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Daoism and Confucianism

Chinese religion goes back thousands of years. The oldest religions are Daoism and Confucianism. Buddhism began to spread sometime in the first century B.C.

Daoist and Confucian ideas existed long before Kong Fuzi (Confucius) or Laozi (an early Daoist teacher) articulated these beliefs, but these men are considered to be the founders of their respective religions/philosophies.

Prior to the development of Confucianism and Daoism, Chinese followed a folk religion that had slowly evolved into a worldview. This folk religion was not based on any writings but was a worldview that influenced Chinese culture and society. The more important features of this ancient Chinese religion included a deep respect for nature and for spirits of deceased ancestors. The central focus of ancient Chinese religion was the pursuit of happiness through harmony with nature, ancestors, family, and neighbors. Community is more important than the individual. Other important features of ancient Chinese religion are: the existence of many gods and goddesses and evil spirits, ancestor worship, burnt-offerings, superstition, and folk medicine. The worship of ancestors is the worship or reverence of ancestors as spiritual beings to whom offerings are presented in the belief that these spirits can bring harm or good fortune. Chinese folk religion has also many mythological creation stories, stories of Chinese heroes, magic, superstition, and spirit and ancestor worship.

One of the Chinese creation stories is the story of Pangu. Pangu is god or a primal first being who created the universe. Before Pangu existed the universe was only chaos without light and without substance. In Chinese mythology they compare this chaos to a cosmic egg. Inside the cosmic egg of chaos slept a giant named Pangu. Then one day Pangu woke from his long sleep and as he moved about in the egg of chaos the egg cracked open and Pangu emerged from the chaos. The chaos also flew from the egg and that which was light formed the sky and the solid material of chaos formed the earth. The separation of the sky from earth is the basis for belief in the two opposing forces of the universe—the yang and the yin.1

Today, most Chinese are not Daoist or Confucian, or Buddhist. Most Chinese believe and practice traditional Chinese religion which is a mixture of folk religion and Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Traditional Chinese religion includes the belief in a connection or relationship between people and spirits, the belief in the need to keep balance and harmony in these relationships, and the

1 Pan Gu [web-page] available at: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Pa-Pr/Pan-Gu.html. Encyclopedia of Myths. Internet accessed on March 2, 2009.

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belief in following a correct way for people to relate to other people, spirits, and forces in nature and society.

DaoismDaoism is the belief that life should rest in the energy that comes from the

harmonious balance of nature. Daoists believe that intuition is the proper way to understand the nature of the universe. Traditional Daoism had no formal worship, temples, or prayers until sometime in the first century A.D. a priesthood developed, temples were built, and many rituals are now practiced by Daoists.

One of the very early Daoist concepts is the Yinyang. Yinyang has three main ideas. These three basic ideas have been the underlying philosophy for much of Chinese thought. The first idea is the harmonious nature of Yin and Yang. The opposites of the universe exist in harmonious balance. Yin and Yang are never static but they are constantly changing to stay in balance. The second idea is the interaction between the Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang cannot exist independent of the other. These two opposite forces are constantly interacting with one another in nature and in society between individuals. The third idea is the action or process of harmonization between the Yin and the Yang. This action or ongoing process keeps the Yin and Yang in balance.2

Another concept from Yinyang is Feng Shui. Feng Shui is concerned with correct aesthetics. Aesthetics is the science or philosophy of beauty and harmony.

These Daoist concepts have been written in one of the earliest Chinese philosophical writings the I Ching, “Book of Changes”. The I Ching is a book of symbols used to help people have success in life and help them to make decisions. I Ching is dated about 1150 B.C. so it predates the philosopher Laozi (founder of Daoism) by almost two hundred years. I Ching was a series of symbols that could answer questions similar to how some people use a a ouija board. The I Ching or Book of Changes presents sixty-four life situations and gives advice about how to live in these situations.

2 Robin R. Wang, Yinyang (Yin-yang), [web-page] available at: http://www.iep.utm.edu/y/yinyang.htm. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006. Internet accessed on March 3, 2009.

