Shinto is the national religion of Japan. Shinto in Japan

Confucianism and Shinto Yamazaki Ansai, like other Japanese Confucians, sought to combine Confucian principles with Shinto norms. He put forward a theory according to which the neo-Confucian li (not the old "li" of Confucius, i.e. ceremonies, ritual, but otherwise, neo-Confucian,

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

We have long known that Buddhism is one of the world's religions, the most ancient and incredibly interesting. For several millennia, it has been slowly wandering around the world: in some countries it is a “passage”, and somewhere it lingers for many centuries, benevolently adjacent to other religions, and sometimes completely merges with them.

Something similar happened in Japan - Buddhism entered where its own religion dominated - Shintoism, mixed with it and became a full-fledged religion. Our article today will tell you about the differences between Buddhism and Shintoism.

Shintoism

To begin with, it will not be superfluous to recall what Shinto is. This is a Japanese religion, which can be called a national treasure. For more than two millennia, people have been collecting ideas, observations, views about life, spiritual traditions, and only in the 8th century did they acquire the name that was first used in writings called the Annals of Japan.

This religion developed with the penetration of the ubiquitous Buddhism, Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, but at the same time separated from them. The keyword "shinto" consists of two characters: "shin" - kami, "to" - the way. Literally, it can be translated as "the path of the gods."

In Japanese culture, the term "kami" is very important for perception, they denote a deity, a spirit that every thing has. Kami is a truly Japanese concept, national, it gave birth not to all people on Earth, but only to the Japanese.

The main feature of Shintoism is the deification of phenomena and objects, endowing them with a soul. Even seemingly inanimate objects, such as stone, have a spirit in Shinto. This is "kami".

There are kami - the deities of a certain territory, and then there are the spirits of nature or the patrons of the clan. These ideas were mixed with the ancient rituals of worshiping the phenomena and forces of nature, animals, the souls of the dead, with the cult of ancestors, shamanism. The emperor's family is especially exalted and deified.

It is believed that spiritual harmony is achieved precisely in this world and precisely through unity with kami, merging. Belief in it has given rise to several types of Shinto, which are characterized by where traditional ceremonies are held and on what scale:

• folk - faith is rooted in the minds of most of the nation and affects the social way of life;
• home - rituals are held at home, at the altar;
• sectarian - religion at the level of individual independent organizations;
• temple - special temples are created;
• imperial - rituals held in the temples of the imperial palace;
• state - a synthesis of temple and imperial Shinto.

Buddhism

How much we have already learned about Buddhism together! Its founder was Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who later became - awakened from the world of luxury, excesses and reached nirvana. Which is what all the Buddhists of the world want.

Nirvana is a state of complete peace and tranquility. It is achieved through long practices, meditations, conscious calming of the mind, renunciation of worldly amusements, earthly empty joys and attachments.

The goal of every Buddhist is to follow the advice of the Awakened One and find that very "middle way" - a balance between two extremes: empty earthly pleasures and complete self-denial.

The teachings of the Buddha reached the borders of Japan through Tibet, incorporating the features of the Tibetan current. Here it is divided into several traditional schools, which are predominantly Mahayana.

Interestingly, they were not planted here by force, so in Japan Buddhism took root as harmoniously as possible, peacefully adapted in art. , culture and religious beliefs.

What is the religion in Japan?

Scientists cannot clearly understand what role Shinto played in the formation of the state, and what significance Buddhism had in this matter. At one time, a noisy controversy erupted around this issue. Therefore, Japan is currently dominated by the so-called religious syncretism- a combination of different faiths.

The majority of the population identifies themselves as either Buddhists or Shintoists, or both at the same time. At the birth of a child, they can conduct rituals in a Shinto shrine, a wedding ceremony in a Buddhist one, and read the Tibetan Book of the Dead over the body of the deceased.

Over time, the boundaries of religions are erased so much that Shinto-Buddhist teachings appear, for example, Shingon-shu, Shugendo, the difference between which to the inhabitants may seem simply illusory.

What are the differences?

The rituals that are carried out in temples, the worship of numerous deities, merging with nature - this is what Shintoists and Buddhists have in common. What is the difference between one faith and another?

In Buddhism, special prayers are said - mantras that are addressed to a particular saint. Shintoism in this regard contains remnants of shamanism, when people want to call on the forces to rain or stop the storm with spells.

The teachings of Siddhartha are flexible, able to adapt to any mentality and are able to travel around the world, flowing into different forms. The Shinto faith is something national, close, native only to the Japanese.

In general, it is something more than religion in the usual sense, it is a whole complex of knowledge that is not amenable to strict structuring, enumeration of unambiguous dogmas. What is needed here is not orthodoxy, but continuous practice, ritualism with a claim to magic and animalism. The main thing in Shinto is not blind adherence to the canons, but simplicity, not formal rituals, but sincerity.

What is especially striking when deepening into Shintoism is the absence of a founder, such as, for example, Gautama, Jesus, Muhammad. Here the preacher is not a single holy person, but the whole nation, from generation to generation.

And most importantly: the meaning of the life of a Buddhist is to break out of a series of rebirths and finally achieve nirvana, the complete liberation of the soul. Shintoists do not seek salvation in the next life, in the afterlife or in the intermediate state - they reach agreement, merge with the "kami" in the present life.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! May your path be light and bright. Recommend us at in social networks and let's search for the truth together.

Indian and Chinese civilizations have had a significant impact on neighboring countries and peoples over the centuries. And although this influence was multifaceted, and on the periphery of the two powerful cultural centers mentioned there was an acquaintance with Hinduism, Confucianism, and even Taoism, Buddhism was still the most important component of the religious tradition that spread most widely. In particular, this can be seen in the example of Japan.

