My main philosophical influence is that of my faith. In Shinto, there is no concept of evil. It's not a matter of  naïveté, It's actually a deep insight. If we blame negative actions on evil, we make excuses for those actions. And by saying that "evil people do evil things" or the like, we absolve ourselves in our own consciences of any responsibility as a society or individuals for fixing the ills that are the roots of the negative actions. Nobody is born hating others. Nobody is born a thug. Nobody is born angry with the world. These are the symptoms of the disease that afflicts our modern society, and that disease is a lack of caring, a lack of kindness, a lack of mercy, a lack of listening to each other, a lack of deep love, a lack of reverence for the sacred force that is life... It is this diseased society which produces a violent and mentally ill people... The only cure for violence is peace. The only cure for a lack of caring is to show that you care. The only cure for hate is love. The only cure for fear is understanding. And so it goes.

While I haven't heard much about Shinto before reading this, I deeply agree with that sentiment.

i'd be more likely to agree, i don't think people are inherently evil.

seems to me that most of the evils we see in the world are a result of ignorance, bad strategies for meeting needs, or only possible because of the enablement of others (bad philosophy)

Yup.

That's why there is such a difference in modern philosophies between eastern and western. To illustrate:

A christian exorcist I used to know focused on banishing/killing/maiming malicious spiritual entities. A Minzoku Shinto healer would rather reason with it, find out what the root of the issue is, and alleviate the spirit's suffering. In the East, it is commonly understood that problems arise from the suffering we experience, not from the entity themselves. Someone who causes you to suffer is also suffering themselves and they are making you suffer in an attempt to feel better. The best way to stop them is to help them overcome their own troubles.

well i dont know anything about spiritual entities but in the context of just suffering people that would all make sense to me

Well Intangir, don't worry about it too much, it was just an example. You got the point so I'm satisfied with that.

Anoddhue, If I were to break down the concepts of Shinto to the most basic form; then it is simply reverence for the inherent divinity of natural and created phenomenon and a way of life which strives for sincerity of heart and harmony with mankind and nature. We see divinity everywhere where there is life or beauty. That's it in a nutshell...

We don't have a hell, we can ignore the wishes of the divine if we choose to without any sort of everlasting torment... and we don't proselytize because every living thing is already considered a Shintoist by the fact that they are alive... Whatever path you walk or however you see the world is simply your own path in the journey of life. We believe that every living thing, work of art, and natural occurrence contains the Kami nature. "Kami" means "divine essence", though many translators translate the term as "God(s)", this is incorrect. The Kami are just personifications of the divinity we see in our daily lives. Living things' souls and the Kami are made of the same stuff and our relationship is mutually beneficial and voluntary. There are only 3 Kami for whom it would be proper to call them Gods in the western sense of the concept, as all-powerful creators. They're the 3 Hitorigami. "Hitorigami" literally means "Singular Divinity". They're called this because they exist separately from our world and did not arise from nature or human actions. Some monotheistic sects of Shinto worship the oldest of these 3 as the only true deity and all others are regarded as helpers of this single deity. Most sects and schools are poly or pantheistic in nature and worship all of the innumerable Kami.

Shaman, I really don't know what to say to that last comment before my reply but in your first comment I agree for the most part with all except this:

"a lack of reverence for the sacred force that is life"

What exactly do you mean by that? What does, "sacred" mean to you? Why do you refer to life as a force? I'm not disagreeing, I just don't understand the idea you're trying to get across.

gareth where have you BEEN man
i miss you

i put your epic tower in the creative server

Haha, sorry, I've been really busy with stuff.

[ author=Hterag link=topic=2490.msg17202#msg17202 date=1364375749]
Shaman, I really don't know what to say to that last comment before my reply but in your first comment I agree for the most part with all except this:

"a lack of reverence for the sacred force that is life"

What exactly do you mean by that? What does, "sacred" mean to you? Why do you refer to life as a force? I'm not disagreeing, I just don't understand the idea you're trying to get across.
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While it's true that the word "force" can mean "coercing one to act", it can also just mean "that which causes action" or "a vague existence which causes occurrences". I probably should have used a different word.