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The Book of Changes relates tells how to have a happy and successful life and explains that the way to this life is through contemplation and reflection to seek harmony. Another Daoist method of fortune telling is called fiji or spirit writing.

Kongfuzi also studied the I Ching and wrote a commentary on it called T'uan Chuan (Commentary on the Decision).3

Another important Daoist writing is the Dao De Jing. The Dao De Jing is generally related to the teacher Laozi. Laozi lived around 800 B.C. about two hundred years before Kong Fuzi who lived around 500 B.C. Laozi (Lao-tzu) developed Chinese philosophy known as “Daoism” which are found in Laozi’s writings, called the book of Dao De Jing (Tao te Ching) or The Way and Its Power. Laozi’s Dao De Jing focuses on seeking harmony between opposites. The person who lives in harmony with the Way of Dao can reach the highest possible achievement. Laozi preferred nature and solitude to society and personal relationships with other people. Around the first century A.D. Dao De Jing was elevated to the status of a god and is now worshipped in Daoist temples. Then in A.D. 1012 Daoists incorporated Shang Di as the ruler of heaven into their religion.

A Daoist maxim is “Bend with the wind”. Daoists believe that to live with the Dao is feng liu which means to live a “wind and stream” life. Feng liu is the creative aspect of nature. It is the dynamic principle of Yang and counterpart to the static principle of Yin.4 Daoism is a philosophy of life that says we should learn to live according to the moment and the circumstances of that day. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t plan your life. Live for the moment.

3 Richard Wilhelm, The Book of Changes, translated by Cary F. Baynes [webpage] available at: http://www.iging.com/intro/introduc.htm. Internet accessed March 1, 2010.4 Feng Liu and Florentin Smarandache, Intentionally and Unintentionally [webpage] available at: http://arxiv.org/ftp/math/papers/0201/0201009.pdf.

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Another Daoist idea is Wu-Wei. Wu Wei is the Daoist teaching that we can succeed if we proceed without struggle or to bend with the wind. The central teaching of Wu Wei is quietude. We can succeed without struggle. All things flow naturally and spontaneously from the Dao and we must simply flow along with the Dao.

Our information Laozi from Sima Qian a Chinese historian who lived about 145 to 186 B.C. Sima Qian was an administer of the official scribes of the Han Dynasty. Sima Qian is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography. His Shiji, Records of the Grand Historian are some of the earliest written records about ancient China. From his writings we have the earliest records about Kongfusi and Laozi. In the 1970s Chinese archaeologists discovered an almost complete text of the I Ching, the Dao De Jing, and other works. These texts were written about 200 B.C. during the Han dynasty, and are copies of much older manuscripts.5

Zhuangzi was another leading Daoist philosopher. Zhuangzi wrote a story in which Zhuangzi expresses pity to a skull he sees lying at the side of the road. Zhuangzi laments that the skull is now dead, but the skull retorts, "How do you know it's bad to be dead?".6

Confucianism

After Laozi came Confucius Fuzi or Kong Fuzi. Kong Fuzi lived about 551 to 479 B.C. in the Chinese province of Lu during the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou dynasty was a stable time in China’s history which lasted almost a thousand years. Much of what we think about Chinese society was established during the Zhou dynasty. Chinese believe that Kong Fuzi was born into a noble family, then after his parents died, he became a teacher. Kong Fuzi saw the societal conflicts and the oppression of the Fajia school and developed a better way for people to live in harmony. Kong Fuzi wanted to teach his ideas to others by being employed as a public administrator. He tried to find work in local and state governments but was unsuccessful. Kong Fuzi continued to travel in search of work as a scholar and political reformer but had little success and was only hired for a brief time. Some rulers even felt threatened by his teachings and opposed him. He spent most of his life ignored and unemployed.

