Quote:
Originally Posted by Monastic555
The word Syncretism means a religious belief that combines two or more religions. This can be seen in Buddhism which syncretistically incorporates the Japanese religion of Shintoism. Shintoism is basically a religion of Animism--the worship of nature spirits. Animism is generally thought of as a primitive belief so it's amazing
that it endures til today in even Modern-day Japan.
Not only is it the worship of nature spirits but also the practice of Shamanism. In Shinto, the Shaman is a clairvoyant or trance medium who can communicate with different deities or disembodied spirits. Along with that is the Omikuji which is a form of fortune telling. To use it you don't need a Shaman because it's just a slip of paper you randomly choose from a box at a temple. Because of the sycretistic relationship between Buddhism and Shintoism the Omikuji is practiced by both religions.
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Please keep in mind that Buddhism is not just Japanese Buddhism.
However, having said that, Theravada Buddhism in Thailand (for example) also has many examples of animism, or as my Buddhist teacher says "cultural Buddhism not real Buddhism".
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...thank u for explaining what Syncretism is! 
