REFLECTIONS

Our Smiles Can Open Minds by Nichiko Niwano

The Benefits harmony to human relationships, help Nichiko Niwano is president of of Laughter us accept and overcome difficult reali- Rissho Kosei-kai and a president of ties, and make our thinking more gen- the World Conference of Religions When talking to other people, no mat- tle and flexible. for Peace. He also serves as special ter how passionately we speak, we can- In fact, Dr. Viktor Frankl (1905–77), advisor to Shinshuren (Federation not reach them if their minds are tightly who survived being sent to a concen- of New Religious Organizations closed. Someone once said that such a tration camp by the Nazis, suggested of Japan). mind is like “a bowl turned upside down.” to his fellow inmates that they tell each Nothing can get into an upside-down other one funny story every day to make formed themselves into a circle. Their bowl. So first the other person’s mind, each other laugh. It may have been this smiles broke their tension, relaxed their which is like that bowl, must be turned laughter that gave them the strength to muscles, and let them exercise their right side up. To make any heart-to- go on living. full potential. We should all follow the heart communication possible, both When people are faced with trou- example of Nadeshiko, as Japan’s wom- persons must open up about their inner- bles or hardships, humor and laughter en’s soccer team is known, developing most feelings. At such times, laughter are like a window letting in a beam of flexible strength, and go through life and humor often can play a large role. light. Humor loosens our heartstrings, with smiles on our faces. This is why, from long ago, many encourages us to relax, and gives rise Even if at first we do not feel like noted priests as well as men of letters to liberation. smiling, by making a conscious effort have taught us something important by to do so we will soon find that smiles including satirical or humorous anec- Smiles Show come naturally to us. And then, because dotes into their lectures and stories that Consideration the body and mind are closely interre- might otherwise be stiff and formal, lated, our mood will brighten and our making their listeners or readers chuckle Some people, however, are not adept at outlook become more positive. and thus turning the bowl of the mind taking the initiative in telling jokes or A smile carries with it the mes- right side up. making others laugh. sage “I’d like to be your friend,” and Jippensha Ikku (1765–1831), the As a matter of fact, I am one such helps build harmonious, warmhearted popular Edo period writer of the work person. I used to leave home every day relationships. known in English as Shank’s Mare, left with a frown on my face, so one day Furthermore, smiling is itself being us this comic verse as his dying words: my wife gave me this advice: “Before considerate: the “donation of smiling “Without further ado, I take leave of you leave, look in the mirror and try peacefully” is one form of practicing this world, so with the departure of the to smile.” Thanks to developing this compassion and a form of donation that incense smoke, farewell!” And the Zen good habit, I feel much less self-con- everyone can do, even without substan- master Ikkyu Sojun (1394–1481) com- scious about smiling in public and I tial financial resources. posed the following verse that humor- now have more rewarding relationships We should never forget to smile since ously expresses the truth of birth, old age, with other people. smiling is a source of kindness and con- illness, and death: “So we are born and so Mention of smiling reminds me sideration, and we should continue, we die. This is the same for Shakyamuni that I was impressed by a scene from cheerfully and joyfully, to be diligent and Daruma,* and for the cat and the last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in our practice. ≥ ladle, too.” Final in Frankfurt. When at last the final * Bodhidharma (known as Daruma in Laughter and humor open the play was at hand, all the members of Japanese) is credited as the transmitter of Chan hearts of hardened people, bring the Japanese team, their faces beaming, from India to China.

Dharma World July–September 2012 1 JuLY–SEPT. 2012 VOL. 39 The Signifi cance of Religious Communities

1 Our Smiles Can Open Minds Dharma World presents Buddhism by Nichiko Niwano as a practical living religion and 3 Why We Should Join promotes interreligious dialogue a Sangha for world peace. It espouses views that emphasize the dignity of life, by Yukimasa Hagiwara seeks to rediscover our inner nature 4 Communities of Life and bring our lives more in accord and Dialogue in the with it, and investigates causes of Catholic Church how religious principles help solve by Brendan Leahy problems in daily life and how the 8 least application of such principles in Japan by Samir Abdel Hamid Nouh around us. It seeks to demonstrate truths that are fundamental to all 14 Neve Shalom/Wahat religions, truths on which all people al-Salam: Community can act. by Abdessalam Najjar Publisher: Moriyasu Okabe Executive Director: 18 Jun’ichi Nakazawa by Peter Feldmeier Director: Kazumasa Murase Why the Sangha Exists, and Its Limits Editor: Kazumasa Osaka 22 Editorial Advisors: by Ryumyo Yamazaki Miriam Levering, Gene Reeves, 25 Harmony and Peace Yoshiaki Sanada, by Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez Michio T. Shinozaki Copy Editors: 28 William Feuillan, Gary Hoiby, by Gene Reeves DeAnna Satre, Catherine Szolga 34 Rissho Kosei-kai’s Second Step Forward

Katsuyuki Kikuchi, Ryuichi Kaneko, by Nikkyo Niwano Satoe Izawa 37 Kazuyo Okazaki by Stefan Grace Layout and Design: Abinitio Design Cover photos: PIXTA. Courtesy of the THE THREEFOLD LOTUS SUTRA: A MODERN COMMENTARY Focolare Movement and Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam. 44 Photoshop work by Abinitio Design.

Dharma World is published quarterly by Kosei Publishing Company, 2-7-1 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-8535. E-mail: [email protected]. Copyright © 2012 by Kosei Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Printed in Japan by Komiyama Printing Company. Change of Address: Please provide both old and new addresses. Six weeks’ advance notice is requested. Requests for permission to reprint all or part of any article in this issue must be made in writing to the editor of Dharma World. The Significance of Religious Communities

Why We Should Join a Sangha by Yukimasa Hagiwara

At present, Rissho Kosei-kai has sixty- sangha and the reasons people belong to Yukimasa Hagiwara is deputy director nine Dharma centers in twenty-one it are different depending on the culture. of Rissho Kosei-kai International in countries, and member families outside In South Asia, there is a strong Tokyo. Japan number more than fifteen thou- tendency for people who are already sand. Roughly speaking, these overseas Buddhists to join the Rissho Kosei-kai America. If Buddhism is characterized centers are distributed here and there in sangha, quite often followed in succes- by the Three Treasures—the Buddha, the East Asia, South Asia, North America, sion by other family members and rela- Dharma, and the Sangha—the question South America, and Europe. tives. The motive for joining appears to arises of how can such people, who do Particularly since around 1990, our be the appeal of serving others or recit- not belong to any organization but are organization’s sanghas have been rap- ing sutras, activities that in Theravada interested in the teachings and in sol- idly expanding through the efforts of Buddhism are reserved for monks. In itary practice, be encouraged to join the people in each country. In North East Asia, the main motive for joining a sangha? It may be that a new inter- America and Taiwan, there are now appears to be to solve personal problems, pretation is needed for an American- some ministers of Dharma centers who though another common motive seems style sangha. come from the centers’ local communi- to be the appeal of belonging to the warm The name “Rissho Kosei-kai” incor- ties. This is a sure sign that our teaching sangha. In the case of North America, porates the meaning “attaining buddha- has taken firm root in these areas, and where appreciation of Buddhism is said hood through personal exchanges.” I can this trend is expected to grow further. to be on the rise, the motive for join- understand the feelings of people who This active expansion offers us an ing is usually the individual’s interest would prefer to avoid the restraints and opportunity to think about some funda- in the teachings. Unlike the situation in problems that arise from being in an mental issues and ask ourselves, “What South Asia, in North America member- organization. However, human beings is Rissho Kosei-kai? What are its essen- ship in the sangha seldom extends to are creatures that have great difficulty tial elements?” Placed in the contexts of family members or relatives. In other in achieving self-knowledge on their different cultures and traditions, Rissho words, religious activity is at all events own. People grow and develop when Kosei-kai outside Japan may not share seen as individual behavior. they work hard to maintain respect for everything in common with its origi- In North America in particular, aside each other’s existence while making nal form in Japan. As Rissho Kosei-kai from the recognized Buddhist popu- the Dharma their light. Nothing can takes root abroad, the means it uses lation of three million, there are said replace a sangha for this kind of reli- according to circumstances (skillful to be an additional 2.5 million people gious training. means) necessarily change, while its who read Buddhist writings or med- Because our organization originated essential elements remain. For example, itate, often before going to bed, thus in Japan, I think it inherits a culture and our organization’s characteristics, such the nickname “nightstand Buddhists.” tradition of cooperation based on attain- as lay Buddhism and Buddhism in daily To communicate the teachings of the ing harmony (wa) in the sangha. We need life, are sometimes difficult for people Lotus Sutra and of Rissho Kosei-kai to to extend the kind of good friendship to understand in countries with a tra- such people, we have been developing that the sangha creates throughout the dition of Theravada Buddhism. On the through a process of trial and error lec- world. This kind of mutual feeling does other hand, it tends to be difficult for tures and other services made available not differ even between people of dif- people in the Americas and Europe to on the Internet. One of the issues we will ferent countries; it is like the security of understand ancestor veneration. need to address in future is the concept being family. I think it is a part of Rissho Likewise, the process of building the of the Sangha as it is understood in North Kosei-kai’s essential nature. ≥

Dharma World July–September 2012 3 ThE SIgNIFICaNCE OF RELIgIOuS COMMuNITIES

Communities of Life and Dialogue in the Catholic Church by Brendan Leahy

pen-picture of how Christians under- Although many people in our modern, secularized world stood their identity: have rejected religious ways of thinking or have lost touch with spiritual resources previously available in their religious To say it briefl y: what the soul is in traditions, they search for a deeper grounding for living and the body, that the Christians are in serving that only spiritual disciplines can provide. the world. Th e soul is spread through all the members of the body, and the Christians throughout the cit- Many look for a way to be happy in life. the church’s own self-understanding ies of the world. Th e soul dwells in And yet the “art of living” that brings and mission. the body, but is not part and par- that happiness can seem so elusive.1 As the largest and oldest church, cel of the body, so Christians dwell Chiara Luce Badano, a young girl who the Catholic Church has more than a in the world, but are not part and died just over twenty years ago and who billion members. Its central message is parcel of the world. Itself invisible, has been declared “blessed,”2 had learned the Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus the soul is kept shut up in the visi- in her short life that the art of living is Christ, who founded the church two ble body; so Christians are known an “art of loving.” Th is discovery was thousand years ago. Day by day, its mem- as such in the world, but their reli- communicated to her, certainly through bers strive to put the Gospel into prac- gion remains invisible.3 her good family and upbringing, but tice, living a twofold law—love of God more particularly through her mem- and love of neighbor, the synthesis of Th e rituals, structures, and prayers bership in one of the many new com- Jesus’ teaching. Th rough sacramental are not the primary distinctive char- munities that have come to life in recent rituals and prayers, they let themselves acteristics of the church. Rather, the years within the Catholic Church. Her be immersed in the divine mystery. A life of mutual love that Jesus left as his life radiated a joy that was contagious, particularly important moment is their new commandment is at the core of the and so it had a very benefi cial eff ect on weekly prayer gathering called the Mass. church. Th is is the “soul” that is to ani- many, even aft er her death. Th e worldwide unity of the church has mate all the life, activities, and thought In this article, I would like to off er a visible expression in the person of the of members of the church. a refl ection, in the light of the experi- pope and, at a local level, bishops and In articulating its focus today, the ence within the Catholic Church, on priests, who are the points of unity in Catholic Church refers to a major event the place of communities and move- regional units called dioceses and par- that took place fi ft y years ago in Rome— ments in helping faith come alive for ishes. In the Catholic tradition, the pope the Second Vatican Council. Th is was people, with benefi cial eff ects both for and bishops are important in terms of a worldwide gathering of bishops and those who come into contact with them members’ avoiding the dangers of schism other representatives of churches and and for the wider society as a whole. and division. religions (Nikkyo Niwano, founder of Th e church’s mission is to continue Rissho Kosei-kai, was present at a Mass The Catholic Church the presence and teachings of Jesus in the Vatican during the council and and Its Mission Christ in the world. An early third- had a private audience with Pope Paul century Christian, writing to his high- VI). What emerged clearly at the coun- To explain the place of communities ranking friend Diognetus, who had cil was that the church’s mission can be and movements in the Catholic Church, asked for information about the reli- summed up in one word: unity. Th e I need fi rst to off er a brief overview of gion of Christians, provides a valuable church is to be a sign of unity with God

4 Dharma World July–September 2012 Professor Brendan Leahy lectures in theology at Saint Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland. Both as a member of the Focolare Movement and as secretary to the Irish Bishops’ Conference Committee on Ecumenism, he has been involved for many years in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. He has written numerous publications, including Ecclesial Movements and Communities: Origins, Significance, and Issues (New York: New City, 2011).

and among humankind.4 It is in the light Communities in the personal experience was highly val- of the teaching of that council that the ued. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) Catholic Church embarked along the History of the Catholic established the Jesuit communities at pathways of dialogue—within the church, Church a turbulent moment of European his- with members of other churches, with Having painted in very broad brush- tory that coincided with the discovery members of other religions, and with strokes the overall vision of the church of new world frontiers. all people of goodwill. Together, all the today, we can now focus on the place If we were to examine each of the forces for good can contribute much of the many communities within the communities, it would be possible to to the building up of universal frater- church. On the one hand, the parish is show how they opened up a window nity animated by the Golden Rule: do the most immediate and visible expres- onto the Gospel that was important to others what you would like them to sion of the church, the place where the for that time: the followers of Benedict do to you; do not do to others what church is seen locally.5 It is like an ongo- emphasized putting God in the first you would not like them to do to you. ing, supportive sacramental-hierarchi- place in life; Francis of Assisi under- cal access to the gift from God of the lined poverty and fraternity; Teresa of Christian faith and teaching, life, and Avila focused on prayer; while Ignatius worship. of Loyola taught obedience as a way of A review of the history of the church living the Gospel. In a sense, these pro- will show, however, that as well as the phetic and charismatic figures attracted essential supporting sacramental and their followers to spiritual pathways leadership structures of the church, that show how, within the one church spontaneous communities of life have of Jesus Christ, there is unity in diver- sprung up constantly, offering ways of sity. To use an image, there are many living out the Christian message cor- flowers in the church’s garden.6 Through responding to the needs of particular each of these communities, it is as if periods in history. the Gospel were unfolding in history. The monastic communities of Saint Each founder and his or her commu- Benedict (ca. 480–547), with their sta- nity embody a specific aspect of the bility and motto of “prayer and work,” Gospel. Of course, we need to look at were important at the time of the col- all the flowers in the garden to really lapse of the Roman Empire and the appreciate the beauty of this unfold- migrations of peoples in Europe. The ing of the Gospel in the one church of fraternal communities of Saint Francis Jesus Christ. of Assisi (1181/2–1226) were signif- From history we also learn how these icant in medieval Europe when city- founders and their communities gave states were locked in conflict with one rise to cultural waves of renewal. Saint another and the church risked becoming Francis and the wider Franciscan family, too bourgeois. The Carmelite renewal for instance, made significant contribu- advanced by Teresa of Avila (1515–82) tions to culture in terms of art (Giotto), offered experiences of interior renewal literature (Dante), and finance.7 Even in prayer at a time when subjective, in our day, Francis’s message lives on.

Dharma World July–September 2012 5 conversion. If previously being a mem- with his images of light, love, rebirth ber of the church was reduced more or and Spirit. Fire had entered.”11 less to a lifeless social routine with per- Giordani went on to embrace the haps occasional moments of consola- community’s spirituality, and he pro- tion in ritual and, at times, of suffering, vided a major contribution in Italy in people discover through contact with many fields—dialogue, families, pub- a movement and its spirituality an art lications, and politics. of living that renews all of their rela- tionships—with God and with others. Communities and From observing both her own per- Interreligious Dialogue sonal experience and that of countless others, Chiara Lubich, founder of the By way of conclusion of this article, it Focolare Movement, explained that com- is important to underline how many of ing into contact with a movement was the new movements and communities an encounter with a charism, a gift of in the Catholic Church are involved in the Spirit: dialogue with other Christians, with members of other religions, and indeed We come face to face with a charism with people of nonreligious convictions of the church, in other words, with but committed to peace and universal an action of the Holy Spirit, whose fraternity.12 With their spirituality, lay primary task is to remind us of what membership, projects, and initiatives, Jesus said and did. And as a result these movements and communities have His appreciation of nature has had an of these gifts, people are invaded been bridges of dialogue with members impact on ecology, and his contact with by an absolute certainty, an eternal and movements of other churches and the Egyptian sultan Malik Al Kamil novelty of the Good News: “God, religions. In this way, the movements, (1180–1238) is viewed as an example the God revealed by Jesus, is love. themselves well rooted in the Catholic of interreligious dialogue. He is my Father and he loves me Church, strive to be points of unity and immensely.”9 reconciliation rather than schism or Today’s Communities division. They seek to heal division. The cofounder of the Focolare In Ottmaring, near Augsburg in In the past hundred years, the Catholic Movement, the Servant of God Igino Germany, for instance, the Focolare Church has seen a particularly vibrant Giordani (1894–1980), is a good example Movement codeveloped a small town blossoming of many new communities, of this.10 As a married man with a fam- that bears witness to the Gospel lived primarily made up of laypeople. This ily, a politician, journalist, and author, together by members of Lutheran com- is happening precisely at a time when he came in contact with the Focolare munities and Catholics. Indeed, mem- the church has, in its official teachings, Movement at its early beginnings just bers of different churches live together emphasized the importance of laypeople after the Second World War. He was in many of the Focolare communities in bringing ahead the church’s mission struck by the atmosphere of Chiara throughout the world. They respect each of unity, peace, and universal fraternity. Lubich and the other young people liv- other’s church traditions and norms but We can list some of these communi- ing the Gospel together in a communi- are united in living a common spiritu- ties: L’Arche, Sant’Egidio, Communion tarian manner. Though by then already ality and sharing the many elements and Liberation, Focolare, Charismatic well known in Italy and internation- of the Christian patrimony that all Renewal, Faith and Light.8 ally for his prolific apologetic writings, Christians hold in common. In recent What is it that attracts people to Giordani describes his encounter with years, a Europe-wide network of move- these communities? When describ- the movement as a transformation in ments across the churches has devel- ing the impact their encounter with a his life from an idea of Christianity to a oped to promote the spiritual values community or movement had on them, life he had longed for: “Something hap- of Europe. It is called the Together for most people speak of their faith com- pened to me. . . . Love penetrated and Europe project.13 ing alive. What strikes them is that they enveloped my ideas, drawing them into The Community of Sant’Egidio, fol- are meeting people who were “alive” in an orbit of joy. . . . I understood then lowing the Assisi meeting in 1986, began their faith, and this enkindles a deep what the Lord meant in John’s Gospel holding interreligious international

6 Dharma World July–September 2012 meetings in various cities primarily in Europe with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and dialogue among religions. It holds these meetings in different cities around the world. The Chemin Neuf Movement also engages in interreligious dialogue. Since the 1960s, but especially since 1977, when Chiara Lubich was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the Focolare Movement has engaged in interreligious dialogue at various levels. The mutual understanding between Rev. Nikkyo Niwano and Chiara Lubich resulted in an invitation from Rev. Niwano to Chiara to speak of her spiritual experience to thousands of Buddhists in the Great Sacred Hall of Rissho Kosei-kai on December 28, 1981. The contact between those movements has continued and deep- ened also through the commitment of interreligious contact,”15 to the benefit 7. See Luigino Bruni and Smerilli younger members of the movements. of many. ≥ Alessandra, Benedetta economia: Subsequently, Chiara also developed Benedetto di Norcia e Francesco d’Assisi nella storia economica europea (Rome: contacts with some eminent represen- Città Nuova, 2008). tatives of Thai monasticism. Notes 8. For further information on the Worthy, too, of note is the par- 1. See Cardinal Ratzinger’s Address to emergence and significance of these ticular friendship that Imam W. D. Catechists and Religion Teachers, Jubilee new communities, see Brendan Leahy, Mohammed, leader of the American of Catechists in Rome, December 12, Ecclesial Movements and Communities: Origins, Significance, and Issues (New Society of Muslims, enjoyed with Chiara 2000. 2. In the Catholic Church, a person is York: New City, 2011). Lubich.14 In 1997 she was invited by him declared “blessed” after death if the per- 9. Address at the World Day of Peace, to speak at the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque son has shown heroic virtue in his or her Trent, Italy, January 1, 1995, in Lubich, in Harlem (New York) and share her life and certain miraculous effects can Essential Writings, 198. Christian experience with three thou- be attributed to the person. Chiara Luce 10. See Tommaso Sorgi, A Soul on sand African American Muslims. This Badano was diagnosed with an aggressive Fire: A Profile of Igino Giordani (1894– 1980) (Rome: Igino Giordani Centre, led to a large convention, in Washington, and painful form of cancer that brought her to her early death in 1990. She lived 2011). D.C., of seven thousand Christians and this experience with heroic acceptance 11. Igino Giordani, Memorie d’un cris- Muslims, who promised each other that and love. See Michele Zanzucchi, Chiara tiano ingenuo (Rome: Città Nuova, 1981), they would continue their journey in Luce: A Life Lived to the Full (London: 150–51 (translation mine). the fullest union possible and spread New City, 2004). 12. See Robert Catalano, Spiritualità di comunione e dialogo interreligioso: it to others. This has led to many new 3. Letter to Diognetus, quoted in J. Quasten, Patrology, vol. 1 (Westminster, L’esperienza di Chiara Lubich e del movi- pockets of dialogue and renewal between MD: Newman Press, 1950), 250–51. mento dei Focolari (Rome: Città Nuova, Muslims and Christians. 4. See Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic 2010). In short, as Robert Catalano com- Constitution on the Church), chapter 1. 13. See Together for Europe (Rome, ments, “it seems that the birth and devel- 5. See Pope John Paul II’s apostolic 2004), 30–31. 14. On the Focolare’s dialogue with opment of renewal movements within letter on the lay faithful, Christifideles Muslims, see “Mysticism and God- the various religions has offered fer- Laici (December 30, 1988), n. 26. 6. See Chiara Lubich, “Christ through relatedness,” Islamochristiana 34 (2008): tile terrain for interreligious dialogue the Centuries” in Essential Writings: 79–86. also through some common charac- Spirituality, Dialogue, Culture (London: 15. See Catalano, Spiritualità di comu- teristics that seem to facilitate greatly New City, 2007), 113–15. nione, 149 (translation mine).

