Understanding the Similarities and Differences between Shinto & Buddhism
Instructions:
- Watch the video below
- Silently read the information about Buddhism and Shintoism
- Complete the Venn diagram displaying the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Shintoism
Major features of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism
- Shintoism is the native religion of Japan that believes in the worship of spirits called Kami at shrines.
- Buddhism is a world religion that believes in overcoming human suffering through the eight fold path.
- Both religions worship at shrines and believe in peaceful coexistence of living and non living things
- Cultural diffusion through trade along the Silk Road brought Buddhism to China.
- Cultural diffusion through missionaries brought Buddhism to Japan from China.
THE EVOLUTION OF SHINTO AND JAPANESE BUDDHISM
There are two principal religions in Japan Shintosim: 54% of the population More of a set of traditions and customs than religion. Not bound by a formal set of rules, like the Bible in Christianity or Koran in Islam. Classified as an animist religion. People believe in the spirits of nature (kami). Can be found in a tree, rock, waterfall, etc.
Buddhism: 40% of the population Japanese people are not very religious, greatest part of the population only visiting temples for the New Year. The Japanese also do not mind mixing elements of Buddhism and Shinto with one another. Many people would be at a loss to say which element belongs to which religion.
There is a Christian minority in Japan. Dates back from the contact with Portuguese and Spanish missionaries in the 16th century. Christians only make up 1% of the Japanese population, most are to be found on the southern island of Kyushu and especially in the city of Nagasaki.
There are only a few thousand Muslims residing in Japan. All of them are immigrants from Muslim countries, mostly Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, or recent Japanese converts who married them.
ALL ABOUT SHINTO Literally meaning “the way of the gods”, Shinto (神道 shintō) is the native religion of Japan. It is a form of animism which stresses the importance of harmony between humans and nature. It involves the worship of kami, which could be translated to mean gods, nature spirits, or just spiritual presences.
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Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since at least 552 AD introduced from Korea, though some Chinese sources place the first spreading of the religion earlier during the Kofun period (250 to 538). Buddhism has had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture to this day.[1]
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