Weeping Demons and Shinto

               The category of clips I chose was the Weeping Demons video clips. I must admit, I chose it because of the name and was completely surprised by what I seen on the clips. That definitely was not what I was expecting. After viewing the clips, I was able to relate them to two of the three principals of the general characteristics of a life lived in reverence of Kami.
               Principal #1: to be grateful of the blessings of Kami and be diligent in the observance of the Shinto rites. From the conversation the demon had with the wanderer, one could learn from the demon's own experience to be grateful to mother nature and be conscious of human nature with the earth and with one another. The demon's story of his life as human expressed his remorse for abusing mother nature by pouring milk into the river and burying crops deep into the earth a bulldozer for his own benefit. He never imagined that another human would come along and turn his home into a radiation desert of demons and overgrown dandelions. (This also identifies with the Shinto ethic that sins can be based on human interactions with one another).
               Principal #2: to be helpful to others and in the world at large through deeds of service without thoughts of rewards. Although the demon did not actually provide a service for the wanderer, he used his own life experiences as an example of why he felt someone should be grateful of the earth outside of that desert. Early on, the demon tells the wanderer that he is a weaker demon and will be probably be eaten soon by a demon with 2 or 3 horns. This just lets me know he has nothing to lose from the conversation with this wanderer.
             These clips also seemed to identify with the idea that the human spirit remains forever and can inhabit various other worlds with Kami. The demon led the wanderer to the site of the weeping demons after explaining that those particular demons are condemned to a life of suffering and so they spend their time weeping from their painful horns. Although they pray to be dead, none of them have ever been killed.