In contradiction to Daoism and Laozi’s emphasis on individualistic pursuit of the Dao, Kong Fuzi emphasized harmony among people and smooth personal relationships. Kong Fuzi returned to his home province and began to expand his small group of students. He taught them to seek proper conduct and harmony

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching.6 Zhuangzi[web-page] available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi. Wikipedia, 2008. Internet accessed October 28, 2008.

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between people. Kong Fuzi’s essential teaching is the idea of benevolence. He taught that by being kind to others society will achieve success. If people could be kind and respectful the world would be a place of peace and harmony. The goal of all life is to seek harmony, and the pursuit of harmony will result in a harmonious society. Kong Fuzi believed that people lack proper education and need to learn how to conduct themselves appropriately according to their roles in society. Therefore, our task in life is to learn these proper roles and strive to live a moral life. Kong Fuzi taught five types of relationships: the relationship between father and son, the relationship between husband and wife, the relationship between elder brother and younger brother, the relationship between elder friend and younger friend, and the relationship between emperor and subject.

Kong Fuzi’s most important writings are his Analects. The Analects were not written by Kong Fuzi, but are a collection of sayings attributed to Kong Fuzi by his students. The Analects embody much of the ideas of Confucianism and they continue to have great influence on Chinese today. The Analects are grouped into twenty books or chapters. The oldest surviving manuscript of the Analects was found in 1973 and are believed to have been written around 55 B.C.

The two most important concepts in the Analects are Chung Yung (Zhongyong). Chung is the ability to remain moderate neither bending one way or another. Yung is the principle of steadfastness or permanence. A combination of Chung and Yung could be called a “state of equilibrium”. Chung is also the practice of fulfilling obligations to others. Sometimes Chung is translated as “loyalty”. Success is not the goal of Chung. Chung is simply living correctly without regard to outcomes. Chung is the effort to be a force for good for others. Your success is not important but the success of others is important. Another important concept for Kong Fuzi was “Shu”. Shu, sometimes translated as “reciprocity” is similar to the concept of the golden rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Shu helps us know how to live in harmony. Kong Fuzi taught that shu is a way to act towards others as you would believe you would like people to act towards you.

Chung and shu are aspects of ren. Ren is the humane principle of compassion in which relationships are best expressed by obligation and loyalty. Ren is the overall concept of right relationships in which Shu—reciprocity—and Chung—loyalty are its primary features. Ren is the virtues of love and humanity.

Ren has two features: loyalty and reciprocity. The first feature of Ren is loyalty or a commitment to the Dao, the Way. The second feature of Ren is reciprocity which means to treat others the way you would like to be treated.

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Kong Fuzi taught that to be an exemplary person you must imitate the Junzi. The junzi is the ideal person who treats people properly, is honest, hard working, loyal to parents and government, and studious. Kong Fuzi taught that man’s greatest problem is disharmony and the solution to disharmony is education by example.

Kong Fuzi dedicated his life to the study of finding the right path or right way to achieve harmony with nature, harmony with other people, and harmony with society as a whole—especially government. One of Kong Fuzi’s most important principles was filial piety. Filial piety is the duty a child has toward his or her parents. Some sayings that are attributed to Confucius include the following: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” “To study something and practice it at appropriate times, is that not a great joy?” “Study the past if you would define the future.” “To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage or principle.”

Although shunned during his lifetime, after his death Kong Fuzi became the greatest of all Chinese teachers and philosophers. This honor began in the Han dynasty 206 B.C. to A.D. 220 AD. During the Han dynasty an official government policy began to glorify Kong Fuzi. During the Han dynasty a new way of thinking that combined or blended together Daoist and Confucian concepts. The blending of these two philosophies during the Han dynasty is called “Han synthesis”.