Japan is unique and amazing in many ways. Innate politeness, more sincere and less ceremonious than in China, and next to it the sharp sword of a samurai, whose courage, courage and readiness for self-sacrifice can only be placed next to the blind fanaticism of the warriors of Islam. Rare hard work combined with a heightened sense of honor and deep, to death, devotion to the patron, whether it be an emperor, overlord, teacher or head of a prosperous company. Unusual, even for the refined East, a sense of beauty: modesty and simple * fa, laconicism and extraordinary elegance of clothing, decoration, interior. The ability to get away from the bustle of everyday life and find peace of mind in the contemplation of calm and majestic nature, presented in miniature in a small, deafly fenced courtyard and stones, moss, a stream and dwarf pines ... Finally, an amazing ability to borrow and assimilate, adopt and develop the achievements of others peoples and cultures, while maintaining their own, national, original, Japanese.

Although archeology testifies to the rather deep antiquity of human habitation on the Japanese islands, the emergence of a developed agricultural, Neolithic there and the first steps of an urban-type civilization date back to a relatively late time, approximately at the turn of our era. The first emperor, the legendary founder of the Japanese state, is the great Jimmu, the "descendant" of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who lived somewhere at the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries. and from which the emperors of Japan are descended - tenno (heavenly sovereign), or mikado.

Shintoism. The complex process of cultural synthesis of local tribes with newcomers laid the foundations of Japanese culture proper, the religious and cult aspect of which was called Shintoism. Shinto ("way of the spirits") is the designation of the supernatural world, gods and spirits (kami), which have been revered by the Japanese since ancient times. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all the forms of beliefs and cults inherent in primitive peoples - totemism, animism, magic, the cult of the dead, the cult of leaders, etc. The ancient Japanese, like other peoples, spiritualized the natural phenomena that surrounded them, plants and animals, dead ancestors, treated with reverence the intermediaries who communicated with the world of spirits - magicians, sorcerers, shamans. Later, having already experienced the influence of Buddhism and having adopted a lot from it, the primitive Shinto shamans turned into priests who performed ceremonies in honor of various deities and spirits in specially built temples.

Ancient Japanese sources of the 7th-8th centuries - Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi - allow us to present a picture of the beliefs and cults of early, pre-Buddhist Shintoism. A prominent role in it was played by the cult of dead ancestors-spirits, headed by the clan ancestor uji-gami, who symbolized the unity and cohesion of the members of the clan. The objects of worship were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains. Like other ancient peoples, the farmers of Japan solemnly, with rituals and sacrifices, celebrated the autumn harvest festival and the spring festival - the awakening of nature. They treated their dying compatriots as if they were leaving for some other world, where those around them had to follow to accompany the dead. people and objects. Both were made of clay and were buried in abundance with the dead (these ceramic products are called khaniva).

Ancient Shinto myths have retained their own, actually Japanese version of ideas about the creation of the world. According to him, originally there were two gods, more precisely, a god and a goddess, Izanagi and Izanami. However, it was not their union that gave rise to all living things: Izanami died when she tried to give birth to her first child, the deity of fire. The saddened Izanagi wanted to save his wife from the underworld of the dead, but failed. Then he had to make do with one thing: from his left eye, the sun goddess Amaterasu was born, whose descendants were destined to take the place of the emperors of Japan.

The pantheon of Shintoism is huge, and its growth, as it was in Hinduism or Taoism, was not controlled or limited. Over time, the primitive shamans and heads of clans who performed cults and rituals were replaced by special priests, kannushi ("in charge of spirits", "masters of kami"), whose positions were, as a rule, hereditary. For rituals, prayers and sacrifices, small temples were built, many of which were regularly rebuilt, erected in a new place almost every twenty years (it was believed that such a period was pleasant for spirits to be in a stable position in one place).

A Shinto shrine is divided into two parts: an inner and a closed one (honden), where the kami symbol, a talisman (shintai) is usually kept, and an outdoor prayer hall (haiden). Visitors to the temple enter the haiden, stop in front of the altar, throw a coin into the box in front of it, bow and clap their hands, sometimes say the words of a prayer (this can also be done silently) and leave. Once or twice a year, there is a solemn holiday at the temple with rich sacrifices and magnificent services, processions with palanquins, during which the spirit of the deity moves from the shingtai. These days, the priests of Shinto shrines in their ritual attire look very ceremonial. On the rest of the days, they dedicate a little time to their temples and spirits, go about their everyday affairs, merging with ordinary people.

In intellectual terms, from the point of view of philosophical understanding of the world, theoretical abstract constructions, Shintoism, like religious Taoism in China, was insufficient for a vigorously developing society. It is not surprising, therefore, that Buddhism, which penetrated the mainland into Japan, quickly occupied a leading position in the spiritual culture of the country.

Buddhism in Japan. Having penetrated Japan in the middle of the 6th century, the teachings of the Buddha turned out to be a weapon in the acute political struggle of noble families for power. By the end of the VI century. this fight was won by those who staked on Buddhism. Buddhism spread in Japan in the form of the Mahayana and did a lot to establish and consolidate a developed culture and statehood there. Bringing with it not only Indian philosophical thought and Buddhist metaphysics, but also the traditions of Chinese civilization (Buddhism came mainly through China), the teachings of the Buddha contributed to the formation in Japan of the administrative-bureaucratic hierarchy and some of the fundamental foundations of the system of ethics and law. It is noteworthy that in this area there was no emphasis, as was the case in China, on the unconditional Authority of the wisdom of the ancients and on the insignificance of the individual in front of the opinion and tradition of the collective as a Whole. On the contrary, already in the "Law of 17 Articles", published in 604, the tenth article was contained, from which it was clear that each person can have his own opinions and beliefs, ideas about what is right and wise, although one should still act, according to the will of the majority. In this article, as if in the bud, one can see important differences that predetermined - along with a number of other factors - a different internal structure and different political destinies for Japan in comparison with China, to whose civilization it owes so much.

