A Shinto Shrine around Tokyo
Japanese Spiritualism with Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism
Some schools of Japanese Buddhism believe that the Buddha never mentioned things or matters about the afterlife or human spirits or souls. But as the Buddha taught the way to get rid of a never-ending cycle of life and death or samsara, followers of the Buddha have taken pains to explain the content of the teaching of the Buddha.
The truth must be that the Buddha had already lived in the afterlife or the spirit world while living in this world as a result of his past hard spiritual training. Therefore, for him, this world and the afterlife must have no difference; living people are not different from their souls or spirits in the spirit world. So, the Buddha must have taught his teachings in a manner to make them effective and useful in both this world and the spirit world. The ultimate purpose of his teaching is to guide people to nirvana meaning a state of perfect quietude, freedom, highest happiness as well as the liberation from attachment and worldly suffering and the ending of samsara, the round of existence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana). It is meaningful both in this world and in the afterlife.
Apart from Buddhism, there is another major religion in Japan called Shinto or Shintoism whose origin could be traced far back from the era of the coming of Buddhism to Japan about 1,500 years ago and the establishment of the Japanese imperial court about 1,700 years ago, and probably back to the time when human beings first reached the Japanese archipelago, say, 38,000 years ago, or when the Jomon culture started about 13,000 years ago. Shinto is still alive, since tens of millions of the Japanese visit Shinto shrines as well as Buddhist temples especially through new year holidays to pray to deities, wishing their happiness.
However, there are no specific creeds and tenets in Shinto. The religion of the Japanese ethnic group is supported by respect of the Japanese to their ancestors, including gods of the Japanese mythology, and by love to the Japanese nature. But, there is one specific trait: Shinto priests or those performing Shinto religion should pray to spirits of their ancestors or various spirits in the nature. Without recognizing the afterlife or the spirit world, there can be no meaning of the Shinto religion. In other words, the only understandable element of Shinto is recognition of spirits and the spirit world.
In Japan, there have been some professionals or specialists, although they are not necessarily Shinto priests or Buddhist monks, who perform invoking of souls of dead men or any deities at request of customers. Their profession or art is thought to be rooted in the so-called shamanism in Japan that can be traced back to the era of the Jomon culture.
Far before Christianity was introduced into Japan, first in the middle of the 16th century and second in the late 19th century, the Japanese had been familiar with religions based on a kind of spiritualism.
In this context. for the Japanese to join the mainstream of religion in the world, all they have to do is to admit that nirvana of Buddhism is a kind of Heaven in Christianity and that there is the only one God and His Son Christ Jesus above any other deities.
The Japanese do not think that their believing in souls or spirits, or the afterlife or the spirit world in their own way is a religion that can be officially recognized in the world. Therefore, they often answer that they believe in no religions when they are asked what religion they believe in. But, their spiritual state associated with Japanese Buddhism or Shinto is equal to or higher than the level of that among ordinary Christians in the world.
But, Japanese Christians might realize that believing in the God and Christ Jesus as the supreme existence in the spirit world is better than living only with the Japanese spiritualism.
John 12, King James Version
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.