Dharma World July–September 2012 7 ThE SIgNIFICaNCE OF RELIgIOuS COMMuNITIES

The Muslim Community in Japan by Samir abdel hamid Nouh

Muslim community’s integration into Though the Muslim community is very small, the Japanese Japanese society and its good relation- public of today has generally accepted it as part of Japanese ship with Japanese offi cials. society. For the most part, Japanese people accept cultural differences as colorful aspects of the world and understand that Religious other cultures are actually not very different from their own. Communities’ Signifi cance for Society It is known that Turk-Tatar immi- fi nancial conglomerates. Meanwhile, in grants from Kazan, Tatarstan, and from Kobe, the Kansai Muslim community, Religious communities play an important Bashkirstan (present-day Bashkortostan) consisting of Arab and Indian business- role for individuals and society alike. It established the fi rst Muslim community men as well as Turkish immigrants, had is not easy to compare the Muslim com- in Japan aft er they fl ed their homes in built a mosque in 1935, which is consid- munity in Japan with other Japanese reli- 1922 to Manchuria, then came to Kobe ered the fi rst mosque built in Japan. Th e gious communities, as the concept of a and Tokyo around 1927. Th ose immi- Muslim community in Tokyo needed religious community may vary according grants, who were given asylum, were to educate its children, so a school was to diff erent religious traditions. followed by the migration of a number established at the mosque. Th e Holy A discussion of the Muslim community of additional Muslims, who settled in Qur’an was fi rst printed in Japan on in Japan needs fi rst to identify the dates several main cities of Japan and formed April 30, 1934, and the Muslim commu- of earlier contacts in the Far East. Th e small Muslim groups. A few Japanese nity celebrated this occasion on June 7, fi rst modern Japanese contacts were with converted to Islam through contact with 1934. Th e celebration demonstrated the Malay Muslims who served aboard British those Muslims. Turk-Tatar Muslims were welcomed by Japanese authorities. Th ey started participating in special events by presenting their own culture to Japanese society, while practicing the principal duties of their religion. Before the arrival of Turk-Tatar immigrants, there were already Muslims in Japan. In 1908 a few Muslims in Tokyo planned to build a mosque. One of the early Japanese converts, Kotaro (Umar) Yamaoka, made a hajj to Mecca and traveled to Istanbul to seek approval for the building of the Tokyo mosque. It was granted in 1910 by Muslim caliph Abdul Hamid II. Th e Tokyo mosque was completed in 1938 with fi nancial sup- port from major Japanese industrial and

8 Dharma World July–September 2012 Samir Abdel Hamid Nouh is a professor at the Office for Advanced Research and Higher Education, Doshisha University, Kyoto, and deputy director of the university’s Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic Religions. He started his academic career at his alma mater, Cairo University, and received a PhD in comparative linguistics from Punjab University in 1978. Before he came to Kyoto in 2004, he was a professor at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His fields of research include Islamic civilization and cross- cultural understanding between Arab Islamic and Japanese cultures. He is the author of many books and articles in Arabic.

and Dutch ships in the late nineteenth A mosque is considered a symbol of Japan Muslim League (Dai Nihon Kaikyo century. In 1890, to honor Japan’s Prince the existence of a Muslim community, Kyokai), which was founded in 1930 as Akihito Komatsu for his visit to Istanbul or a gathering of Muslims. It is clear that the first officially recognized Islamic several years earlier, Ottoman Turkey the Muslim communities both in Kobe organization in Japan and was supported sent a naval vessel called the Ertugrul to and in Tokyo, which included mostly by Japanese officials and was active in Japanese waters. It was destroyed in a storm non-Japanese Muslims, were not large. forging links with Muslim leaders, was along the coast of Wakayama Prefecture The evolution of the term Muslim com- dissolved after the war. on September 16 of that year. munity to Japanese Muslim community With the change of circumstances Contacts between Islam and Japan happened after the establishment of the and the lack of Muslim leaders, members were not constant over the years. There Tokyo mosque and the school serving of the Muslim community scattered, and were periods of interruption, because the local Muslim community, signify- Muslim families merged with Japanese these contacts depended on political ing the acceptance of the Muslim com- society, or melted into it. Moreover, since circumstances and economic interests munity as an entity within Japan. The the number of Japanese Muslims did not that varied from period to period. A line mosque became a symbol of the pres- increase and the few Japanese Muslims on a graph representing the relationship ence of Islam and of Muslims in Japan. were scattered here and there, they were between Japan and the Islamic world The Muslim community felt that it was not able to establish or constitute the would move up and down over a long necessary to invite delegates from the nucleus of a new Muslim community. time, and fluctuations in the relationship Islamic world to participate in the open- affected the position of the Muslim com- ing of the mosque. Its opening sparked munity in Japan. The presence of Islam the interest of Japanese authorities in in Japan depended on the very few non- Muslims and Islam. Japanese who came to Japan for various The Tokyo mosque sparked more reasons, several Japanese who converted interest than the Kobe mosque, although to Islam to serve the objectives of Japanese the latter was built first. It seems that in policy, and a small number of Japanese every country where there are Muslim who encountered Islam while traveling communities, the mosques in the cap- outside Japan and meeting Muslims. ital are preeminent. Although there were already some It was expected that the Muslim com- Muslims in Japan, it could be argued munity would grow year after year, but that Japan’s first Muslim communities facts and evidence indicate that this were formed when most of the Turkish did not happen. Perhaps the failure to immigrants based themselves in Tokyo grow was due to a split between Turk- and a number of Muslim traders from Tatar members of the community, the India and elsewhere reached Kobe to destruction of the Ottoman Empire, and form a Muslim community there. This Japan’s defeat in World War II, which group established the Kobe mosque with destroyed the dream of establishing the the support of Indian traders in 1935, Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. a few years before the Muslim com- This led to the displacement of the lead- munity in Tokyo founded the Tokyo ers of the Muslim community or forced mosque in 1938. them to escape from Japan. The Greater

Dharma World July–September 2012 9 received kings and other national lead- ers from the Arab and Islamic worlds. With the increase in the number of Muslims living in Japan with either temporary or permanent residence sta- tus, various Islamic associations have been founded by both Japanese and non-Japanese Muslim residents. These include the Japanese Muslim League, founded in 1985 by Mustafa Komura and Mustafa Okada, and the Japan Islamic Federation Conference, linked to the JMA in November 1993. The JMA offi- cially joined the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace in 2002 and managed to set up annual youth camps in various Japanese prefectures. The JMA has organized public lectures on Islam and has been active in the field of writing, translat- ing, and printing Islamic publications and distributing them to school and A New Beginning It is noted that Muslims living in public libraries and universities. In 1952 the first Muslim association con- Japan were not a single Muslim com- After the 1973 oil crisis, Japan’s inter- sisting only of Japanese nationals was munity but formed independent asso- est in the Gulf Arab countries and the established, called the Islam Friendship ciations according to their countries of Muslim world increased, and in turn Association. The association has faced origin, or nationalities, at a time when Arab and Islamic countries started seek- crises of dissolution many times because the Japan Muslim Association (JMA) ing to consolidate their relations with of the aging of members and the post- announced (in 1964 and beyond) the Japan. They competed with each other in ing of many members to the offices of presence of various independent associ- this area. Some Arab and Islamic embas- Japanese companies in Islamic coun- ations of Muslims in Japan by contacting sies opened cultural offices, and others tries, for financial reasons, and so on. the Yamanashi Prefectural Government established schools. Saudi Arabia estab- In March 1952 the total number and visiting the mayor of Enzan to study lished a branch of the Imam Muhammad of members of the Islam Friendship methods of interreligious cooperation Ibn Saud Islamic University in Tokyo. Association (which was later renamed and discuss a project for an Islamic The main objective was to introduce the Japan Muslim Association) was about cemetery. Arab Islamic culture to the Japanese. seventy-four. In 1954 one of its members, Muslims also started using state facil- It is noted that the Muslim commu- Mustafa Komura, formed the Japanese ities, and the JMA held the opening nity in Japan has depended mostly on aid Islamic Fraternity in Kyoto. session of its General Assembly as an from the Muslim world, and its activi- As Japan gradually began recovering official religious body in the Japan Youth ties have depended more or less on the from the impact of defeat in World War Hall in Tokyo in October 1968. From amount of that aid. Without such aid, II, Japanese Muslims began contacting that date the JMA began to open up to these activities might come to an end. the Islamic world, welcoming Muslims Japanese society through the establish- But some associations and other groups coming from outside Japan, and coop- ment of social service activities and by in the Muslim community in Japan, erating with Muslim businessmen and explaining Islam in the Japanese media. which have been mainly self-sufficient Muslim students coming to study in Moreover, non-Muslim Japanese com- and depended on voluntary contribu- Japan. Japanese Muslims formed a joint panies were invited to join the asso- tions from their members, have contin- committee with non-Japanese Muslim ciation as associate members. While ued to engage in activities and provide residents in Japan and decided to estab- strengthening relations with the Muslim services to the community of Muslims lish the Islamic Center of Tokyo and a world by representing Japan at confer- in Japan and abroad. This can be seen Muslim cemetery. ences and other events, the JMA also by examining the activities of the JMA;

10 Dharma World July–September 2012 the Islamic Center; and the Indonesian, Scholars say that the number of before and after World War II. This led Indian, and Pakistani communities. The mosques in Japan has increased more to the disintegration of the Muslim com- Pakistani community is a good example rapidly than the number of Muslims, munity at that time. The willingness of of self-sufficiency. They fund themselves which has not increased as much as Japan to forge links with Muslims ended, from within and have contributed to expected despite the passage of many and Islamic institutions were dissolved. many projects out of their own pockets years. The establishment of mosques, The activities of Muslim community and have succeeded in drawing Japanese associations, unions, and Islamic cul- members were considered mere fronts into their charity activities. Their activ- tural centers in Japan does not reflect for Japanese war efforts. ities after the March 11, 2011, tragedy the number of Japanese and non-Japa- In the next stage, the Japan Muslim in northeastern Japan were covered by nese Muslims living in Japan. In other Association was established, Muslim Japanese TV and newspapers and were words, these organizations do not reflect students started coming to Japan, and appreciated by the Japanese public. the size of the Muslim community in Japanese companies opened offices in Japan. There is no accurate record of Arab and Islamic countries. Although The Importance the number of Muslim residents in the number of Muslims in Japan seemed of a Community Japan, but scholars estimate the num- to increase, they were unable to estab- ber of non-Japanese Muslims at eighty lish a real Muslim community in Japan for Any Religion thousand to one hundred thousand and because the Muslim students coming to The existence of a religious community Japanese Muslims at eight thousand to study or receive training went back to applying the teachings of its religion is ten thousand. their home countries soon after finish- not only important but also essential. We must shed light on the reasons ing their study or training. In addition, Japanese people came to know about why the number of Muslims in Japan many Japanese Muslims were deployed Islam when they saw Muslim immi- is not increasing and why the lack of by Japanese corporations to work out- grants in Japan practicing their reli- growth may affect the survival of the side Japan for long periods, and some gion. Muslims should pray five times Japanese Muslim community. A decreas- of them did not return home. This had every day. Prayer is one of the pillars ing number of Muslims in Japan would a negative impact on the Muslim com- of Islam. It was necessary from the very affect the stability of the Muslim com- munity, which needed their help. The beginning to establish mosques in Japan. munity itself. The Muslim community number of female Japanese Muslims far When there is no mosque, an impor- faces divisions among its members, and exceeded the number of males, which tant element is missing from Muslim there are divisions or disputes between created a problem for Japanese Muslim life, because a mosque is more than a Muslims even of the same nationality. women who wanted to marry and have place of prayer or worship. It plays a A few examples can be noted from the children and have stability in their lives central role in the life of Muslim com- beginning of the Muslim presence in as Muslims, and they had difficulty find- munities everywhere. The mosque is a Japan. In the very early stage there was a ing suitable work. place for the study of Islam, especially dispute between members of the Turk- Add to this the religious freedom the Qur’an; for collecting donations for Tatar community in Tokyo, and some of Japan, which allows family mem- charity; and for assisting needy people, members were forced to leave Japan bers to belong to different religions. not only Muslims but also the neighbors of Muslims. The mosque is the core of the Muslim community. Before the 1980s the number of Muslims in Japan was small, and there were only two mosques, in Kobe and Tokyo. But in the mid-1980s, during the bubble economy, the number of Muslims in Japan grew rapidly. They formed what we can call a Muslim com- munity. Most young Muslims have fam- ilies, and their children go to Japanese schools, but their parents also send them to the mosque to learn the Qur’an and the Arabic language.

Dharma World July–September 2012 11 A son and daughter may belong to a religion different from that of their parents and vice versa. Hence it is difficult to form a united Japanese Muslim family within Japanese soci- ety. The father may be a Muslim while the mother is a Christian, or a son may be a Muslim while his parents are non-Muslims, and so on. Islam in Japan is not a matter of birth but of faith, and no one is compelled to embrace its doctrines. Muslims who come to work or do business in Japan face difficulties for reasons that need not be mentioned here. They cannot necessarily con- tinue to live or settle in Japan, but some Mosques Symbolize Muslim men have married Japanese generation of Muslims. Members of the women and found refuge with their the Existence of community are eager to establish such wives and their wives’ families and Muslim Communities schools, which are also keenly commit- struggled to settle in Japan. They suc- Since mosques are the only places exclu- ted to the curriculum of the Japanese ceeded in developing the quasi-static sively for Muslims, mosques in Japan schools, since they do not want to split structure of what can be called the play a vital, multipurpose role. With the young from their society. immigrant Muslim community in Japan. the increasing number of Muslim fam- They represent a large segment of work- ilies and the expansion of areas where Issues and Problems ers in Japanese factories and certain Muslims are gathering, Muslims have of the Muslim types of trade, such as spare parts and begun to think about building more used cars and so on. mosques and schools as well as hold- Community ing religious ceremonies and reviving With the emergence of what can be called Features and Islamic events throughout the year. The a Muslim community in Japan, Muslims Attributes of the number of mosques in Japan has grown have faced some internal and external rapidly every year. Since both land and problems. The internal problems are Muslim Community construction costs are high in Japan, in related to the community itself, which in Japan many cases office and residential build- consists of both Japanese Muslims and Marriages between young male Muslim ings have been converted into mosques, non-Japanese Muslims living in Japan, immigrants in Japan and Japanese which are used not only for prayer serv­ Muslims who want to work in Japan, and women is considered the real begin- ices but also for social gatherings. The Muslims who come for a period of study ning of groups of Muslim families that Muslim community supports the build- or training. All of them may engage in live near each other and cooperate in ing of mosques with the help of Islamic the activities of the Muslim community. areas close to the workplace of the head organizations outside Japan as well as The Muslim community also includes of the family or of the wife or her family. people who give donations for the build- Muslims from many different countries, This phenomenon is evident in Tokyo ing of mosques. such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and its suburbs, and here we can say Since mosques in Japan offer Qur’an Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Arab clearly that the Muslim community really and Arabic classes, a few mosques plan countries. The Muslim community also exists in Japan. This fact has drawn the to register themselves as educational cor- includes Muslims of various sects and attention of Japanese officials, who have porations and establish Islamic schools. embracing various doctrines, such as begun to study this situation in areas Some offer day care centers (that have Sunnis and Shiites, and adherents of where there are many Muslims. They no legal status) for Muslim children. sects such as the Barelvi, Salafi, Sufi, and have polled local people on their atti- With the presence of small children so on. Some sects that are attributed to tudes toward their Muslim neighbors, in Muslim families, there is a need to Islam, such as Baha’i and Ahmadiyya, and the polls show favorable attitudes. establish schools suitable for this new have an active presence in Japan.

12 Dharma World July–September 2012 Japanese Muslims are few in number, Some kind of more organized approach generally accepted it as part of Japanese even though they are distributed among is necessary to address the specific edu- society. For the most part, Japanese peo- the various sects and schools of Islamic cation needs of Muslims in Japan. ple accept cultural differences as color- thinking. There are Japanese Sunnis and The key issues and problems faced by ful aspects of the world and understand Japanese Shiites, and there are Salafis and the Muslim community include the dif- that other cultures are actually not very Asharis and so on. However, they never ficult circumstances that arose after the different from their own. engage in sectarian conflict, because events of September 11, 2001, when the There are currently between thirty the nature of Japanese culture allows U.S. government stereotyped all Muslims and forty single-story mosques in Japan, differences while maintaining friend- as terrorists and pressured many coun- plus another hundred or more apart- liness and respect. This has impacted tries to tighten control on all Muslims, ments used as musalla (spaces outside a the members of the Muslim community without consideration. mosque for prayer). The Japan Muslim as a whole. Japanese and non-Japanese In that situation, the Japanese people Association is planning to establish a seek to integrate into the community faced difficult questions: What is Islam? Japan Islamic cultural exchange center, by taking advantage of all that is well Is Islam really responsible for what hap- including a musalla, in the center of and good. The members of the Indian, pened on September 11? It was not only Tokyo, to introduce Islam and Islamic Pakistani, and Bengali communities are the Muslim community that attempted culture to Japanese people through var- a good model, since they are the most to answer these questions; a number of ious activities as well as to give advice, actively devoted to their religion, and Japanese researchers tried to explain Islam lessons, and lectures about Islam to they are appreciated by Japanese society. and its principles as well. They concluded Muslims in Japan. The JMA is also a There are also Muslims from that what happened on September 11 member of Japanese interfaith organi- Myanmar (Burma) who have a special was not related to the religion of Islam, zations, as the representative of Islamic status in Japan as Rohingya refugees but U.S. pressure made Japanese offi- organizations in Japan. (stateless residents). They are con- cials take extra security precautions and The pious activities of the JMA centrated in Tatebayashi, in Gunma monitor Muslims living in Japan. As a members have made the JMA a core Prefecture, where they work in facto- result, the Japanese media launched an organization among religious organiza- ries. At present, some 160 Rohingya ref- attack on the counterterrorism unit of the tions in Japan. JMA members are doing ugees are living in Tatebayashi. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s their best with the combined efforts of The Muslim community in Japan is Public Security Bureau. The media said all Muslim groups in Japan to contrib- still trying to solve the problem of edu- it exceeded its jurisdiction by listing as ute to world peace and the social peace cating its children, since Japanese recog- terror suspects many Muslims who had of individual members. Last year, after nition of Islam is extremely low in the lived and worked in Japan for decades. the tragedy of the earthquake and tsu- Education Ministry and local govern- Apparently the Japanese police, under nami, the Muslim community proved ments, which is basically because they pressure from U.S. authorities, adopted that Muslims in Japan genuinely share have had little experience of direct com- this attitude toward Muslims in the after- the joys and sorrows of Japanese soci- munication with Muslims. Therefore math of 9/11 in search of intelligence data ety. Members of the Muslim commu- most religious education of Muslim chil- among the city’s tiny Muslim community. nity contributed immensely to the relief dren in Japan is supported by individual Muslims in Japan have widely efforts, and they continue to help the efforts, without official assistance. That retained their sense of religious and cul- affected communities in the Tohoku is because Muslims are a small minor- tural identity and have generally become region. Islam teaches its followers to ity, and small minorities do not receive established as members of Japanese soci- generously offer humanitarian aid wher- special attention. Private international ety. However, the Japanese police and ever the need may arise. Muslims have schools may give more attention to a the Japanese public must continue to gone on supporting relief efforts in child’s religious background, but a pub- accept these religious and cultural dif- Japan along with Japanese and foreign lic school is the only choice for Muslim ferences in order to maintain a func- relief agencies. One notable Muslim parents with limited means. Muslim tional society in which the rights of all organization is Japan Islamic Trust, parents have objections about Japanese people are protected. which has been supplying food and school uniforms, school lunches, and other necessities since the disaster took mixed-sex physical education activities, Conclusion place. Other organizations are also vis- such as swimming. The textbooks used iting the affected areas and victims, in Japanese schools lack correct infor- Though the Muslim community is very helping the residents resettle in areas mation about Islam and Muslim life. small, the Japanese public of today has of their choice. ≥

