Shinto is mostly practiced in Japan and is widely associated with its belief of the spirituality of all things, or Kami.
The essence of Shinto is the Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called kami, to shrines, and to various rituals… Shinto is not a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami… it is also an unofficial national religion with shrines that draw visitors from across the country. Because ritualrather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people don’t usually think of Shinto specifically as a religion – it’s simply an aspect of Japanese life.
Fast Facts:
- Shinto has no known founder or single sacred scripture.
- Shinto is wholly devoted to life in this world and emphasises man’s essential goodness.
Read more at BBC.
Learn more about spirituality and explore the world’s religions on explore.org’s Spirituality Channel.
(Photo by 清水寺 by Vincent Chen on Flickr.)
Trackbacks for this post