SHINTOISM AND JAINISM By Molly Graber, Evan Berlin, and Ellie Hinkle Per. 1

Shintoism: Introduction  Japanese devotion to spiritual beings called kami, to shrines, and to various rituals  Local religion in Japan  Name comes from Shen (divine being) and Tao (way), so the name means “Way of the Spirits”  Has no canonical scriptures  Sees human beings as basically good, has no concept of original sin, or of humanity as 'fallen‘  Has no god  Has no known founder

Shintoism: Introduction (cont.)  Has no commandments but teaches important ethical principles  Believe that everything, including the spiritual, is experienced as part of this world; does not believe in any other world  Not a way to explain the world  Just as much of a political cult as a religion

Origin/Hearth and Diffusion  Started in Japan from a group of local cults before Buddhism arrived  Since Shintoism doesn’t require its adherents to only be a part of the Shinto faith, the arrival of Buddhism in the 6 th Century CE and of Confucianism later greatly influenced the adherents Shinto itself didn’t really diffuse but became increasingly important in Japan; other religions diffused to Japan and melded with Shintoism The emperor embraced Shintoism as a unifying cultural characteristic for Japan

Distribution

Places in Shintoism Shinto shrines (right photo) are some of the most important structures in the Religion. There is often one in every village, dedicated to the local kami. Torii Gates (left photo) are used to separate shrines from the rest of the world. The Torii Gate shown here is in the median on Nevada between Platte and Bijou.

Conflicts  After Buddhism’s initial introduction, there were a few conflicts; however, the two religions were soon able to co-exist

Visible Practices

Jainism: Introduction  Started in India before Buddhism and Hinduism  Both Buddhism and Hinduism have Jainism influences  One of the smallest of the major world religions with only about 10 to 12 million followers  Liberation and bliss, live lives of harmlessness  Concern for the welfare of all beings. Health of universe itself  Strict vegetarians, minimalists. Reincarnation

Jainism: Introduction (cont.)  Ultimate liberation: escape cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, so immortal soul can live in bliss  No gods or spiritual beings  “3 jewels”: right belief, right knowledge, right conduct  Jains are divided into two major sects; the Digambara (meaning "sky clad") sect and the Svetambara (meaning "white clad") sect. Jainism has no priests. Its professional religious people are monks and nuns, who lead strict and ascetic lives

Jainism: Introduction (cont.)

Origin/Hearth and Diffusion  Origin: India, no single founders  Has diffused to other parts of the world through relocation diffusion  Outside India, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and East Africa(Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) have large Jain communities  The first Jain temple to be built outside India Mombasa, Kenya  Jainism in the West mostly came about after the Oswal and Jain diaspora spread to the West in the late 1970s and 1980s

Origin/Hearth of Diffusion  Mahavira, regarded as the man who gave Jainism its present form  Mahavira is only this world's most recent tirthankara (and will be the last one in this age). It may be more useful to think of him as a reformer and populariser of an ancient way of life rather than as the founder of a faith

Origin/Hearth and Diffusion

Evolution of Jainism

Distribution

Holy Symbols  The swastika is among the holiest of Jain symbols. Worshippers use rice grains to create a swastika around Jain temple altar  The holiest symbol is a simple swastika  The hand with a wheel on the palm symbolizes the Jain Vow of Ahimsa, meaning non-violence. The word in the middle is “Ahimsa". The wheel represents the dharmacakra, to halt the cycle of reincarnation through the pursuit of truth

Holy Sites  Jainism’s holy site are usually where their holy peoples have reach liberation or lived  Jainism also has many temples located throughout India and even some in Africa, US, and the UK

Conflicts  Jains believe in extreme peace so there has never been a conflict with another religion or a group of peoples

Bibliography  / /05fig09.gif / /05fig09.gif 