Dharma World July–September 2012 13 ThE SIgNIFICaNCE OF RELIgIOuS COMMuNITIES

Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam: Community Responses to Confl ict by abdessalam Najjar

serves children from the village and Dispute resolution methodologies traditionally appeal to from towns in its vicinity; second, the shared values and norms that are universally accepted within School for Peace, which conducts out- a given culture. A different type of challenge is involved when reach educational projects through- it comes to approaching confl ict in a multicultural society or out Israel and Palestine; and third, the between two separate groups who do not share a common Pluralistic Spiritual Center, which con- belief system, background, or values. ducts a range of projects, including work with religious institutions, community mediation projects in mixed Jewish- Given that human society is fraught family have begun to erode. Within the Arab cities, and a cross-cultural pro- with competition and confl ict, one of same state one can fi nd groups that live gram for young persons. humanity’s responses has been to group in social isolation from one another, From its inception till today, Neve together in communities for mutual pro- lacking the means to communicate or Shalom/Wahat al-Salam has been a living tection. Each community is founded on build relationships for mutual benefi t. experiment in establishing a heteroge- bonds based on nation, ethnicity, faith, In our own region of Israel and neous community based on the ideal of ideology, and so on. Palestine, the reality is one of confl ict. fi nding new ways to deal with the real- Every one of us belongs to multiple Th e divisions are national, ethnic, and ity of confl ict, which aff ects each indi- communities with broader or narrower religious. Two peoples, each with his- vidual member. To be clear: this is not defi nitions, some imposed upon us by torical and other claims in the region, a utopian experiment based on estab- birth or circumstance, others adopted are locked in a struggle for land and lishing a common identity. Th e bonds by choice. resources. established between people within the Each community creates a means to Within this reality, a small group community do not erase the ethnic, reli- govern various aspects of the life of the of Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens gious, national, and linguistic divisions individual; sets up an integral system of Israel took the unusual decision to between the residents, and they all con- of norms, values, and restraints; and establish together a joint community. tinue to feel primary allegiance to the provides the individual with a moral Coming together at the initiative of a same group into which they were born. compass. Dominican priest, Bruno Hussar, we Given that the residents of the com- In traditional societies, the interwo- settled a twenty-hectare tract of land munity of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam ven levels of community to which indi- (almost fi ft y acres). Our motivation are not exceptional people with spe- viduals belonged were usually mutually was to see if we could build, within our cial qualities (other than the desire to supportive and noncontradictory. Th e confl ictive reality, a community based attempt to live together and develop a values of a family would not contradict on equality and shared responsibil- community together), it is natural that the values of the community church, ity. Further, we hoped to infl uence the the same challenges to a shared, equal mosque, or temple, and the laws of the broader society by conducting educa- coexistence (within a reality of con- state would not be out of line with the tional work, dialogue, and joint projects. fl ict) that exist in the broader society sermons of its religious leaders. Today we are a village of about sixty remain for the residents. Each person Today’s societies are diverse, mul- families and have established in principal who arrives in the community comes tiethnic, and multireligious. Their three important educational institutions: with his or her own “baggage,” con- foundations are less secure, and even fi rst, a bilingual, binational primary ditioning, prejudices, stereotypes of long-standing units such as the nuclear school and early childhood center, which other people, and so on. Liberal values,

14 Dharma World July–September 2012 Abdessalam Najjar lived in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace), the Arab-Jewish village in Israel, from its earliest days. In 1993 its founder, Bruno Hussar, accepted the Niwano Peace Prize on the community’s behalf. Before Mr. Najjar’s death, on March 22 of this year at the age of fifty-nine, he was director of the village’s Pluralistic Spiritual Center. He died before finishing this article, and it was completed by his neighbor and colleague Howard Shippin.

tolerance, and acceptance of the other integration of new members and fam- are often severely tested within the web ilies, who must each go through a per- of relationships that is inherent in any sonal process of acclimatization to the small self-governing community. unusual reality (in Israel) of a small, Communities, as already mentioned, binational, multifaith community. have traditionally been based on a com- The self-conception of Neve Shalom/ mon nationality, ethnicity, faith, ideol- Wahat al-Salam has grown in parallel ogy, and so on, and here the challenge to its educational work. The first mem- is to create a heterogeneous community bers were involved in dialogue projects within a reality of conflict. Obviously, between Jews and Palestinians before then, the development and sustenance of taking up residence in the nascent com- such a community depend upon vision, munity. They went on to develop the learning from shared experience, agree- educational institutions of the commu- ments, and deployment of methodolo- nity, and these have remained central gies and tools found to be useful. to the life of the community. The ideas Notwithstanding the desirability of and methodologies of their work have reaching a consensus upon such factors, evolved as the work continued, and they a community, and especially one like continue to affect and inform the com- the festivals and traditions of the other ours, does not function like an organi- munity. For example, prospective mem- people together in the school. Lectures zation that can commit its members to bers take part in encounter workshops arranged for facilitators of the School rules and provisions. In such a commu- run by the School for Peace. Parents are for Peace are open to villagers. Many nity, agreements must, to some extent, closely involved in the work of the pri- community members are involved in be voluntary. The shared framework mary school and are themselves edu- teaching at the school or have taken should be broad enough to facilitate cated by their children as they experience facilitator training courses offered by the School for Peace. At various times, the community has engaged in commu- nity-building initiatives by expert con- sultants. Cultural programs are arranged, and the shared experience of the com- munity is imparted to newcomers or second-generation members through presentations, memorial days for the community’s founders, and so on. In recent years, one of the most sig- nificant influences upon the commu- nity has been the Pluralistic Spiritual Center (PSC). The PSC is based on and takes its inspiration from its other name, Doumia/Sakinah. Doumia is a word appearing in the Hebrew Bible: “To thou

Dharma World July–September 2012 15 Lord, silence [doumia] shall be as praise” agnostics), a spirituality based on each Among these activities is a multi- (Psalms 65:2). Sakinah is derived from person’s “inner essence” can have an cultural community conflict resolution a line in the Qur’an: “He sends tran- important role in managing or resolv- and mediation program. We will discuss quility [sakinah] into the hearts of the ing conflict. the underlying ideas of this program believers, that they may add faith to their The PSC does not present the com- more fully because they are relevant to faith” (Surah 48.4). The first building in munity members with an escape route the main theme of this article. Dispute the PSC was a dome-shaped structure from the conflict. Instead, its activi- resolution methodologies traditionally intended for meditation, known as the ties are aimed to provide a safe space appeal to shared values and norms that House of Silence. in which the conflict, and the role each are universally accepted within a given However, like the other educational person plays in it, can be explored. It culture. A different type of challenge is institutions of the community, this cen- does so by creating community events involved when it comes to approach- ter is outward looking: its programs and activities that touch upon various ing conflict in a multicultural society are intended for the benefit of people aspects of the conflict and stimulate hon- or between two separate groups who beyond the community. Yet the com- est and heartfelt discussion. Activities do not share a common belief system, munity has requested that the center sometimes employ art, music, or drama. background, or values. To a large extent, also conduct many of its programs for Young community members are also this is true of the conflict between Jews the residents themselves. invited to attend. For example, at a recent and Arabs. Thus it came to be that this rather year-end celebration of Christmas, Hijra, In order to investigate this subject, secular community made the decision and Hanukkah, the young people were we conducted a study aimed at devel- that its community center, that is, the invited to light candles while relating oping a new perception of nonviolent heart of its community life, be the spir- their New Year’s wishes for social jus- conflict resolution in a multicultural con- itual center. tice, equality, peace, and so on. text—a concept that would suit our real- Part of the reason that the commu- Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam bases all ity. To do this, we wanted to learn first: nity was willing to give the PSC such a of its educational work upon the experi- role lies in the definition of spiritual- ence of living in a binational community. • How cultural differences affect ity here adopted. In the same way, the PSC exists because our behavior The PSC differentiates itself from of the small community but defines its • Whether the power relations religious definitions. Echoing Abdul goals in terms of the broader regional between the two groups affect Aziz Said, Nathan C. Funk, and Lynn M. context. It lists its aims as “supporting the dynamics of conflict reso- Kunkle in their article “The Role of Faith dialogue between the followers of reli- lution between the two groups in Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution,”* gions and cultures, enhancing dialogue, • Whether the imbalance in power the center declares: respect and cooperation between nations, relations issues from the cultural encouraging peace, justice and reconcili- differences between the sides, We believe that it is important to ation, and countering the justification for and if so, in what way make a distinction between spirit­ violence and conflict under any cover.” uality and religion, because both The PSC provides a framework for Our main aim was to arrive at a con- refer to matters of faith. The term encounter activities, study, and reflec- flict resolution methodology that could religion refers to an institutional tion based on values of equality, justice, be useful in our multicultural context. framework within which a specific and reconciliation. Its activities draw The resources available to us were theology is pursued, usually among inspiration from the resources and spir- the lessons from our experiences as a a community of like-minded believ- itual traditions of the Middle East and community, the knowledge derived from ers. Spirituality, on the other hand, the world at large. It conducts inter- our educational work, and theoretical transcends the boundaries of reli- faith and cultural dialogue programs material available in the field. gion, suggesting broader human and conflict management and resolu- When two or more groups with dif- involvement that comes from the tion projects that focus on open, inter- ferent cultures exist together in the same inner essence of a person. religious, and intercultural dialogue for space, there may take place a conflict the advancement of peace and peaceful over resources, status, and so on (the In a heterogeneous and divergent coexistence between Palestinians and social psychologist Muzafer Sherif’s society that lacks uniformity with regard Jews in our region. Many of these are realistic conflict theory). A strong jus- to matters of faith (and where some per- conducted in partnership with other tification given for this rivalry may be sons define themselves as atheists or organizations and institutions. cultural differences between the groups.

16 Dharma World July–September 2012 The social psychologist Henri Tajfel, in his social identity theory, says that we shape our behavior and our iden- tity according to various sets of val- ues and beliefs. Usually, we attribute positive values to these. Conversely, we assign negative values to modes of behavior seen as inappropriate in our culture. This is true even though these same modes of behavior may be viewed as positive in other cultures. Thus, in evaluating other cultures, we assign the same significance to modes of behavior as we would if these were manifested in our own culture. For example, in Western culture, individual freedom is a supreme value and rises above the needs of the group. On the other hand, in Muslim Arab culture, the needs of culture or society. It is waged between The end result is not only reconcilia- the group (society), hegemony, cohe- interest groups from different cultures. tion but peace. sion, and warm relationships outweigh The conflict is difficult and ongoing Aided by this literature from the field the needs of the individual. and is characterized by inequality of and our experience from conducting The concept of culture contains power relations, the dynamics of major- mediator training projects, and enriched more than a set of values and beliefs ity-minority relations, relationships of by contacts with organizations such that produce norms and certain forms dominance and subjugation, and dehu- as Mediators Beyond Borders (United of behavior. The culture into which manization of the other. What is viewed States), we have begun to conduct mul- we are born programs our analysis of as justice by one side will be seen as a ticultural mediation projects. A thir- a particular event and our reaction burden by the other. Similarly, concepts teen-week program was concluded last to it. This programming becomes the of justice and mercy are often seen in year in the mixed (and tension-fraught) basis for intuition and common sense. an opposite light. Arab-Jewish city of Acre. Afterward, To all of those born to the same cul- Justice, it is often assumed, requires the group asked to continue. The PSC ture, there is a similar line of reasoning determining the truth and punishing the also provides consultation for other and joint rationale, which determine guilty party. Does mercy, on the other mixed groups. how events and the motivation behind hand, imply forgiveness? Thus, if one This engagement with the regional them are analyzed. prosecutes and punishes the guilty, can conflict as a whole was the original vision Conflict resolution models devel- mercy at best involve leniency in the of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam’s founder, oped within one culture prove defi- sentence? Punishment, however, sel- Father Bruno Hussar, as he describes it cient when applied to another, despite dom results in either reconciliation or in his autobiography, When the Cloud attempts to modify or adapt these pro- restitution. Thus, the resulting justice Lifted (1989): “People would come here grams in order to adjust to cultural dif- is illusory. The challenge, according to from all over the country to meet those ferences. The theorist J. P. Lederach, in Lederach, is “to pursue justice in ways from whom they were estranged, want- his book Preparing for Peace, describes that respect people, and [at the same ing to break down the barriers of fear, this very well. He suggests that mod- time] to achieve restoration of relation- mistrust, ignorance, misunderstanding, els for conflict resolution must emerge ships based on recognizing and amend- preconceived ideas—all things that sep- from the culture experiencing conflict. ing injustices” (Preparing for Peace, p. arate us—and to build bridges of trust, This is based on a belief that every soci- 20). Thus, Lederach argues that recon- respect, mutual understanding, and, if ety contains the knowledge to produce ciliation involves the identification and possible, friendship.” ≥ solutions to conflictive situations aris- acknowledgment of what happened (that ing within that society. is, truth), an effort to right the wrongs In our reality, the Jewish-Palestinian that occurred (that is, justice), and for- conflict is not contained within a single giveness for the perpetrators (mercy).

Dharma World July–September 2012 17

* http://www.american.edu/sis /islamicpeacechair/upload/Role-of-Faith-in -Cross-Cultural-Conflict-Resolution-Said-Funk -Kunkle-Sept01.pdf. ThE SIgNIFICaNCE OF RELIgIOuS COMMuNITIES

The Crucial Role of Community for holiness and a universal Vision by Peter Feldmeier

and mutual engagement. The term for Community is crucial because in it you enter a great mystery church is related: ekklesia, which lit- that is not your own. You’re tapping into the divine but not erally means “assembly.” Collectively, as a separate self. You lose your separateness, and the walls these two terms provide us with great between you and others and you and God get thinner. insight into the nature of Christianity. The church is fully itself when it gath- ers together and expresses its whole- In authentic Christianity, you are either modern Christianity. Today we fi nd ness; it is fully itself when collectively a member of the church or you are not megachurches with little community involved in a mutually engaged worship a Christian. Th ere is no such thing as life or historical tradition, and even and mission to advance the kingdom an individual Christian without regard “drive-in” churches where people lit- of God. This is one important reason to the community. Commitment to erally drive their cars to a converted for gathering for worship on Sunday. this understanding has characterized drive-in movie parking lot on Sunday It is here where symbolically and lit- Christianity since its inception, and even morning and listen to the preacher from erally the church acts as church, an the most isolated members of our ere- their cars. Aft er the sermon, they drive assembly of fellowship. mitical tradition embrace this commit- home. Th e worst example is probably Saint Paul’s great image of a “body ment. While these hermits were off in the Christians who watch televangelists on of Christ” gives us an even greater sense wilderness, they always regarded them- Sunday morning and consider this suf- of the nature of Christianity. Th e church selves as members of a larger monas- fi cient. Many Christians simply see little represents the fullness of Christ’s body tic and ecclesial world, and they were need for an intentional community. I was (Eph. 1:23), with Jesus the head and honored by the church at large for their recently talking to a colleague who was believers the limbs (Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:30). radical ecclesial witness to the gospel. considering returning to Catholicism, Christians are baptized into that body, Consider Saint Antony, the great her- and he asked me why he needed to go and all of our spiritual gift s are designed mit saint. Living deep in the desert, to services on Sunday if he was already to build up the life of the body (1 Cor. he was always meeting with pilgrims praying daily and didn’t get much out 12:13; Eph. 4:12). Interestingly, Saint seeking spiritual direction and pro- of the sermon. I pointed out that enter- Paul frequently describes Christians viding hospitality. And during stormy ing skillfully into the sacred rite of the as “saints,” but never in the singular. times for the church, he returned to Eucharist could be quite transforming. Th ey are saints only as a body of saints, Alexandria to support the orthodox I also suggested that he may be sur- called to be holy together and needing bishop against heresies of the day. So, prised and inspired by some of the wit- each other to realize their own personal even during the extreme circumstances nesses of faith in a parish community. holiness. Th e Catholic Church teaches of hermits, we fi nd a deep identifi ca- Ultimately, my argument was: there is exactly this: “It has pleased God, how- tion with the church. Saint Augustine’s no such thing as an isolated Christian. ever, to make men holy and save them broadly embraced axiom expresses this At this point, we might ask: what, not merely as individuals without any unity between one’s inner life and one’s then, are Christian community and the mutual bonds, but by making them into community engagement: “A man pos- church? They are really interrelated a single people, a people which acknowl- sesses the Holy Spirit in the measure in terms. The New Testament word for edges him in truth and serves him in which he loves the church.”1 community is koinōnia, which means holiness.”2 Happily, the Catholic Church I see faith and community identi- “fellowship” or “sharing in.” It con- embraces authentic souls of all tradi- fi cation weakening in some forms of notes both close personal relations tions in this vision.3

18 Dharma World July–September 2012 Peter Feldmeier is the Murray/Bacik Endowed Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Toledo, Ohio. He received his PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and specializes in the study of Buddhist-Christian dialogue. He is the author of five books and coauthored, with Leo Lefebure, The Path of Wisdom: A Christian Commentary on the Dhammapada (2011).