In other words, within the framework of the ancient Japanese civilization, Buddhist norms, even those subjected to Sinicization and Confucianization, turned out to be stronger, and it was they that played a significant role in laying the foundations of Japanese culture. Since the 8th century The influence of Buddhism also became decisive in the political life of the country, which was facilitated by the institution of the Inca, according to which the emperor, during his lifetime, was obliged to abdicate in favor of the heir and, having become a monk, rule the country as a regent.

The number of Buddhist temples grew rapidly: in 623, according to the Nihongi chronicle, there were 46 of them. At the end of the 7th century. A special decree was issued on the establishment of altars and images of the Buddhas in all official institutions. In the middle of the VIII century. It was decided to build a gigantic Todaiji temple in the capital Nara, with the central place in the temple occupied by the 16-meter figure of the Buddha Vairocana, gold was collected throughout Japan to cover it. Buddhist temples began to number in the thousands. In Japan, many sects of Buddhism found their second home, including those that did not survive or fell into decay on the mainland.

Buddhism and Shinto. The Kegon sect, which took shape and gained strength in the 8th century, turned the capital's Todaiji temple, which belonged to it, into a center that claimed to unite all religious movements, including the rapprochement, synthesis of Buddhism with Shintoism. Based on the principle of honji suijaku, the essence of which was that Shinto deities are all the same Buddhas in their next reincarnations, the Kegon sect laid the foundation for the so-called rebushinto ("double path of spirits"), within which Buddhism and Shintoism, once at enmity , should merge into a single whole. This movement met with some success. Japanese emperors officially approached the Shinto gods and temples with a request to assist in the construction of Todaiji and the erection of the statue of Vairochana. They also declared that they considered it their duty to support both Buddhism and Shinto. Some revered kami (much like the Taoist deities in China) were awarded the status of a body-sattva. Buddhist monks often took part in Shinto festivals, etc.

A special contribution to the rapprochement of Buddhism and Shintoism was made by the Shingon sect (Sanskrit "mantra"), which spread at a relatively late time from India and is almost unknown in China (except for Tibet). The founder of the Kukai sect (774-835) made the main emphasis on the cult of the Buddha Vairochana, who was perceived in the framework of this teaching as a symbol of the cosmic universe. Through participation in the cosmos and the cosmic graphic system of the Universe (mandala) with the image of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on it, a person joined the Buddhist Symbolism and gained hope for enlightenment and salvation. The abundance of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the magical and symbolic connection with them, many mystical rituals of the Shingon sect made it possible to bring Buddhism and Shintoism closer, to identify Shinto deities, personifying the forces of nature, with the cosmic forces and Buddhas of Buddhism.

Znesya major contribution In rebushinto, the Shingon sect declared the main Japanese kami as avatars of various buddhas and bodysattvas, including Amaterasu, an avatar of the Buddha Vairochana. The Shinto deities of the mountains also began to be regarded as incarnations of the Buddhas, and this was taken into account when building large Buddhist monasteries there. Even many Shinto shrines were run by Buddhist monks. Only the two most important, in Ise and Izumo, retained their independence. Over time, this independence began to be actively supported by the Japanese emperors, who saw in Shinto the basis of their influence. But this was already connected with the general weakening of the role of emperors in the political life of the country.

Buddhism under regents and shoguns. From the 9th century the significance of the political power of emperors is a thing of the past. The functions of the regent-ruler are in the hands of representatives of the aristocratic house of Fujiwara, the women from which emperors were obliged to marry from generation to generation. Under the Fujiwara regents, the importance of Buddhism becomes even greater. It becomes the state religion. Not only emperors, as happened in the past, but also regents, and all their most prominent officials, became monks by the end of their lives, but did not let go of the reins of government. The center of administrative leadership moved to the Buddhist monasteries, so that the Buddhist clergy concentrated enormous power in their hands. There was an active struggle for monastic positions, and the Fujiwara clan jealously ensured that all the highest positions in the monastic sanghas went to its members. Naturally, this led to a sharp increase in the political and economic positions of Buddhist monasteries, especially those belonging to the most influential and active sects, such as Tendai with a central monastery on Mount Hiei (Enryakuji), which sometimes disobeyed the orders of the authorities and demanded more and more privileges for itself. .

The weakening of the Fujiwara clan became noticeable already from the 10th century, and in 1192 a military leader from the Minamoto clan named Yoritomo took power in the country and declared himself a shogun (commander-leader). The warrior warriors of the new ruler of Japan received their share of land and wealth and formed the basis of a new estate that played a significant role in the history of the country - the samurai estate. Throughout the period of the shogunate, which lasted for many centuries, Buddhism continued to be the main pillar of power. Odia-kb there were important changes in it. The power of the emperor and the centralized administrative rule from the monasteries, characteristic of the period of the regency, are gone. The feudal princes and their samurai vassals came to the fore. The forces of feudal decentralization were hardly contained by the armed might of the shoguns. In the changed situation, Buddhism also changed. The old sects were replaced by new ones, whose influence has been preserved in the country to this day.

