Shinto: The Way HomeNine out of ten Japanese claim some affiliation with Shinto, but in the West the religion remains the least studied of the major Asian spiritual traditions. It is so interlaced with Japanese cultural values and practices that scholarly studies usually focus on only one of its dimensions: Shinto as a nature religion, an imperial state religion, a primal religion, or a folk amalgam of practices and beliefs. Thomas Kasulis' fresh approach to Shinto explains with clarity and economy how these different aspects interrelate. As a philosopher of religion, he first analyzes the experiential aspect of Shinto spirituality underlying its various ideas and practices. Second, as a historian of Japanese thought, he sketches several major developments in Shinto doctrines and institutions from prehistory to the present, showing how its interactions with Buddhism, Confucianism, and nationalism influenced its expression in different times and contexts. In Shinto's idiosyncratic history, Kasulis finds the explicit interplay between two forms of spirituality: the existential and the essentialist. Although the dynamic between the two is particularly striking and accessible in the study of S |
Contents
Entering Through the Torii | 13 |
Everyday Connectedness | 38 |
Ancient Shinto Prehistory794 The Trailblazers | 71 |
Copyright | |
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Amaterasu ancient Japanese ancient Shinto Atsutane Atsutane's awe-inspiring behavior Buddha Buddhist Buddhist-Shinto syncretism bushido celestial kami chapter Chinese Christian common Confucian connectedness connection consider context Cosmic Buddha creation Dainichi developed dhism discussed doctrine eighth century Emperor Shōmu esoteric Buddhism essentialist Shinto spirituality example existential existential Shinto spirituality experience feeling Shinto holographic entry point human idea imperial rule institution intellectual internal relation Izanami Japa Japan Japanese culture kami kami deities kami-filled Kojiki Kojiki and Nihonshoki kokoro kokutai Kūkai kyō metaphysical mindful heart mitama mystery narrative Native Studies nature Neo-Confucian nese Nihonshoki Norinaga norito one's person philosophical political praxis reflect religion resonance rice ritual sacred scholars Sect Shinto shimenawa Shingon Shinto ideology Shinto shrines Shinto spirituality Shinto values shogunate Shōmu Shrine Shinto shūkyō sun kami syncretism tama Tendai texts tion Tokugawa Tokugawa shoguns torii understanding vowel Western words Yasukuni shrine