Another important Confucian idea is the doctrine of the mean. Kong fuzi believed in effort but not strife. Moderation in all things is an important aspect of the doctrine of the mean. The main idea of The Doctrine of the Mean is to educate people to pursue a life of “self cultivation, self supervision, self education and self perfection to become an ideal person that is extremely good, kind, honest, moral, ethical and holy.”7

Other Chinese ideas and leadersTian Ming is the Confucian “Mandate of Heaven”. The concept of the

Mandate of Heaven is still an important aspect of Chinese society. It underlies Chinese concepts of authority structures: children to parents, wife to husband, student to teacher, and citizen to ruler. During the Ch’u dynasty (1030 – 221B.C.) the rulers promoted the idea that the imperial throne was “in an intermediary position between heaven and earth.”8 Shang Di is the Chinese ruler of heaven. Shang Di as the Supreme God can be traced back to the second century B.C. during the Han dynasty.

7 http://history.cultural-china.com/en/37History593.html8 Richard Hooker, Ancient China, [webpage] available at: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCCHINA/CHOU.HTM. Washington State University

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The three great teachers of Chinese philosophy are Laozi who interpreted nature, Kong Fuzi who interpreted human relationships, and Mozi who taught about relationship to the supernatural. Mozi lived 479 to 381 B.C. He founded the school of Mohism. Mohism emphasizes the need to treat people the way we would like to be treated. Impartiality and love for all mankind is important. Mozi argued against Confucianism and Daoism in that all action should be directed towards the good of the people. Mozi differed from Kong Fuzi by emphasizing that humans should practice love. Mozi taught equality of human beings and of states.

The Fajia school of China taught legalism and a strict rule of law and punishment. The Fajia school came about during an tumultuous time in China from 770 to 221 B.C. This time in China was a time of great cultural and political upheaval. The ideas of the Fajia School of Law or Legalism was first taught by Han Feizi. Han Feizi was born about 233 B.C. Han Feizi believed that people cannot be trusted and need the government to compel them to act right. In contrast to Kong Fuzi who said humans can be trusted, Han Feizi, believed that man cannot be trusted.

The second teacher of Fajia was Li Si who was born about 208 B.C. Li Si was a powerful minister during the rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and later under Qin’s son Qin Er Shi. Li Si established a totalitarian rule in China.

Mengzi or Mencius was the greatest of Confucian teachers only after Kong Fuzi. Mencius believed that man was essentially good. In contrast to Mengzi, Xunzi another important Confucian teacher believed that man is inherently evil.

Zhuxi was a leading Neo-Confucianist. Zhuxi’s contribution to Confucianism include his promotion of Confucian literature: the Analects of Confucius, the Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean.

Another important Chinese teacher was Zhang Daoling. Zhang Daoling lived from A.D. 34 – 156. He started a Daoist sect called “Tianshi Dao" (Way of the Celestial Masters). This sect was a secret society in which the members practiced faith healing and herbalism.

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Japanese Religions

ShintoThe original religion of the Japanese people is Shinto. Shinto began around

500 B.C. The Japanese word for their religion is kami-no-michi which means “the way of the gods”. Kami-no-michi is an ancient folk religion of spiritism. Shinto is a folk religion which emphasizes nature worship, ancestor worship, devotion to gods and heroes, belief in the divinity of the Japanese emperor, fertility cults. The word “Shinto” comes from two Chinese words shin meaning “god” and tao meaning “way” or the “Way of the Gods”.

Although Shinto does have some theological doctrines, it is not a religion of doctrines. Shinto is primarily a religion of rituals and traditions.9 Many of these rituals and traditions involve local and national holidays and festivals. Japanese national and ethnic identity is so inseparably linked to these holidays that not to participate in the festivals is to not be Japanese. Many Japanese holidays involve a pilgrimage to a shrine to worship the kami of the shrine. All the holidays are inextricably connected in some way to Shino religion.

Shinto Scriptures

9 Shinto, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.  2001-07 [web-page] available at: http://www.bartleby.com/65/sh/Shinto.html. Internet accessed March 2, 2009.