Firstly, this is the Jodo sect (Chinese Jingtu, "Pure Land", i.e. Amidism) with the cult of the Western Paradise and its lord Buddha Amitaba. Its founder in Japan, Ho-nen (1133-1212), considered it necessary to simplify the teachings of Buddhism, make it more accessible to the common people, and for this he introduced the practice of countless repetition of the word "Amida" borrowed from Chinese Amidism, which should bring salvation to the believer. The phrase "Namu Amida Butsu" ("Oh, Buddha Amitaba!") turned into a mystical spell, repeated up to 70 thousand times a day. And it spread across the country like an epidemic. People believed in such a simple path to salvation, reinforced by the performance of virtuous deeds - correspondence of sutras, donations to temples, Buddhist sculptures and images, etc. amidism in the country did not decrease, but rather increased (now, according to some sources, there are almost 20 million of them).

Secondly, the Nichiren sect, named after its founder (1222-1282), who, like Honen, sought to simplify and purify Buddhism, gained great popularity in Japan. At the center of worship in the Nichiren sect was not Amitaba, but the great Buddha himself. And there was no need to strive for the Western Paradise and the unknown "Pure Land": Buddha was around, in everything, including yourself. Sooner or later, he will manifest himself in anyone, even the most offended and oppressed. Nichiren was intolerant of other sects, accusing them of various sins and promising their adherents a stay in hell, but his teaching was supported by many destitute. True, this did not make him revolutionary: unlike medieval China, Buddhism in Japan rarely became the banner of the rebellious peasantry. Moreover, Nichiren firmly proclaimed that religion should serve the state, and this was subsequently highly appreciated by the Japanese nationalists.

The third and perhaps the most famous (if not the most popular) new sect of Japanese Buddhism was the teaching of Zen. Zen Buddhism is the same Japanese reaction to Indo-Buddhism and the manifestation of the Japanese national spirit in Buddhism, as its prototype, Chan Buddhism, the personification of everything Chinese in Buddhism. Zen entered Japan from China at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. in both its modifications, northern and southern. However, the most developed was the southern school, whose passionate preacher, Dogen, made some significant changes to its principles. So, Dogen, in contrast to the Chinese tradition of the southern branch of Chan, respected the authority of the Buddha, the sutras and his teacher.

This innovation of Dogen played an important role in the further destinies of the Zen sect in Japan. It remained esoteric, like Chan in China. However, its possibilities and influence in Japan turned out to be immeasurably wider. First, the recognition of the authority of the teacher contributed to the strengthening of certain traditions. The institution of the Inca, which meant recognition as a teacher, was strengthened; a master that the student has attained enlightenment, satori. Thus, the master, as it were, sanctioned the student's right to inherit the authority of the teacher, the traditions of his school. Secondly, the schools at the Zen monasteries became very popular. The severity and rigidity of upbringing, cane discipline, psychotechnics and self-control, the desire to teach a person to persistently pursue a goal and be ready for anything for it - this in the Zen system of education impressed the samurai estate with its cult of the sword and readiness to die for the master. It is natural, therefore, that Zen Buddhism was willingly patronized by the shoguns.

Zen Buddhism, with its principles and norms, largely determined the code of samurai honor, "the way of the warrior, (Bushido). Courage and loyalty, a heightened sense of dignity and honor (not the "face" of an educated Chinese Confucian, but precisely the honor of a warrior knight: an insult which is washed away only by blood), the cult of suicide in the name of honor and duty (not only boys in schools, but also girls from samurai families were specially trained in this art: boys - to do hara-kiri, girls - to stab themselves with a dagger), the philosophy of fatalism in combination with fanatical devotion to the patron, as well as the confidence that the glorious name of the valiantly fallen will shine and be revered for generations through the ages - all this. taken together, included in the concept of bushido and had a huge impact on the Japanese national character, was largely brought up by Japanese Zen Buddhism.

The fanaticism and readiness for self-sacrifice, brought up in the samurai by Zen Buddhism, differed from the fanaticism of the warriors of Islam, who went to death in the name of faith, expecting a reward for this in the next world. Neither in Shintoism nor in Buddhism did the concept of eternal bliss in the next world exist. In general, the spiritual orientation of Japanese culture, like that of China, which had a considerable influence on it in this sense, was this-worldly. Not about afterlife bliss and afterlife, but about a worthy death and a high place in the memory of the living dreamed of the samurai going to death. This attitude to death as a natural end, as to the natural fate of everyone, to a normal change from one state to another (with the prospect of returning to the old state of life, but already in a new rebirth) was stimulated to a large extent by Buddhism, including Zen Buddhism.

Zen aesthetic. Buddhism and especially Zen had a huge impact on the development various parties Japanese national culture, and above all to foster a sense of beauty. Experts have repeatedly noted that Japanese Buddhism and Buddhists are prone to hedonism, to pleasure, to enjoying the joys of life to a much greater extent than is generally characteristic of this teaching and its followers. Apparently, the this-worldly orientation of Japanese culture, noticeable since ancient times and sanctioned by the norms of Shintoism, had an impact on Buddhism in this sense. Of course, this influence should not be exaggerated. Tendencies towards hedonism were severely suppressed by education, primarily in Zen schools. However, a peculiar synthesis of the inner ability, brought up for centuries to admire and enjoy the joys of life "and the beauty of being and the external, stimulated by the official norms of Buddhism, the desire for rigor and self-restraint gave rise to an extremely peculiar aesthetics. Severe severity and ceremony gave rise to the ability to find hidden beauty in everything, everywhere and always. The art of the interior, the ability to emphasize the line in clothes, and finally, the exquisite skill, cultivated over the years, to arrange a single flower in such a way that the whole room (ikebana) will be decorated and illuminated from it - all this is the result of the centuries-old development of Buddhist aesthetics, mainly Zen aesthetics.

