What is Shinto? 6

お祭りには「神輿」を担いで皆でその範囲を練り歩きますが、その「神輿」の中に祀られるのは、その地の「氏神さま」のご神体と言われるものですがそれは各神社によって異なっていて中には「石」や「木片」「紙片」も有りますが通常は「鏡」がそれになります。

「鏡」は太陽を表すので「光輝く物」としてそこに祀られますが、自分自身が写るのでそれを見て己の反省すべき点を自ら顧みて暮らしなさい、という示唆を与えてもいます。

また、「鏡＝かがみ」は「か」と「み」の間＝「かみ」の間に「が＝我」が入りますね、　つまり「が＝我」を除けば「神」の想いに近づけるのだから「利他」の精神で日々を過ごしていきなさい！とも諭しているのがこの「鏡」なのです。

During festivals, everyone carries a mikoshi (portable shrine) and parades around the area, and inside the mikoshi is enshrined what is said to be the sacred object of the local tutelary deity; this varies from shrine to shrine and can be a stone, piece of wood or piece of paper, but usually it is a mirror.

The mirror represents the sun, so it is enshrined there as a shining object, but since you can see your own reflection in it, it also suggests that you should look at it and reflect on what you should reflect on.

Also, in "mirror = kagami," "ga = me" goes between "ka" and "mi" = "kami," so the "kagami" also advises us that if we remove "ga = me," we can get closer to the thoughts of the gods, so we should live our lives with a spirit of altruism!

通常はご祭神が本殿の祭壇に祀られますが、それは単純に「ご祭神」の霊だけであって

飾られているのは鏡なのです。全てではありませんが、ほとんどの神社はこの様になっています。お祀りされているのは「神の魂」です。目には見えないのです。この神輿が氏神さまの範囲地域全てを巡りまわるようにして氏子のそれぞれの平安な暮らしをお守りくださいますことに皆でお礼と感謝の意を伝えるのです。このようにして「祭り」はとても大きな神事なのです。日本各地でそれはそれは見事な独自性豊かな祭りが挙行されています。

「神道」は数千年もの長い歴史の中で伝わってきたことなので言葉では言い表しようがありません。「神道」は宗教ではなくごく自然に育まれてきたSomething　Great　への「畏敬」と「感謝」の想いであります。

「宗教」という言葉ですが、これは和語ではないですね。漢字での造語です。Religionという英語を和訳した折に当初付けられたものですから昔には無い言葉です。それまでは「神道」は当たり前の極々自然な生き様のことで唯々神さまに「お礼」をして清く正しく潔く生きることを人の道としていて、そこに仏教やキリスト教などの宗旨、更に加えて特に鎌倉時代以降に夫々の家庭に先祖さまからの流れで浄土真宗・日蓮宗・真言宗・禅宗・・・など諸々の宗派が加わってきました。これらの「宗派」というのが所謂一般的に言われている「宗教」なのです。

Usually, the deity is enshrined on the altar of the main shrine, but it is simply the spirit of the deity, and the only decoration is a mirror. Not all shrines, but most shrines are like this. It is the soul of the deity that is enshrined. It is invisible to the eye. This portable shrine goes around the entire area of the ujigami, and everyone conveys their gratitude and thanks for protecting the peaceful lives of each of the parishioners. In this way, the "festival" is a very large religious event. There are wonderful and unique festivals held all over Japan.

"Shinto" is something that has been passed down over a long history of several thousand years, so it cannot be expressed in words. "Shinto" is not a religion, but a feeling of "reverence" and "gratitude" for Something Great that has been nurtured quite naturally.

The word "religion" is not a Japanese word, is it? It is a coined word made of kanji. It was originally added when translating the English word "religion" into Japanese, so it is a word that did not exist in the past. Until then, "Shinto" was a very natural way of life, and the way of man was to give thanks to the gods and live a pure, righteous and upright life. To this, sects such as Buddhism and Christianity were added, and especially after the Kamakura period, various sects such as Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren, Shingon, Zen, etc., which were passed down from ancestors in each household were added. These "sects" are what is commonly referred to as "religion."