Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth

Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth PDF

Author: Stuart D. B. Picken

Publisher: Stone Bridge Press, Inc.

Published: 2002-04-01

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 0893469963

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Complementing Buddhism, Shinto is Japan's 2,000-year-old worship tradition that celebrates the relationship of humans to the natural world. This modern-day collection of Shinto-inspired devotions shows the reader how to commune directly with Great Nature for health, wisdom, and serenity. Structured litanies address mountains, waterfalls, rocks, trees, etc. Includes instructions for performing authentic "waterfall purification" and a section on experiencing Shinto in North America.

Shinto

Shinto PDF

Author: Thomas P. Kasulis

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2004-08-31

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0824864301

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Nine 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 Shinto, he concludes that a similar dynamic may be found in the history of other religions as well. Two decades ago, Kasulis’ Zen Action/Zen Person brought an innovative understanding to the ideas and practices of Zen Buddhism, an understanding influential in the ensuing decades of philosophical Zen studies. Shinto: The Way Home promises to do the same for future Shinto studies.

Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan

Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan PDF

Author: Aike P. Rots

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-09-07

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 1474289940

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Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan is the first systematic study of Shinto's environmental turn. The book traces the development in recent decades of the idea of Shinto as an 'ancient nature religion,' and a resource for overcoming environmental problems. The volume shows how these ideas gradually achieved popularity among scientists, priests, Shinto-related new religious movements and, eventually, the conservative shrine establishment. Aike P. Rots argues that central to this development is the notion of chinju no mori: the sacred groves surrounding many Shinto shrines. Although initially used to refer to remaining areas of primary or secondary forest, today the term has come to be extended to any sort of shrine land, signifying not only historical and ecological continuity but also abstract values such as community spirit, patriotism and traditional culture. The book shows how Shinto's environmental turn has also provided legitimacy internationally: influenced by the global discourse on religion and ecology, in recent years the Shinto establishment has actively engaged with international organizations devoted to the conservation of sacred sites. Shinto sacred forests thus carry significance locally as well as nationally and internationally, and figure prominently in attempts to reposition Shinto in the centre of public space.

The Essence of Shinto

The Essence of Shinto PDF

Author: Motohisa Yamakage

Publisher: Kodansha USA

Published: 2010-08-05

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 4770050089

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In The Essence of Shinto, revered Shinto master Motohisa Yamakage explains the core values of Shinto and explores both basic tenets and its more esoteric points in terms readily accessible to the modern Western reader. He shows how the long history of Shintoism is deeply woven into the fabric of Japanese spirituality and mythology--indeed, it is regarded as Japan’s very spiritual roots--and discusses its role in modern Japan and the world. He also carefully analyzes the relationship of the spirit and the soul, which will provide informed and invaluable insight into how spirituality affects our daily existence. Through the author’s emphasis on the universality of Shinto and its prevalence in the natural world, the book will appeal to all readers with an appreciation of humanity’s place in nature and the individual’s role in the larger society.

Shinto: A Celebration of Life

Shinto: A Celebration of Life PDF

Author: Aidan Rankin

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

Published: 2011-03-16

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1846947383

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Shinto is an ancient faith of forests and snow-capped mountains. It sees the divine in rocks and streams, communing with spirit worlds through bamboo twigs and the evergreen sakaki tree. Yet it is also the manicured suburban garden and the blades of grass between cracks in city paving stones. Structured around ritual cleansing, Shinto contains no concept of sin. It reveres ancestors, but thinks little about the afterlife, asking us to live in, and improve, the present. Central to Shinto is Kannagara: intuitive acceptance of the divine power contained in all living things. Dai Shizen (Great Nature) is the life force with which we ally ourselves through spiritual practice and living simply. This is not asceticism, but an affirmation of all aspects of life. Musubi (organic growth) provides a model for reconciling ancient intuition with modern science, modern society with primal human needs. Shinto is an unbroken indigenous path that now reaches beyond its native Japan. It has special relevance to us a

Historical Dictionary of Shinto

Historical Dictionary of Shinto PDF

Author: Stuart D.B. Picken

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2010-12-28

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9780810873728

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This expanded second edition of Historical Dictionary of Shinto relates the history of Shinto through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shinto concepts, significant figures, places, activities, and periods.