Japanese painting and literature are clearly influenced by the principles of the same Zen aesthetics: the scrolls depict endless expanses, images full of symbolism, wondrous beauty of lines and outlines; verses with their understatement and meaningful allusions reflect all the same principles, norms and paradoxes of Zen Buddhism. The influence of Zen aesthetics on the architecture of Japan, on the austere beauty of its temples and houses, on the rare skill, even the art of building landscaped gardens and small parks, and domestic courtyards, is even more visible. The art of laying out such Zen gardens and Zen parks has reached virtuosity in Japan. With the skill of a master gardener, miniature sites are transformed into complexes filled with deep symbolism, testifying to the grandeur and simplicity of nature: literally on a few tens of square meters, the master will arrange a stone grotto, a heap of rocks, and a stream with a bridge over it, and much more. Dwarf pines, tufts of moss, scattered boulders, sand and shells complete the landscape, which will always be closed from the outside world by high blank walls on three sides. The fourth wall is a house, the windows-doors of which are widely and freely moved apart, so that if desired, you can easily turn the garden into a part of the room and thereby literally merge with nature in the center of a large modern city. It's art, and it's worth a lot...

Zen aesthetics in Japan is noticeable in everything. It is in the principles of samurai fencing competitions, and in the technique of judo, and in the exquisite tea ceremony (chanoyu). This ceremony is, as it were, the highest symbol of aesthetic education, especially for girls from wealthy houses. The ability to receive guests in a secluded garden in a specially built miniature pavilion, seat them comfortably (in Japanese - on a mat with legs tucked under oneself), according to all the rules of art, prepare fragrant green or flower tea, beat it with a special whisk, pour in tiny cups, with a graceful bow to give - all this is the result of almost a university in terms of its capacity and duration, training (from early childhood) of the course of Japanese Zen courtesy.

In general, politeness is one of the characteristic features of the Japanese. It can hardly be attributed only to Zen self-cultivation, although the restraint and pre-toinity, the elegance of politeness of the Japanese suggest that here, too, Zen aesthetics has said its weighty word. Surprisingly, even within the framework of bushido, a merciless sword has always coexisted next to beauty with sophistication and love. Love - although not chivalrous, like medieval European love, but in some ways still close to it - played a significant role in the life of the Japanese people. This is not Confucian-Chinese love for an elder, for a sage, for parents. This is not close to sensual pleasure and sexual technique, the love-kama of the Indians. This is sublime love, ready for self-sacrifice, sometimes reducing to itself almost the whole meaning of life. Japanese history is replete with examples of double suicides of lovers who were unable to connect. And although these tragedies did not give rise to works in Japanese literature that are equal in strength and social significance to Shakespeare's story of Romeo and Juliet, authoritative experts, including the Japanese (such as X. Nakamura), believe that love in Japanese life and in Japanese poetry it has a rare power and significance for the East, the equality of feelings and positions of both sides, and that this may be one of the reasons that made it easier for the Japanese to perceive many aspects of Western culture.

Confucianism in Japan. Japanese culture differs from Sino-Confucian in yet another aspect. Whereas in China almost absolutely dominated conformism, which had only weak outlets in the form of Taoism and Buddhism, in Japan it was much weaker. The individual was supposed to have the right to decide, determine and be devoted to the idea and the patron that he himself had chosen. True, the choice was usually made only once - after this, the practice of fidelity to the grave and readiness to die for an idea or master came into force. But the right to choose, albeit a single one, not for everyone and not always, in principle, still existed.

Closer to the Sino-Confucian Japanese tradition in the sphere of the cult of ancestors and family tree. Of course, Japan did not know the depth of this cult, which was in China. However, the valor and dignity cultivated among the samurai were largely related to their origin (a trait that brings the samurai closer to European chivalry than to the Chinese norms of the cult of ancestors), and this, in turn, required the maintenance of a family tree and veneration in accordance with the norms. the Shinto of deceased ancestors. And here, of course, the Chinese Confucian tradition had its impact.

This, as well as the general trend of cultural borrowing from China, played a role in the fact that Confucianism eventually developed in Japan. The first Confucian texts and the norms of Confucian morality and way of life set forth in them became known in Japan a very long time ago, almost simultaneously with Buddhism. But at first they were not widely used in Japan; Buddhism came to the fore as the official ideology, which was supported by both the ancient emperors and the regents from the Fujiwara house who replaced them, and the shoguns of various successive clans.

Only in the 17th century, when the shoguns from the Tokugawa clan (1603-1867) managed to stop the decentralizing tendencies of the Japanese feudal lords and with an iron hand reunite the country under their rule, when the Buddhist church led by them turned into a grassroots administrative base for keeping the population in obedience, a favorable situation developed. conditions for the intensive penetration of Confucianism into Japan. The shoguns counted on the fact that the reformed Zhu Xi neo-Confucianism would be able to give them an additional opportunity to strengthen their power. The Confucian ideals of devotion to those in power, honoring elders, and maintaining the status quo unalterably seemed appropriate for this. Through the efforts of a number of preachers, Zhuxian neo-Confucianism began to spread rapidly in Japan.

The methods of some of the preachers are noteworthy. Here is Yamazaki Ansai (1618-1682). Sent to be raised in a monastery, he, having shown obstinacy, faced the prospect of being expelled. Threatening that he would set fire to the monastery, he frightened the abbot and was left. When Yamazaki grew up, settled down and, having successfully mastered the basics of Buddhism, became a monk, he became acquainted with Confucian texts. The teachings of Confucius in the Zhusian interpretation seemed to him the truth, and Yamazaki began to actively preach the ideas of Confucianism, trying to combine the commandments of Confucius and Mencius with the spirit of samurai patriotism and with the norms of ancient Shintoism. Typically in the style of Zen masters, he set a koan task for his students: a Chinese army led by Confucius and Mencius invaded Japan. What would you do? Amazed students are silent: raised in the spirit of patriotism, they understand the need to fight back. But to whom? Confucius?! Yamazaki's answer is simple and instructive: you go into battle, defeat the enemy and capture Confucius and Mencius, to whom, after being captured, you give all the honors due to them as great sages. Thus, the norms of patriotism are observed and the deepest respect is shown to the great sages.

