The immensely moving poem below was written in 1932 and circulated anonymously. Only after it became popular in Britain following a reading of the poem for a fallen soldier in Northern Ireland was it discovered to have been written by … Read the rest
Category: Death (Page 5 of 7)
It’s coming up to that special summer time of Obon – Japan’s day of the dead. Or rather days.
Though the dates of the festival can vary from region to region, the spirits of family deceased are thought to come … Read the rest
On this, the third anniversary of the Tohoku disaster, I’d like to post this excerpt by Richard Lloyd Parry from a longer article he wrote for the London Review of Books. It draws attention to something that I’ve long … Read the rest
Today is the third anniversary of the Tohoku triple disaster involving an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, and in Japan a number of remembrance services are taking place. In Australia, Green Shinto follower, Graham Ranft, will be playing shakuhachi at … Read the rest
Alan Watts has been talking about ‘Man and Nature’ in the fortnightly podcasts issued under his name. Many of the points he makes relate to Shinto concepts. The integration of humans and nature in ‘Daishizen’. The way all human life … Read the rest
Now that the Gion Festival has come to an end, Kyoto is looking forward to Obon and the days of the dead in mid-August. The highlight of the festival is the Sending Off (Okuribi) of the spirits of the dead … Read the rest
Death is often cited as a prime reason why people turn to religion. The consolation of an afterlife is attractive to many, and fear of rotting or burning in hell haunts others.
Shinto is pretty relaxed about the afterlife because … Read the rest