I see the same dynamic in Buddhism. who need each other for support. If this a community if he could pray to and What does it mean to take refuge in the is true in our daily lives, how much more love God just fine without it was, “I’ve Sangha? This third of the Three Jewels so in our religious lives. In fact, one of never met a genuinely holy person who has traditionally meant the monastic the things that I said to my colleague didn’t belong to a spiritual community, community. It is here that the most who wanted to know why he needed and intensely so.” intense expression of the Dharma was understood to be traditionally lived out. Historically, the members of the monas- tic community preserved the sutras in memory and were most responsible for preserving the faith and extending it as missionaries. While householders offered monks dana, itself a merit- making enterprise, the monks offered something more valuable: dharma dana, the gift of the teaching. Today the meaning of the term sangha is often broadened to include laypeople who practice together as members of local groups. It wouldn’t be unusual here in the United States for the members of a Dharma center to refer to themselves collectively as a sangha. This may cause a bit of cha- grin to monastics, particularly in the Theravada tradition, but to me it seems appropriate. Here the sangha represents an intentional community of teaching and support, necessary to significantly advance on the path. In the Buddhist cir- cles I am familiar with, the necessity of belonging to and being deeply involved in a sangha is preached as if a dogma. Some of this just makes sense anthro- pologically. Humans are social creatures

Dharma World July–September 2012 19 The Deeper the Kabbalah, and in particular the cre- Buber sums up the Hasidic ethos: Community Life, ation myth that comes from the Lurianic “Hasidism is one of the great move- school. According to this tradition, God ments of faith that shows directly that the the More Universal self-contracted in order to make space human soul can live as a whole, united in the Vision for creation. In contracting, God’s light itself in communication with the whole- Interestingly, intense community life remained as his immanent, underlying ness of being . . . a multitude of souls needn’t make us myopic but should even presence in creation. This light then bound into a community. The realms ground a universal spiritual vision that filled the vessels that would structure that are apparently separate from each extends well beyond any and all religious creation. The first three of the ten ves- other by necessity recognize the ille- lines. On the more mundane level, it is sels were able to retain the divine light. gitimacy of their reciprocal delimita- simply a sociological fact that more- However, the next six burst. The physi- tion and fuse into one. The clear flame devout believers are more likely to be cal earth, being the last, cracked but did of human unity embraces all forces and religiously sympathetic to others.4 This not break up entirely. Most of the divine ascends to the divine unity.”9 may be counterintuitive to some, who sparks of this supernal light returned to What we see in this religious example would simply assume that the more the Godhead, but some were trapped is that intense community involvement, immersed one is in a same-thinking in the fragments of the burst vessels. even in its most restricted, potentially community, the less open one is to the The order of creation and the possibil- myopic world of Hasidic Judaism, can religious other. But if religious commu- ity for life and love come from these actually be the condition of possibility nity is ultimately meant for a transfor- divine sparks. for a large universal vision—one that mation in holiness, then it makes sense That the world is partly disordered Mahayana Buddhism recognizes as well. that members would be more sensitive to reflects the breakup of the vessels in the While the Bible surely reflects nei- other authentic expressions of holiness. created universe. Repair is the challenge ther Eastern cosmology nor the strange Classic texts even insist on this con- of devout humans, Jews and non-Jews cosmology of Jewish Kabbalah, the New nection, and Buddhism, perhaps, leads alike. For many Jews, the task of human- Testament is really quite filled with allu- the way. In Mahayana, one can become ity, until the coming of the Messiah, is sions to interrelatedness. Ignored by a bodhisattva only if one belongs to to raise the divine sparks and restore fundamentalist interpretations of apoc- a community intensely committed to them to their appropriate place in the alyptic destruction is the teaching by awakening. It is through the wisdom divine realm. This process will come to Saint Paul that suggests a very different that comes from such an intentional its final conclusion in the messianic age. vision. In Romans, Paul writes that the life with others that one is able to see Buber took this idiosyncratic mysti- entire created world will eventually par- clearly the interrelatedness of all beings, cal creation myth and saw in it the rad- ticipate in universal restoration, for it and such clear seeing drives one’s com- ical spiritual unity of all creation. Since is all of a piece. “For the whole creation passion for all beings. In his Way of the each spark was originally a part of the is waiting with eagerness for the reve- Bodhisattva, Shantideva describes this primordial divine unity, each person lation of the children of God . . . ; the universal vision and compassion: “May embodies a part of that divinity and is whole creation itself will be freed from I myself become for them the doctor, linked to all other beings by means of its slavery to corruption and brought nurse, the medicine itself” (3.8); “May I their divine sparks. Buber writes, “As into the same glorious freedom as the be an Isle for those who yearn for land- the primal source of the divine is bound children of God” (Rom. 8:19–21). fall, and a lamp for those who long for with all his soul-sparks scattered in the Interestingly, Vatican II’s Dogmatic light; for those who need a resting place, world, so what we do to our fellow men Constitution on the Church has explic- a bed; for all who need a servant, may is bound with what we do to God.”6 itly embraced the way that Paul speaks I be their slave” (3.19); “To free myself Hasidic wisdom saw the world as an of the end times in Romans 8. For Paul, from harm and others from their suf- interpenetrating collective reality. One the action of the resurrected Christ is ferings, let me give myself away, and Hasidic master had to put on slightly to draw all things together into his own cherish others as I love myself” (8.136).5 distorted spectacles in order to restrain glory. This cosmic Christ “is in every- One of the most intense, sectarian his spiritual vision, “for otherwise he thing and is everything” (Col. 3:11), religious groups of which I am familiar saw all individual things of the world “uniting all things in heaven and earth” is Hasidic Judaism, made widely known a s on e .” 7 Buber writes, “It is told of one (Eph. 1:10), “that God may be all in all” by Martin Buber. In his writings, Buber Zaddik (holy person) that he has so (1 Cor. 15:28). discusses how Hasidism has broadly sanctified all his limbs that each step If this is the case with all of cre- embraced the Jewish mysticism of the of his feet weds worlds to one another.”8 ation, it is all the more true that Christ

20 Dharma World July–September 2012 has united all human beings in him- your own. You’re tapping into the divine only through such a transformation will self. Consider, for example, Jesus’s Last but not as a separate self. You lose your our souls be the natural expression of Judgment parable: “Whenever you have separateness, and the walls between you a universe aflame with the presence of done this for one of the least of my broth- and others and you and God get thin- the risen Christ, uniting all things in ers and sisters, you have done this for ner. Because you’re doing this in com- heaven and on earth (Eph 1:10). ≥ me” (Matt. 25:40). Here Jesus does not munity, you have an experience that is simply attribute love for others as if it not possible to have on your own. were love for him. Rather, he identifies One might imagine the fusion of an Notes 1. See Patrologia Latina, vol. 35, p. himself in the experience of love and intense grounding in a religious commu- 1,646. care. So our interrelatedness with one nity with this extraordinary vision that 2. Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic another is caught up in God’s very inter- blurs all distinctions to be quite para- Constitution on the Church), chapter 9. relatedness in our lives and destinies. doxical. After all, the more intentional 3. Ibid, chapters 14–16. In her profound essay “Life, Love, the community and the more intense 4. Robert Putman and David and Community,” Mary Rousseau one’s involvement in it, the more one Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (New York: Simon writes, “In a paradoxical way, the range is molded in a specific, singular way of & Schuster, 2010.) of love is without limit—all love, any engaging the spiritual life. This would 5. Shantideva, The Way of the love, extends not only to the one beloved create clear marks of difference from Bodhisattva, trans. Padmakara other self, but to all other beings as well, other paths, particularly as they profess Translation Group (Boston: Shambhala including God himself. And yet, the love beliefs that mutually conflict with one’s Publications, 2003). 6. Martin Buber, Hasidism and that is total from its first moment can own. For me, there is really no paradox Modern Man, ed. and trans. Maurice endlessly grow. The infinite range of and no mystery. We need community; Friedman (Amherst: Humanity Books, community can be infinitely extended. we need support, training, and the kind 1958), 241. See also Arthur Green, ed., Such a range for love and community, of formation that can come only from Jewish Spirituality, vol. 2 (New York: global and even beyond, is the natu- an authentic tradition. This constitutes a Crossroad, 1997), 413. ral foundation for the communion of virtual first principle for spiritual trans- 7. Ibid., 70. 10 8. Ibid., 79. saints.” formation. It is this very transforma- 9. Ibid., 248. Community is crucial because in tion that frees us for such a universal 10. Mary Rousseau, “Life, Love, and it you enter a great mystery that is not vision. From a Christian point of view, Community,” Communio 15 (1988): 213.

Dharma World July–September 2012 21 ThE SIgNIFICaNCE OF RELIgIOuS COMMuNITIES

Why the Sangha Exists, and Its Limits by Ryumyo Yamazaki

and the Sangha (the community of Only a true Sangha, with the light of the Buddha Dharma at its core (separate from the frameworks of government, not be detached from any of them. It the economy, society, and so forth), can truly confront the is through the reciprocal actions of all multiple real-world issues that we face. three that the world we call the Buddha Dharma is formed. My understanding of the ree Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency; Treasures is as follows: that struck northeastern Japan on March and the Tokyo Electric Power Company 11, 2011, were an unprecedented catas- have all united in insisting that Japan’s Buddha = the Awakened One = nuclear power plants are safe. But it awakening dent at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear has been revealed that they have han- Dharma = Truth (the true teach- Power Plant did irreparable damage. dled the matter of safety with astonish- ings) = encountering Amid this overwhelming situation, as ing carelessness and engaged in shady Sangha = circle of friends (a gath- a follower of the Buddha Dharma, I relationships. ering of the self-reliant) = connecting

The Sangha We take refuge in the ree its presence. Is a Community Treasures. In Japanese this act of faith During the disaster I was touched is generally professed in the sankiemon, by the profound meaning of the words of the Self-Reliant or “the verses on the three refuges.” I “the impermanence of a burning house.” have translated the verses, from scroll Just as in the Parable of the Burning 6 of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Taisho shin- House in the Lotus Sutra, we were all by the Buddha Dharma: the Buddha (the shu daizo-kyo [Taisho Tripitaka], vol. 9, engulfed in reality, and we lost sight Awakened One), the Dharma (Truth), 430c–431a), as follows: of ourselves. Furthermore, if a Buddhist term were used to describe the nuclear acci- dent, the most appropriate one might be seems to have been the human desire for and development have cast a spell on accident and our single-minded pur- accident was based on a business logic

the Nuclear Safety Commission; the

22 July–September 2012 Ryumyo Yamazaki, a professor at Musashino University in Tokyo, teaches the history of Japanese thought in the Middle Ages and Jodo Shin Buddhism. He also serves as vice director of the Peace Research Institute, which is affiliated with the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. He is head priest of the Jodo Shin Buddhist temple Hozenji in Tokyo.

I make the Buddha (the Awakened “I am someone who listens only to the One) the support of my life. Together teachings of the Buddha, or the founder with all people, I will possess truth and of Buddhism, and I have no need for continue walking the True Path. anything else.” They say the Buddha I make the Dharma (Truth) the sup- Dharma consists of the Buddha and port of my life. Together with all people, the Dharma and that there is no need I hear the truth and continue walking for the Sangha. the path that overcomes suffering. But I believe that it is through I make the Sangha (a harmonious the Sangha that the Buddha Dharma community of good friends) the support achieves universality. I said earlier that of my life. Together with all people, I “the Buddha” means “awakening,” “the seek a world of harmonious cooperation. Dharma” means “encountering,” and “the Sangha” means “connecting.” To As I said earlier, making the Buddha, awaken to the Dharma is to encounter the Dharma, and the Sangha the basis one’s own self, and it is from there that of our lives is both the point of depar- we connect to others. This connecting ture for the Buddha Dharma and its is the basis of what is called the Sangha. consequence. At this point I would like It is in the context of being connected to think about the question at hand, that people can be questioned and can the Sangha. The Sangha is not a group grow. It is where one finds the joy of liv- of clerics; it is the community of those ing in the universality of the Dharma, who live in the Buddha and the Dharma. and where one can feel the solidarity Gyoyo Kodama, a former director of of life. That is the Sangha. the Shin Buddhist Research Institute (Shinshu Otani-ha), once described The Sangha’s Limits it as “a community of the self-reliant.” no few acts that true members of the A community of the self-reliant con- It is well known that in the aftermath Sangha would find unthinkable. These sists of people who follow their con- of the massive earthquake and tsunami, are striking in religious orders with par- science, rely on their own judgment, there was an outpouring of amazing ticularly long traditions, many of which and make the Dharma their light and activity by people affiliated with reli- have become so organized and extremely foundation. They are their own mas- gious groups all across Japan. I was cer- bureaucratized that it would be more ters in any situation. tainly not the only one who felt that this appropriate to call them organizations In other words, a community of was once again a manifestation of the than religious communities. the self-reliant is made up of people power of the Sangha. I have seen some members of the who do not look to anything in the On the other hand, there are some Sangha descend to the level of constit- ordinary world as their authority. The serious limits to the Sangha. It may well uents of organizations, squabbling over Sangha is a community of this kind of be a community of people living accord- status and rights. Far from being parts independent people, and it can gener- ing to the teachings of the Buddha, but of the Sangha, these groups do not even ally be called a religious community. I obviously there is also human stupid- have either the Buddha or the Dharma frequently meet people who say to me, ity and the working of greed. We see in their midst. As a result, there is no

Dharma World July–September 2012 23 natural self-purification and only a mere name [Jpn., nembutsu] is a voice that In other words, the Sangha’s dignity shell of faith. grieves and repents our errors.” When and mission are to transcend and reform I must say that it is not my inten- members are capable of doing this, the the secular world while remaining part of tion to criticize the Sangha. It’s just that Sangha demonstrates self-purification it. But isn’t the Sangha of today no more the sangha that I am close to is going and becomes something that shines. An than part of secular society? Nothing in the direction of abandoning its true understanding of Buddhist studies and distinguishes the Sangha from any other nature and being buried by secularism, the teachings will testify to the truth secular community. Unless the Sangha so I would like to point that out and of the Sangha. We are surrounded by points out the fallibility of governmen- include some self-criticism. many sanghas. To determine whether a tal, economic, and societal structures, The Sangha is, after all, an extension sangha is worthy of the name is an ulti- it remains subordinate to them. of the work of mere mortals. Naturally, mate issue of belief that must be contin- Only a true Sangha, with the light of mistakes will be made. There will be ually tested by its members. A sangha the Buddha Dharma at its core (separate wrong moves. The important thing is to can be said to be a moving, changing from the frameworks of government, recognize them. When this self-aware- body of faith. the economy, society, and so forth), ness fails, an organization becomes can truly confront the multiple real- arrogant. The Chinese Buddhist scholar Why the Sangha Exists world issues that we face, such as war, Shan-tao (613–81) wrote, “The scrip- discrimination, poverty, destruction tures and the teachings are like a mirror. Finally, I would like to touch on the sig- of the environment, and suicide. Only Examine yourself in them repeatedly, nificance of the existence of the Sangha. this kind of Sangha can be called a true and your mind will open up to wisdom.” The Buddha Dharma is both theory and Sangha. There is no final goal along its He says that the sutras and teachings are practice. In practice, it is manifested in path. Steady progress is what faith is all a mirror that unsparingly reflects the the acts of individuals who, by “connect- about. The true Sangha faces inward to believer’s self. Looking at the reflected ing,” influence one another in the prac- achieve spiritual peace and enlighten- self, can one feel shame and repent? tice of their faith. This can be called the ment and outward to expose society’s That is where the self can be tested “socialization” of Buddhist teachings. falsehoods and pursue social reform. in its faith. Shan-tao said, “Each and While the teachings are one with soci- That is where the dignity is. So, how is every voice that chants the Buddha’s ety, they also transcend society. our own sangha doing? ≥

The Sangha

The term sangha, meaning a group or a community, was used in some of them add five further items to the stages of practice: pos- pre-Buddhist India to refer to a merchants’ or artisans’ guild or to sessing the virtues of morality, concentration, wisdom, emancipa- the ruling council of a royal family. It also designated a religious tion, and perfect knowledge of the state of emancipation. community, a usage that Buddhism adopted. In Buddhism the This definition of the Sangha limits the original commu- term denoted the community of ordained men (bhiksu-samgha, nity to those disciples of the Buddha who have attained one of bhikkhu-sangha) together with the community of ordained women the eight arya stages of effort and attainment but does not spe- (bhiksuni-samgha, bhikkhuni-sangha). cifically exclude lay people. Since no mention is made of limit- ing the community to the ordained, lay sages can be included. Primitive sutras agree that a lay person can attain saiksa (sekha) The Nature of the Sangha enlightenment, the stage below arhat enlightenment. The point The standard definition of the Sangha as one of the Three Treasures here is that lay people, though sages, do not live the group life is found in the Digha-nikaya and the Anguttara-nikaya: of the Sangha, and so in reality the community signifies only the Order of ordained sages, who merit the respect of all as part The community of the Buddha’s followers walks the Way well, of the Order treasure. We could say, however, that anyone wor- honestly, truthfully, and correctly. Thus it is composed of those thy of such respect must be considered a member of the Sangha. who have accomplished the eight arya [noble] stages of effort and attainment to achieve sagehood. The community merits Excerpts from Kogen Mizuno, Essentials of Buddhism: Basic veneration, respect, donation[s], and respectful greetings from Terminology and Concepts of Buddhist Philosophy and Practice ordinary people, for it is a supremely rich field that yields a (Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1996), 89, 91–92. The diacrit- rich harvest to all people. ical marks originally used for several Sanskrit and Pali terms are The Chinese Agamas contain an almost identical passage, although omitted here for easier reading.

24 Dharma World July–September 2012 NIWaNO PEaCE PRIZE harmony and Peace by Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez

The Niwano Peace Foundation awarded the twenty-ninth Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez came from a very poor, religious agricultural Niwano Peace Prize on May 10 to Ms. Rosalina Tuyuc family in Guatemala. Mayan religion Velásquez, a human rights activist and political leader has always guided her, and since in Guatemala. It was the fi rst time for a practitioner of an her youth she also has been part of indigenous religious tradition (in her case, Mayan) to receive the Christian movement. Guatemala the prize. Ms. Velásquez was honored for her unfl agging work, suffered violent internal strife between which has exemplifi ed the great potential and wisdom of 1960 and 1996. Of a population of indigenous peoples in marking paths to peace. She also has about 10 million, over 250,000 died highlighted the critical role of women’s work for peace. The during the war, and 45,000 people are presentation ceremony took place in Tokyo. In addition to an still missing. Over 240,000 orphans award certifi cate, Ms. Velásquez received a medal and twenty and 50,000 widows survived. In 1988 million yen. This is her acceptance speech. Ms. Velásquez founded the National Coordinating Organization of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA), now a leading Guatemalan human rights On this occasion in 2012 of the pre- mathematics, and astronomy; creators organization. She has served in many sentation of the twenty-ninth Niwano of an extraordinary calendar; and deep posts, in Guatemala and the region, Peace Prize, it is an honor and a priv- lovers of the cosmos and nature. I also including as a congresswoman in the ilege for me to receive this award, as thank the indigenous Ainu people of National Congress. a Kaqchikel Mayan woman and as a Japan for allowing me to get to know mother and a genocide survivor. I was their history. against my people in the 1980s, in my born in San Juan Comalapa, a town On our Mayan calendar, today we country of Guatemala. that engages in agriculture, trade, and mark the sacred day Oxlajuj Tz’ikin, I speak on behalf of “women and handicraft s, where there is respect for which has a deep meaning, because it men of the corn,” who carry in the deep- life, and which has infl uenced the recent teaches us about spiritual essence, mate- est parts of ourselves the hope of being history of my country in the struggle rial form, and our cosmovision. From a people that seeks respect for human for respect for human rights, including my view as a woman full of great hopes dignity and harmony among the peo- women’s rights, especially those of wid- for a future of peace, I am thankful for ple of my country and the world, and ows; in the struggle against the milita- my life together with my children and on behalf of the women of the National rization of our society and the use of grandchildren; for the memory of my Coordinating Organization of Widows the military against our people; in the father, who was kidnapped and disap- of Guatemala, CONAVIGUA. Th is is an search for truth, justice, and the right peared on July 5, 1982; and my husband, organization through which we, with to compensation for damage suff ered Rolando Gomez Sotz, who was kid- determination and courage, in a very from armed confl ict; and for the right napped and disappeared in May of 1984. diffi cult and painful time of our lives, to live in peace and harmony. Th ese two people were my inspiration, decided to organize ourselves as wid- I want to express my deepest grat- and examples of service to others. I also ows and open the path of searching for itude once, twice, and three times to remember the more than 250,000 peo- the people who disappeared into clan- our Mayan ancestors, who were great ple left dead by genocide, one of the cru- destine cemeteries; defending our chil- connoisseurs of time, architecture, elest and greatest injustices committed dren against obligatory military service;

Dharma World July–September 2012 25 individuals, and collectively, little trust between people and the state. There is a lot of violence, hunger, poverty, mis- ery, inequality, injustice, and confusion. It is as if these were lifelong illnesses. There is a lot of ambition and selfish- ness, and much great wealth and accu- mulated power. There is great inequality between the haves and have-nots. On a global level, these problems also exist in many parts of the world. searching for justice and respect for promotion and pursuit of world peace. There are inequalities between countries. the dignity of women; and denouncing This effort is worthy of imitation, so that There is a lot of wealth with selfishness human rights violations, especially the no country or region of the world will and tools that make greater misery for rape of indigenous women by military continue to promote war, contempt, the majority. On a global level there is and paramilitary groups. hatred, intolerance, violence, and rac- a financial crisis, but at the same time At this solemn ceremony, I express our ism. At this time, as a person receiving there is a lot of accumulated wealth that gratitude, with humility and simplicity, the honor of this award, I want to share is the result of a global system that is and I pay homage to Rev. Nikkyo Niwano my thoughts on harmonization and peace. conducive to imbalance, including polit- who was the founder of the Niwano Peace With the permission of the Creator ical imbalance, fear, and chaos. There Prize, given to encourage the achieve- and Maker of the life and the energies of is excessive pollution, climate change, ment of peace and harmonious coexist­ the universe, and in memory of the mar- and global warming. ence in the world. From Guatemala, the tyrs for peace, I want to address the topic Exclusion policies, genocide, and land of the Mayas, I want to thank you of harmonization on this occasion of the the destruction of cultures, especially for having given me this award. I assume awarding of the twenty-ninth Niwano the cultures of indigenous peoples, are and will carry out the responsibility to Peace Prize, and to share with you the policies that do not allow for harmo- continue contributing to the develop- meaning of harmony and peace. There nization between peoples, industries, ment of a culture of peace, to promote is a tremendous need in the world today states, and societies around the world. with more energy respect for the life and for harmony and peace, so it is impor- Using arms and bombs destroys peo- human rights of a people who want to tant also to share what we as Mayans ple’s lives, communities, and families, be respected for who we are, for what believe, understand, practice, and see, leaving innocent victims. Using bombs we want to be, and for what we want to according to our cosmovision, culture, and arms pits brother against brother, achieve to have a full life. and the reality of life in our communi- and people against one another. I also pay tribute to the victims ties in relation to these topics and values. Peace and harmony is not the absence of the atomic bombs in Nagasaki and Before I share my thoughts about of war. There is no peace for individu- Hiroshima, and of the earthquake and harmonization and peace, it is impor- als, for families, for communities, for tsunami last year in northeastern Japan, tant to share my thoughts about the the country, or for humanity if there an event that shocked all of humanity. lack of harmony and peace both in my are hunger, disease, and frustration; if I want to share my solidarity with all country and in the world. there are trauma and economic, social, Japanese. In addition, I want to share In Guatemala, for example, despite and political imbalances; if these cause the hope that the environmental move- the signing of a firm peace agreement in an imbalance of nature; if there aren’t ment will assume a greater commitment 1996, neither peace nor harmony has yet solidarity, respect for human rights, the to contributing to the defense and pro- been achieved. Today we live with a lot rights of peoples, women’s rights, and tection of the land, mountains, water, of uncertainty, almost in chaos as a soci- youth rights. In short, there is no peace and air. Since the lives of humans, ani- ety and as a country. There is a struggle and harmony without honoring the val- mals, and plants depend on them, we between life and death. Fear, pain, and ues of equality, love, and respect. You should not continue to pollute the little familial, social, economic, and political can say that these are the values that we have left to live on right now. imbalances prevail. Although there was our ancestors have been building and I am grateful to the members of the an end to armed conflict, today there is for which we were created. Niwano Peace Foundation, who make a lot of death and desolation. There is The question is whether human- extraordinary contributions to the little space for internal harmony among ity has suffered enough pain, enough