Routledge Handbook of Religions in Asia

Routledge Handbook of Religions in Asia PDF

Author: Bryan S. Turner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-09-25

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1317636465

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The Routledge Handbook of Religions in Asia provides a contemporary and comprehensive overview of religion in contemporary Asia. Compiled and introduced by Bryan S. Turner and Oscar Salemink, the Handbook contains specially written chapters by experts in their respective fields. The wide-ranging introduction discusses issues surrounding Orientalism and the historical development of the discipline of Religious Studies. It conveys how there have been many centuries of interaction between different religious traditions in Asia and discusses the problem of world religions and the range of concepts, such as high and low traditions, folk and formal religions, popular and orthodox developments. Individual chapters are presented in the following five sections: Asian Origins: religious formations Missions, States and Religious Competition Reform Movements and Modernity Popular Religions Religion and Globalization: social dimensions Striking a balance between offering basic information about religious cultures in Asia and addressing the complexity of employing a western terminology in societies with radically different traditions, this advanced level reference work will be essential reading for students, researchers and scholars of Asian Religions, Sociology, Anthropology, Asian Studies and Religious Studies.

Nature, Space and the Sacred

Nature, Space and the Sacred PDF

Author: S. Bergmann

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 501

ISBN-13: 1351915673

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Nature, Space and the Sacred offers the first investigative mapping of a new and highly significant agenda: the spatial interactions between religion, nature and culture. In this ground-breaking work, different concepts of religion, theology, space and place and their internal relations are discussed in an impressive range of approaches. Weaving together a diversity of perspectives, this book presents an innovative and truly transdisciplinary environmental science. Its broad range offers a rich exchange of insights, methods and theoretical engagements.

The Handy Religion Answer Book

The Handy Religion Answer Book PDF

Author: John Renard

Publisher: Visible Ink Press

Published: 2012-04-01

Total Pages: 500

ISBN-13: 1578593948

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Providing detailed descriptions of the beliefs, rituals, history, and organization of the world’s eight major religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto, this fully revised and updated edition is an easy-to-use comparative guide for anyone seeking basic religious literacy. Clearly and eloquently written by a scholar with more than 40 years of study and teaching experience, The Handy Religion Answer Book is organized into chapters on each major religion and contains a wealth of information about their history, beliefs, symbols, membership, leaders, observances, and customs. The reference answers more than 800 questions, such as What is the significance of the Star of David? How did so many different Christian churches come into being? What is the importance of the month of Ramadan? What is an Ayatollah? and Do Taoists believe in heaven and hell?, as well as new questions concerning religion and violence and suborganizations that claim affiliation with the major faith communities. A glossary of religious terminology, maps of the general coverage areas for each religion, and suggestions for further reading are also included.

Spiritual Guidance Across Religions

Spiritual Guidance Across Religions PDF

Author: Rev. John R. Mabry, PhD

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2014-04-15

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 1594735654

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The groundbreaking professional resource for providing spiritual guidance to people from faith traditions other than your own. This comprehensive resource offers valuable information for providing spiritual guidance to people from a wide variety of faith traditions. Covering the world's faith traditions as well as interfaith, blended and independent approaches to spirituality, each chapter is written by a spiritual guidance professional from that tradition or who works extensively with people from that tradition. Each chapter provides: An overview of the tradition, including basic beliefs Methods for spiritual guidance honored in that tradition Common spiritual problems encountered by people of that tradition Tips, techniques and practices Helpful resources for further learning CONTRIBUTORS: Dan Mendelson Aviv, PhD • Måns Broo, PhD • Rev. Cathleen Cox, MAT, MDiv • Ervad Soli P. Dastur • Karen L. Erlichman, MSS, LCSW • Jonathan Figdor, MDiv • Rev. John A. Jillions, PhD • Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa • Rev. Daijaku Judith Kinst, PhD • Ozgur Koca • Bruce Lescher, PhD • Rev. Ann Llewellyn Evans • Rev. Dr. Jim Lockard • Rev. John R. Mabry, PhD • Fr. Scott McCarthy, DMin • Moojan Momen, MB, BChir • Wendi Momen, PhD • Richard K. Payne, PhD • Susan S. Phillips, PhD • James Michael Reeder, LCPC, CPRP • Robert A. Rees, PhD • Bharat S. Shah, MD • He Feng Dao Shi • Joshua Snyder • Rev. N. Graham Standish, PhD, MSW • Chief Luisah Teish • Christopher Titmuss Religions Covered By Estimated U.S. Population Evangelical • Christianity • Roman Catholicism • Mormonism • Judaism • Reformed Christianity • Eastern Orthodox • Christianity • Islam • Buddhism • Hinduism • Spiritual Eclecticism • Unitarian Universalism • Neo-Paganism • Bahá'í Faith • Sikhism • Shinto • Humanism • New Thought • Zoroastrianism • Native American Religion • African Diaspora Spirituality • Daoism • Jainism • Confucianism