The main religions that are practiced by the Japanese are Buddhism and Shintoism.
Buddhism originated from India and eventually found its way to Japan in the 6th century. Buddhism revolves around the cultivation of good deeds, purifying of one’s heart and being at ease with the world. Buddhism believes in karma and thus by doing the above, as explained by the prolific Buddha himself, would help one to break the cycle of suffering.
A traditional Buddhist temple, Todaiji Temple. Located in the city of Nara, Japan.
The oldest temple in Tokyo, the Asakusa Temple. The temple's trademark is the giant lantern that hangs from the great gates leading to the temple.
Source: http://www.nnanime.com/events/0110japanpics/0367-Asakusa.jpg
A traditional Buddhist temple, Todaiji Temple. Located in the city of Nara, Japan.
Source: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/images/nara/todaiji/resized/hall-cc-sofafort-c.jpg
Shintoism on the other hand is the indigenous religion of the Japanese. Unlike in Buddhism, there are no sutras or single object of worship; Shintoism is centralized on the reverence of the multi gods that are believed to govern the equilibrium the world. These gods are believed to take on different forms, from tangible forms like prominent rocks to intangible forms like the elements of nature.
The Toyokuni Shrine located in the old Japanese capital of Kyoto.
The famous shrine gates of the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima, Japan.
The value system of the Japanese revolves around the values of loyalty, being group oriented and harmonious, and being polite and respectful. The Japanese believe that the harmony of the group would increase cohesiveness of the group, thus they make effort to maintain the status quo. Also, Japanese believe in being polite and respectful to other individuals, thus the many honorifics that are used by Japanese to acknowledge their elders or peers.
The Japanese also adopted a way to not hurt another person's feelings by putting on the façade called “Tatemae" whilst hiding their true opinions, the "Honne".
Let's watch them in action.
As seen in the video, Japanese would silent their true feelings give opinions that are not what they truly mean. This is devised in a way to avoid hurting or sounding offensive to the other individual, a way of being polite when conversing with other individuals. In other contexts, it is also a way to maintain the group harmony by keeping the status quo.
The Japanese also adopted a way to not hurt another person's feelings by putting on the façade called “Tatemae" whilst hiding their true opinions, the "Honne".
Let's watch them in action.
As seen in the video, Japanese would silent their true feelings give opinions that are not what they truly mean. This is devised in a way to avoid hurting or sounding offensive to the other individual, a way of being polite when conversing with other individuals. In other contexts, it is also a way to maintain the group harmony by keeping the status quo.
With that said, the value system of the Japanese is also strongly affected by their religions, be it Buddhism or Shintoism. The religions generally promote the common principle of being at harmony and peace with nature, as well as not harming nature as much as possible. Thus Japanese are even fine with sharing hot springs with monkeys.
A Japanese Macaque enjoying the hot spring on a cold winter day
Source: http://www.nickspics.net/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37230&g2_serialNumber=2
Reference:
Japan Buddhism. Retrieved on 7th December 2010, from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2055.html
The Principles of Buddhism. Retrieved on 7th December 2010, from http://www.japanese-buddhism.com/principles-of-buddhism.html#axzz17QOy7uN5
Shintaku (2010) Shinto: The Indigenous Religion of Japan. Retrieved from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art19100.asp
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