Changes

===The Samurai Belief System===

Of the three major religious and philosophical traditions that comprised the samurai belief system and influenced the code of bushido, Shinto was the oldest. Shintoism is essentially the ancient, native religious traditions of Japan practiced in a highly ritualistic setting. The Shinto pantheon was full of many gods and goddesses who lived in the forests, mountains, bodies of water, and even the air, but interestingly, none of these deities were considered omnipotent. The powers of the deities of the Shinto pantheon could only be harnessed by priests who knew the proper incantations and rituals. The rituals were so sometimes so esoteric that the meanings of the words in many of the incantations have long since been forgotten, but the perceived power of the act remains. Shinto priests perform their arcane rituals before important life events, which in medieval Japan would include battles. <ref> Aoki, Michiko Y. <i>Ancient Myths and Early History of Japan: A Cultural Foundation.</i> (New York: Exposition Press, 1974), p. 125-27</ref> Ultimately, it was Shintoism that gave the samurai their strong belief in tradition and the will to fight for their homeland.

“Every one of them became king by means of past <i>karma</i> generated by having served five hundred Buddhas. . . From this passage know that all kings upon hearing the true <i>dharma</i> will accept it and have faith in it.” <ref> Eisai, p. 323</ref>

===Shinto, Confucianism, Zen, and Bushido===