World Religions

are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans, and some ancestors became Kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of Kami in life. Traditionally great or charismatic leaders like the Emperor could be kami. In Shinto, Kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, good and evil characteristi cs. They are manifestatio ns of Musubi the interconnect and life of people are worthy of respect. An individual must revere the basic human rights of everyone (regardless of race, nationality, and other distinctions) as well as his own. The concept of original sin is not found in Shintō. On the contrary, man is considered to have a primarily divine nature. http:// www.britannic a.com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 540856/ Shinto/8493/ Nature-of- man-and- other-beliefs The things which make us impure are tsumi - pollution or sin. Purity is so important in Shinto Shinto does not accept that human beings are born bad or impure; in fact Shinto states that humans are born pure, and sharing in the divine soul. Badness, impurity or sin are things that come later in life, and that can usually be got rid of by simple cleansing or purifying rituals. http:// www.bbc.co. uk/religion/ Some kami are more powerful than others. Some are even deified. But all kami must be honored. People who die violently, lead unhappy lives, or have no family to care for their kami become hungry ghosts, causing trouble for the living. http:// people.opp osingviews. com/shinto- salvation- 3538.html legends, it is often claimed that the dead go to a place called yomi ( 黄泉 ), a gloomy underground realm with a river separating the living from the dead mentioned in the legend of Izanami and Izanagi. This yomi is very close to the Greek Hades; however, later myths include notions of resurrection and even Elysium- like descriptions such as in the legend of Okuninushi and Susanoo. Shinto tends to hold negative views on death and corpses as a source of pollution called kegare. However, death is also viewed as a path towards apotheosis in washing, bathing) or with the priest's wand. Other common rituals include the formal reading of prayers from ancient collections, and making food and drink offerings to the kami (which is later shared in a communal meal). Again, these are done by priests. Other Shinto rituals are performed during smaller, more local or even private festivals. These mark stages of life, such as births, rites of passage in the early years of a child's life, marriages, and funerals. Finally, there are common rituals performed by individuals when they visit shrines - ritual washing, making offerings, clapping hands, and bowing. Important to remember here is that all these rituals are designed for communication with the gods, or kami. Sometimes that communication is one- way (from the human to the kami) in which people express thanks, make requests and offer praise to the kami. At other times, that communication is two- way (from human to kami mythologies, Japanese history, agricultural traditions and more. Between these happenings, a number of important rituals are performed. About a month before the New Year, at the beginning of December, people traditionally put up a Kadomatsu - "entrance pine" - at their home. A combination of standing bamboo and pine branches, the Kadomatsu acts as a point of welcome for the Kami whose goodwill and blessings are being invoked. Nowadays in the cities, the entrance pine usually goes up the last week of December on either side of the doorways to houses, hotels, offices, bars and even bath houses. The shortening of the New Year celebration has been forced on modern people by the pressures of business life. Companies begin around the end of the first week with staff

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