RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Kiyohime, Vajrayana, Totem
Document Summary
Buddhism changed vastly as it traveled along the silk road. It was the only religion that managed to establish itself in china and japan. In japan, pure land buddhism is the most popular school of buddhism. Zoroastrianism calls it a result of free will. Evil is necessary - there to restore balance. Evil is fluid - idea of evil is changing. Evil is a result of god"s own limitation (non-monotheistic traditions) Religion has always tried to define, identify and explain evil. Buddhism: evil is a result of your inability to see. There is compassion for evil, because they are tortured by violence. Hinduism and shintoism have similar concepts of evil. While hindu gods often have flaws and evil is a result of their mistakes. There is nothing black and white in these traditions. Totem animals often became symbols of the devil. Shamanism: religious specialists mediating between the human and the spirit world.