26 Dharma World July–September 2012 war, enough hunger. Why have we not achieved harmony, and what prevents it? A good part of that is because we are driven by selfishness and material ambition, as peoples and as groups of people, as countries and as groups of countries. Harmony means being at peace with yourself and with other human beings, with Mother Earth, animals, plants, and every kind of energy that comes from the cosmos. Harmony is joy, happiness, freedom, and enjoying the bounties of nature, as well as satisfying all material, spiritual, emotional, and social needs, thought, to be able to live according above all, the powers and causes of chaos, such as health, education, work, hous- to principles of equity, equality, and fear, injustice, and imbalance. This was ing, and an environment free of pollu- harmonious human and communal affirmed and embodied by our Mayan tion. In our culture, all of this is what coexistence, without disregarding any grandparents. we call a full life, or the fullness of life. individual human being. The fate of the people, consistent This is what we seek and want for all Today humanity is experiencing a with the signs of the times, should be human beings, for all countries, and for very acute global crisis that is social, tied to the dawn that our ancestors have all of humanity. economic, and political and includes provided. The current situation offers Speaking about and explaining har- military and environmental devasta- an extraordinary opportunity to think monization is an enormous responsi- tion, such as global warming. This is about that destiny, and to create processes bility because it goes hand in hand with what we are going through. We cannot that allow humanity to renew itself. At the respect and care we should have for close our eyes to this palpable, inevita- the same time it offers an opportunity one another; it is the reciprocity between ble reality. However, my Mayan ances- to each of you to find unity with both human beings and Mother Nature. Our tors and other indigenous peoples of your origin and your destiny. In that ancestors, those who came before us and the world tell us that a new era will sense it is fundamental to prepare your- are in another dimension of life, taught come from a stricter study of the cos- selves for the new coexistence between us that we should live with all life in mos and its energies and from societ- cultures, respecting people’s spirituality all its dimensions. This lesson should ies and their behavior. This new era is and learning from the past in order to guarantee the continuity of life for all tied to a new cycle of time that marks make possible changes. Humanity has that exists—from the smallest creatures the Mayan calendar. In the Western the opportunity to change, receiving and to the largest, including all life on our calendar it will start on December 21 giving a new meaning of life, bringing its planet Earth and in the cosmos. of this year. vital energy to all that makes a fulfilled Harmonization should be under- It is a new era that also should begin life possible. This decision also implies stood as the highest social, spiritual, and with the understanding of human des- a different attitude that has to be con- material expression, and as social action tiny. That destiny is a fulfilled life; people sistent with deep spirituality. Only in by human beings as thoughtful people and societies acting ethically. Our grand- that way will humanity forge renewal by capable of differentiating between good parents said it, and we harbor the deep transcending time. It is not a transfor- and bad. Also, the stages of life offer hope that the future life of our people mation project, but a process of trans- us the ability to serve and help those and humanity will be in harmony with all formation to achieve harmonization and who suffer from inequality and injus- dimensions of both men and women, as peace in our countries and the world. tice, as well as those who suffer from well as the planet Earth, Mother Nature, This is our dare and our challenge. All an inability to satisfy their basic needs, and the universe. The new era should be of us are builders of life, respect, and and those suffering from the conse- in search of balance, justice, and respect, work; we all have qualities and abili- quences of wars. In the Mayan vision as important elements of harmoniza- ties. Our mission is to develop them to of the world, the purpose of exist­ence tion and peace. In many places in the contribute to peace and harmonization is maintaining balance and harmony. world, there is a strong­er awareness that for a future full of happiness, hope, love, These are the fundamentals of Mayan questions the actions of humanity, and understanding, and peace. ≥

Dharma World July–September 2012 27 ESSaY

The Bodhisattva Way in Rissho Kosei-kai and the Lotus Sutra by gene Reeves

thousand diff erent skills with which In the Lotus Sutra, a bodhisattva is one who is wise enough people can be helped, this means that to know that he or she cannot be saved unless everyone is. we should develop a thousand skills for A bodhisattva is well aware of the interconnectedness and helping people! interdependence of all things. Like Manjushri, Maitreya, and Universal Sage in the front of the Great Sacred Hall, Guanyin is understood to Climbing the stairway to the Great Still, if intelligence and compassion have deep compassion and intelligent Sacred Hall of Rissho Kosei-kai1 in are not embodied in some concrete ways, wisdom, and since this statue is stand- Tokyo, glancing up you can see mag- they don’t amount to much. Universal ing, it symbolizes the embodiment, the nifi cent paintings of three of the most Sage can be called a sage because he is putting to work, of intelligence and com- familiar Mahayana bodhisattvas: on the both wise and good. He represents the passion in our everyday lives. right, riding on his lion and symboliz- ideal of bringing the bodhisattva way to Rissho Kosei-kai’s members’ vow ing wisdom, is Manjushri. On the left , life in everyday actions and relationships. says, “We pledge ourselves to follow mounted on a cow and symbolizing com- Th ere are, of course, many ways to the bodhisattva way, to bring peace to passion, is Maitreya. And in the center, symbolize such things. If you go around our families, communities, and coun- riding his white elephant with six tusks, or through the Great Sacred Hall and tries and to the world.” is Universal Sage Bodhisattva, symbol- enter the great hall of the Horin-kaku, izing embodiment of wisdom and com- the Dharma-Wheel Hall, you will fi nd Helping Others passion in everyday life. yourself in the presence of still another Th e wisdom of Manjushri is to be of the great Mahayana bodhisattvas— In the West it is oft en said that a bodhi- understood not as something highly Guanyin, called Kannon in Japanese, sattva is someone who is able to enter esoteric and abstract but rather as some- the Regarder of the Cries of the World. the bliss of nirvana but postpones his or thing closer to intelligence. It includes Th is magnifi cent statue of Guanyin, a her own happiness in order to return to practical knowledge—knowledge of how so-called Guanyin of a thousand hands, the world to help others selfl essly. Such to do things that can be helpful to oth- was introduced to me on my fi rst visit an idea of postponement is defi nitely ers, including highly developed skills to Tokyo by the founder of Rissho not found in the Lotus Sutra or in any such as brain surgery or psychological Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano. Each of the other sutra of which I am aware. In the insight into the behavior and motivation thousand hands, usually represented Lotus Sutra,2 a bodhisattva is one who of others. Th e wisdom of a bodhisattva, in by forty-two hands, holds a symbol of is wise enough to know that he or she other words, is useful, practical wisdom. some skill or special ability. Sometimes cannot be saved unless everyone is. A But a bodhisattva needs to be more Guanyin is treated by her devout follow- bodhisattva is well aware of the inter- than just wise. One could be wise sit- ers as a kind of goddess, and the powers connectedness and interdependence of ting in a cave somewhere, not utilizing she holds in her hands are understood all things. He or she is not completely wisdom at all. A bodhisattva is moved to be powers with which she can help selfl ess but is intelligent and compas- by compassion for others. Bodhisattva those in trouble. But Niwano told me a sionate and, therefore, continues to work wisdom is not cold and detached but bodhisattva should not be treated as a in the world to help others. driven by a genuine, deeply felt desire god who can do favors for us; rather, a Helping others, however, should not to help others that is rooted in a pro- bodhisattva should be seen as a model be taken to be only a matter of help- found sense of togetherness with others. of what we can be. If Guanyin has a ing individuals with their personal

28 Dharma World July–September 2012 Gene Reeves has done research and lectured on the Lotus Sutra worldwide for more than a quarter century. He is a professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing and serves as an international advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai. Before coming to Japan in 1989, he was head of Meadville Lombard Theological School and a lecturer at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His recent works include The Stories of the Lotus Sutra (Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2010).

problems, though that is very impor- was during meditation that the Buddha explaining it, and living in accord with tant. The Lotus Sutra repeatedly speaks became awakened, it has special impor- its teachings. But preeminent among of bodhi­sattva practice as two things: tance for Buddhists. But there is nothing the practices advocated by the Lotus transforming individuals and purifying peculiarly Buddhist about meditation. Sutra is the way of behaving toward lands. In other words, we should recog- And the vast majority of Buddhists never others generally termed the bodhisattva­ nize that people are profoundly affected meditate. For them, Buddhist practice way. This bodhisattva way is the Lotus by their social and natural environments. may be many things, but it is not pri- Sutra’s encompassing vision of Buddhist This, I believe, is why Founder Niwano marily meditation. practice. gave so much importance to working Meditation and concentration are for world peace and became a founder important in the Lotus Sutra, but they A Way of Action of the World Conference of Religions are not given special prominence. It is for Peace. also said that even a million aeons of In a key passage of the Lotus Sutra we Nowadays, thanks to Thich Nhat meditating does not produce as much find: Hanh, Sulak Sivaraksa, and others, we merit as hearing about and accepting, have an international engaged Buddhism even for a moment, the everlasting life Distinguishing the real Dharma, movement in which Buddhist teach- of the Buddha, which means embody- The way of action of bodhisattvas, ings and practices are related not only ing the Buddha in one’s own life. [The Buddha] taught this Dharma to individual issues but also to issues of But if meditation is not the pri- Flower Sutra3 common or social or political import. mary Buddhist practice in the Lotus In verses as numerous as the sands From the perspective of the Lotus Sutra, Sutra, what is? Many practices are rec- of the Ganges (202).4 this is as it should be, but we should not ommended, especially receiving and assume from it that we can first have a embracing the sutra, chanting it from We see here that the bodhisattva Buddhism that is not socially engaged memory, copying it, teaching and way is a way of doing, of action. What and then add social engagement as a kind of secondary or tertiary matter. From the perspective of the Lotus Sutra and that of Founder Niwano, Buddhism is necessarily socially engaged.

Buddhist Practice

Somewhere along the way—I don’t know where and how—for many peo- ple, Buddhist practice came to be closely associated with meditation, or even defined as meditation. Meditation is one of India’s great gifts to humanity. It can do wonders for all sorts of human conditions. Probably most people could benefit from practicing it. And because it

Dharma World July–September 2012 29 kind of action? Basically it is whatever A Way of Appropriate The story of Devadatta found in action works to save or liberate or even Action chapter 12 of the sutra is very instruc- help living beings. tive. Even our enemies, regardless of their For the sutra, the most important What the stories illustrate is practi- intentions, can be bodhisattvas for us if way of serving others is to lead them cal, appropriate help for others. What we regard them as such. Devadatta, the to embrace the Lotus Sutra itself. The we are told over and over again in the embodiment of evil in so much Buddhist Buddha says: sutra is that these acts need to be skill- literature, in this sutra is thanked by the ful, appropriate to the condition of the Buddha for being helpful. “Thanks to hearers. It is because people are dif- my good friend Devadatta,” the Buddha Medicine King, though there are ferent and their situations are differ- says, “I was able to become fully devel- many people, both laypeople and ent that—just as in the simile found oped in the six transcendental practices, monks, who walk in the bodhi­ in chapter 5, where the rain nourishes in kindness, compassion, joy, and impar- sattva way, if they are not able to a great variety of plants according to tiality” and so on (249). The Buddha, see, hear, read, recite, copy, embrace, their different needs—the buddhas we are told, learned from his experi- and make offerings to this Dharma give the Dharma to people according ences with Devadatta, making Devadatta Flower Sutra, you should know that to what is needed. a bodhisattva, but it is not suggested they are not yet walking well in the What is it that makes an action that this was in any way a function of bodhisattva way. But if any of them appropriate? In the parable of the car- what Devadatta himself intended. Good hear this sutra, then they will be riages, a father manages to get his kids intentions may be good in their own able to walk well in the bodhi­sattva out of a burning house by promising right, but they may not always be what way. If any living beings who seek to give them carriages, but he actually is most important. Often what’s more after the Buddha way either see or rewards them with a much more lux- important is effectiveness, effectiveness hear this Dharma Flower Sutra, urious model. At the end of the story, in helping, or saving, others. and after hearing it believe, under- the Buddha asks Shariputra whether the stand, and embrace it, then you father has lied or not, and Shariputra should know that they are nearer Buddhism as Skillful responds that the father has not lied to supreme awakening (230). and Appropriate and would not have been lying had he given the children even very tiny car- Means But it would be a mistake to under- riages. Why? Simply because the strat- There is much ambiguity in the Lotus stand this sutra as teaching that leading egy worked. It got the kids out of the Sutra about the nature of salvation. We people to itself in any narrow sense is house in time to save their lives. are told that the Buddha has vowed to the only way to save others. The Lotus Two things are relevant here: the save all the living. But the nature of that Sutra is replete with parables, used in action worked, and it worked to save state, variously termed becoming a bud- part to illustrate the use of appropri- lives. dha, supreme awakening, and so on, ate means in practicing the bodhi­sattva Some people apparently think that is not unambiguously clear. Yet if we way. A father gets his children out of Buddhist ethics is primarily a matter of look at the stories in the text, the mat- a burning house by promising them a what’s inside oneself, that it is primarily ter is not, or at least not always, so com- reward. Another father gets his kids a matter of internal consciousness and/ plicated. Lives are saved. Sometimes to take an antidote for poison by pre- or compassion. But there is hardly a hint they are saved from fire or poison, lit- tending to be dead. Still another father of this in the Lotus Sutra. The ideal in erally from death. In other cases, they guides his unambitious son toward the Lotus Sutra is a combination of wis- are saved from a mean existence, from greater and greater responsibility. A dom or insight, compassion, and prac- poverty and from an attitude that is tour guide conjures up a city in order tice. But in contemporary jargon, this complacent about poverty. In all cases, to give people a needed resting place sutra is also very results oriented. Of what is involved is overcoming a failure during a hard journey. A man sews a course it is important that the fathers in to achieve one’s potential to become a valuable jewel into the garment of his the sutra’s stories are concerned about bodhisattva and buddha. poor friend. A very powerful king holds their children and want to save them, Basically, in the Lotus Sutra, being back an extraordinarily precious and but it is more important that they are a bodhisattva means using appropri- unique jewel that he keeps in the top- smart enough to figure out ways to be ate skillful means to help others. And knot of his hair until he sees a soldier successful at doing so. Skillful, appro- that, finally, is what Buddhism itself of great merit. priate action is effective action. is. It is an enormous variety of means

30 Dharma World July–September 2012 developed to help people live more ful- the Dharma exists at all. It is in tran- filling lives, which can be understood sient, changing things that the Buddha as lives lived in the light of their inter- lives. This whole world, therefore, is to dependence. This is what most of the be treated with insight and compassion stories in the Lotus Sutra are about: and respect. someone—a father figure or a friend It is something of an irony that a or a guide—helping others gain more sutra that affirms a cosmic Shakyamuni responsibility for their own lives. “Even Buddha, one who is in every world and if you search in all directions,” it says, every time, does so not to reject the “you will find no other vehicles—except historical Shakyamuni or the temporal the skillful means of the Buddha” (128). world but, as Nichiren saw so clearly,6 As Founder Niwano puts it, “The precisely to affirm their supreme impor- fundamental spirit of the bodhisattva tance. And their importance is noth- practice is [unity] between oneself and ing more nor less than that this world others.”5 Though the unity is never per- is where we, having been taught by the fect, there are times when the mind of a historical Buddha, are called to embody bodhisattva is not one of compassion- the life of the Buddha in our own actions ate giving but rather one of spontane- and lives. This is why a part of the every- ous empathy. Disputes and quarrels do day liturgy of Rissho Kosei-kai is the arise because people don’t realize that so-called Dōjō-kan (Contemplating the even though we seem to be independent Place of the Way): “You should under- of one another, at a basic level there is stand that this place is the place of the unity of all human beings, and a unity teachings, including actions that are Way. This is where the Buddhas attain of all living beings. instructive, just as the Buddha can only supreme awakening. This is where the Thus, bodhisattva practice through be found embodied in Shakyamuni, in Buddhas turn the dharma-wheel. This appropriate skillful means is at once images, and in people—in you and me. is where the Buddhas reach complete both a description of what Buddhism nirvana.”7 is, or what Buddhist practice primarily World-Affirming It is relevant in this connection to is, and a prescription for what our lives Practice notice that there is not much use of the should become, a teaching about how notion of emptiness in the Lotus Sutra. we should behave in order to contribute This teaching of bodhisattva practice Of course, all things are empty of inde- to the good. It is prescriptive not in the is radically world affirming. By this I pendent existence. But it is because they sense of being a precept or command- mean simply that it is this saha world of are empty that there is space, so to speak, ment but in the sense of urging us, for suffering that is Shakyamuni Buddha’s for the development of their potential the sake of both our own salvation and world. It is in this world that he is a to be a buddha. If things were substan- that of others, to be intelligent, imagi- bo­dhisattva and encourages us to be tial, they could not truly grow or change. native, even clever, in finding ways to bo­dhisattvas. This world is our home, and But because they are without substan- be helpful. The Lotus Sutra, accordingly, it is the home of Shakyamuni Buddha tiality, they can be influenced by and is a prescription of a medicine or reli- precisely because he is embodied in it, have influence on others. Undue empha- gious method for us—and, therefore, not only as the historical Buddha but as sis on emptiness can easily become a extremely practical. the Buddha in all things. Thus, things, kind of nihilism in which nothing mat- As I understand the Lotus Sutra, it ordinary things, including ourselves and ters, while in the Lotus Sutra everything would be a serious mistake to think that our neighbors and the trees that are our matters. The Buddha works to save all skillful means are lesser teachings that neighbors, are not primarily to be seen beings. Even poor Never Disrespectful can be replaced by some higher teach- as empty, though they are; not primar- Bodhisattva, going around telling every- ing or truth. There is, of course, a larger ily to be seen as phenomenal, though one that they are to become buddhas, purpose that they serve. They are, after they are; not primarily to be seen as though initially not very successfully, all, means not ends. But the encompass- illusions, though in one sense they are; eventually “transformed a multitude of ing purpose or truth that they serve is not primarily to be seen as evil, even tens of millions of billions, enabling them not another teaching. It is a Dharma that though they may be in part. It is only to live in the state of supreme awaken- can only be found embodied in concrete in things, “conventional” existence, that ing” (339). And this is to say nothing

Dharma World July–September 2012 31 of the account that he later became the Buddha Shakyamuni!