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People have lived in Japan for at least 30,000 years. No written documents or other archeological evidence survives that tells us anything about their religious beliefs. The first written records concerning Japan come from first-century China. However, religious and anthropological scholars speculate that Shinto as a formal belief or religion began about 500 B.C.10 No records of Japanese religion exist prior to A.D. 720 when the Nihongi (Nihon Shoki, Chronicles of Japan) were written. Writing was introduced from China and the Nihongi and another early Shinto document, the Kojiki (Chronicles of Ancient Events) were written to defend Japan against Chinese accusations that Japan was uncivilized. In these ancient texts can be found Japanese creation myths and the histories of ancient Japanese kings and emperors. The first emperor of Japan mentioned in the Nihongi and the Kojiki is Jimmu Tenno. Jimmu Tenno means “the one who came from heaven.

Shinto godsOne of the myths found in Shinto writings the is the story of the god and

goddess Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto. These two gods gave birth to the islands of Japan.

The children of Izanagi and Izanami became the various kami of the Japanese people.

The most important children of Izanagi and Izanami are Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess; Susanoo, the god of the sea and storms, and Tsukiyomi, the moon god. The most important of all the gods and goddesses is Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. The people of Japan believe that they are all descendants of Amaterasu and she is considered to be the ancestress of the Imperial family. For centuries this belief unified the country under the authority of the Japanese Emperor. Many Japanese people make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Amaterasu at Ise. The Shinto shrine at Ise stands within a dense forest of giant cypress trees beside the Isuzu River in a valley between Mount Kamiji and Mount Shimaji in southern Honshu, Japan. The Ise Shrine is separated into two groups of buildings which are actually two different shrines. One of the shrines is called the “Inner Shrine” dedicated to Amaterasu and the other is called the “Outer Shrine” dedicated to Toyouke, the goddess of abundant food. These two shrines are about three miles apart.

Two other famous Shinto gods are the brothers of Amaterasu -- Susanoo and Tsukiyomi. Susanoo is god of the sea. He came to earth and killed a great evil serpent. Tsukiyomi is god of the moon.

10 Shinto [web-page] http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm

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Japanese have thousands of gods or kami. They believe that these kami are super-powerful spirits who live inside trees, animals, and forces of nature like rivers and the ocean. Some kami live in rocks or in a mountain. Japanese fear these kami and believe that they can cause good or bad things to happen to people.

Shinto Shrines

Jinja and yashiro are two words to describe a Shinto shrine. The name of the shrine may be the name of the place as in Ise Shrine or the name of the kami as in Tokyo's Meiji Shrine enshrines the Meiji Emperor.

A mori is a place where a kami is present. A mori can be a shrine or it can be small wooded grove. The mori or grove was the place where the kami lives. In some of these mori shrines have been built.

The first part of the yashiro is the torii or gate. The gate has two vertical posts and two horizontal beams near the top. Many torii are painted bright red or orange. Very important yashiro will have two or three torii. The first torii marks the entrance to the mori. Sometimes the torii may be some distance from the shrine it still is a sort of gate into a more pure place. As the visitor gets closer to the shine he or she will be leaving behind more and more of the pollution of the world. The shrine itself is thought to be a place of purity separated from the pollution of the world. So the pat the shrine is a series of steps or levels through with the pilgrim enters on his way to purity.

Once the visitor has passed through the first torii he is on the sando—the pathway to the kami. Under the beams of the torii is hung a rope made of rice straw. This rope is called a shimenawa. The shimenawa serves as a boundary marker signifying that the visitor is entering into a special place.

After entering the sando and passing under the first torii the visitor will encounter another boundary marker. This step along the sando is a small stream that must be crossed after passing through the first torii. This stream is crossed by a small wooden bridge.

As the visitor moves closer to the mori he may pass other torii gates which let the worshipper know that he is getting closer to the honden—the place where the kami resides. Each boundary or step along the way reminds the worshipper that he is leaving behind some undesirable or unworthy aspect of his life that has polluted his life in the world outside of the mori. Before approaching the kami and the worshipper must purify himself in the waters of the temizuya. At the temizuya the worshipper washes his mouth and his hands. If the mori has buildings it may have one or more buildings. The first building will be the heiden or hall of worship. Some heiden have places where people may sit for prayer.

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If a mori has a honden then it will be located behind the heiden. If the mori does have a honden it is the center of the mori. Often the honden is protected by a fence that further marks it as sacred and keeps people away except during times of festivals.

