9月下旬に父が亡くなった。3ヶ月程前から少し体調が悪いと言っていたが、それから早かった。亡くなってすぐの大きな喪失感は今は流石になくなったが、もっと◯◯しておけばよかった、とか、時たま後悔の気持ちは出てくるし、日々の生活のどこかで、寂しい気持ちも生まれてくるが、誰もが経験することなので前に進んでいくしかない。「いつまでもあると思うな親と金」。親がよく言っていた諺だが、ここぞという時にやはり実感するものである。
さて、今回のブログタイトルにも入れた「神道」。父の葬儀が神道の考えに基づいて執り行う神式葬儀だったので、神道とは何か？どういう死生観なのか？という事を備忘録のために少しだけ記しておきたいと思う。
神道とは何か？
渋谷申博「図解 眠れなくなるほど面白い神道」によれば、神道とは、古代から続く日本固有の信仰である。仏教やキリスト教などと異なり、開祖や教典がなく、日本各地で自然発生的に成立したものに外来信仰の要素が付け足されて作られてきたらしい。
なるほど、神道では唯一神の考え方は無く、八百万の神がいるとされ、山・川・海といった自然の神もいれば、国生みの神、物事を司る神など、たくさんの神がいる。
神社とお寺の違いについても言及があったが、神社は神様のための場所（神様の住まいとしての神殿）であるのに対して、お寺は人のための場所（悟りに達した仏、理想の菩薩を讃えるための堂塔）と言った整理がとても分かりやすかった。
ちなみに、神社は8万1000社以上、お寺は7万7000箇所あるらしい（参照元：ダイヤモンド・オンライン）。
神道の死生観
葬儀や五十日祭（仏教で言う四十九日）を行っていく中で改めて考えたのが「死生観」。これまで触れた映画や漫画等でもよく出てくる設定だったり考え方だったりありますが仏教・キリスト教・神道で整理すると次の通り。
仏教
大きく3つ。1つは浄土へ行く、2つめは成仏、そして3つめは輪廻転生。
キリスト教
カトリックの場合は死の直後、私審判（ししんぱん）によって裁かれ、天国なのか地獄なのか、はたまた、その中間の煉獄か、場所が決定するとされているらしい。
プロテスタントでは、人は生まれながらに罪を背負っていて、キリストを信じた者だけが天国へ行けるという考え方。信仰を持つ者は、死後は神の元で安らかに過ごせると捉えられているそうな。
神道
死後も祖先とともに家にとどまり、家族を守る氏神になると考えられているらしい。日本に生まれた人々は亡くなると祖先の神々の所へ帰っていくという死生観をあらわしており、生命が代々受け継がれていくと考えられてる。
今回、父をきっかけに、自分としてこれまであまり意識してこなかった「神道」を考えるきっかけになりました。もっと深掘りもしていきたいですが、一旦本日はこの辺で。
Title; Thinking about Shintoism after my father’s death
My father passed away in late September, about 3 months ago he told me he was feeling a little sick, but then it happened fast. The great sense of loss that I felt immediately after his death is gone now, but I still feel regret from time to time, like I should have done more ◯◯, and somewhere in my daily life, a feeling of sadness is born, but we all go through this, so we have to move forward. Don’t think it will always be there, parents and money. My parents used to say this to me, and it is something I realize when the time comes.
“Shinto” is included in the title of this blog. Since my father’s funeral was a Shinto funeral based on the Shinto beliefs, what is Shinto? What kind of view of life and death is it? I would like to write a little about it as a reminder.
What is Shinto?
According to a book written by a religious historian, Shinto is a faith unique to Japan that has continued since ancient times. Unlike Buddhism and Christianity, Shinto has no founder or scripture, and it seems to have been created by adding elements of foreign beliefs to those that arose spontaneously in various parts of Japan.
There are many gods (spirits), including the gods (spirits) of nature such as mountains, rivers, and oceans, as well as the gods (spirits) of national birth and the gods (spirits) who govern things.
He also mentioned the difference between shrines and temples. It was very easy to understand that shrines are places for gods (temples as the dwelling place of gods), while temples are places for people (stupas to honor enlightened Buddhas and ideal Bodhisattvas).
Incidentally, there are more than 81,000 shrines and 77,000 temples (reference source: Diamond Online).
Shinto View of Life and Death
As I conducted the funeral service and the 50-day festival (49 days in Buddhism), I thought again about the “view of life and death”. I knew about it partially from movies and cartoons that I have seen, but here is what I learned.
Buddhism
There are three major views of life and death: first, going to the Pure Land, second, ascend to nirvana, and third, reincarnation.
Christianity
Catholics apparently believe that immediately after death, one is judged by private judgment, which determines whether one is in heaven, hell, or somewhere in between, purgatory.
Protestants believe that people are born with sin and that only those who believe in Christ can go to heaven. I heard that it is taken that those who have faith will be at peace with God after death.
Shinto
It is said that Shintoists are believed to remain in their homes with their ancestors after death and become the guardian deities of their families. It represents the view of life and death that people born in Japan return to the gods of their ancestors when they die, and life is believed to be passed down from generation to generation.
This time, my father has given me an opportunity to think about “Shinto”, which I have not been very conscious of as a person. I would like to dig deeper, but I will leave it at that for now.
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