind or heart")

Buddha

A fully enlightened being. (lit: "the Awakened One")

Dharma

In the Buddhist context Dharma refers to Buddhist teaching and to Buddhism as a religion. (lit: "that which upholds")

dukkha

Usually translated as "suffering," it can also be understood as the anxiety, unease, and dissatisfaction caused by desire. (lit: "suffering")

karma

Action; also, the consequences of action. (lit: "action")

lama

In Tibet, a teacher of the Dharma.

Mahayana

Also known as the "Great Vehicle," Mahayana is the form of Buddhism most prominent in China, Japan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea. (lit: "great vehicle")

mantra

A sacred sound or syllable used as a focus for meditation, as an invocation of a deity, or as a protective spell..