I was fortunate enough to be able to interview my host father about his religion. The reason I say it this way is because I went into the interview with the expectation of him telling me about the Shinto religion however, I came out with a much different picture. In the beginning I asked straightforward questions about the different aspects of the Shinto religion. Slowly Terry began to slip in little pieces of Buddhism. Finally I asked him if it was fair to say that he is part Shinto and part Buddhist and he said, “Yes, I accept both”. He went on to talk about how this is a vague point with the Japanese people.
“At the beginning of the year you go to the shrine and pray for peace, health and prosperity. And then you go to the temple to give thanks to Buddha and your ancestors about your health and wellness. And at the end of the year we celebrate Christmas.”
Perhaps this mentality shines through from their respectful culture. I followed asking him why he celebrates Christmas.
“Mary is the mother and Jesus Christ is a god and we need to respect them. We read in the old testament that God performed a lot of miracles. For Japanese people, if a guy can do these miracles we need to respect him. The Shinto gods, Muhammed, Jesus Christ; we cannot reach them and they have more power and a mighty hand so we have to show respect.”
Within my host fathers house, there are many shrines. My host mother told me a couple weeks back that each shrine is for a different god. This is Terry’s response to the shrines.
“The Shinto religion doesn’t have one god. There is a god of mountains, god of rivers, god of fields. So, since we are on the top of the hill we think there is a god of the hill that protects us. The shrine in the back of the house is the shrine for the God of Japan. A long time ago the god of heaven dropped some things onto the earth which became Japan.”
Among others that we didn’t have time to talk about is a giant one in the living room. This “open box” is very ornate complete with gold leaf and other ornaments. I was told that because everything is getting crowded in Japan, most people don’t have one as big as theirs. This shrine is specifically for Buddha and their ancestors. Everyday, fresh fruit, rice and sweets are placed at the altar.
“We are giving thanks to Buddha and the ancestors. Because of them we are still enjoying our life. So we give them a part of our dishes.”
With reference to the afterlife, this is what he has to say.
“Shintos believe in heaven. Everyone goes to heaven. However, Buddhists believe everyone that passes away goes to the west. This is because in the west, Buddha exists. Buddhists believe there is some paradise in the west. Buddhists believe if you do a really bad thing then you go to hell. If you do something really good then you go to heaven.”
In the end, I not only gained more knowledge from a man that lives the Shinto and Buddhist life, but also gained an appreciation and greater understanding for how integral the Japanese Shinto and Buddhist religions are a part of the Japanese culture.
Buddha Figure
Your host father has some interesting ideas about religion and I really enjoyed reading about them here in your post. The "buddha shrine" is called a butsudan and it is one of the focal points for praying to one's ancestors. Your post has very nicely illustrated our class discussion on religion: there are many roads to Mount Fuji.
ReplyDelete