A country's religion shapes its traditions and culture. Japanese religions have shaped Japanese culture so much that some consider the Japanese way of life mysterious and strange. Indeed, many place all Japanese religions in one category in their minds. The truth is, however, that they are different in many ways and therefore play distinct but important roles in the formation of modern Japan. Japan's two main religions, Buddhism and Shinto, are the best known and easiest to confuse. However, each of these religions took their turn in shaping the clay, so to speak, and forming what Japan is today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The history of these religions is a major factor in their role in the history and culture of Japan. Buddhism has always encouraged missions, but during the reign of Ashoka Magua in India in the third century, missions flourished more than ever. Ashoka, during his campaign to expand India's borders on the eastern coast, attracted many converts to Buddhism. Buddhism then spread north from India to Central Asia and was adopted by the Chinese and later by the Koreans. During the 6th century, it finally reached Japan, thanks to Korean and Chinese influence. The year recorded for Japan's first introduction to Buddhism by the Korean ruler Baekju was 538 AD. Japan's emperor at the time, Kimmei, immediately began debates over whether Japan should adopt the foreign religion. The orthodox Mononobe and Nakatomi clans opposed it. Buddhism says that Japan already had a religion, Shintoism. The Soge clan, however, being open-minded, suggested that Buddhism could offer Japan the cultural refinement society needed. The emperor agreed with the Soge clan and Buddhism was introduced into the country as a legal religion. The introduction of Buddhism provoked varied reactions in society. A key change has been the growth of schools in Japan. A school founded by one of the sects of Buddhism was founded by a monk named Nichiren, who founded a new center for the Buddhist movement, the Lotus Sutra and wrote many works of religious literature, some of which are still recited today 'today. The best known of his writings is the “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”. (Clive, 24) It was not until forty years later, when Prince Regent Shotoku became emperor, that Buddhism became an official religion of Japan along with Shintoism. The process was long and Shotoku had to issue a constitution of seventeen articles emphasizing the principles of Buddhism and Confucianism. He particularly emphasized the “fervent respect for the three treasures” (Japan Buddhist Federation, 1) which are the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. He also ordered the massive construction of many Buddhist temples. Of these structures, Hodu-ji Temple is the best known today. Buddhism offered the early Japanese nation moral and intellectual benefits that Shintoism could not provide. At first, Buddhism was used only among court members and royal families for educational purposes, but it soon made its way down the social ladder. Unlike Shintoism, Buddhism encouraged the increase in Japan's literacy in the form of literary works, art, and architecture, thereby evolving society to a whole new level. Buddhism also provided aorganized religion and a priesthood that Shintoism lacked, which would help society in many ways, including an intellectual and religious orientation. It was a new look at the world that the Japanese had never known, which increased their exploration of ideas and philosophies, encouraging a desire to learn and think deeply. Additionally, through Buddhism's encouragement of literature, Japanese history was increasingly recorded over time. Schools were established that helped new generations of Japanese society advance in the world, paving the way for new inventions and ideas. Although Buddhism has had many benefits in Japanese culture, none of this would have been possible without Shintoism. Shinto established the society and culture that formed the foundation, the basis on which Buddhism was built. Shintoism gave the Japanese the first traditions and beliefs that are still ingrained in the culture today. Shintoism also engendered a love and respect for nature that encouraged the exploration of nature and its natural environment. Unlike Buddhism, Shintoism originated in Japan. It was not introduced by any other country. Although the idea of ​​Shintoism is said to come from Chinese writings, the religion itself was still formed in Japan. Because early people could not explain their world scientifically, they came up with the idea of ​​a spirit in nature, a sacred deity. These were the “kami” or gods who dwelled in the natural world and influenced daily life. This was very similar to the training of the Greek gods and goddesses in order to explain the world and its functions. From this idea of ​​the Kami, the Japanese started many rituals that developed into religious traditions to attract the attention of the Kami and gain their goodwill, just as the Greeks offered sacrifices to the gods to gain their favor. Korean ideas and literature also helped develop the Shinto religion that was beginning to form. Shintoism was the only religion in Japan until the arrival of Buddhism in the 6th century. At one point, the emperor attempted to combine the two religions, hoping for unification, causing a blending of Buddhist and Shinto practices in modern Japanese culture today. Today, most people do not associate with either religion and are generally atheists. Yet their daily lives are filled with religious aspects on both sides due to Japan's history, marked by the mixing of traditions and practices of both religions. Buddhist belief can be expressed in a phrase like seeking enlightenment to achieve Nirvana through meditation, surrender or desire, and moral living. It specifically emphasizes the deferral of things in this world and the desires of the flesh to become enlightened and focus on the moral and intellectual. Buddhists used several methods to achieve enlightenment, one being meditation, which focuses on the mind and body relaxation. Buddha is not a name but a title meaning “lord” and “the awakened one” (Keown, 23). This term can also be used in reference to anyone who has achieved enlightenment and achieved Nirvana. Some say that Buddha lived from 566 to 486 BC and belonged to the Kshatriyas clan in India. According to legend, Buddha's mother, Maya, dreamed of a baby white elephant coming into her womb, which meant that her child would be an important or royal man. She went to her high-ranking parents to give birth to the child and the earth shook and she gave birth, the gods anointing Buddha with sacred showers. We tellthat when he came out of his mother, he immediately stood up and declared that this life would be his