Sarutahiko no OoKami is the lead Kami of the Earth. His Wife; Ame no Uzume no Mikoto is the Kami of the Dawn. One of their major shrines is Tsubaki OoKami Yashiro (Also called "Tsubaki Taisha"). A major teaching of this Shrine is Kanagara, a concept gifted to humans by our parents, the Kami. Kanagara is living in harmony with all of creation. Upon this singular principle, all Shinto Morality is based. Confucian and Buddhist teachings are often used as guides to obtain Kanagara.

Another teaching which is found in nearly all Shinto schools of thought (except the recent monotheistic faction) is that as children of the Kami, humans contain the same innate divinity. In fact, it's not uncommon for the souls of deceased local heroes to be revered and prayed to. This Kami nature is also found in all other life and created* things. Since Kami nature is sacred, and is found within all life and all created things; then by the virtue of this inner nature, all of them are seen as sacred. It is both the materialistic consumerist culture and a culture of violence which violate sacred life and the Kami nature. The trash islands in the sea are a grave disrespect for the myriad Kami who live there and it's killing the life there. It's cause is consumerism, buying many cheap things to throw them away when they break rather than making a mastercraft that lasts for 300 years. Our modern culture focusses on the "glory" of battle without regards for ethics. In Movies and TV and Music, Americans praise gangsters, soldiers, cops that bend rules, and the barbarism that is torture. People take pictures with dead deer, boars, Bears, and Fish as if there's something to be proud of in killing. I'm not against hunting, I do it myself; but I am for respect of the animal's Spirit. My SKS is named Iyomante after an Ainu ritual that thanks the Bear for its gifts to mankind in the form of meat and furs. And I always kill my hunted critters humanely and use as many parts as I can find a use for. I'm always sad to pull the trigger, but my family needs to eat. I've never understood why so many people hunt for sport. I've also never understood how so many otherwise good people can advocate for unneeded wars and for torture as a weapon in that war... It's unethical. Whatever happened to the warrior who was praised for a high moral character? He's been replaced by one who is praised only for volunteering to fight and who is obedient to a fault; following orders no matter the cost.

"The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter — it is the Art of Peace, the power of love." ~ Ueshiba Morihei, founder of the martial art Aikido, speaking in 1942 of his 'vision for peace' during WWII.

Sorry if this has been too long, I'm very passionate about this, and I see the world dying around me... and I think our ancestors must be crying to see the world they passed down to us to be in such a state with their hard work and gifts forgotten or taken for granted.

On the grounds of Kanagara and reverence for the Kami; I'm against trophy hunts, factory farms, pollution, cruelty, strife, murder, war, government, violent culture, consumerism, GMOs, theft, and anything else which promotes discord. I will not argue on issues that butthurt will be the only result of. Disharmony between people results in fighting and war. Disharmony with nature results in man-made disasters. For any reason you want, scientific reasoning for saving the world, or religion, or preference; it doesn't matter... We just need to revere life and take pains to protect it. If we don't, then that movie Soylent Green is our future.




*Things you create with your own hands can either already contain Kami nature by virtue of materials used, or it may be imparted by the creator if the item in question is a form of self expression, or it can be imparted by being the favorite of someone or used for 100 years... It's also possible for Kami to enter an empty item, and they favor bronze mirrors, swords, magatama beads, trees, large rocks, Sumo Wrestlers, etc... If the stay is temporary or sporadic, then the item is a Yorishiro, and if permanent, a Shintai. One Kami can enter many items at once, but they are not everywhere. To clarify, there are very many Kami spread around the world, and finding one is easy due to their number, but one kami isn't going to be everywhere at once. They can however, clone themselves via a process called "Bunrei". It occurs in the same way as cells which grow and divide and form 2 full cells of equal vitality to the original single cell.