Sometimes another building called a kaguraden is built for special dance or music is performed.

Shinto Sects

Today Japanese religion is a syncretistic blending of Shinto, Confucian, and Buddhist beliefs. Japanese have combined these religions/philosophies in such a way that today their Shinto gods have taken on some of the characteristics of popular Buddhist gods and the Buddhist gods resemble Shinto gods. For example the founder of Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan was Kukai who believed that the Shinto kami were manifestations of various Buddhas.11 Shinto is a word used to differentiate Japanese indigenous religion from Confucianism and Buddhism.

The largest Shinto sect is Jinja or Shrine Shinto. Jinja is the original form of Shinto and has a long history. Jinja is the form of Shinto that focused on Emperor worship. They believed that the Japanese emperor was a living God. By the sixteenth century a warrior class dedicated to serve the emperor developed called Samurai. Worship of the emperor and the cult of the Samurai were once very important in Shinto. A leader among the Samurai was the Shogun. A Shogun is a Japanese military ruler who serves under the Emperor of Japan. The most powerful of the Shogun ruled Japan.

A code of conduct for these Samurai warriors grew out of the Shinto belief in the deity of the emperor and the Confucian philosophy of filial piety. In Japan this code became known as Bushido. Bushido teaches the Samurai to be loyal, courageous, honest, courteous, and honorable. If a Samurai failed to live up to the code then his disgrace could only be taken away by suicidal act of hara-kiri.

Almost all shrines in Japan are shines of Jinja. Jinja has about 80,000 shrines. Jinja members are encouraged to:

11 Mark Schumacher, Shinto Guidebook [webpage] available at: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto.shtml

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“To be grateful for the blessings of Kami and the benefits of the ancestors, and to be diligent in the observance of the Shinto rites, applying oneself to them with sincerity. brightness, and purity of heart. To be helpful to others and in the world at large through deeds of service without thought of rewards, and to seek the advancement of the world as one whose life mediates the will of Kami. To bind oneself with others in harmonious acknowledgment of the will of the emperor, praying that the country may flourish and that other peoples too may live in peace and prosperity.”12

Shinto festivals -- MatsuriThe festival of Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed

(deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori. The festival of Obon lasts for three days.

Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering. Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes

Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated. The festival ends with Toro Nagashi , or the floating of lanterns. Paper lanterns are illuminated and then floated down rivers symbolically signaling the ancestral spirits' return to the world of the dead. This ceremony usually culminates in a fireworks display.

The Tenrikyo sect has over two million followers who meet in over fifteen hundred shrines and worship centers. The Tenrikyo sect was started by a woman named Miki Nakayama. Miki Nakauyama was born to a peasant family in1798. 12 Jinja Shinto [on-line page] available at: http://jinja.jp/english/s-4.html. Shinto Online Network Association, 2005-2006

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Her family had little money or material possessions. Miki Nakayama believed that she had received the power to heal from the kami of Divine Reason. According to Shinto tradition she was able to heal her son and many others of their suffering and painful disorders. She had a revelation and fell into trances and spoke as if God was speaking through her. From her revelations she received the Teaching of the Heavenly Reason and began to teach others about her revelation.

The Konko-kyo sect worships Tenchi Kane No Kami, the Golden kami of Heaven and Earth. The movement was founded in 1859 by Kawate Bunjirō who was a farmer. Kawate Bunjirō believed that the kami Konkō wanted him to spread the news that Konko was a benevolent kami. Previously people called this kami “Konjin” and believed that he was evil. As Konko’s mediator Kawate Bunjiro was also to take on the pain and sufferings of his followers and transmit them to Konko. Konkō-kyō emphasizes the interdependence of god and man. The relationship is similar to the relationship of a parent to his child. Today they have at least half a million followers.

The Konko Faith: Our Creed

We believe in Tenchi Kane no Kami, the Divine Parent of the Universe.Our Founder, Konko Daijin, embraced Kami's revelations and, as Divine Mediator, answered the Call to Eternal Mediation.

