Spirituality, which is more profound than reason

With the world situation becoming more and more chaotic, many people are wondering, “How should we live from now on?”

In the article “An Inquiry Into The Good,” I extracted the essence of Dr. Nishida’s philosophy as a possible guideline for life, but there is also much to be learned from the ancient Japanese Shinto philosophy.

Dr. Tsuneyo Kamoshida warned that “the rapid development of a glamorous material civilization destroys the human mind and, in turn, brings about a crisis for the survival of the human race,” and that the way to avoid the crisis is to “bring man’s spiritual capacity to a wisdom (=spirituality) beyond reason and give true meaning and purpose to life.

In addition to the title of this article, Dr. Kamoshida’s book “The World of the Unseen” mentions the reality of “Kami”, the existence of the macrocosm, and the nature and soul of human beings.

In this article, prior to the development of spirituality, I would like to first focus on the invisible world of “Kami” and then approach the “heart” of the Japanese people.

Kami

What is “Kami”?

Is there ”Kami” or is there not? The answer to this question has been debated throughout the ages, but it depends on what you consider to be “Kami”.

The distant ancestors of the Japanese marveled at the greatness of the life force of a reed sprouting in a spring field, and intuited the ethereal world behind it, which they called “Kami”.

In the original form of Japanese Shintoism, the laws of nature, such as those behind the breath of life, were called “Kami”, and even the mountains themselves, as nature, were worshipped as “Kami”. As a sanctuary, it has been avoided to defile it.

When we hear the word “Kami” or “God,” we may imagine a bearded, strong-looking man with a weapon, but that is a “God” created by human beings.

If someone says he or she really saw it, it might have been an alien.

Anyway, “God” that mankind has worshipped until today is a “God” created by human thoughts and longings, not “Kami” that actually exists in the universe. Dr. Kamoshida says, “I hope that we will not make this mistake, and that we will give more serious thought to the infinite dimensions of the unseen world of reality and the factual world of life.

The Place of “Kami”

“Kami” is in the divine world just as humans are in the human reality world.

A spiritual line hangs down from the divine world of different dimensions and connects to the shrines in the real world (unfortunately, there are some famous shrines where the spiritual line is broken). The shrine can be interpreted as the place where the receiver of the telephone that leads to the divine world is placed.

It seems that not everyone can easily talk to “Kami”, as those who have been given the qualification and ability to use the telephone can pick up the receiver and say, “Hello,” which is answered “May I help you?” in the divine realm.

The First “Kami”: Ameno-minakanusi-no-kami（天之御中主神）

In the Kojiki Jindai scroll compiled in 712, the first “Kami” is called by the divine name of “Ameno-minakanusi-no-kami”. The spirit of “Ameno-minakanusi-no-kami” is found in all the Kamis, people, and things in the universe, as far as the eye can see. At the same time, he reigns over the entire universe.

In other words, he is the Lord and Parent of all things in the universe.

The creative power of the first “Kami” became the two Musubi-no-kami, and the creative power of these great deities was finally embodied on earth for the first time in the “Izanagi” and “Izanami” deities.

Ubusuna-no-Kami （産土の神）

The most important deity in the lives of the Japanese people is the deity of the land of origin. Although traditionally called Ujigami or Chinju-no-Mori, the correct term is ”Ubusuna-no-kami.”

“Ubusuna-no-kami” is the lowest deity in the world of “Kami”, and the deity closest to human beings. Therefore, it has the most important relationship to our lives.

The deity of the land of origin is in charge of: 1. a person’s life span; 2. parent-child karma; 3. karma with brothers and sisters; 4. natural abilities; 5. the state of a person’s ancestors; 6. past lives; 7. economic life and social status acceptable in this life; 8. family register of the spirit; and 9. the karma of a married couple.

It is no exaggeration to say that the person is in control of all aspects of human destiny. Knowing this, one will naturally feel the urge to visit the shrine regularly.

Ryujin（竜神）

The term “Ryujin” was discussed in the article “The Mysteries of Ryujin,” but its nuance is different from that of “Kami”.

Within the unseen realm that surrounds the earth, the “Ryujin” realm is one of the worlds that is particularly important to humankind.

The “Ryujin” realm, which should be called the world of “Ryujin”, is a different dimension from the “Kami” realm, where the so-called “Kamis” live.

In the Ryujin realm, there are fire Ryujins and water Ryujins. The Fire Ryujins are found in famous volcanoes in Japan such as Mt. Fuji and Mt. Aso, while the Water Ryujins are found in the sea, inlets, harbors, ponds, swamps, and old wells, where they seem to be engaged in training for a thousand years.

