GOD is my DOG
Monday, 10 September 2012
god of Japan exist to follow buddha
From the time of the dynasty more than a thousand years ago、the Japanese did not seem to make a clear distinction between Buddhist Buddhas and ancient Japanese gods.
People believed the two are one.
However、after the Meiji Restoration in 1868、the two were strictly separated as a national policy.
And the Japanese gods called "Shinto(u)・神道" became the only state religion、and Buddhism was suppressed.
※Ten'nō (天皇) is a descendant of a Japanese god.
And Ten'nō is the origin of all Japanese people.
Maybe this way of thinking.
※I think this is a naive and natural way of thinking、but is it a Confucian way of thinking？
Ambiguous Japan's me (idiom in a way in Japan・lol).2023032107:49 (japan time).
・・・・・・・・
Forty years before the discovery of gold、in 708 AD、copper was discovered near present-day Tokyo.
"Thanks to (our) Gods for this discovery."
At that time、all the nobles said so.
The presence of Buddha was not there yet.
But something happened in 737 AD that changed the tide.
That year、a smallpox epidemic broke out、and many influential nobles died by it.
"We prayed to Gods but they did nothing."
Their dissatisfaction with Gods was openly expressed.
And the "God" in the text in this case was written as "our Gods and Buddhas."
Even so、accent of ”God” was still their Gods maybe.
・・・・・・・・
In 740 AD、a great rebellion broke out in Kyushu (九州・the island where I live now・lol/2023032108:19/japan time))、 western Japan.
The nobles prayed to the gods、who were said to have great powers、to suppress the rebellion (although it is late、there is more than one god in Japan).
At the same time、Buddha statues were erected in various parts of Japan to pray for victory.
At last、did the two "God" positions line up around here？
※Common name "Eight million gods". 八百万神 yaorozu-no-kami
The idea that there is a god in everything.※
・・・・・・・・
After the suppression of this rebellion.
"Thank Gods for this victory."
There was such a perception among the nobility、and they offered thanksgiving to their gods.
But it was Buddhist scriptures.
And then they started building Buddhist pagodas where they worshiped their gods.
With gratitude、of course.
The beginning of syncretization of Shinto and Buddhism？
・・・・・・・・・
In 749 AD、gold is discovered in Japan.
At that time、Japan was making a huge Buddha statue called "Daibutsu" as a national project.
Therefore、a large amount of gold was required.
But Japan (their territory) didn't have it、and until then it was (presumably) dependent on imports from China for gold.
"Thanks to Buddha gold was found"
"I am a servant of the Buddha."
The emperor (Ten'nō) at the time、a devout Buddhist、expressed his joy in this way.
"Japanese gods exist to follow Buddha"
That thought had spread in earnest from this time.
※According to my memory、this song is long from here in this live. 2023032108:51 (japan time).
※Roughly expression.
Japanese gods is "kami/shin 神".
Buddhist gods is "hotoke/butu 仏"
GOD is "kami/shin 神"
and this is just a topic here.
GOD is my DOG.※
ウルトラマン
※そうそう、in the dispute between Tokuichi san and Saicho san、 Saicho san may have already taken a commitment as the official view of Nara Buddhism (lol). 2023032108:57 (japan time).