Confucianism and Shinto. Yamazaki Ansai, like other Japanese Confucians, sought to combine Confucian principles with Shinto norms. He put forward a theory according to which the neo-Confucian li (not the old "li" of Confucius, i.e. ceremonies, ritual, and another, neo-Confucian - a great principle, universal order) - this is that divine power nature, which manifests itself through all the traditional "eight million" Shinto kami led by the great Amaterasu. The impetus towards the rapprochement of neo-Confucianism with Shinto had in the conditions of the XVIII-XIX centuries. great political significance. The cult of antiquity and the great ideals of the past, the study of the history of Japan, the origins of its culture contributed to a kind of revival of Shintoism, the strengthening of its norms in all classes, and above all in samurai with its penchant for the ideas of the greatness of ancestors and devotion to the master. Gradually, this cult, reworked through the prism of the Confucian attitude to the ruler, to the sovereign, more and more definitely began to refer specifically to the Japanese emperor - a direct descendant of the great Amaterasu, the only legitimate ruler of Japan.

It is significant that Confucianism itself was rethought from this point of view. The cornerstone of his doctrine was, for example, the thesis of ge-ming - the change of mandate, the possession of which was directly dependent on the degree of virtue of the emperor and the change of which consecrated the principle of change of dynasties characteristic of Chinese history. In Japan, where there was only one imperial dynasty and where the principle of devotion to the master was elevated to the rank of the highest virtue, the ge-min thesis turned out to be unacceptable. Here even a legend arose, according to which any ship that transported from China to Japan the text of the treatise "Mengzi"_ (in it the principle of the sovereign's virtue was formulated with the greatest completeness, including the right of the people to oppose the unvirtuous ruler and overthrow him), invariably crashed. The gods did not want to desecrate the Japanese land with such ideas!

From the end of the XVIII century. in Japan, the cult of the emperor grew more and more noticeable. In contrast to the Buddhism supported by the shoguns, many feudal lords carried out reforms that contributed to the destruction of the influence of Buddhist temples and the strengthening of the norms of Shinto, whose pro-imperial tendencies were now strongly strengthened by the ideas and concepts of neo-Confucianism. The power of the shoguns and the influence of Buddhism in the country were weakening.

The cult of the emperor and the rise of nationalism. On the eve of a new era of bourgeois development, Japan increasingly rallied around the figure of the divine tenno, the mikado, symbolizing its highest unity, its far-reaching claims of a clearly nationalistic nature. This era began with the Meiji Restoration (1868), which returned full power in the country to the emperor and gave impetus to the rapid development of Japan.

An analysis of the reasons that allowed Japan to very quickly adopt and use the latest achievements of the capitalist mode of production is beyond the scope of this work. However, it should be noted that the Japanese traditionally did not see anything shameful and humiliating for themselves in the very fact of borrowing useful innovations. Unlike such powerful civilizations with multi-thousand-year layers traditional culture, like China and India, Japan did not have the inertia of conservative traditionalism, which, apparently, played an important role. Coming to power in In 1868, the young emperor Mutsuhito resolutely set out to break the old system of the shogunate and, in the fight against it, considered it good to rely on what was new that could be taken from the west.

For the first time in 30-40 years, the capitalist path of Japan's development has clearly demonstrated its advantages: having won the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, Japan showed the world its strength and influence. The victory in this war caused a powerful wave of nationalism in the country, based on the artificially resurgent Shinto.

Shintoism became the official state ideology, the norm of morality and the code of honor. Emperors relied on Shinto principles, reviving and sharply strengthening the cult of the goddess Amaterasu: not only in the main temples, but also in every Japanese home altar (kamidan), from now on there should have been an image of the goddess, who turned into a symbol of Japanese nationalism. Shinto norms formed the basis of patriotism and devotion to the emperor (not to the motherland, but to the individual!) of the Japanese samurai, from whose ranks during the Second World War cadres of kamikaze suicides were scooped. Finally, the official Japanese propaganda based its nationalist claims on the ancient Shinto myths about the creation of the world, the goddess Amaterasu, and Emperor Jimmu: the great Yamato (the ancient name of the country) is called upon to create "Great Asia" and implement the principle of hakkoichiu ("eight corners under a single roof ", i.e., the unification of the world under the rule of Japan and the Japanese emperor, a descendant of the goddess Amaterasu).

It is not surprising that in the first half of the 20th century the influence of Shinto in the country increased dramatically. Many new temples, very popular in the country, arose, a significant part of which was dedicated to the fallen in the struggle, in the war (especially famous generals like Nogi) - they, according to the Shinto tradition, were considered heroes, deities, cleansed by death for the emperor from all lifetime sins and even crimes . At first, after the Meiji restoration, the revival of Shinto was accompanied by anti-Buddhist actions - Buddhism was too connected in people's memory with the period of the shogunate.

However, Buddhism turned out to be quite persistent and skillfully adapted, and the decree of 1889 on freedom of religion helped it to survive and even maintain its influence among the masses. This was especially pronounced after the defeat of Japan in 1945.

