 Religious
Development 2
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In 1868, Shintoism reverted to the past and was called, "The Ancient
Way." In 1945, after the second World War, it was put into the status
of a normal religion. No one will ever understand the mentality of the
Japanese without understanding the fact that religion is a part of their
hearts. It started with the old Folk Religion and continued for centuries
with the many changes that came with new religions. The ancient religions
are the same as Druidism. These beliefs were peaceful and good for everyone.
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At the same time that this was happening, a kind of compassion emerged
when the Buddhists joined in mutual support of the Folk Religion. This
occured in the 12th and 13th centuries. It would take volumes to explain
each of these religions and the way they work, but in the end, we must
think that everything and everyone is part of a whole. In that way, a
ruler and his subjects make a complete unit.
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This idea is "KEGON" in Japanese and is the Buddhist "Flower Wreath
Sutra," in fact. When we think of the many religions, we often find them
in complete agreement. For instance, The Goddess of the Yamato people
is Amaterasu. She gave her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, a mirror, among
other things, when she sent him to rule Japan. She told him that whenever
he looked into this mirror that he would see her! This means God is in
all of us.
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The Buddhist KEGON and AMIDA teachings are about the same and the Christian
religion says the same thing. God is in each of us and if we really try
sincerely, we can communicate with each other easily. If we do so, there
will be no more wars and people will be able to live peaceful lives!
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