last rebirth (for Buddha was believed to have lived many lives). His name was Siddhartha Gautama, which means “he who achieved his goal” (Keown, 29). At age 29, Buddha left his wife and son to seek religious knowledge and truth. He claimed to have achieved enlightenment at age 35 and spent the rest of his life, instead of achieving Nirvana, teaching others the path to enlightenment, until his death at age 80. years. The story goes that he went through several layers of meditative trance before entering final Nirvana upon his death. Buddha's pursuit of religious knowledge is the basis of much of what Buddhists believe. Buddha, who had lived as a wealthy man for most of his youth, was exposed to the tragedies and sufferings of the world and therefore went in search of a solution to the world's problems. He went to learn from a teacher named Uddaka Ramaputta, who told him about a practice that allowed a person to enter "the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception." (Keown, 33) a state in which consciousness seemed to disappear; clarification. One night, while meditating, Buddha finally found the complete state of enlightenment he was seeking. He found the power to see the rebirths and deaths of all beings according to their good and bad deeds. He also remembered his past life and realized that his spiritual taints were gone. In Buddhist belief, there are six descendent realms of rebirth, as the list goes on: gods, humans, titans, ghosts, animals, and hell. Hell is the ultimate torture and the animal state is very close, but being reborn as a human is very difficult to obtain and very desirable for those who are close to death. The Realm of the Gods is the hardest to obtain, however. This realm is reserved for the pure, those who have achieved enlightenment. This realm is Nirvana, which is above the layer of gods, which contains lower and higher gods, is the realm of the Formless. To achieve Nirvana, one must find enlightenment, not only through good intentions, but also through good works. These works are weighed based on their merit, which is linked to the Karma of the universe and plays an important role in a person's rebirth. Additionally, there are four truths of existence in the Buddhist religion. First, the truth about suffering says that suffering is as much a part of life as human illness. Second, Ascension Truth says that human desire and desire fuels suffering. The next truth, that of cessation, explains that when the urge is removed, suffering ceases and Nirvana, which literally means “extinction” (Keown, 78), is achieved. The fourth and final truth is the Truth of the Path. This truth explains the transition to Nirvana. This “Middle Path” (Keown, 81) is the Eightfold Path which contains these eight paths: 1. Right Understanding. 2. Right resolution, 3. Right speech, 4. Right action, 5. Right livelihood, 6. Right effort, 7. Right mindfulness, 8. Right meditation. There are many sects of Buddhism. One of the best known is the Mahayana Buddhist sect. This sect views Buddha as a divine savior who should be worshiped for his gracious act of remaining on earth to lead the lost to light instead of achieving Nirvana. This is in stark contrast to orthodox Buddhists who see Buddha as a simple man who has achieved Nirvana and is a teacher to follow in order to achieve enlightenment. What's moreAdditionally sects focus on other ideas such as nationalism and meditation. Buddhism, in a sense, rejects the things of this world, including the desire for nature, seeing these desires of the flesh as an obstacle to the discovery of true reality; Nirvana. This is very similar to the Platonic view that this world is only a shadow of true reality. Shintoism, on the other hand, embraces the love of nature, even to the point of near-obsession with its beauty, as the only pure thing in life and as the path to finding peace of mind and truth about all life. They use the idea of ​​gods to explain the world around them, which is their true and pure reality, much like Aristotle, who considered the physical to be the only truth. The goal of Shintoists is to acquire our full state as human beings, to reach our full potential, by acquiring the aspects of the kami. To do this, we must connect to the spiritual realm of the kami through nature and religious practices. Shintoism is also known as ancestor worship. Along with the belief in the existence of spirits endowed with nature and ritual cleanliness, Shintoism glorifies royal family ancestors and clan heroes linked to family lineage. Shintoism has a benevolent sense for nature. They consider it the duty of humanity to protect the environment, to live in nature rather than using and destroying it for their own desires. This nurtured the Japanese love of gardens and other formal, naturalistic arts such as bonsai. These gardens, especially those surrounding the shrines, are an offering to the kami, a pure sacrifice to gain their favor and a means of contacting them. In Shintoism, trees are considered a means of contacting the gods, the portal to the spiritual world. In a way, this is where the Japanese practice of origami was born, which consisted of making beautiful paper figurines from the bark of felled trees, in order to receive forgiveness from the spirit of the tree and the kami. Shintoism also finds it necessary not only to find purification of the spirit through nature but purification of the body, performing a ritual similar to baptism to become pure of mind and body. Water, in Shintoism, is considered a source of life without which all life could not exist. Many shrines will have water sources with ladles to purify worshipers before entering the house of the kami or “Jinja” (Yamakage, 28). Other methods of purification include using a material called haraimono for a purification ritual, breaking away from impure spirits, and maintaining purity of thoughts. There is also a sense of superstition linked to Shintoism. Contact with the gods can help one have luck in the future. One must not only contact the gods, but also attract their attention in different ways. Many Shinto shrines have a chest in which a 5 yen coin (less than a cent in our currency) is placed which attracts the attention of the kami. After purification, the Shinto believer must participate in Harai, the “restoration of balance” (Yamakage, 108) which consists of paying for his past actions. To do this, one must receive the spiritual light of the kami, called celestial purification. there is also purification through words, called “oharai no kotoba” (Yamakage, 112). There are many other ways to perform Harai, including with earth and salt, sound and the use of objects shaped like human beings. Shintoism also holds that people are born good and therefore can restore that goodness using purification not only in this life but also in.