Buddhism: Path of Enlightenment in Japanese Society

Buddhism is one of the major religions in Japan and the fourth largest practiced belief in the world . Buddhism has had a huge impact on Japanese society , bringing with it an incredible cultural influence that is evident to this day in Japan.

Buddhism is the belief of relief from existential suffering caused by ignorance, greed, and impermanence . The continuous cycle of life and death of a human being is the result or repercussion of his own actions, that is, karma . The ultimate goal of Buddhism is enlightenment or Nirvana (the main ideology of the religion) and achieving liberation from the endless cycle of life and death, as well as ending suffering.

The starting point of Buddhism dates back to the 5th century BC. C. in Nepal. The religion was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Born a prince, he renounced his kingship to become a wanderer in life and sought the truth of human suffering and liberation from it. He tried various methods, including fasting and breath control. He found his answer in meditation and achieved “awakening”. Continuing to spread his teachings, he attained Nirvana after his death and became the Buddha freed from all earthly suffering.

Buddhism generally revolves around practices involving rituals, meditation and mindfulness , refuge and pilgrimage, self-control, and study of the teachings.

Despite its singular and identifiable beginning, the religion has expanded greatly with the appearance of Sutras and other recently written texts in the few centuries surrounding the death of the Buddha. These gave rise to different understandings and interpretations about the early life of the Buddha and his conception. Buddhism ultimately separated into three main classifications of schools: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana .

Theravada

This school, which means ” School of the Elders “, has been the anchor of Buddhism and the base from which the other schools have sprung. With more traditional teachings, it emphasizes the achievement of salvation for an individual as opposed to the faith of a group and emphasizes living a monastic life. They do not believe in many of the teachings of the other school, such as the Mahayana sutra of the Mahayana school. They seek freedom from earthly suffering and the circle of life and death.

Mahayana

Its meaning is “Great Vehicle” and in this school it is believed that salvation is open to all who follow the teachings of the Buddha and are not exclusive. In addition to the basic teachings of the Buddha’s scriptures, they adhere to the Mahayana sutras whose origins cannot be confirmed, but are considered by scholars to have been composed as early as the 1st century BC. Unlike the Theravada school whose goal is to become an Arhat or Arahant (one who has attained Nirvana), the Mahayana’s goal is the Bodhisattva, someone who is within reach of Nirvana but helps others to reach that point.

Vajrayana

It means “Diamond Vehicle” and is also known as esoteric Buddhism , where it is believed that enlightenment can be achieved in the current life. Along with Mahayana, they believe that religious faith can be shared by those who have already been enlightened to help, out of compassion, their brothers to attain enlightenment as well.

Spreading to its neighboring countries of India and China, Buddhism made its way east through Korea, finally reaching Japan in the 6th century AD. C

The principles of Mahayana Buddhism were introduced to Japan by Korea as one of its diplomatic missions, including gifts of religious texts and a Buddha image. The religion got off to a rocky start as conflicts arose with Japan’s main religion, Shintoism . Fortunately, they were able to overcome their differences and coexist peacefully with Buddhism growing to become one of the two major religions in Japan along with Shintoism .

For the seventh century AD. By C., temples had been built, monastic communities were growing, and craftsmen skilled in making Buddhist artifacts were increasing. Slowly but surely, the religion was spreading to the rest of the earth. Finally, in 592 AD. Buddhism took deep root in Japan with the help of Japan’s first empress, Empress Suiko , who was a devout believer. He actively promoted Buddhism, giving orders for the construction of temples and the creation of artifacts. Another major contributor was Prince Shotoku , Empress Suiko’s nephew, who commissioned the construction of temples, including the famous Shitenno-Ji (四天王寺) in Osaka and the World Heritage Site Horyu-Ji (法隆寺) in Nara.

Over time, the coexistence between Shintoism and Buddhism became more apparent with Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines being built side by side. Begun during the Nara period (710-794), there were even religious complexes consisting of both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines called Jingu-Ji (神宮寺 meaning Shrine-Temple) and the appearance of a Shinto artifact in a Buddhist temple or vice versa. . Unfortunately, many of these Jingu-Ji have been destroyed or artifacts removed by government order during the Meiji Restoration period (1868) in an attempt to abolish Buddhism .

In general, people practice Buddhism in Japan by visiting temples and holding Buddhist funerals. This is mixed with the Shinto religion, the indigenous religion of Japan. Many people can practice these Buddhist rituals culturally, so being in Japan, you will be able to see the cultural effects of Buddhism in everyday life.