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Category: tsumi kegare
Apr 25 2010
Shinto begins and ends with Purification
re: Tsumi and Kegare
Basic in Shinto is to purify yourself and your surroundings to order improve conditions for
yourself and your family. Harai/purification begins at home...we purify ourselves and our
surroundings to improve every aspect of our lives and our fate. Tsumi/ kegare,
dust, impurity and negativity all accumulate each day...to purify such things
thoroughly by cleaning is basic.
Harae refers to purification of an individual or group carried out by the Shinto Priest.
Many of the Japanese terms commonly used in Shinto have no English equivalents--- beyond the lack of literal translations true understanding is further challenged by differences in basic attitudes and ways of thinking inherent in any cultural matrix.
Basic of Shinto thinking is that impurities are acquired from our own action or the actions of others. These impurities then have an obscuring effect, however through the purifying straightening and invigorating power of ritual Oharae/purification we can remove these impurities tsumi and kegare and be restored to our original state of freshness and purity.
Harae is as completely natural as bathing before going to bed or washing our faces in the morning.
Usually tsumi refers to impurities caused by errors in relationships between individuals or between individuals and groups while kegare refers to ones own impurities.
In the Oharahi-no-kotoba the Amatsu Tsumi are errors committed by the Earthly Kami as they carried out their divine mission of creation following the blueprints provided by the Amatsu (heavenly) Kami. Kunitsu Kami refers to errors are committed by human beings.
Okaseru tsumi
In the Oharahi no Kotoba (Great Words of Purification) we can hear the words "Okaseru tsumi" repeated 4 times in the section dealing with lack of harmony arising from excess movement. impurity caused by imbalance and actions of certain Kami....when these difficulties are completely and repeatedly purified we can move towards solution.
Okaseru tsumi: means the illness that results from excess competitive spirit. Further implying that without purification impure deeds (and one's own impure actions) result in working against the logical sequence of creative/life-giving forces.
Okaseru/ Okasu = Okaseru tsumi means an impurity that penetrates to the hear/center of the structure and becomes like ones nature. This type of impurity can be passed through generations as Generational Kegare or Karma. Okasu tsumi means an unintentional/ accidental impurity that is much less serious but if uncorrected will penetrate deeper and become more serious Okaseru tsumi.
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