The Religions of Japan

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The Religions of Japan
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Shintoism

• At one time this was the national religion of
  Japan.
• Shinto means the way of the gods.
• Shinto is the worship of many gods of nature, the
  spirits of trees, waterfalls, and other things of
  nature.
• The Sun Goddess was the greatest of these.

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The Japanese Torri

• Shinto shrines are everywhere. A gateway marks
  the shrine, called a Torii. This gateway is
  always painted red.

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Buddhism

• A strong religion in Japan that began around 531
  BC.
• Buddhists do not believe in, or worship, any
  God/gods. They simply follow the teachings of the
  Buddha.

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• The Buddha was born Prince Guatama Siddharta and
  his family were Hindus. Siddharta had been
  brought up in luxury in a palace and had been
  protected by his father from seeing anything bad
  in the world. His experience of seeing an old
  person, sick person, dead person for the first
  time led him to leave his life of luxury and
  search for the meaning of life.

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• Buddhists do not worship the Buddha but simply
  believe he is someone who has been enlightened,
  or found the meaning to life.
• They simply follow his example, and put into
  practice his teachings, as set out in the Four
  Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path.

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• Buddhism is really a method for achieving
  nirvana. This is the ultimate goal for Buddhists
  and occurs when ones selfish desires and
  attachment to the things of this world have been
  totally removed. It is an ideal condition of
  rest, harmony, stability, or joy.

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• Buddhists also believe in karma, which means that
  the way a person lives their life now will affect
  the future and the way they are reborn.
• A person will be reincarnated into the world as
  long as bad karma remains in them.

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• As Buddhists do not believe in any God/gods, they
  do not pray but meditate.
• Meditation is a technique for allowing yourself
  to think clearly about life, to understand who
  you are, and realize what things around you are
  really like.

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Different Buddhas
Happy Buddha
Resting Buddha
A Shrine
Stomach is covered
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Symbols - The Buddhist tradition is rich with
symbolism.

• Ringing of Bells The Buddhist ring bells as
  part of their religious ceremonies, prayers, and
  festivals. The meditation bell is used to call
  one to mindfulness.
• Dharma Wheel The Buddhist first teaching is
  called The First Turning of the Wheel of the
  Dharma. Dharma means the truth that the Buddha
  discovered, and is symbolized by a wheel.
• Mala Beads These are similar to Catholics
  Rosary Beads and are used to recite mantras. They
  are a set of syllables or sounds, similar to a
  prayer. They have a specific spiritual
  significance. Mantras are usually repeated over
  and over again.