Our continuing goal,from moment to moment,is to realize Kami within each of us.

We are fulfilled through Kami,Kami is fulfilled through us.The happiness of everyone is Kami's greatest wish.

We give thanks for Kami's blessings - mysterious, wondrous and mundane.Blessings begin with our own hearts, hearts filed with harmony and joy.

We pray wholeheartedly to Kami, today and every day,trusting Kami as our loving Parent,finding peace of mind.

We live our faith in service to Kami, each other, and our world - nurturing and nurtured, mutually fulfilled.

We revere those who have gone before us,spirits one with Kami, caring for us eternally.

We respect and appreciate other paths taken by humanity toward spiritual fulfillment13

The Kurozumikyo sect has about a quarter million followers. Kurozumikyo is a religion that worships the rising sun. The founder of Kurosumikyo, Kurozumi Munetada, was born in 1780. When Kurosumi parents died he went into a 13 Konko Churches of North America, [web-page] available at: http://www.konkofaith.org/index.html.

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depression that caused physical sickness. Then one day Kurosumi performed the morning worship of the rising sun but this morning he broke out of his depression and performed the worship with an deep emotion causing him to have a mystic religious experience in which he experienced unity with Amaterasu, the sun-goddess. This experience was a spiritual awakening for Kurosumi that gave him access to what he believed was a new Opening Way. The followers of the Kurozumikyo sect call this experience "the Direct Receipt of the Heavenly Mission" and believe that Kurosumi’s experience was the beginning of Kurozumikyo.14

There are five Articles of the Kurozumikyo: 1. The worship of Kami through the rising sun. 2. Practice respect to parents and ancestors. 3. Speaking kindly to others. 4. Being kind and helpful to others, especially the disadvantaged. 5. Praying for others.

Shinto Taikyo is another Shinto sect. Initially the Taikyo sect taught the basic ideas of the Taikyo (Great Teaching). These teachings go back as far as the early Meiji period (1868-1877), a time when the Japanese government began to modernize its military to be able to defend itself against other more modern nations. The Taikyo sect encouraged Japanese nationalism and urged the sect members to give their lives in devotion to the Japanese emperor. World War Two changed everything in Japan when the Japanese emperor was forced to admit that he was not divine. After World War Two the sect no longer emphasized nationalism or emperor worship. Today the sect teaches its members to live a life that conforms to the way of the kami so as to achieve peace and harmony. Shinto Taikyo doctrine is based on an interpretation of the ‘three kami of creation’ found in the Kojiki. The three kami of creation are Ame-no-minakushi-no-kami, Taka-musubi-no-kami and Kami-musubi-no-kami.15

14 Marukoto: The Teaching of Roundness, [web-page] available at: http://www.kurozumikyo.com/marukoto_e.html#founder.15 Shinto Taikyo, [web-page] available at: http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/shinto/shitai.html

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Most Shinto-sects teach the following ideals: "To be grateful for the blessings of Kami and the benefits of the ancestors, and to be diligent in the observance of the Shinto rites, applying oneself to them with sincerity. brightness, and purity of heart.""To be helpful to others and in the world at large through deeds of service without thought of rewards, and to seek the advancement of the world as one whose life mediates the will of Kami.""To bind oneself with others in harmonious acknowledgment of the will of the emperor, praying that the country may flourish and that other peoples too may live in peace and prosperity."Shinto Concepts: Kami-dana, butsudan, Jinja, harai, and harai Connection with kami at the harai and celebration of kami harai

Traditional sects, Mountain worship sects, Revelation sects

Japanese often go to Buddhist temples. In these Japanese Buddhist temples can be found a butsudan. A butsudan is a Buddhist shrine. In these shrines are placed small figurines or statuettes of Buddha or small sacred scrolls. Butsudan is a Japanese word that means “Buddha's House”. Some wealthy Japanese who are dedicated Buddhist may have a Butsudan in their home so that they can pray to Buddha.