(a)

Nakamura took me to visit a Shinto priest he knew. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

In fact, the priest was a classmate of his elementary school.

When we visited him at the shrine, he was wearing a priest's black robe, standing in front of the altar and silently chanting prayers.

The priest told me that his family had been in the profession for more than 100 years, down from generation to generation.

It is said that there is an ancient shrine in Japan that has been worshipped for 100 generations, and its priests are all from four families. Priestly lineage is common.

Shinto priests don't seem to practice meditation, but are primarily responsible for maintaining the connection between Kami and people, and channeling Kami's power into people's lives through a series of intricate rituals.

The gender of the priests was not strictly restricted. They can also marry and have children, and live a life of no more than asceticism.

In order to perform every action in the ritual accurately and place each object correctly, the priests need to learn for up to 10 years.

Japanese people don't have to pray to the gods to satisfy their desires when they go to shrines, they seem to value maintaining some form of connection with the gods.

When they return from the shrine, they often do not carry some kind of promise from God about their personal lives, but only an embroidered bag containing a note representing the shrine.

Comparatively speaking, Chinese go to monasteries or Taoist temples to be much more pragmatic. They usually offer a little fruit, a little sesame oil, and then they ask the gods to give them a lot: glory and wealth, beautiful children, good health of the whole family, and so on.

The priest felt that this was a bit of a bribe to the gods, and that the human heart was greedy, and that a small gift was intended in exchange for an infinite return. The gods are not corrupt officials, so how can they be treated in such a way?

In some tradition-oriented homes in Japan, there may be a miniature shrine somewhere in the house, and there is usually only a small mirror inside.

At the beginning of each day, parents and family members stand in front of the shrine, clapping their hands at the rising sun to welcome the new day, and then make offerings to the shrine.

He showed us a set of sacrifices that were common during autumn sacrifices. It includes: water that symbolizes the purity and safety of life, salt that symbolizes the spice and harmony of life, rice that symbolizes health, and the light of candles and the color and taste of fruits.

The priest told us that, unlike Christianity, there is no concept of "original sin" in Shintoism, nor does it have the concept of hell. However, there is a concept of "uncleanness", which believes that sometimes some unclean factors affect the relationship between people and gods, thus causing unrest to people's body and mind.

After moving to a new home or buying a new car, many Japanese people ask a Shinto priest to perform a purification ceremony. The main action is the wave of a branch from the sacred tree, and a white banner symbolizing cleanliness hangs on it. Sometimes, sprinkling salt and bathing are also part of the cleansing ritual.

At some of the larger shrines, such as Tsubaki Grand Shrine, there are more than 200 vehicles waiting in line each weekend.

Nakamura told me that even though most Japanese people today are influenced by several religions at the same time, and there are many white-collar workers who believe in Christianity, Buddhism, and various new and strange religions, they still return to Shinto shrines and perform special ceremonies on some traditional festivals.

For example, the national sacrifice ceremony held on December 31; On New Year's Day, I went to the shrine to worship and welcome the arrival of the gods; For example, around November 15, people bring 5-year-old boys and 3-7-year-old girls to the shrine in traditional costumes to pray for God's protection.

These Shinto rituals, which are associated with various traditional festivals, may be more familiar to today's young people than Shinto teachings.

(b)

Later, I also read some books on the development of religion in Japan, as recommended by the priests.

Many researchers believe that the introduction and development of Shingon Buddhism in Japan led to the fusion of Buddhism and Shintoism.

In many Japanese villages, it is common to see the stone that symbolizes Kami living alongside a portrait of Nichiren Daishi of Buddhism.

When asked, many people will answer that Kami is a Buddhist god.

Shintoism was separated from Buddhism and rose to the status of a state religion from Emperor Meiji.

Since then, Shinto has grown to become the spiritual cornerstone of the nation. Shinto became inseparable from the power of the regime, and the power of the priests began to be replaced by government officials.

Later, Shinto was used to promote militarism. The trauma of war, and Shintoism was somewhat associated with it, which is one of the reasons why it gradually failed to attract a new generation after the war.

However, Shintoism, as an ancient indigenous religion, is deeply integrated into the lives of Japanese people.

I once heard a story that was very representative of the extent to which this spiritual power penetrated.

In 1970, when Japan launched its first satellite, all the scientists involved in the launch went to a shrine near Tokyo to pray for the success of the launch.

The development of science has not eliminated the influence of ancient religions on people's spiritual and social life.

Every New Year, there is an endless stream of people who go to the shrine to express their wish to purify their hearts and minds, including university professors and famous scientists.

This kind of vision shows that economic development, advanced science and technology, and affluent life cannot solve all the problems of human life.

We always need something else to soothe our anxious and confused minds.

(c)

On that day, I asked him if the teachings of Shinto could explain why life came into being and what happens after death.

He told me something, but after all, he didn't know a very clear explanation. Even the detailed staged description of the process of death is far inferior to the book on bardo liberation that we read in Bossan.

I feel that this religion still has a very vague understanding of the ins and outs of life and death and the process of transformation, and it cannot satisfy my long-standing desire for solution.

However, I really like the idea that everything is sacred, that everything is spiritual, that it can be in harmony with our bodies and minds, and that it is connected to our destiny in flesh and blood.

It reminds me of what you taught back then, the sense of oneness with all things.

I feel inexplicably close to this.

Later, when I came across a Shinto shrine, I would go in with the crowd to pay homage to my hands and heart in the Hand Purification Pool, wash away the dirt of the world, and experience the solemnity of all things being one with me. However, I feel that although it is enlightening to life, it has not yet solved the fundamental problems of life.

My quest doesn't stop there.