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HINDOO MYTHOLOGY. 23 
people are a kind of inferior deities, called Cama, who are represented as 
the rulers of the world and the destiny of mankind, and whose altars are 
zealously thronged with supplicants. 
The chief of the priesthood, Dadri, is also deemed to become a god after 
his death; hence the number of their gods increases from time to time. 
Pious men are after their decease adored as saints. 
The creation of the world had, according to the Sinto religion, its origin 
in a wandering chaos, which gave birth to the spirit of the universe, AZ 
(power). This Ki then created out of the chaos seven races of sensuous 
spirits. The first of these was Zensjo-Dai-Sin, the creator of Japan. From 
him emanated the succeeding spirits, who decreased in spirituality in the 
order in which they came forth. The people over which they ruled were 
of a semi-divine nature, but gradually degenerated, until they sank to the 
level of the present race of men. 
According to the views of the Japanese, the soul immediately after its 
separation from the body is cited before a tribunal where it is judged for 
its motives as wellas for its deeds. The just are then recompensed by an 
immediate admission into -the thirty-third or highest heaven, but the 
wicked are excluded, and condemned to wander about in space as a 
punishment for their sinful life upon earth. 
The duties to be performed by the pious are: to cultivate purity of 
thought and the practice of strict morality, symbolized by great purity of 
the body, to celebrate the days set aside for festivals and religious services 
in the temple, pilgrimage to the sacred place /se, and mortifications of the 
body. 
The temples, J/as, generally consist of two apartments, a large one for 
the accommodation of the priests and their attendants, and a small chapel 
for the idol. Their erection is required to be accomplished without injury 
to any of the laborers during the progress of the work. On pl. 5, jig. 11, 
we give a representation of one of these chapels, that of the Camz of Givon, 
in which the little building on the top, 1, is the mia of the two Cami; the 
building, 2, the mia of the two Jnarz (figs. 12 and 13); the building, 3, is 
the house for the priests; and the square to the right, 4, the place for 
music and dancing. gs. 14,15, 16, and 17, are the four Camznz, who 
are always represented as watch-dogs. 7g. 4 shows the interior of the 
temple of Miroc of Tuku-Kaisi, one of the four great gods of the Sinto 
religion. He is worshipped (particularly by merchants) as the god of 
riches, health, and happiness, and always represented very corpulent. 
The title of the high priest (pl. 6, jig. 6) is Vinait, who is second only 
to the great Dairi. All the priests of the second class (Zondas) are chosen 
by him. 
The Buddhist form of worship, which comes next to that of the Sinto, 
and is often called by the natives Luddsdo, has the greatest number of 
professors. The leading doctrines of this system are: that Am¢da, or 
O-mit-to, the creator and supreme ruler of the whole universe, is without 
beginning or end. He at one period came down upon earth, where he 
lived for a thousand years and became the redeemer of our fallen race. 
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