Evaluation
1)Define Amaterasu Ōmikami
Amaterasu, in full Amaterasu Ōmikami, (Japanese: “Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven”), the celestial sun goddess from whom the Japanese imperial family claims descent, and an important Shintō deity.
2)Define Tsumi
Tsumi (罪) is a Japanese word that indicates the violation of legal, social or religious rules. It is most often used in the religious and moral sense. Originally, the word indicated a divine punishment due to the violation of a divine taboo through evil deeds, defilement (kegare) or disasters.
3)Define Kami
Shintoism is centered on the idea of invisible spiritual beings and powers called Kami.
Kami are not God or gods. Kami are a part of nature and possess both positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. Kami are in no way perfect. They are manifestations of Musubi, the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards.Shintoism is centered on the idea of invisible spiritual beings and powers called Kami. Kami are not God or gods. Kami are a part of nature and possess both positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. Kami are in no way perfect. They are manifestations of Musubi, the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards.
4)How does the word indigenous apply to Shintoism?
Shintoism is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the people of Japan. Although it is very popular in Japan it is rare to see it practiced in other countries.
5)Why are there no moral absolutes in Shintoism?
In Shintoism there are no moral absolutes. There cannot be moral absolutes because the Kami are not perfect and neither are humans. We all make mistakes. Our goal as humans should be to make the right choice in each situation that we find ourselves in.
6)In Confucianism why is the pursuit of knowledge important?
He believed the pursuit of knowledge is very important because knowledge gives us the tools to be virtuous and ethical people. His idea was that all your knowledge of the past, particularly of politics and the relations between commoners and nobility, should be applied to current problems. This would lead to greater understanding.
7)What is Confucius’ version of the Golden Rule?
We know the Golden Rule as “treat others as you would like to be treated”. However, Confucius first stated it as "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself".
8)What does ascetic mean?
Characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
9)Name the 3 types of violence Jains avoid. (3 marks)
They want to avoid violence in all forms, including physical violence, mental violence and verbal violence.
10)In Jainism what is the meaning of a swastika?
The swastika is a Jain symbol. The word swastika came from the Sanskrit wordsvastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote luck or well-being.
11)In Jainism what is ahimsa?
Ahimsa is the most important principle in Jainism. Ahimsa means non-violence.
It becomes a way of life for Jain followers. They work to protect every soul from harm. They want to avoid violence in all forms, including physical violence, mental violence and verbal violence.
12)In Taoism what is Wu Wei?
The most important thing about the Tao is how it works in the world, and how human beings relate to it. The method of following the Tao is called Wu Wei. Wu Wei is the act of not doing or non-action (doing the natural thing).
13)What does the concept ying yang represent?
In the Western world we are familiar with the black and white ying yang symbol. The meaning behind this symbol is important in Taoism. The symbol represents natural and complementary forces that depend on one another and do not make sense on their own. The forces are opposites but fit together perfectly and work in harmony.
14)What does the Tao mean?
Taoism is about the Tao. This is usually translated as The Way. The Tao is the ultimate creative principle of the universe. All things are unified and connected in the Tao. The Tao is not a god and is not worshiped. There are however many gods and goddesses that are worshiped in Taoism. These gods are often borrowed from other religions and must be in harmony with the Tao.
