Coffield,+Anthony

= = =//**Shinto Religion**//=

Overview:
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 * Shinto, also known as Shrine Shinto, is widely known as a ritual tradition. "The Shinto religion bases itself off three main rules. The human encounter with the world, nature and humanity are understood as manifestations of a creative and life-giving power. The second is the tradition recognizes that both natural events and human actions can temporatily obstruct or destroy this creative potency; such circumstances are understood as "polluting." The third is that Shinto affirms that humans have the means to overcome there misfortunes and reestablish the life-giving power, that is, a condition of purity. (Boyd & Williams)" Though Shinto religion is a religion of its own, there are many separate believes that come together to make the religion one. The Shinto believer will not find themselves believing in one god, though they will believe in Kami. Kami is the Shinto Gods which will take the place of nature (wind, rain, mountains, trees) these gods would normally take their place after their death on earth. For Shinto religion doe not have a set beginning or person that began there is nothing more to the religion except the believes that have been embedded into people of Japanese culture. [[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ecwFf_ywRCU/SwFtZ3UDDEI/AAAAAAAAAFU/_KDnSQsyuMo/s1600/top.jpg width="400" height="267" align="right"]]

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Kami

 * "Shinto gods" are called **kami**. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. (japan-guide.com)"

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 * Some of Shinto believers have believed that the kami were beings that would help life to flourish. It was a common believe that the Kami gave you a creative standpoint and anything unusual or peculiar that has happened or appeared would have been known that the kami had done it. Such things as a waterfall or a large tree that was bending very far would have been a result of the kami. The believers in Kami also believe that it is not a countless god. Kami is the nature and the world and every person in the world deals with Kami on a daily basis while having the potential to become Kami after death.
 * " The standard translation of kami is deity. (Boyd &Williams)" Though kami is also known as deity there is not only one god. The religion is about multiple entities and the belief that not all kami's are immortal. In some religions Kami is not believed in anyway what so ever even though Kami is known as everything nature wise on earth.

Polluting your body!

 * [[image:http://www.purification-rundown.com/images/toxins.bmp align="right"]]"This is the belief tat certain powers and events can temporarily obstruct or pollute the unfolding of the creative principle. The Kojiki refers to the bending, the rough, and the crooked kami that obstructs the life-giving process. (Boyd &Williams) " Though kami is believed to be a good source and does not have a bad quality, as within ever religion, you must have a balance between good and evil. In this case there are some kami that are not as good as their counter parts, they are also known to be able to obscure your view. This is known as pollution, mainly where you lose the sense of yourself and begin to flow into a spiral that is not you. It is also believed that anything with the result of death is known as polluting. The pollution can be anything from a natural death to a murder. No matter what the case is, when the process has begun there are many rituals and procedures that are done to purify the body.

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A Shinto death...==
 * media type="youtube" key="Iygl_q8uPec" width="339" height="280" align="right"In a Shinto funeral there are many procedures that are followed allowing the death to be remembered for years on out. The body is always cremated and the ashes are placed in the gave site. Once this is done very few of the ashes are given to the closets family member, these ashes are not passed down from generation to generation. The ashes that are given to the family are then placed within a home shrine, every morning there is an offering of food to the home shrine. Once a week fresh flowers are placed on the burial place of the deceased. When the family member dies there is a day of mourning for the family which must be done with a Shinto priest and the relatives must be dressed in black for the day. In a traditional setting they would place a painting of the deceased above their shrine and never a photograph. All of these traditions and more can be found at @http://www.worldclass.net/TeachingGlobally/WorldReligions/shinto_funerals.htm. The video that is displayed is a Shinto tradition shrine that was placed at a loved ones funeral.

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Rituals==
 * Rituals are not always targeted to please the Kami. They are used for the most part to clear the pollution within ones self. A Shrine liturgy is a morning ritual that [[image:http://www.mrrena.com/images/Shinto.jpg align="right"]]consists of cleansing, meaning purifying themselves with water and then preparing the shrine for the day by cleaning it and setting out the offering. The people than call for kami to ask for harmony, there is than a musical sequence and a priest purifies the offerings. Ascetic practices are performed on the eleventh day of every month where the people stand under the mountains waterfall and do prescribed chants. Festivals are also done as tradition rituals. The things that they do are almost the same as the morning rituals where they bring offerings to the kami and ask for harmony. Though in most cases festivals are done for many various meanings.

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References==
 * Kenney, Elizabeth. "Shinto Funerals in the Edo Period." //Japanese Journal of Religious Studies// 27 (2000): 239-71. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. [|]
 * Boyd, James W., and Ron G. Williams. "JAPANESE SHINTŌ: AN INTERPRETATION OF A PRIESTLY PERSPECTIVE." //Philosophy East & West// 55.1 (2005): 33-63. //Academic Search Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 9 Apr. 2011.[]
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