At 08:40 PM 12/13/98 -0600, Ed Thibedeau wrote:

>In the west we think of religion in the "spiritual" sense. We often see
>the word/term spirit/spiritual used in the Japanese martial arts. As has
>been said in this discussion there seems to be a connection to Buddhism,
>particularly Zen. Could it be that we westerners are putting too much
>religious emphasis on the "spiritual aspect, (in the true religious
>context)? Some sources indicate that the old samurai who practiced Zen
>were not really all that "religious". It perhaps was just an avenue to
>study culture and arts?

Be careful of the oft-repeated contention that Zen was widely practiced
among the samurai.  It was not.  The most common form of Buddhism among the
medieval and early modern samurai--as among the peasantry and townsmen of
the same periods--was Pure Land.  The form of Buddhism that most influenced
the bugei, was Mikkyo.

I think that Ed's right in calling attention to the fact that Japanese and
Western ideas of religion and spiritualism are different, but the
difference doesn't lie in the degree to which spiritual concerns are taken
seriously.  In the modern West we separate religion and spiritualism,
usually identifying the former as being connected with some deity.  In
Japan (at least in traditional Japan) no such separation was possible, and
Japanese religious ideas were not built as closely to a clearly articulated
deity as they are in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, nor do they usually
postulate a deity in need of continual attention and worship.  Japanese
religion has generally tended to take the existance of spirits and forces
around us for granted on a day-to-day basis.  Communion with divinities
("prayer," in the Western sense) is formalistic but casual most of the
time, with special ceremonies to be followed on particular occasions or
times of the year.  This makes most Japanese--traditional and modern--seem
very "unreligious" in Western eyes.  At the same time, there is no space,
in the traditional Japanese conception of things, for any form of
spiritualism outside the context of "religion."  Secular spiritualism is a
Western construct.  It can be applied, analytically, to Japanese
practices--the bugei, chanoyu, etc.--but no one in traditional Japan would
have thought to do so.

>I think the answer may lie with Shinto. Certainly Japanese Buddhism has
>been influenced by Shinto.

Actually the distinction between the two was meaningless until 1868, when
the Meiji gov't decreed a separation and began the construction of the
(artificial) state shinto cult.  Traditional Japanese religion was
combinative and location-centered.  The "theology" observed by the
inhabitants of a given area or village, or the staff and patrons of a
religious institution--irrespective of whether it was formally labeled a
Buddhist temple or a Shinto shrine--was an admixture of ideas that can be
analyzed as originating in shamanistic cults (what textbooks today label
"Shinto"), Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and other traditions.  No
premodern Japanese (except for some scholars) would have understood what
you meant even by the term "shinto," much less by the suggestion that there
were two (or more) competing--or even amalgamating--religions practiced in
Japan.  I the traditional Japanese religious world, "Shinto" and Buddhism
existed like the oil and vinegar in a pre-mixed salad dressing: you can
separate them if you really want to, but who would want to, and what would
you do with the separated parts anyway?

>In martial arts when we see the term spiritual does it really mean in
>the strict religious context?  As Karl Friday just said "... a path to
>the spiritual training."  The implication taken here by some  westerners
>is that martial art study will lead you to a religiously spiritual
>awakening.

From a Japanese perspective, it *is* a religious spiritual experience,
because "religion" in the Japanese context pretty much has to be defined as
"that which deals with spiritual concerns."  From a Western analytical
perspective--handy when you're trying to explain things to Baptists--it
need not be thought of as a religious experience per se--that is, as one
involving communion with any deity or deities.  The confusion here stems
from the application of analytical categories and constructs.  The modern
Western distinction between secular and religious spiritualism is perfectly
legitimate, and it can be used as a lens for examining Japanese practices.
But it's also a distinction that had no meaning in the minds of people in
traditional Japan.

In other words, it's perfectly correct to tell American parents that your
judo, karate, aikido or kenjutsu class isn't a religious exercise and
needn't conflict in any way with their personal religious beliefs.  But
it's not correct to think of premodern Japanese practicing martial art for
spiritual development as not being "religious."







Karl Friday
Dept. of History
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
ph. (706) 542-2537
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