The New Religious Situation in Japan. The defeat of Japan in World War II meant the decline of Shintoism as a state ideology that fostered militarism and nationalism, the cult of the emperor and "great Japan". Shintoism has not disappeared, but its character has changed a lot. The cult of the goddess Amaterasu became a private affair of the Japanese emperor and the highest persons around him, so that its state meaning gradually disappeared. The significance of the cult of aristocratic ancestors, genealogical lines, and patriotic traditions of the samurai also dropped sharply. In fact, the entire class of samurai lost its significance in the new conditions of post-war Japan. And although individual cases of hara-kiri in the name of patriotic nationalist ideals from time to time excite Japan, like other examples of traditional heroism and devotion to military duty and order, the time of Japanese nationalism and the cult of the emperor is a thing of the past. Modern Japan, with its powerful industrial and high scientific and cultural potential, no longer needs the slogans of the past to strengthen its authority in the world.

However, the past does not die easily, even under greatly changed circumstances. An industrialized, modernized and westernized country of rapid economic growth, modern cars and transistors, concrete masses of buildings and complex problems of the struggle for clean air and disinfection natural environment, Japan demonstrates an enviable ability to combine the traditions of the past with the demands of today, and in such a way that the legacy of the past is purposefully used to mitigate the painful consequences of the domination of the capitalist system with its ruthless pursuit of profit, desperate spiritual crisis, alienation of the individual. The religious and cultural traditions of the past play an active role in creating an optimal socio-political and socio-psychological structure for the new capitalist Japan. It is well known, for example, how important is the factor of loyalty and personal devotion of employees to one or another firm: in modern Japan, one enters a firm only once (only one choice!) and remains in it until old age. One can hardly doubt the traditional character of this principle, which goes back to the code of honor of the samurai. Does this principle matter? Undoubtedly. The company is just as interested in the loyalty and devotion of employees (we are talking about employees, about the company's apparatus, that is, about those "samurai" on whom large Japanese feudal lords traditionally and confidently always relied), as well as employees ("samurai with briefcases" , as they are sometimes called), whose status rises from length of service, are interested in maintaining their place in the company. The same principle applies to parties political organizations, systems of administration, etc.: it is no coincidence that there are so many factions in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, united around a certain personality (and not around a certain idea or direction in politics).

Pronounced corporatism and devotion to the corporation in the person of its leader is noticeable, but far from the only one. feature Japanese culture is rooted in the past. Another essential feature is the tendency to borrow and synthesize, to adopt and assimilate someone else's experience, other people's ideas. The centuries-old practice of assimilation of everything useful has become, as they say, the flesh and blood of modern Japan.

The desire to preserve the norms of life that go back to the past is a natural reaction of any society in the period of its vigorous transformation. In Japan, this process proceeds, as far as one can judge, in a fairly optimal form. Politeness, ceremonies (for example, tea), the desire for concentration, restraint, inner self-respect, brought up by centuries of Zen Buddhist self-respect - all this is also manifested in the conditions of rigid, inhuman material ties of capitalist society. This is facilitated by the activity of modern religious sects, which have skillfully adapted to the new situation.

Numerous new sects, usually rooted in old Japanese Buddhism (rarely in Shintoism), are very diverse and contradictory in form, ritual side, goals and attitudes. However, all of them are united by something common, modern, first of all - emphasized practicality, pragmatism, expediency. Mysticism, which already played an insignificant role in the life of the Japanese (although sometimes an important one - remember Amidism), is now almost invisible - its place has been firmly taken by a sober approach to life and, most importantly, the ability to console, come to help at a difficult moment, gain confidence , to help ease the soul, to feel among your own, among friends and like-minded people.

This setup works well in practice. Confused, caught in the cruel whirlpool of industrial capitalist society, yesterday's peasant, not yet accustomed to the rhythms of the city (as in general, the city dweller), is not always able to figure out what is happening, to give a correct political assessment of events and prospects. In addition, much more than to the harsh truth, a person in such circumstances strives for consolation, albeit illusory, but bringing peace, inspiring hope. And modern sects take this well into account: not in the other world, but now, here, on the sinful earth, they are trying to give consolation to people in need, help them, surround them with care and attention. It is not surprising that the number of sects and their influence on a person in modern Japan is growing, and the most famous of them are becoming a powerful socio-political force.

Soka-gakkai sect. Formally, this sect, founded in 1930 on the basis of the teachings of the Nichiren school, can be considered Buddhist. However, in reality, it, like the vast majority of new sects and religious teachings in Japan, is a doctrine that has synthetically processed the norms of Shinto morality and the Japanese way of life, the commandments and dogmas of Buddhism, and even some principles of Confucianism. Soka-gakkai is a kind of symbol of religious norms and religious and cultural traditions in modern Japan. And since it was this sect that acquired for last years in the country the greatest influence, on its example, one can trace how the ancient oriental religions are transformed and adapted to the conditions of a highly developed capitalist industrial society with its changed way of life, other forms social structure, spiritual communication, etc.

The religious and cult basis of the sect (especially after the main temple of the orthodox direction of the Nichiren school - Taise-kidei became its ritual center) is based on the sacred mandala of this temple. The mandala, whose graphic outlines and symbols belong, according to legend, to Nichiren himself, is considered to have miraculous powers: if you have a copy of the mandala with you and cast the appropriate spell, this is the surest way to ensure salvation, enlightenment, and even earthly prosperity. Mass services in the Taisekiji temple, when crowds of sect supporters cast a spell in a polyphonic choir, accompanied by the rustling of a rosary (the number of spells cast is recorded with their help), produce a very impressive effect and are a kind of culmination of the ritual-cult unity of the sect members. Initiation into holiness and supernatural possibilities outside of these activities is carried out with the help of copies of the mandala widely sold in the temple: each family that possesses a copy is almost automatically enrolled in members of the sect. This is where the ritual side of the sect's activity almost ends - there is no zeal, no frantic prayers, no devotion to the deity or the desire to merge with him in the Soka-gakkai, as in other modern Japanese sects, no. In its other manifestations, it is a very secular and quite earthly, this-worldly organization, which aims to unite the suffering and rally them under the banner of a somewhat utopian idea of ​​a "third civilization".

