Religion in Japan

There are two major religions in Japan. First one is Shinto which is as old as Japanese culture, and second one is Buddhism which is imported from the mainland in sixth century. Since then, two religions have been co-existing harmoniously and most of the Japanese consider themselves Buddhist or Shintoist or both.

Firstly, I want to mention about Shinto religion. Shinto means ''the way of the gods'' and it remains Japans' major religion alongside Buddhism. It does not have founder or sacred scripture. I think it is deeply rooted in Japanese people and their culture. In Shinto gods are called ''Kami'' and they are sacred spirits which can take form into wind, rain, mountain and so on. They believe when people die they will be Kami and they are revered by their families. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshirined at some shrines.

In Shinto, there are no absolutes and right or wrong, because they believe nobody is perfect. It is an optimistic faith. They believe people are fundemantally good and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Most Shinto ritiuals are done to keep away evil spirits. Today, people seek support from Stinto by praying at home or shrines to be safety, for good health, for success and so on.

Buddhism was imported Japan by China and Korea, however it did not spread among people since its complex theories. There were also a few initial conflics with Shinto, but soon they were able to co-exist.

There are a lot of forms of Buddhism, but the most common one is Zen. There are also Zen schools established in twelfth century named Rinzai and Soto. According to Zen, one can achieve self enlighenment with trough meditation and discipline. At present, Zen enjoy a greater popularity overseas than within Japan.