Central to Shinto religion is purity, the understanding of good and evil. On the other hand, impurity according to Shinto is believed to be whatever thing that distances them from Kami and Musubi , which, according to them, are the creative and harmonizing power (Aston, 2015). As per Shinto beliefs, the things that bring impurities are sin and pollution, also known as tsumi . Shinto ethics are not founded on fixed laws or commandments that guides the behaviours of the believers but on how to live according to Kami’s will. Therefore Shinto believer will strive to animate according to the ways of Kami and to keep the connection with Kami pure. The general objective of Shinto morals is to uphold accord and cleanliness in all aspects of life. According to these ethics, virtue ranges from spiritual purity to ethical purity and having a clean and honest heart. According to Shinto religion, the things that make someone impure are the things that bother Kami, ideas that disrupt the worship of Kami, those things that interrupt the peace of the world, those things that interfere with the world’s nature, and finally things that disrupt the social order (Nelson, 2018).
In Shinto, ritual practice is the primary means of purification. There are several rituals in the Shinto that are performed to purify a person from their impurities. One of the rituals is Haraingushi , which is a cleansing wand and is made of the staff with white paper decorations or flax attached on one end. A priest waves the wand over the person, object, or place to be cleansed (Klien, 2016). Oharae is another Shinto purification ritual. It is also referred to as the “ceremony of great purification”. It is an exceptional ritual performed to take away sin and pollution from a multitude. Shubatsu is another cleansing ritual whereby salt is speckled on the ground, worshipers, or priest to purify it (Klien 2016).
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Although I am not a Shinto, I believe human beings are born pure. When people are born, they are all pure, and their world is beautiful, just like young babies. But over time, through nurture and the interaction with the corrupt society and people, humans begin to acquire corrupt morals. In my belief, no good can spring out of evil; therefore, if human beings are born evil, there would be no single trait of goodness in all human beings, and this proves that humans are born pure.
References
Aston, W. G. (2015). Shinto-The Ancient Religion of Japan . Read Books Ltd.
Klien, S. (2016). Shinto Ritual Practice in Miyagi Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Asian Ethnology , 75 (2).
Nelson, J. (2018). Shintoism. The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology , 1-12.