Hoza

So, from the perspective of the Lotus Sutra, full Buddhist practice is necessarily action oriented and social. Everything else—the chanting, the ceremonies, the preaching, the meditation, the institu- tions—everything else is instrumen- tal to saving others and to creating a kind of peaceful and beautiful world in which all are buddhas. Of course, followers of the Lotus Sutra believe that they should prac- tice the bodhisattva way all the time. Always being kind and helpful to oth- ers should become a habit. But the prac- really a bodhisattva unless he or she is aeons, from the beginning practicing tice of hoza is a special, and especially actually practicing the bodhi­sattva way. the bo­dhisattva way (193). intentional, application of the ideal of Being a bodhisattva, in other words, It is absolutely central to the Lotus the bodhisattva in religious practice.8 involves a reciprocal relationship; it is Sutra that Shakyamuni Buddha is, first In hoza, Rissho Kosei-kai members and a relational activity, something done of all, a bodhisattva, one who has been guests sit in relatively small circles in only with others. doing bodhisattva practice, helping and order to help one another with very When Shariputra is assured by the leading others for innumerable aeons. ordinary but very important issues and Buddha that in a distant time he is to Whenever the enormously long life of problems of everyday life, often of an become a buddha with his own bud- the Buddha is described in the sutra, interpersonal nature, such as one’s rela- dha land and era, Shariputra realizes it is not meditation that he has been tionship with one’s mother-in-law or for the first time that he is not merely doing, at least not primarily, but teach- with one’s boss or with one’s spouse. a shravaka but also a bodhisattva (101– ing and leading others, thus transform- Whatever the issue brought to the hoza, 10). Here bodhisattva is not a rank but a ing them into bodhisattvas, followers of people in the group, as they are able, way of being and living indicating that the bodhisattva way. become bodhisattvas for each other, one is on the way to becoming a bud- with genuine caring and practical help. dha. Thus the Lotus Sutra often uses Never Disrespectful the term Buddha way as an equivalent Bodhisattva Bodhisattva as alternative to bodhisattva way. Becoming a Buddha But practice of the bodhisattva way cer- What you are practicing tainly is not limited to buddhas or even Sometimes bodhisattva is understood [the Buddha says to his disciple to bodhisattvas in the conventional sense. to be a kind of position or rank, the Kāśyapa] Six of the last chapters of the Lotus Sutra, rank just below buddha. And very often Is the bodhisattva way. generally believed to have been added in the Lotus Sutra and elsewhere, a As you gradually practice and learn, last, as a kind of appendix, in the com- bodhisattva is an attendant of a bud- Every one of you should become a pilation of the Lotus Sutra, are fairly dha. These ideas can be useful, but it buddha (168). self-contained accounts of individual is more important, I think, to see that bodhisattvas, including Guanyin. In a being a bodhisattva is much more a kind This is entirely consistent with the sense, these bodhisattvas, though not of activity, a way of being and acting, earliest uses of bodhisattva, where it exactly models for us, are understood than it is an achieved status. Just as a meant Shakyamuni Buddha before he to be suggestive of what we can be as teacher is not really a teacher unless became a buddha. But in the Lotus Sutra bodhisattvas ourselves. he or she is teaching and someone is the Buddha says that he has lived in Among them is one not well known actually taught, a bodhisattva is not this world for innumerable countless outside of the Lotus Sutra, a monk

32 Dharma World July–September 2012 named Never Disrespectful.9 Why was In chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra, is to make extremely light of the empir- he named Never Disrespectful? That Guanyin Bodhisattva is said to be able ical realities of Buddhism, of what Buddhism actually is. The Lotus Sutra monk bowed humbly before everybody to take on many forms according to perspective is only a perspective, but it he met, whether monk, nun, layman or what is needed to help others. For exam- is an extremely important, even essen- laywoman, and praised them saying, “I ple, if someone needs someone in the tial, one for understanding Buddhism as deeply respect you. I would never dare body of a buddha in order to be saved, a whole. to be disrespectful or arrogant toward Guanyin appears to this person in the 3. Though usually called “The Lotus Sutra” in English, this text never you. Why? Because all of you are prac- body of a buddha and teaches him or calls itself that, nor is that term used ticing the bodhisattva way and surely her. Likewise, Guanyin may appear as in Chinese or Japanese to refer to the will become buddhas” (338). a king or a general of heaven, as the sutra. The full name, in the most widely Here, then, everyone is, to some Indian gods Indra or Ishvara, as a rich used Chinese version, word for word, is degree, practicing the bodhisattva way. old man or the wife of a rich old man, “Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra,” Thus shravakas are also bodhisattvas. as an ordinary citizen, a government Miao-fa-lian-hua jing, pronounced in Japanese Myō-hō-ren-ge kyō. The short- Most, of course, don’t know they are official, a priest, a monk, a nun, a lay- ened version most often used in the text bodhisattvas, but they are nonetheless. man or laywoman, as a boy or girl, or is Fa-hua jing; Ho-ke kyō in Japanese. In And, of course, most important, as a heavenly being of any kind. English this is “Dharma Flower Sutra.” you and I are bodhisattvas. No matter This means not only that we have to 4. References to the Lotus Sutra are how trivial our understanding or merit, adjust our approach to those we want taken from my own translation: The no matter how trivial our practice, we to help but, just as important, that any- Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic (Boston: Wisdom are, to some extent, perhaps only a tiny one can be a bodhisattva for us—if we Publications, 2008). Hereafter page num- extent, already bodhisattvas. And we have the eyes to see. If we can, even for bers are inserted parenthetically after are called to grow in our practice of a moment, put on the eyes of a buddha, each reference. the bodh­isattva way by leading others we will see buddhas everywhere; we will 5. Nikkyo Niwano, Buddhism for to realize that potential in themselves. see that the world is full of bodhisattvas, Today: A Modern Interpretation of the beings from whom we can learn, who Threefold Lotus Sutra (Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1976), 330. The Buddha Way can help us in countless ways. Thus we 6. See “The Selection of the Time,” in can understand the bodhisattva way as The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Thus the bodhisattva way is the Buddha both helping others and being open to vol. 3 (Tokyo: Nichiren Shoshu way in at least two senses: it is both being helped by others. International Center, 1985), 79ff., or in the way in which one becomes a bud- The Buddha does many things in the Selected Writings of Nichiren, ed. Philip B. Yampolsky (New York: Columbia dha and the practice of the buddhas. Lotus Sutra, but perhaps most impor- University Press, 1990), 181ff. These two senses, however, are two in tant among them is his ability to see the 7. Kyoden: Sutra Readings (bilingual appearance only. That is, the Buddha is buddha in others. Thus, the Buddha version in Japanese and English) (Tokyo: always at work, in every time and place, way is not only a matter of being a International Buddhist Congregation, seeking to fulfill his “original” or “pri- bodhisattva for others but also of rec- 2009). mordial” vow to save all living beings. ognizing the bodhisattva in everyone 8. The term hoza is composed of two Chinese characters literally meaning But how he is at work in the world is we encounter. ≥ “Dharma sitting.” not through supernatural intervention 9. The name of this bodhisattva is a but by being embodied in the concrete curious matter. In the Sanskrit versions actions of bodhisattvas. Notes we have now he is called Sadāparibhūta, Being respectful to others, not merely 1. Rissho Kosei-kai is among the new which means “always held in contempt” in the rather superficial way of Never Japanese Buddhist organizations founded or perhaps “always despised.” But in the in the twentieth century based on the Chinese translation he is called Ch’ang Disrespectful Bodhisattva but in ways Lotus Sutra and Tendai and Nichiren Pu-ch’ing, meaning “never treated that are more effective, involves genu- interpretations of it. lightly.” By itself this name could be taken ine listening to others and attending to 2. The Lotus Sutra has been central to mean “never despising,” which is why both their sorrows and their opportuni- to East Asian Buddhism from the very his name is sometimes translated into ties, helping them in whatever ways are beginning of the reception of Buddhist English as “Never Despise.” But few peo- appropriate to develop their buddha- teachings in China, Korea, and Japan. It ple despise one another, and the clear is a tradition whose historical and con- intention of the chapter itself is to teach nature, but equally important, learning temporary importance is so great that that we should never disrespect others, from them, being open to their being to claim to have an understanding of never put them down or make light of bodhisattvas for us. Buddhism without taking it into account them.

Dharma World July–September 2012 33 Founder’s Memoirs

Rissho Kosei-kai’s Second Step Forward by Nikkyo Niwano

In March 1999 an autobiography of Rev. Nikkyo Niwano (1906–99), the founder of Rissho Kosei- kai, was published in Japanese under the title Kono michi: Ichibutsujo no sekai o mezashite (The path that we have walked: Aspiring to the world of the One Buddha Vehicle). The book is a lively account of the life of Founder Niwano as a leader of an international lay Buddhist association and a pioneer of interreligious cooperation, who dedicated himself to liberating all people from suffering with fi rm faith in the Lotus Sutra. Dharma World will continue to publish excerpts from the book in installments.

In the sixty years of Rissho Kosei-kai’s seem completely unsurprising to those should be its focus of devotion, and in history, I think 1958 marked the great- who only know Rissho Kosei-kai as it is 1945 Myoko Sensei [Myoko Naganuma, est turning point. In the fi rst issue of today, but at that point, the organiza- the cofounder of Rissho Kosei-kai] had the newspaper Kosei Shimbun that year, tion had already been in existence for a divine revelation confi rming this. Th is I affi rmed that the focus of devotion twenty years. It had taken two decades identity was completely natural in terms for Rissho Kosei-kai members is the of preparation before the truth could be of the aspects of the teaching within Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, the Great made manifest. the Lotus Sutra, and I oft en alluded to Benevolent Teacher, the World-honored I had known in my heart already from it. Why did I need to announce it for- One. Th is declaration is known as the the time Rissho Kosei-kai was founded mally to members? Manifestation of the Truth. Th is may that the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni Th is is what I wrote in the January 5,

34 Dharma World July–September 2012 Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, was an honorary president of the World Conference of Religions for Peace and was honorary chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan) at the time of his death in October 1999. He was awarded the 1979 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

not something that can necessarily be schismatic movement of Devadatta and taught from the very beginning. Even his five hundred followers. The point during Shakyamuni’s time in this world, here is that it is entirely reasonable to more than forty years of preparatory interpret the fact that the exit of the five teaching was required before the True thousand from the assembly was men- Dharma could be revealed. During that tioned in the Lotus Sutra as a warning time many people fell away from the against the self-conceit of someone who teachings, like the five thousand arro- has yet to attain enlightenment claim- gant monks who left the great assem- ing to have done so. bly, refusing to hear the Buddha preach Rissho Kosei-kai can be said to have the Lotus Sutra. There were also others passed through the same kind of his- who could not understand the teach- tory. The long period of preparation ings and so criticized them. Despite was the twenty years between its found- this, the Dharma was able to manifest ing in 1938 and the Manifestation of itself, surmounting such defections and the Truth in 1958. And at times it, too, tribulations. suffered public criticism, such as the Explaining why he had not taught the Yomiuri incident of 1956 when twenty- Truth as it was revealed in the Lotus Sutra two thousand households left the orga- from the very beginning, Shakyamuni nization. It was after such a long period stated, “I knew that the natures and desires of all living beings were not equal” and “living beings’ powers of attainment are too different to accom- 1958, issue of Kosei Shimbun: “According plish supreme buddhahood quickly.” to Nine Star astrology, this year, 1958, Even if the Buddha had revealed is a time when everything reaches com- the profound nature of his enlighten- pletion and the truth becomes mani- ment at the beginning, people would fest. For the last twenty years, members have had difficulty grasping it, because have been waiting in great anticipa- their understanding had not reached a tion for the year the Eternal Buddha degree able to comprehend it. In fact, Shakyamuni, Great Benevolent Teacher, teaching the profound truth would only the World-honored One, is made man- have confused them and made them ifest. That year has finally come. The turn their backs on it. And as we know, date of the invocation and the time of even when Shakyamuni finally decided its announcement within and without to teach the Lotus Sutra, it is said five Rissho Kosei-kai has been due to the thousand people stood up and left the deep benevolence and care of all the assembly. buddhas and heavenly deities, far sur- Incidentally, there is one theory that passing my own will.” the episode of the five thousand who Whatever the things are, the truth is left the assembly has its origins in the

Dharma World July–September 2012 35 of religious training and preparation Yomiuri Shimbun published a series over four acres that had been bought as that Rissho Kosei-kai’s true focus of of articles criticizing Rissho Kosei-kai a baseball ground for members of the devotion was revealed at last. over a number of things, such as the Rissho Kosei-kai Youth Group. This pur- purchase of real estate, the nature of chase had been misinterpreted by local A Time of Trial its beliefs, and the way the organiza- residents. We made a report of the results tion was managed. of our investigations and submitted it When Rissho Kosei-kai began it had It was a time when Rissho Kosei- to the Standing Committee on Judicial fewer than thirty members, and its head- kai had been growing by leaps and Affairs of the House of Representatives, quarters was simply an upstairs room bounds. In 1949 its membership num- the lower house of the Japanese Diet of my milk shop in Shinmei-cho, in the bered 32,000 households, but this had [parliament]; to the Japan Newspaper Nakano ward of Tokyo. grown in 1951 to 91,000 households, Publishers and Editors Association; and From the time I founded the organi- in 1953 to 192,000 households, and in to the Yomiuri Shimbun Company. I zation, I was constantly thinking about 1955 to 320,000 households. In view also appeared before the Judicial Affairs what a true religion should be. It is no of such a rapid growth, it was not to Committee as a witness and explained good if the members whom I guide as be wondered that some people thought things clearly to its members. I addressed president feel anxiety about the future. there was something suspicious about members of Rissho Kosei-kai, saying, Guiding others brings with it a great it. When the articles criticizing Rissho “This criticism of Rissho Kosei-kai has responsibility, and I could never for- Kosei-kai first began appearing in the arisen out of a misunderstanding about get that. Yomiuri Shimbun, the organization had the sincerity of our overriding concern Since everything we did had to be more than one million members. to guide those who are suffering toward according to the teachings of the Lotus We realized that with so many mem- a happy life. Nevertheless, we will hum- Sutra, I was determined that we should bers taking part in dissemination activ- bly respond to the criticism of the gen- all study the meaning of the sutra and ities, things might have gone a little far eral public that the Yomiuri Shimbun has practice its teachings together, form- on occasion. Thus we were determined expressed and make it the fuel for our ing a “harmonious sangha.” By around to change what needed to be changed. religious training in the future.” 1955, though, I felt that Rissho Kosei- We looked into each of the charges that After that, we referred to theYomiuri kai was moving in a direction slightly the Yomiuri Shimbun leveled against us, Shimbun as “Yomiuri Bodhisattva.” After different from that which I had in mind. and it was clear that most of them either all, its criticism in one sense acted as a I am of course referring to what had arisen out of misapprehension or warning to us about going too far, and came to be called the Yomiuri inci- were just sheer slander. The land that so we were even grateful to it. ≥ dent of January 1956. Over a period had been mentioned in an article about of around two months, the newspaper cornering real estate was a field of just To be continued

36 Dharma World July–September 2012 SEMINaR REPORT The Lotus Sutra and human Suffering by Stefan Grace

This is a report on the 2012 International Lotus Sutra Seminar, Stefan Grace is a doctoral candidate at Tokyo’s Komazawa University, sponsored by Rissho Kosei-kai and held March 6–11 at the specializing in Buddhist studies. National Women’s Education Center of Japan in Musashi- He is author of “D. T. Suzuki in the ranzan, Saitama Prefecture. This year’s theme, “The Lotus Contemporary Academic Climate” Sutra and Human Suffering,” commemorated the tragic events (Japan Mission Journal 66) and “An of March 11, 2011. Exegetical Study of D. T. Suzuki’s Later-Period Japanese Works” (MA thesis). Stefan also coedited One of the problems that religion takes on a position of power, and this Suzuki’s “Zen in T’ang and Sung” faces today is that any action that it may deepen the sense of victimization (Annual Report of Researches of the takes in society is considered illegit- for those that are already suff ering. Of Matsugaoka Bunko 25) and Suzuki’s imate, yet religions are expected to course, a combined approach in attempt- partial translation of the Chinese Chan be ethical and to somehow—despite ing to alleviate suff ering—including classic Biyen-lu (scheduled for 2012 this limitation—contribute to their donations both fi nancial and physical— publication). broader society. One of the main must be employed in a real-life situa- themes that came up in the confer- tion. However, we must not forget that Although fi nancial assistance from ence was how Buddhists have chal- simply off ering our presence alone can the government and other groups may lenged this limitation and tried to play a very important yet largely over- have provided victims of the tsunami fi nd ways to relieve suff ering in all looked role in helping those in need. with the absolute basics of life, many of its forms. Th is is particularly true as time passes, are still left with no means to provide for —Jessica L. Main, seminar participant when the suff ering of those only indi- themselves and no capital with which to rectly aff ected begins to fade but time restart their lives. What is more, they are In addition to the many complex schol- has done little to ease the pain of those left with fading memories of those nights arly discussions at this year’s seminar, directly aff ected. they sat with burning hearts hoping to a deceptively simple idea brought for- I am reminded here of the tanka have their loved ones returned to them. ward by Dr. Hiroshi Munehiro Niwano poem “Maboroshi no isu (Th e invis- Th e hope that their families might return, on the fi rst day received wide attention, ible chair)” by Japanese poet Tamiko and the physical presence of enthusias- namely that of “simply being there for Onishi (1924–94), who was born in Iwate tic workers and fi nancial donations, is people.” Th e participants discussed what Prefecture—an area badly aff ected by slowly weakening to a trickle. Where do this means not only metaphysically and 2011’s tsunami. I would like to translate these people look for help now? It seems in terms of religious practice but also her poem, said to be inspired by Vincent that for many, they, too, no longer even ethically and practically in a wider sense. van Gogh’s painting called Gauguin’s have those lonely nights of sad hope to Although the idea seems almost too Chair, as follows: keep them pushing forward. simplistic when fi rst confronted, one However, despite the diffi cult nature cannot overlook the important implica- Th at single invisible chair I place of this year’s seminar theme, it was also a tions it suggests. For example, as Jessica by my side; Main pointed out during the seminar, if Th ose nights spent waiting for you * Katawara ni oku, maboroshi no isu only money is given to those in need, it with a burning heart— hitotsu, akugarete matsu yoru mo nashi, may create a hierarchy where the giver I don’t even have those now.* ima wa.