Supporters and activists of the sect are very stubborn and persistent in an effort to convert the maximum number of people to their faith. They are looking for those who stumbled in life, who are not confident in themselves, who failed to achieve their goals, who got into trouble, etc. In this, the supporters of the sect are not original: any religious group is in a hurry to give comfort, first of all, to those who are sharper than others needs it. The agitation of the sect, the care and help of society activists interested in acquiring new members are doing their job - people join the Soka-gakkai. Recruiters are evaluated according to the results of their zeal: their prestige and place in society depend on the number of neophytes attached to the sect by them.

With the growing influence of the sect, many began to reach out to it, including young people, so that now the Soka-gakkai has become a powerful and influential organization. Although genetically and outwardly it is, first of all, religious sect, in fact, it is now already a serious political and socio-cultural force that is sensitive to the rapidly changing needs and demands of society. She offers one program to young people who are looking for, another to those striving for sports success, a third to people of art, the creative intelligentsia, and a fourth to politicians and social reformers.

The sect is strictly organized with observance of the replacement of positions in the system of centralized hierarchy by competition. Anyone, having passed a serious exam, has a chance to become an assistant; the next degree is teaching assistant; further - teacher, assistant professor, associate professor, assistant professor, professor. Despite the academic terminology, the hierarchy is quite rigid. All power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of senior leaders ("professors"), who often show intolerance towards rival ideological currents, dating back to Nichi-ren. Soka gakkai has its own political party Komeito, which has dozens of deputies in the parliament. Currently political and social activity The sect is directed towards the struggle for satisfaction of the demands of the masses of the urban population, for democratic transformations and is oriented towards the highest ideals of peace, humanism, the revival of the spirit, etc.

In addition to the Soka-gakkai, there are other sects in modern Japan, large and small, with millions of members. And although this membership does not completely determine the behavior of the Japanese, it nevertheless orients him, and this is the serious influence of sects on the life of the country.

The national religion of Japan is Shintoism. The term Shinto means the way of the gods. Son or kami - these are gods, spirits that inhabit the whole world around man. Any object can be the embodiment of kami. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all forms of beliefs and cults inherent in peoples: totemism, animism, magic, fetishism, etc.

Development of syntonism

The first mythological monuments of Japan related to the 7th-8th centuries. AD, - Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi - reflected the complex path of the formation of the system of Shinto cults. A significant place in this system is occupied by the cult of dead ancestors, the main of which was the clan ancestor ujigami, symbolizing the unity and cohesion of the members of the genus. The objects of worship were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains, etc.

On the early stages development of Shinto did not have an ordered system of beliefs. The development of Shinto followed the path of forming a complex unity of religious, mythological ideas of various tribes, both local and those who came from the mainland. As a result, a clear religious system was never created. However, with the development of the state and the rise of the emperor, the Japanese version of the origin of the world, the place of Japan, its sovereigns in this world is being formed. Japanese mythology claims that at first Heaven and Earth existed, then the first gods appeared, among which was a married couple. Izanagi and Izanami which played a major role in the creation of the world. They disturbed the ocean with a huge spear tipped with precious stone, sea water dripping from the tip formed the first of the Japanese islands. Then they began to run around the celestial pillar and gave birth to other Japanese islands. After Izanami's death, her husband Izanagi visited the realm of the dead, hoping to save her, but was unable to. Returning, he performed a rite of purification, during which he produced from his left eye the goddess of the Sun - Amaterasu - from the right - the god of the moon, from the nose - the god of rain, who devastated the country with a flood. During the flood, Amaterasu went into a cave and deprived the land of light. All the gods, having gathered, persuaded her to go out and return the Sun, but they succeeded with great difficulty. In Shintoism, this event is, as it were, reproduced in holidays and rituals dedicated to the arrival of spring.

According to mythology, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi down to earth to rule the people. Japanese emperors, who are called tenno(heavenly sovereign) or mikado. Amaterasu gave him the "divine" regalia: a mirror - a symbol of honesty, jasper pendants - a symbol of compassion, a sword - a symbol of wisdom. In the highest degree, these qualities are attributed to the personality of the emperor. The main temple complex in Shinto was the shrine in Ise - Ise jingu. In Japan, there is a myth according to which the spirit of Amaterasu, who lives in the Ise jingu, helped the Japanese in the fight against the Mongol conquerors in 1261 and 1281, when the divine wind " kamikaze"twice destroyed the Mongol fleet, which was going to the shores of Japan. Shinto shrines are rebuilt every 20 years. It is believed that the gods are pleased to be in one place for such a long time.

Syntonism levels

In Shinto, several levels are distinguished, which are determined by the objects and subjects of the cult.

Dynastic Shinto is the property of the imperial family. There are gods that only family members can call upon, and rituals that can only be performed by family members.

emperor cult(tennoism) - Mandatory for all Japanese.

Temple Shinto - worship of common and local gods that exist in every locality and protect people living under their protection.

Home Shinto - worship of family gods.

At the beginning of the VI century. in Japan become known and. Gradually, Buddhism begins to play a significant role in the life of Japan, there is an interpenetration of Buddhism and Shintoism, their complementarity. The deities of Buddhism are accepted in Shinto, and vice versa. Shinto, with its collectivist nature, caters to the needs of the community, while Buddhism, which is personal in nature, focuses on the individual. There is a situation called rebusinto(double path of the gods). Buddhism and Shintoism have coexisted peacefully for several centuries.