Shinto (the Way of the Gods)Aston, W. G. (William George)
Religion
Shinto (the Way of the Gods)
Aston, W. G. (William George)
Shinto
In later times there were many abuses and perversions of the _harahi_,
due mainly to Buddhist influence. The formula was much modified, and
is found in numerous versions. Some of these are wholly Buddhist,
such as the well-known "Rokkon shōjō" (may the six senses be pure),
so constantly in the mouths of pilgrims at this day. Others include
a prayer for purity of heart, which is an idea quite foreign to the
ancient Shinto. _Harahi-bako_ (_harahi_-boxes) were sold at Ise with
inscriptions half Buddhist and half Shinto. In imitation of a similar
Buddhist practice, these boxes contained a certificate that the
_harahi_ had been recited one thousand or ten thousand times for the
purchaser's benefit. Pieces of the _gohei_ wand used by the priests at
the Oho-harahi of the sixth and twelfth months were enclosed with these
certificates. Sometimes a small fragment of the old shrine, which was
broken up every twentieth year and a new one erected, was compressed
between two thin boards and called an _o-harahi_. Pilgrims received
these in return for their offerings. The devout could even purchase
them from hawkers, who went about the country (like the sellers of
indulgences in Luther's time) disposing of them for the benefit of the
shrine. This practice is now prohibited.[273]
The ideas associated with the _harahi_ ceremony also underwent a
change. Some writers speak of it as intended "to propitiate evil
deities." The _harahi_ sold by the priests of Ise were set up in the
_Kami-dana_, or domestic shrine, and worshipped as the _shintai_ of
the deity. They were supposed to be indestructible by fire or water,
to keep away robbers, to heal diseases, to make the old young, and to
protect against calamity of every kind.
In some later forms of the _harahi_ the purifying Gods are besought to
cleanse from evil, sin, and pollution. This marks a different attitude
from that of the Nakatomi no Oho-harahi, where they are merely a part
of the machinery of purification.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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