Heart of Japanese

Modern trends

Since the Meiji Restoration in 19th century, the number of people who have abandoned the good qualities of Japan that have been cultivated since ancient times and imitated Western-style politics and educational methods has increased, resulting in a lack of humility, piety, and gratitude, which are most important in human social life.

They are people with the spirit of “only now, only money, only me,” as they often say.

The progress of mechanical civilization has also had a negative impact on people’s spirit. Even those who appear to be peaceful and happy on the surface are suffering from health problems and mental instability due to unnecessary stimulation and desire.

Dr. Kamoshida believes that the reason for this is “the imbalance between the mental and physical bodies due to the significant lagging behind of spiritual culture.”

Einstein said, “Science without religion is a cripple, and religion without science is blindness.”

Respect for “Kami” in New Year’s Events

Despite problems with postwar politics and education, not all of the ancient ideas and spiritual culture have disappeared. This has been preserved in the New Year’s events.

Since the distant past, there has been a belief in Japan that the “Kami” responsible for a bountiful harvest (Toshi-gami, Toyouke-no-Omikami) comes to each household once a year. The original meaning of the “Shogatsu” event is to express gratitude for the blessings of this “Kami” who governs the five grains and to welcome him.

Kadomatsu（門松）

”Kami” was believed to dwell in a pine tree, and an evergreen pine tree was displayed in the “Tokonoma” as a throne for him. However, pine trees gradually came to be decorated at the home entrance to symbolize the feeling of welcoming “Kami.”

Kagami-mochi（鏡餅）

Mochi is a symbol of the five grains. Two Kagami-mochi are piled on top of each other as an offering to symbolize pure gratitude to “Kami” of the year who provides us with a plenty of foods, and to bless the heaven and the earth.

The upper mochi represents heaven and the lower mochi represents earth. Therefore, the correct way to display them is to have the top and bottom mochi the same size.

The proper way is to display them in each room. Since low-class spirits gather in kitchens and bathrooms, offering mochi to them will make them happy.

Toso（屠蘇）

The drinking of Toso on the morning of New Year’s Day is an event to receive the divine spirit that has descended on the sacred Japanese sake and offerings, to renew the spirits, and to rejuvenate both body and soul.

After the festival, the form of the “Naorai（直会）” has been changed to include drinking the toso and eating zoni.

Otoshi-dama（お年玉）

Otoshi-dama was a mochi offered to “Kami” and filled with the divine spirit of the New Year’s “Kami”. It was a wish to be healthy and rejuvenated by receiving the mochi with the divine spirit.

Incidentally, the rounding of the mochi is said to symbolize the perfection of one’s mind.

This may seem absurd from a modern rationalistic point of view.

However, since ancient times, Japanese has formed a very high-dimensional view of the world and the cosmos, and has enjoyed a spiritually rich life in which the so-called real world and the invisible world are integrated without contradiction, and “Kami”, nature, and human beings are in harmony.

This way of life was to be practiced in daily life and never just thought about in the mind.

Spirituality（霊性）

Spirituality” is the workings of the mind that are deeper and more mysterious than reason. It is also called “wisdom.”

The world of wisdom has been sought after by saints and sages since ancient times, but very few of them have made it their own.

Spirituality is developed when one breaks the pole of reason from the inside. And there are many levels of spirituality. Above reason is wisdom, above wisdom is spiritual wisdom, and above that is the world of divine wisdom.

I am not sure yet, but I am sure that the environment today is more conducive to the development of spirituality than in the past, since reason is more easily nurtured due to the development of the knowledge system.

According to Dr. Kamoshida, “When the spiritual world of human beings is connected with the world of spirits, true wisdom is developed in human beings, and the divinity that is reserved for human beings germinates, wisdom for life springs forth, and happiness is brought to human beings.”

At the End

Depth psychology is the study of the human subconscious. From the depth psychology perspective, it is said that the core that forms the human personality is the spiritual realm, which cannot be reached by materialistic rationality.

In other words, the essence of the human being is not the body, but a mental or spiritual entity. It is not ”the mind follows the body,” but “the body follows the mind.”

If we do not devote ourselves to satisfying the desires of the body, but always follow the laws of creative life, our mind will always be bright and full of life, and we will become a person with a free and open mind who does not get hung up on things, like water.

Right judgment and creative ability come from a free mind. Freedom of mind comes from grasping the truth through wise intuition. As the bible says, “Truth is what truly sets man free.”

Dr. Kamoshida says, “The final purpose of man’s life on earth must be the journey of “self-discovery,” whose divinity is reserved for himself.” This is very similar to Dr. Nishida’s idea of “The good.”