Dharma World July–September 2012 37 Contents of the Seminar “On the Buddha’s Own Sufferings” John S. Strong, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

Professor Strong was the first to intro- duce his research paper, which, along with all the other papers, the partici- pants had read in advance in order that celebration of the joy of life and camara- open, respectful, and convivial. As Sarah the time might be more efficiently spent derie. As Mark Unno and Dan Leighton Strong later pointed out: in discussion rather than in listening to pointed out at various times through- long recitations. out the seminar, we must learn to see The Lotus Sutra was looked at from Strong’s article touched on an inter- the greater interrelated forces at play in the viewpoints of practice, philology, esting yet not widely focused-on aspect the sufferings of others and within our- gender, and cosmology, et cetera, so of the Buddhist dialogue, namely that of selves. With hope and understanding, the seminar was incredibly rich due the Buddha’s own personal sufferings. there is a way forward, no matter what to those different perspectives. I also Although suffering is the first of the Four obstacles we might face; and Buddhist felt that there was a wonderful synergy Noble Truths, and arguably the central concepts, including those found in the amongst the members, so that peo- aspect of the entire Buddhist tradition, Lotus Sutra, hold important lessons ple actually listened to one another little focus is placed on the actual phys- from which we can learn. and they weren’t just waiting to give ical sufferings of the Buddha and the their spiel. I was really moved by that significant role these play in the wider Attending the Seminar quality of the Lotus Seminar, and I context of the thought system that grew thought that that might be because it out of his teachings. Strong divided the Unseasonably mild weather, coming was sponsored by a religious group, various explanations given in the scrip- as a good omen, welcomed the partici- Rissho Kosei-kai, and that while they tures for the Buddha’s sufferings into pants to the 2012 Lotus Sutra Seminar in are scholars, many of them are also four categories, ranging from a scrip- Musashi-ranzan on the night of March practitioners. I thought perhaps that’s tural view that the Buddha’s sufferings 5. The group—along with me as rap- why it had more of a quality of ear- were entirely real, in a physical sense, porteur and two tirelessly helpful staff nest and genuine communication. through to a stance that his sufferings members from Rissho Kosei-kai, Shizuyo were merely an illusory upayaic tool Miura and Natsuki Kudo—enjoyed a Despite the complex nature of much that he provisionally used in order to simple yet tasty home-style Japanese of the discussion, dealing with ancient guide his followers. Strong concluded meal before resting up for the follow- texts, abstract philosophical themes, by pointing out that although one of ing days of tightly scheduled seminars, and academic work based on highly the central themes of the Lotus Sutra discussions, and tours. sophisticated research methodologies, is that of upaya, or “expedient means,” Early the next morning, after warm there was a constant feeling of inclusiv- little mention is made of the Buddha’s coffee was poured and snacks were ity and mutual respect that perfumed own sufferings unless one views the distributed, a representative from the the days to come. Many of the partic- Buddha’s death as symbolic of all of his National Women’s Education Center, ipants, in particular Mark Blum, held combined sufferings. which was hosting the seminar, gave that the lovely mood of the seminar Each presenter at the seminar was a presentation on the center’s history also derived greatly from the mod- assigned an official responder, and in and its current activities. I was pleas- est and friendly atmosphere created this case Dr. Melissa Curley raised antly surprised to hear of the wide by Miriam Levering, professor emer- some interesting points in regard to range of support services that the cen- ita of the University of Tennessee and the Buddha’s sufferings as expedient ter offers for both women and men, current international advisor to Rissho means and pointed out that it is regu- and a friendly precedent was set for a Kosei-kai, who oversaw the organizing lar people, rather than the Buddha him- series of discussions that were extremely and running of the seminar. self, that appear to do the lion’s share

38 Dharma World July–September 2012 of suffering. Strong counterresponded to possess objects, wealth, and status. By seminar and in many ways was sym- that the exacerbated sufferings of reg- relinquishing one’s ownership of these bolic of the camaraderie that the par- ular people is due to their own mental objects and by seeking the One Path of ticipants felt. attachment to suffering, which func- the Bodhisattva of doing good solely for tions to double the effects of their pain. the sake of universal salvation with no “The Karma of Bodhisattva In the discussion that followed, thought of one’s own spiritual advance- Devadatta: The Story within the Professor Mark Unno, pointing to a ment, one is able to understand that suf- Story, the Sutra section from Dr. Hiroshi Niwano’s paper, fering is a gift from the Buddha that one within the Sutras” emphasized the usefulness of laying kar- may use in order to advance toward one’s Mark Unno, University of Oregon, Eugene mic blame on oneself as a religious tool goal of saving all of existence. The gift but how one must be careful in applying of suffering may be interpreted as a sort Professor Unno’s paper described the dif- this tool to others. Unno also offered of “white lie” that leads one out of delu- ferent accounts of the story of Devadatta the deeper philosophical question, “If sion despite its surface reality of nega- and some of the modern analyses of mind and body are not separate in the tivity. Coming to an understanding of the soteriological significance of the world of Buddhism, can one say that the ultimately empty nature of suffer- vastly different critiques the sutras give there are both karmic and nonkarmi- ing is encouraged by the Buddha’s “gift” of him. On a connected theme, Unno cally related events?” of additional suffering that individu- pointed out the similarities between Professor Strong, as a leading author- als may make use of in advancing their the Buddhist concept of the period of ity on Indian Buddhism and on the life spiritual well-being. Niwano was care- decline of the Dharma and modern sci- of the Buddha in particular, gave a sta- ful to point out, though, that when one entists’ bleak observations that, in many ble grounding to the discussion and is deep inside suffering, this great truth cases, it appears unlikely that mankind went on to be a touchstone of infor- may be too profound and painful to com- will be able to undo the environmen- mation and insight for the remainder prehend, and that in order to help oth- tal damage that it has done—if natural of the seminar. ers, one need not pass this truth on to causes do not destroy the planet first. them but rather should silently stand by This situation in the sciences is, accord- with those that are searching for the way. ing to Unno, the karma of failing to “Living in Suffering: The discussion that followed, opened take positive steps decades ago when In Bernard Lonergan by official respondent Dr. Yifa, revolved human beings had the chance. Unno and in the Lotus Sutra” around a consideration of interpreta- points out that this issue of karma is Hiroshi Munehiro Niwano, Rissho Kosei- tions of the Buddha, on the one hand, complicated when looking at it from kai Gakurin Seminary, Tokyo and the Judeo-Christian God, on the a Western perspective, where time is Dr. Niwano’s paper discussed the con- other, as a parent figure. While Taigen viewed as linear and “real,” whereas cept of suffering and explored avenues Dan Leighton stated that he viewed the in the Buddhist tradition it is usually toward an escape from such through the word God, in the context of Niwano’s seen as cyclical and illusory. Unno chal- philosophy of Bernard Lonergan (1904– paper, as being analogous to the word lenges the traditional Western view of 84) and the Lotus Sutra. From the point dharmakaya, or “Dharma body,” of the “historical fact” and implies that there of view of Lonergan, the Judeo-Christian Buddhist tradition, Unno commented are great positives to be found in tak- God does not cause evil but he permits that while dharmakaya appears to be ing a wider view of history—in regard it in order that, through their suffering subject to causation, on the other hand to both the lengths of time and the kar- of this evil, human beings may perceive it may be interpreted that dharmakaya is mic responsibilities and consequences the glory of God. Human consciousness at the same time synonymous with cau- involved in growth, change, and decay. is organized into various levels, the most sation. And, as Professor Mark Blum Miriam Levering offered the inter- advanced of which allows the subjects offered, the theory of the Twofold Truths esting observation that, although there to perceive that “the creative fiat can- in Buddhism offers a matrix for under- seems to have been a serious decline in not but be good,” elevating subjects to a standing this paradox. terms of compassion and ethics among consciousness according to which they The concept of “simply standing the worldwide corporate and ruling exist in a state of being-in-love with God silently by those who are suffering” that classes, on an everyday level one can and are able to transcend their suffering. Dr. Niwano offered in the afterword to still witness regular people treating each On the other hand, in the case of the his paper as a comment on the status other with love and compassion. Lotus Sutra, individuals experience suf- of those still suffering in northeastern Professor Unno’s sharp wit and phil- fering because of their greed and desire Japan became a recurring theme of the osophical insight were an important

Dharma World July–September 2012 39 part of the seminar and gave the dis- “No Depression in the Pure that while for many scholar-practition­ cussions energy and life. Land” ers of the tradition, the Pure Land is Melissa Anne-Marie Curley, University interpreted as being none other than of Iowa, Iowa City this saha world, for many lay practi- “The Conception of Suffering tioners this sort of interpretation may and Lotus Sutra Faith in Two Dr. Curley’s paper discussed the relation- be rather too abstract to be relatable. Stories by Miyazawa Kenji” ship between the saha world of suffer- Sarah M. Strong, Bates College, Lewiston, ing and the pure land of the dharmakaya Maine “How Doth the Lotus Bloom in as depicted in the Lotus Sutra. The first Nirvana?: On the Relationship Professor Sarah Strong’s paper pointed half of the article focused mainly on between the Mahaparinirvana out the important role that faith in Nichiren’s and Daisaku Ikeda’s inter- and Saddharmapundarika the Lotus Sutra played in the litera- pretations and examined the ontolog- Sutras” ture of the poet and storywriter Kenji ical and epistemological ramifications Mark L. Blum, State University of New Miyazawa (1896–1933), while focusing of different sorts of transcendental and York at Albany on two of his stories on which the Lotus immanence-based interpretations. The Sutra had a discernible influence. The second half of the paper dealt with mod- In his paper Professor Blum discussed the first, “The Shining Feet,” describes the ern—in particular nationalistic-leaning similarities and differences between the journey of two young brothers, first Meiji period (1868–1912)—interpreta- Lotus and Nirvana sutras and hypothe- into a world similar to one of the hells tions of the Pure Land with a focus on two sized that the relationship between the described in Buddhist scriptures and of Chigaku Tanaka’s disciples: Masaharu two might be likened to that of a father- then into a world like that described Anesaki and Kenji Miyazawa. Although son relationship. Blum argued that Prince in chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra. The Tanaka saw Japan as a manifestation of Ajatasatru’s relationship with his father, suffering of the children in the earthly the Pure Land, Anesaki took a slightly King Bimbisara, might be interpreted as realm and the greater suffering in the less direct approach in understanding a simile for the way in which the writ- hell-like realm are explained in the Japan as the Pure Land, where the idea ers of the Nirvana Sutra regarded the story as deriving from their karma of “Japan” did not refer to the country Lotus Sutra. In the same way that the son in this or previous lives. An implica- as a nation-state but as a geographical attempts to overtake the father, partially tion is made that an external guid- location with a given climate and topog- through reverent imitation and partially ing force leads one of the boys into raphy. This ideal, according to Anesaki, through criticism/destruction/recon- a Pure Land–like realm and that this will come about through the actions of a struction of the father’s authority, the force is available to assist us all. In “reformer” who will redirect the suffer- Nirvana Sutra takes the concept of upaya the second story Strong discussed, ings of the masses into creating a posi- as one of its central themes but rejects “The Diamonds of Ten Powers,” a sim- tive environment with that energy people the incomplete description found in the ilarly themed story sees two boys vis- invest into reacting against their own Lotus Sutra and asserts that Shakyamuni iting a buddha realm–like place in the suffering. The paper concluded with an Buddha’s entire supposedly physical exist­ wooded area of a mountainside. In this examination of Miyazawa’s views and ence was actually nothing more than an story a metaphorical buddha power showed that while his conception of the expression of teaching through expedi- appears as a jewel-like dew that nour- Pure Land shares similarities with the ent means—one-upping the Lotus Sutra, ishes the plants but that is unassuming conceptions of Anesaki and Tanaka, it according to which only the Buddha’s and akin to the nourishing power of suggests a conception of a dreamland- death is directly pointed to as an expres- manure—reminding the reader that like transnational space rather than one sion of upaya. A similar doctrinal rela- the pure buddha-nature only needs to being narrowly defined as Japan, while at tionship between the two sutras may be noticed in order to bring its glory the same time being based on Miyazawa’s also, according to Blum, reveal itself in to light. Strong, having published a home of Iwate. the sutras’ treatment of the concept of translation of “The Shining Feet” as Curley’s paper raised some interest- puja, or acts of worship. Blum points well as a number of other stories by ing issues on how one might interpret out that the Lotus Sutra is one of only a Miyazawa, expertly showed through the Pure Lands found in Buddhist texts. small number of sutras directly referred her paper and the resulting conversa- Professors Blum and Unno also dis- to by name in the Nirvana Sutra and tion how his style was greatly influ- cussed the difficulties of strictly defin- surmises, because of this and the many enced by Buddhist themes, including ing where and what the Pure Land of linguistic similarities between the two those in the Lotus Sutra. the Jodo Shinshu tradition is, noting sutras, that the Nirvana Sutra viewed

40 Dharma World July–September 2012 explained how it originally meant “a wheel that is off center” and offered that perhaps rather than “suffering,” “out of alignment” or some such might better explain the original meaning.

“An Application of the Four Noble Truths in the History of Rissho Kosei-kai: How Has Rissho Kosei-kai Struggled with Human Suffering?” Michio T. Shinozaki, Rissho Kosei- kai Gakurin Seminary, Tokyo; Chuo Academic Research Institute, Tokyo the Lotus Sutra as a parent figure that does in other sutras, went on to point In his paper Dr. Shinozaki discussed the demands respect but that the Nirvana out that it is mentioned briefly in sev- way in which Rissho Kosei-kai has com- Sutra strove to assert itself as the right- eral places, particularly in the Chapter bined the traditional Japanese venera- ful inheritor of doctrinal authority in of Metaphor (chapter 3). Through an tion of ancestors with the bodhisattva its own age. investigation of Tiantai commentaries ideals of the Mahayana and the prac- The respondent, Professor Zhiru Ng, on the Lotus Sutra, Yifa provided expla- tical concepts of Theravada in order to expressed her great interest in the con- nations of several examples of suffering create a model based on both the Lotus nection between these two sutras and and discussed the many interpretations Sutra and the Four Noble Truths that briefly discussed her experiences with of the various types and their causes. addresses human suffering in a practi- ancient Buddhist relics in China that Special focus was placed on three kinds cal manner. According to this model, highlight the intimate relationship that of suffering: (1) the suffering caused by the Four Noble Truths are arranged in existed between them. Ng then went on displeasure, (2) the suffering caused a sort of four-step program according to question whether or not a Freudian by deterioration, and (3) the suffering to which adherents may progress from model of thought may have affected caused by change. Yifa went on to show ignorance to self-benefit and then on to Blum’s methodology and argued that how these three types of suffering are other-benefit. Thus, where they origi- a parental relationship may be harder interrelated with other concepts, such as nally do not realize the causes of suffer- to establish in the context of the time the Twelve-Linked Chain of Dependent ing because of their own grasping, they that the two texts were written. Origination. Yifa’s paper also included can progress to a stage where they work The resulting discussion centered on an afterword outlining some of Taiwan’s for the awakening and salvation of all gender issues in the sutras and focused contributions to the relief efforts for of the people in the world. And by this largely on the story of the enlighten- those affected by the March 11 tsunami other-benefiting, they transfer the merit ment of the Naga Dragon King’s daugh- in northeastern Japan and opined that of their good deeds on to their parents, ter and the fact that the enlightenment the great suffering seen there must be ancestors, and the Buddha. of women in the Buddhist tradition, taken as an object of contemplation in Sarah Strong, responding to despite being relatively unexplored in order that we might break the illusion Shinozaki’s paper, led a discussion on modern research, is a complex issue that of happiness and permanence to work modern Japanese interpretations of kar- still affects practitioners today. together for a more awakened interna- mic responsibility and the effects that tional community. ancestor worship is supposed to have on Respondent Professor Leighton the karma of their living descendants. “Suffering in the Tiantai pointed out that while he agrees with Shinozaki went on to explain that one Commentaries on Yifa that the Lotus Sutra is a “happy may see ancestor worship as a sort of the Lotus Sutra” sutra” with little direct discussion of expedient means that allows practitioners Yifa, Woodenfish Project suffering, it is implied in many places. to remove the focus on themselves and Dr. Yifa’s paper, while commenting that Leighton also discussed the etymol- move toward a more altruistic lifestyle, the theme of suffering does not play ogy of the Buddhist term we have come which in turn will positively affect the as large a role in the Lotus Sutra as it to widely translate as “suffering” and karma of the practitioners themselves.

Dharma World July–September 2012 41 “Bodhisattva Joy amid Respondent Professor Levering over- the Lotus Sutra ‘Evil Age’: saw an interesting discussion that led Nichiren and Joanna Macy” into a questioning of what one might Taigen Dan Leighton, Ancient Dragon concretely call “evil,” when Leighton Zen Gate, Chicago; Graduate Theological pointed out the heavily Judeo-Christian- Union, Berkeley, California influenced aspect of this word when used in Western discussion of Buddhist Professor Leighton, in his paper, discussed terms. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Lotus Sutra’s forecast of a “future evil means to go against the will of God; evil age” and bodhisattvic responses however, one must be careful in using through the comparative lens of the this word in connection with Buddhism, work of Joanna Macy and the thought as its meaning can vary greatly depend- of Nichiren. Leighton suggested that there ing on the context in which its equiv- in the Lotus Sutra as a sort of karmic is ample evidence to support the idea of alents appear. justice and showed the weakening of our present age being an “evil” age, or at discriminatory language in his work as least a time of serious trouble, pointing time progressed. The article concluded “Reducing Suffering with to the huge economic disparities manu- by showing (in an interesting viewpoint Reinterpretation: Modern factured by parasitic megacorporations on the concept of suffering in connection Struggles with Discriminatory and the erosion of civil liberties, as well with actual Japanese Buddhist groups) Terms in Japanese Buddhist as threats to the climate and environ- that Buddhist sects are most likely to Sacred Texts” ment. Leighton points out, however, that adapt themselves to alleviate the suf- Jessica L. Main, University of British many in the Japanese Kamakura period fering that they themselves are caus- Columbia, Vancouver (1185–1333) felt that theirs was a time ing through their own discriminatory of mappo, a period of decline, but that Jessica Main’s paper discussed language practices only when faced with strong this was also used as a motivating factor present both in scriptures and in the and well-organized external pressure. in Buddhist practice and works of com- scriptural commentaries by modern and Jessica Main, along with Dr. Curley, passion for thinkers such as Nichiren. premodern religious thinkers and groups was widely praised for doing scholarly Leighton pointed out that there was, of that has come to be considered discrim- work that is highly relevant in the mod- course, war and cruelty in Shakyamuni’s inatory in modern times. It went on to ern era and that seeks to address real time, too, and that taking not a linear discuss the effects that that language has world issues that religious organiza- but a cyclical perspective of time—one on both the targets of discrimination and tions and practitioners face in today’s deriving from Buddhist thought and those organizations that are responsible environment. Respondent Mark Unno relying on a more interdependent view for the distribution of the offending lit- pointed out that religious groups, in of the self—might be beneficial in deal- erature. In particular, the paper focused their response to important issues, in ing with the many evils one encounters on language in the Pure Land sutras recent times have shifted away from pro- in modern-day life. He showed how this and the Lotus Sutra and the responses activity and that research of this type is deeper understanding of self also high- from representatives of the Nichiren valuable not only in an academic sense lights many of the positive aspects of our and Shin Buddhist schools to criticism but also in what it has to offer society modern age and how challenging times from groups supporting the rights of in concrete terms. were energizing as bodhisattvic opportu- leprosy sufferers and the burakumin in nities for both Nichiren and Macy. The Japan. The first half of the paper dealt “Sounds, Suffering, and variety of traditional Buddhist tempo- mainly with Ryo’on Takeuchi’s impas- Salvation in the Lotus Sutra” ral perspectives supports Joanna Macy’s sioned reim­ agining of words thought Zhiru Ng, Pomona College, Claremont, work of “reinhabiting time,” including to discriminate against “inferior” social California interacting with future generations. One classes in Japan in an indirect response impetus for Macy’s related thinking is to strong criticisms toward the Buddhist After beginning her presentation—the the inconceivably long life span of lethal establishment from the burakumin rights final one in the seminar—with a moving nuclear waste, now poignant as we con- group Zenkoku Suiheisha (National story of her personal experiences with sider the meltdowns at Fukushima, much Levelers’ Association). The second half suffering in her family and its close con- worse than Chernobyl, and the ongoing of the paper looked at Nikkyo Niwano’s nection with the sense organ of hearing, perils of nuclear power. treatment of the issue of leprosy as seen Professor Ng introduced her paper, one

42 Dharma World July–September 2012 that describes the various ways that the center. The meal was prepared by a local human-to-human support, as well as name of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara chef who is in the process of opening his understanding. We must walk with (Jpn., Kannon) is represented in China. first restaurant. The participants were all each other through whatever kind of In her paper she seeks to unravel the delighted by his skillful use of beautifully problems we may face. The seminar implications of the choices made in rep- fresh local produce. The Dharma center was a rich learning experience for resenting that name on the soteriological members were very open with their dis- me, especially having been able to techniques employed in seeking liber- cussion on the philosophical stance of see the Japanese people’s strength in ation for oneself and others. Generally Rissho Kosei-kai as they understand it, meeting the troubles that they have speaking, the name Avalokitesvara had and the seminar participants were able encountered thus far and any trou- originally meant “the lord who looks not only to enjoy great hospitality but bles that are yet to come. down,” but the name used to repre- also to learn a great deal about modern sent this in Chinese translations of the everyday lay Buddhist practitioners in In closing, a heightened awareness of sutras and in the Chinese commentaries Japan. In the afternoon, members from suffering led the founder of Buddhism, often dealt with the concept of sound. the center were kind enough to share Shakyamuni Gautama, to initiate a series For example, one of the more common their time in guiding the participants of events that would lead to his perfect renderings of the name in Chinese is around the beautiful streets of Kawagoe and complete understanding of the inter- “Guanshiyin,” which may be literally with its “Penny Candy Lane” and charm- connectedness of all humanity. His search interpreted as “one who observes (or ing Edo-style architecture. for a way to end suffering taught him contemplates) the world’s sounds.” The On the following day the participants that the path toward spiritual freedom paper concludes by suggesting that the were treated to tours of the Rissho Kosei- name Guanshiyin in China has offered a kai facilities in Tokyo and of Shinshoji, conduit for an elaboration of a Buddhist a Shingon temple in Narita, Chiba theory of sounds and hearing. Prefecture, where they were allowed Professor Ng ended the seminar per- access to many areas that are normally fectly with a presentation that rever- off-limits and had the opportunity to berated with all of the participants, ask questions and engage in debate with symbolically tying together the intel- their hosts. And then, on the last day, lectual, practitioner-related, and human Sunday, the majority of the participants aspects of the universal theme of human made the long flight home, just in time suffering that had been the central focus to arrive for work on Monday morning of the previous days’ discussions. I feel and a return to the suffering of every- that Professor Ng’s genuine warmheart- day life—only with a heart somewhat edness touched everyone there. lighter than usual.

