Tamashii - spirit - Important cultural influence on Japanese Buddhism

 "Tamashii" means soul or spirit for both people and inanimate objects. This is a cross-over from the native Japanese religion of Shintoism to Buddhism. This spirit world is often recognised in holidays and festivals in Japan, such as the "obon" festival where people return to their hometowns to welcome the souls of deceased ancestors. The spirit world in Japan has a long history with many and varied beliefs.

The big difference between Japanese and Western cultures, is the tradition of seeing objects as having a soul or spirit. This is called "animism." There is a traditional appreciation that all things are derived from nature and by attaching a soul to the object, it shows a sense of gratitude to nature. Respecting and caring for objects out of respect for the "gods" that exist in that object. This is not necessarily present in modern day capitalist Japan, but it was certainly prevalent in traditional Edo Japan.

How does this relate to HBS?

This cultural tradition has transferred through to Buddhism as well. Most schools of Buddhism in Japan will respect and care for their statues of the Buddha or various deities with much care and respect, believing the statue is a living object with a spirit. In HBS we take the same approach with our various statues of saint Nichiren. This is why in Winter; you will see the statue of Nichiren with his winter covering. Although this may seem odd to many, it shows respect and care for the founder of the religion.

Besides the statue, the Gohonzon, our main object of worship; is considered a living, breathing object. We revere this scroll as incredibly precious because we direct our chanting towards it. 



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