An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism: The Essentials of Buddhist Spirituality (38 page)

countries: Bön in Tibet, Confucianism and Taoism in China, and

Shinto in Japan.

Buddhism and Shintoism have both permeated Japanese civiliza-

tion, and anyone who takes an interest in Buddhism in Japan must

also know something about
Shintō
, “the way of the Gods”. That this is

so is strongly and clearly confirmed by tradition, as the two following

quotations show:

This is the land of the Gods [Shintoism]. The people should

revere them. In my essence, I am the Buddha Vairochana. Let

my people understand this and take refuge in the Law of the

Buddhas.

The Sun-Goddess Amaterasu

to the Emperor Shōmu in 742 A.D.

There is nothing but the difference between the trough and the

crest of a wave between what we call Gods [Shintoism] and

what we call Buddhas.

Hakuin
(1683-1768)

While the two religious traditions remain distinct, there have been

occasions where a Shintoist divinity could be assimilated to a Bodhi-

sattva, since the essence of each was identical.

We have taken the following schematic outline of Shinto mythol-

ogy from
Treasures of Buddhism
by Frithjof Schuon (section on Shinto,

pp. 183-199). Here and there analogies are made with elements from

Hindu metaphysics and cosmology which, as is so often the case, can

serve as useful points of reference.

130

An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism

Schematic Summary of Shinto Mythology and Cosmology

For an explanation of

the terms immediately

below, see pp. 48, 50-51.

Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami

“BEYOND-BEING”

(“Divine Lord of the Center of the Heavens”)

(SUPRA-PERSONAL

Ame-no-Tokotachi-no-Misoko

GOD OR DIVINE

(“The Majestic One who stands on

ESSENCE)

the Floor of the Sky”)

Kuni-Tokotachi-no-Mikoto

“BEING”

(“Eternal Divine Earthly Being”,

(PERSONAL GOD)

“He who eternal y stands above the world”)

Tsuchi-Tokotachi-no-Misoko

(“The Majestic One who stands on the Floor of the Earth”)

Izanagi
(male)
Izanami
(female)

essence & substance

Takamimusubi-no-Kami
Kamumimusubi-no-Kami

(“Majestic Producer”)

(“Divine Producer”)

Amaterasu Ōmi-Kami

“EXISTENCE”

(Solar Goddess: “Great Divinity of the Shining Sky”) (
SAMSĀRA
)

Ohiru-Memuchi-no-Kami

(“She who possesses the Great Sun”)

Hiruko

(Solar God: “Great Sun”)

Jimmu Tennō
(founded Japanese Empire in 600 B.C.)

Shinto: Buddhism’s Partner in Japan

131

Alternative Schema

Ame-no-Minakanushi

(“Master of the Majestic Center of Heaven”)
Daigenshin

Kuni-Tokotachi-no-Mikoto
(“Great Divine Origin”) (“Eternal Divine Earthly Being”)

Takamimusubi
[
Izanagi
]

Kamumimusubi
[
Izanami
]

(“Majestic Producer”)

(“Divine Producer”)

Amaterasu

“The Three Noble Children of Izanagi”

In terms of Hindu cosmology:

Amaterasu Ōmi-Kami

sattva

(gentle and loving;

(upward or luminous

reigns over the high celestial spheres)

tendency)

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto

rajas

(Divinity of the Moon;

(expansive or igneous

reigns over the Kingdom of Night)

tendency)

Susano-wo-no-Mikoto

tamas

(Divinity of the Tempest;

(downward or obscure

reigns over the sea and earth)

tendency)

Yet Another Cosmogonic Schema

Izanagi
(“the male who invites”)

Izanami
(“the female who invites”)

Amaterasu Ōmi-Kami

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto

Susano-wo-no-Mikoto