Visits to Supporters Reflections and Affiliates was best traversed while anchoring one’s After the conference, Professor Zhiru heart in the Three Treasures: the way of Following Professor Ng’s presentation Ng commented: the Buddha, the teachings of the Dharma, on that Friday morning, the participants and the company of the Sangha. Perhaps boarded a bus for the Kawagoe Dharma I was very deeply touched by Dr. we, too, could make giving our time and Center of Rissho Kosei-kai. The partici- Niwano’s message in regard to the resources to those in need our “way of pants were greeted like celebrities with tsunami incident that what people the Buddha”; we could share our knowl- joyful applause from the center members really need in times of trouble is for edge and information about those in and a trail of umbrellas to protect them you to be there—just for your very need and make that our spreading of the from the rain. After a faultlessly con- physical presence. And I think that “teachings of the Dharma”; and, finally, ducted ceremony and a deeply touch- was also the case for us here at the we could join with Dr. Hiroshi Niwano ing sermon from one of the members seminar: all of us were right there, in “simply being there for people”—not on her own path in overcoming personal and we felt each other’s genuine con- a shoulder to cry on, just someone to suffering, the participants were treated tributions and genuine support for sit next to or to walk along with—and to a fabulous meal and stimulating dis- one another. In this time of greater make that our being in the “company of cussion with veteran members of the global crises, what really matters is the Sangha.”

Dharma World July–September 2012 43 THE THREEFOLD LOTUS SUTRA: A MODERN COMMENTARY

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law

Chapter 20 The Bodhisattva Never Despise (1) This is the 109th installment of a detailed commentary on the Threefold Lotus Sutra by the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano.

INTRODUCTION Before we discuss this chapter, it may in people as children of the Buddha. The parable vividly deepen our understanding to recall what was said in chapter portrays the process through which a man who is poor 4, “Faith Discernment.” At first glance there would appear to and servile and who has lost all confidence in life gradu- be no connection between these two chapters, but when we ally awakens to his own dignity as a result of the boundless look carefully at the sutra as a whole and seek what under- compassion of the rich man (the Buddha). lies it, we can see how tightly connected they are. In other words, there is direct communication between What binds them together is their treatment of the bud- the mind of the Buddha and the mind of each living being. dha-nature. Dr. Giei Honda, a prominent scholar of the As in the conclusion of this parable, the ultimate faith is Lotus Sutra, writes: “The term ‘buddha-nature’ does not to possess the assurance that the Buddha and oneself are actually appear in the Lotus Sutra, but the words ‘You . . . truly parent and child and are as one. It is precisely because are to become buddhas’ in chapter 20, ‘The Bodhisattva of this assurance that one obtains great and true peace of Never Despise,’ include the meaning of the passage ‘All liv- mind and perfect freedom. ing beings are endowed with the buddha-nature’ from the If that is the case, then how can all living beings pos- Nirvana Sutra.” Of course, the entire Lotus Sutra teaches the sess this direct spiritual communication with the Buddha? manifestation of the buddha-nature of all human beings, so This is certainly a major concern. When we look at social why is it that Dr. Honda particularly mentions the chapter conditions and the many people around us, we cannot help we are about to deal with? My interpretation is as follows. feeling keenly that this is a problem of major significance. Among the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the What are we to do? How are we to make the innumerable buddha-nature in human beings is clearly set out first in people who are unaware become enlightened to the truth chapter 3, “A Parable,” which says: “Now this triple world that they are children of the Buddha? The answer should be / All is my domain; / The living beings in it / All are my obvious. We come to the firm conclusion that this role must sons.” The Parable of the Poor Son in chapter 4, “Faith be filled by human beings who actually live in this world. Discernment,” also preaches the buddha-nature inherent Yes. Living human beings are required. Practitioners

44 Dharma World July–September 2012 who live and breathe are necessary to act as messengers of truth in daily life? Fix your eyes upon the buddha-nature the Buddha, to deal with many people, and to bind indi- within yourself and revere the buddha-nature within others. viduals to the Buddha. It is these practitioners that we call Even if we leave the defilements alone, so long as we bodhisattvas. Those of us who believe in the teachings of keep our gaze upon the buddha-nature inherent in us, the Buddhism must all become bodhisattvas. Unless we do, we defilements will be naturally transformed into energy for do not live up to the Buddha’s expectations. The Lotus Sutra goodness. For lay people who lead ordinary lives, it is close emphatically preaches this kind of practice. to impossible, no matter how great their efforts, to remove It was the Lotus Sutra that gave the believers who had the defilements. The more conscious we become of trying been despised by the Mahayana group as “followers of the to suppress these defilements, the more preoccupied with two vehicles,” shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, the aware- them we become, resulting in poor mental health. Rather ness that they were equally children and messengers of than allow that to happen, it is more proper and also eas- the Buddha. It was also this sutra that urged them to par- ier to set defilements outside our consciousness and focus ticipate in a great movement to lead people to the Buddha solely on our buddha-nature and refining it. Way. In this sense, the Lotus Sutra teaches that all believ- The same is true of our approach to other people. Certainly ers in the Buddha can be bodhisattvas and help all human one way to improve the world is to point out the evil in oth- beings acquire religious faith. ers and subdue it (the forceful means), but this is a second- When it comes to generating a great movement directed ary skillful means and is not the royal road of Mahayana. at the general public, however, raising profound philo- When one sees evil in others and argues against it, unless sophical principles or imposing difficult practices must be one is possessed of considerable virtue, one’s own con- avoided. We ought to boil down these deep principles as sciousness focuses on evil. Because of this, the flames of the far as possible and preach by crystallizing them in teach- asuras (combativeness) blaze forth in the mind, and feelings ings that can evoke a response within the hearts of ordi- become confused. Even if things do not go this far, there is nary people. We must also teach others in as simple a way still within most people a tendency to look down on oth- as possible how to practice the teachings so that they will be ers or to feel superior—what we refer to as arrogance. They able to practice them in their daily lives straightforwardly think, “I am enlightened, but those fellows are no good.” and without hardship. The result is actually a diminishing of character. Moreover, Seven hundred years ago, when Nichiren, the founder unless the other people have considerable character, they of the sect bearing his name, encouraged ordinary people will not be pleased at having their faults pointed out. Even if to chant the daimoku, “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” (I take they are able to grasp the fact of their faults rationally, they refuge in the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful will resist it emotionally. Because of this emotional resist­ Dharma), and when Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect, ance, even though the correct path is shown to them and and Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shin sect, preached they know it is correct, they will turn away from it. This is that whoever merely intoned the nembutsu, “Namu Amida something that can occur repeatedly in every aspect of life. Butsu” (I take refuge in Amitabha Buddha), could be lib- When, however, others overlook our outward faults and erated, they were surely motivated by this desire to make point out the goodness within us, showing proper respect the teachings and their practice as basic as possible. This for our goodness, we naturally begin to feel as if we ought should not be taken to mean that we can perfectly practice to reexamine ourselves. At times we may mistake what oth- the teachings of the Buddha by mere mechanical chanting ers say as flattery, but deep in our hearts we will be pleased. of the daimoku or the nembutsu. Even if we were to liber- Such a feeling is natural. Before we know it, we will feel that ate ourselves from suffering, this sort of practice by itself we are not a complete loss, after all. This is the beginning would certainly not be powerful enough to extend that lib- of our awakening to our buddha-nature. eration to others. Indeed, because the present age seeks the Chapter 4, “Faith Discernment,” teaches the process liberation of society before that of the individual, and the of awakening to the buddha-nature within each of us. But liberation of all humankind before that of society, such iso- in actual fact, it is impossible by that alone to save all the lated faith, faith without works, is gradually losing signif- people in the world and turn this world into a pleasant icance. One must discern teachings and practices that are land. It is simply not possible for the Buddha Way to be relevant to this day and age. perfected in this world without people who actively reveal If we boil down the philosophical principles of the Buddha’s this buddha-nature and lead others to become aware of it. teachings to their absolute essence, what is left? We are left The Bodhisattva Never Despise, the subject of this chap- with the truth that all living beings are endowed with the ter, is just such a person. Please keep this in mind as you buddha-nature. How can anyone and everyone act upon this read this chapter.

Dharma World July–September 2012 45 It is not supposed that all the disciples who listened to upasakas, and upasikas] never met a buddha, never heard the Buddha’s preaching in chapter 19, “The Merits of the the Dharma, never saw a samgha, and for a thousand kal- Preacher,” understood the true meaning of his encourage- pas underwent great sufferings in the Avici hell,” so we will ment and admonition. Some of them may have grown dis- deal with this in detail at that juncture. couraged, thinking, “We cannot possibly practice all the • As before announced. This refers to the explanation of teachings of the Lotus Sutra perfectly.” Others may well have the retribution for the fourteen types of slandering the become complacent, thinking, “We can obtain merit if we Dharma, found toward the end of chapter 3, “A Parable.” simply follow the five practices of teachers of the Dharma.” Still others may have momentarily felt conceited, thinking, TEXT but those who attain merits such as those previ- “Unlike the followers of the two vehicles, shravakas and ously announced, their eyes, ears, noses, tongues, bodies, pratyekabuddhas, we bodhisattvas will possess this kind and thoughts will be clear and pure. of supernatural power.” All the Buddha’s sermons are perfect and leave nothing COMMENTARY Those who attain merits. At first we may to be desired. Whenever he perceives the slightest delusion be baffled by the intended referent, since the first half of in the minds of his disciples, he offers them instruction suf- the sentence refers to punishment, but the Buddha means ficient to lead them to Perfect Enlightenment. He is doing those practitioners of the Lotus Sutra who obtain merits. the same in the preaching of this chapter. Up to this point • As those previously announced. This refers to chapter he has preached in detail the right attitude of one who prac- 19, “The Merits of the Preacher.” tices the teachings, the way to practice them in everyday life, and the various merits of those practices. Here he sud- TEXT “Great Power Obtained! In a past period of olden denly changes his approach and begins to preach just one times, infinite, boundless, inconceivable, and asamkhyeya fundamental path. kalpas ago, there was a buddha named King of Majestic Let us now turn to the text itself. Voice Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, TEXT At that time the Buddha addressed the Bodhisattva- Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Men, Mahasattva Great Power Obtained: “Now you should know Buddha, World-honored One, whose kalpa was named that if bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas keep Free from Decline and his domain All Complete. That the Dharma Flower Sutra, and if anyone curses, abuses, buddha, King of Majestic Voice, in that world preached and slanders them, he will receive such great punishment to gods, men, and asuras. To those who sought to be shra- as before announced; vakas he preached response to the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths for escape from birth, old age, disease, and COMMENTARY The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Great death, [leading] finally to nirvana; to those who sought to Power Obtained. This bodhisattva is called Mahasthama- be pratyekabuddhas he preached response to the Dharma prapta in Sanskrit. As one of the attendants of Amitabha of the Twelve Causes and Conditions; to bodhisattvas he Buddha—the other being the great bodhisattva Kannon by means of Perfect Enlightenment preached response to (Kwan-yin, or Avalokiteshvara)—this great bodhisattva is the Six Paramitas for the perfecting of Buddha wisdom. quite familiar to us. • Abuses. The Chinese word translated as “abuses” is writ- COMMENTARY Shravakas. This refers to those who are ten with two characters: ma, meaning “directly speaking endeavoring to eliminate all delusions and achieve peace ill of a person,” and li, meaning “insinuating” or “making of mind by hearing all of the Buddha’s teachings and those cutting remarks.” who have already done this. • He will receive such great punishment. As already • The Four Noble Truths. See the March/April 1997 issue explained (see the May/June 1994, November/December of Dharma World. 1998, and July/August 2001 issues of Dharma World), this • Pratyekabuddhas. This refers to those who are seeking is the principle that one’s sins rebound on oneself as ret- enlightenment through meditation and practice of the teach- ribution. Also in chapter 16, “Revelation of the [Eternal] ings for themselves or those who have already done this. Life of the Tathagata,” the Buddha preaches, “All those sin- • The Twelve Causes and Conditions. See the January/ ful beings, / By reason of their evil karma, / Throughout February 2004 issue of Dharma World. asamkhyeya kalpas, / Hear not the name of the Precious • Bodhisattvas. This refers to those who seek buddha- Three.” Later in chapter 20, we will read: “For two hundred hood by persevering in their religious practice, acting as kotis of kalpas they [the four groups—bhikshus, bhikshunis, the Buddha’s messenger by teaching all living beings for the

46 Dharma World July–September 2012 sake of their liberation. Bodhisattvas are also holy people consciousness (the subconscious), and until one cleanses who have perfected their religious practice and might even and purifies it deeply, one cannot speak of true liberation. be accurately called buddhas. How then should one cleanse and purify the mind? It is • The Six Paramitas. See the March/April 1994 and January– impossible to eradicate fundamental ignorance through March 2007 issues of Dharma World. intellectual comprehension of the truth and an effort of will Let us briefly consider why it is that the doctrine of alone. Inevitably, one must concentrate the mind deeply and the Four Noble Truths is appropriate for those seeking to free it from the physical constraints of the body (which has become shravakas, why the Dharma of the Twelve Causes form), finally reaching a state of nonperception. This state and Conditions is appropriate for those seeking to become is called “nonself,” and unless one attains such selflessness, pratyekabuddhas, and why the Six Paramitas are preached one will be unable to dispel fundamental ignorance. to the bodhisattvas. The first of the Four Noble Truths is Pratyekabuddhas are those who attempt to attain lib- the truth of suffering, which concludes that human life is eration by means of their own meditation and practice. marked by suffering. This is the teaching that human beings Practice here refers primarily to zazen, or seated medita- are subject to the four fundamental sufferings of birth, old tion. This seated meditation is practice for attaining selfless- age, disease, and death; the three sufferings caused by emo- ness. Its great purpose is to awaken to the buddha-nature tional desires and wants, represented by contact with that that is one’s precious true nature by achieving selflessness. which we hate, separation from that which we love, and fail- Some people misunderstand this and practice seated med- ure to get what we want; and finally the eighth suffering of itation for a secondary kind of enlightenment or fall into instinctively clinging to the five aggregates (all the physi- the arrogance called “fake Zen.” Pursuing enlightenment cal and mental elements of human beings). through one’s own practice carries major risks that one will Next we are taught that once we awaken to the fact that become sidetracked. Therefore, for such people it is, as one human life is marked by suffering, we should search for the might expect, necessary to have fundamental guidance. I cause of that suffering and reflect upon our actions. If we believe that this is why the Buddha taught the Dharma of do so, we will inevitably discover that suffering is based the Twelve Causes and Conditions for the pratyekabuddhas. on greed. This is the truth of the cause of suffering. The The shravakas and pratyekabuddhas pursue self-per- Buddha then preaches that if we abandon greed, we will fection and liberation from suffering. These aspirations be liberated from it, and suffering will be naturally extin- and the efforts to realize them are splendid. Yet when it guished. This is the truth of the extinction of suffering. He comes to the question of whether all people on earth can then preaches the Eightfold Path as a concrete way of extin- attain this state, the answer must be no. Supposing that it guishing suffering through right view, right thought, right were possible, we confront a major contradiction when we speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right consider the world as it would become. We cannot avoid mindfulness, and right concentration. This is the truth of doubts about the steady and vigorous development of the the way to the extinction of suffering. world if indeed everyone were to reduce all their desires If we ponder the meaning of the Four Noble Truths, and ambition to a minimum, achieving liberation from we perceive that they truly constitute a complete teach- suffering, and seemingly attaining enlightenment. ing for eliminating delusions, deliverance from suffering, Human beings have various instinctive desires. In that and self-perfection. As a consequence, we must certainly these desires are instinctive, they are entirely natural and say that it is an appropriate doctrine for those who seek to cannot be judged to be good or bad. Therefore, the Buddha become shravakas. does not preach the extinguishing of even these desires. The teaching of the Dharma of the Twelve Causes and What is evil is insatiable greed, which swells that desire to Conditions delves much deeper into the cause of suffer- selfish ends. This is what the Buddha indicates is the source ing. This teaching describes in minute detail precisely what of human suffering. Still, it is quite difficult to distinguish causes suffering as well as the process by which it develops whether one’s own desires are natural or have crossed the and grows, and concludes that the source of all delusions line into insatiable greed. That is why the Buddha teaches and suffering is fundamental ignorance. The stages of an those practitioners who have renounced secular life, like the individual’s life from conception to death perfectly match shravakas and the pratyekabuddhas, to reduce desire to a the twelve stages of the Dharma of the Twelve Causes and minimum. This may be said to be the teaching of Hinayana. Conditions. A handful of practitioners who abandon the transitory The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths primarily teaches world will thus be saved, but it is impossible to demand how to rid the conscious mind of delusions and how one this of the ordinary people making up the vast majority of is delivered from suffering. But there is another, larger the human race. It is an unnatural demand that would halt

Dharma World July–September 2012 47 social activities and impede the steady and vigorous devel- assiduity, meditation, and wisdom are included in all of opment of humankind. them although the words used to describe them may dif- Inevitably there must be teachings for a way of life that fer. Only the meritorious practice of donation is limited to is progressive and developmental for all humankind, both the bodhisattva practice of the Six Paramitas, and it is dis- laity and clergy. This is the Mahayana teaching. The quin- tinguished by being placed first. tessence of Mahayana teaching is the Lotus Sutra. To trans- According to research in anthropology, when human mit that correct way of living to all humanity, as I have beings were still primitive the brain developed the capac- said before, requires a large number of living people who ity to imagine things. Due to this, emotions developed, can act. Bodhisattvas are necessary. Because there are not and because emotions enabled human beings to consider enough bodhisattvas among the clergy, who are specialists others, rationality evolved. When we compare the order in religion, to complete this great undertaking, it is essen- of those developments with the order of the six merits of tial that large numbers of lay people also become bodhisatt­ bodhisattva practice, commencing with donation (loving vas. As with “the merits of the fiftieth person who in turn and benefiting others) and concluding with wisdom, we see hears the Lotus Sutra and accepts it with joy,” expounded how carefully designed the Six Paramitas are as a method in chapter 18, “The Merits of Joyful Acceptance,” a person of practice for ordinary people. who has heard the teaching becomes a minor bo­dhisattva When we consider that the Buddha was not only a great and must communicate that to others. The most important philosopher but also a superb scientist, psychologist, and thing for such bodhisattvas is the spirit of loving and ben- sociologist, we are bound to bow to him in awe. Moreover, efiting others, and the practical action that springs from the fact that the compassionate practice of loving and ben- that spirit. This action is called “donation.” efiting others is first among the Six Paramitas is not simply Because the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas are prac- for the reason just stated, that this is the easiest practice for titioners who have left the secular world and are a kind of ordinary people. There are two other important reasons. elite, it is fine for them to start right out studying and prac- The ultimate aim of the bodhisattva is to attain buddha- ticing the virtues of right view, right thought, right speech, hood, and because the Buddha embodies absolute compas- and so on, or to commence with such practices as philo- sion, the practice of compassion must be both the point of sophical contemplation and concentration. Bodhisattvas, departure and the goal for the bodhisattva. Therefore, all however, live ordinary lives, and because their main aim is practice must be based on and filled with a spirit of com- to liberate as many of those around them as possible, and passion. This is the second reason. to be liberated together with them, the order of their prac- The liberation of all humankind and the transforma- tices will differ as a matter of course. tion of the world into the Land of Tranquil Light through These practices begin with action to benefit others in the Buddha’s teaching would never be accomplished if we the spirit of love (donation). While doing this, we must waited for the relief of each individual separately. It is pre- endeavor to live correctly among others (keeping the pre- cisely the horizontal connections of love for others and prac- cepts). In daily life and in disseminating the teachings, we tice that benefits others, connecting everyone in an infinite will inevitably experience various advantages and disad- web, that make it possible. As a result, accomplishing the vantages and both praise and blame. We must cultivate our ultimate ideal of Buddhism demands the active, dynamic minds so that our feelings will not be disturbed by those practice of compassionate donation. This is the third reason. things (perseverance). We should have full understand- It should now be clear why the doctrine of the Four ing of our mission and endeavor to devote ourselves to Noble Truths is appropriate for those seeking to become it (assiduity). At the same time we should separate from shravakas, the Dharma of the Twelve Causes and Conditions the small self, awaken to the buddha-nature that is our is appropriate for those seeking to become pratyekabud- true nature, and practice so that we can enter the realm dhas, and the teaching of the Six Paramitas is appropriate of the concentrated mind wherein we are one with the for those seeking to become bodhisattvas. Original Buddha (meditation). Through the practice of these five merits of the way of the bodhisattva, we mas- To be continued ter true wisdom as human beings (wisdom). These are the Six Paramitas. In this series, passages in the TEXT sections are quoted When we compare the Six Paramitas with the doc- from The Threefold Lotus Sutra, Tokyo: Kosei Publishing trines of the Four Noble Truths (including the Eightfold Company, 1975, with slight revisions. The diacritical marks Path) and the Twelve Causes and Conditions, we find that originally used for several Sanskrit terms in the TEXT sec- the five paramitas of keeping the precepts, perseverance, tions are omitted here for easier reading.

48 Dharma World July–September 2012