REFLECTIONS

The Ties That Bind Families by Nichiko Niwano

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake to those who are younger, and so on. Nichiko Niwano is president of and tsunami, on March 11, 2011, I have When we consider the bonds we have Rissho Kosei-kai and a president of often read and heard the Japanese word with our parents and grandparents, or the World Conference of Religions kizuna, meaning in English ties or bonds with our children and grandchildren, we for Peace. He also serves as special that connect things and people. It is should rededicate ourselves to express- advisor to Shinshuren (Federation used to refer to the ties of sympathy all ing our gratitude and reciprocating the of New Religious Organizations Japanese feel for the disaster victims. At kindnesses we received. of Japan). the same time, frequent news reports Of course, this does not change about the sad deaths of elderly people in the nuclear family that is common members who listen to and commis- who lived alone make me think about today, but a family in which three or erate with the troubles we cannot talk the real meaning of “family” and “ties.” four generations are living together is a about with anyone else. I’ll begin with the meaning of family. rare environment that truly enables its In other words, by cultivating one The traditional Japanese view of the fam- members to cultivate a sense of grati- another’s minds and showing one ily is imbued with the age-old East Asian tude. Since the family can be consid- another kindness, family members spin concept of filial piety, which calls on chil- ered a microcosm of society, it has threads of respect and affection that are dren to respect their parents and serve many positive aspects, but there can genuine family ties. Then, in a home them well. The parents, of course, are also be numerous complications in a full of consideration and gratitude in expected to love their children and treat large extended family. which, for instance, the husband reg- them well in turn, and this mutual affec- Even though that is the case, we ularly performs daily sutra recitation tion binds them together. That Rissho should gladly accept these complica- and the wife does not fail to be sym- Kosei-kai places importance on show- tions. While some people may think of pathetic and speak considerately, these ing respect for one’s parents and mak- them as ordinary family problems, the ties are never broken. ing offerings and expressing reverence challenges that arise within a family can However, we should not think that for one’s ancestors is not unrelated to offer us the best means for developing such ties exist only among immedi- this Japanese view of the family. our humanity. ate family members. Rissho Kosei- In Japan, the influence of Confucian When we think about the family sit- kai’s Dharma centers form the nuclei of thought, with its emphasis on filial piety, uation this way, even though the views regional communities that create bonds and the teachings of the Buddha, which of parents and grandparents may some- of consideration with their neighbors, have compassion at their core, have times be annoying to the younger mem- regardless of whether or not they are blended over time, and it seems to me bers of the family, and even though the members of the sangha. Such approaches that most Japanese have come to con- older generations may sometimes feel as as friendly calls by members upon peo- sider an ideal family as one bound by ties if their children or grandchildren come ple who are living alone in their neigh- filled with the love and respect inherent from outer space, living together on a borhoods are bodhisattva practices that in these religious and cultural traditions. daily basis provides many opportunities prevent people from feeling isolated and for learning how to better understand bring liberation to both body and mind. Threads of Respect people with different life experiences Such actions bring people together with and Affection and from a generation different from the ties that result in true peace of mind. our own. Encountering such compli- And of course, showing real con- The concept of filial piety is demon- cations truly does provide the mate- sideration for others in such ways is strated by the continuation from parents rial that helps to develop the human a perfect example of the practice of to children, from those who are older heart. Furthermore, it is one’s own family compassion. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 1 APR.–JUNE 2013 VOL. 40 Modern Meanings of Festivals

1 Th e Ties Th at Bind Families by Nichiko Niwano Dharma World presents Buddhism as a practical living religion and 3 Th e Signifi cance of Festivals promotes interreligious dialogue for Rissho Kosei-kai for world peace. It espouses views by Waichiro Izumita that emphasize the dignity of life, seeks to rediscover our inner nature 4 Chaos and Cosmos: and bring our lives more in accord Cultural Revival in the Wake with it, and investigates causes of of Natural Disasters human suff ering. It tries to show by Minoru Sonoda how religious principles help solve 8 Modern Meanings problems in daily life and how the of Kagura Performances least application of such principles by Irit Averbuch has wholesome eff ects on the world around us. It seeks to demonstrate 12 Kagura: Dramatic Interplay truths that are fundamental to all between Nature and Humanity religions, truths on which all people by Masataka Suzuki can act. 16 Th e Cultivation of Memory and Invention in Contemporary Publisher: Moriyasu Okabe Th ai Festivals Executive Director: Jun’ichi Nakazawa by Rachelle M. Scott Director: Kazumasa Murase 20 Shugendo, Festivals, and the Performing Arts Editor: Kazumasa Osaka by Gaynor Sekimori Editorial Advisors: Miriam Levering, Gene Reeves, 25 On the Islamic View of Global Ethical Values by Anis Ahmad Yoshiaki Sanada, Michio T. Shinozaki 28 An Ongoing Journey into Buddhism Copy Editors: An interview with Dr. Elizabeth J. Harris William Feuillan, Gary Hoiby, 32 Spiritual Plenty from One Cup of Tea DeAnna Satre, Catherine Szolga Editorial Staff : by Sojitsu Kobori Katsuyuki Kikuchi, Ryuichi Kaneko, 34 Our Future Depends on “A Little” by Keibo Oiwa Satoe Izawa 36 Simple Living for Our Shared Future Subscription Staff : Kazuyo Okazaki by Mary Pat Fisher Layout and Design: Abinitio Design 40 Th e Restructuring of Rissho Kosei-kai Cover photo: Th e Hirosaki Neputa by Nikkyo Niwano Festival, Aomori Prefecture. PIXTA Photoshop work by Abinitio Design THE THREEFOLD LOTUS SUTRA: A MODERN COMMENTARY 45 Th e Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law Chapter 20: Th e Bodhisattva Never Despise (4)

Dharma World is published quarterly by Kosei Publishing Company, 2-7-1 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-8535. E-mail: [email protected]. Copyright © 2013 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. MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS The Signifi cance of Festivals for Rissho Kosei-kai by Waichiro Izumita

Waichiro Izumita is director of the The Oeshiki festivals allow participating young members to be Youth Department of Rissho Kosei-kai at one with the mind of the Buddha and widen their circle of in Tokyo. close friends.

Festivals (Jpn., matsuri) are a vital part the Dharma as taught in the Lotus Sutra. 2005, began with a memorial service for of religion, and Rissho Kosei-kai, too, Large crowds of spectators line the streets, them. Aft erward about two hundred smil- has festivals. and booths attended by members of var- ing people paraded cheerfully through For Rissho Kosei-kai, festivals are ious local Dharma centers selling local the streets. Th is fi rst year of holding the not simply for enjoyment but also off er produce, as well as stalls off ering festival festival in Ashio, there were few specta- the opportunity for people of the same foods such as fried noodles and cotton tors, but as the years passed, the num- faith to gather together, deepen mutual candy, cover the headquarters parking ber gradually grew, until some began to understanding, and renew their vows lots. It is a lively event. help with the stalls set up in the temple for daily religious practice. As someone In 2005, when I was the minister of grounds. In time the event became a true in the service of Rissho Kosei-kai, I feel the Kiryu Dharma Center, in Gunma festival. Th e third year we held it, mem- something very important when I take Prefecture, one of our activities was bers from other Dharma centers came to part in festivals, which is, in the words to put on a local Oeshiki festival. We see it, and today the Kiryu and Kanuma of our founder, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, held it at the Nichiren sect temple Dharma centers jointly hold the festival “aiming at what is in the mind of the Honmyoji, in the town of Ashio, one in the grounds of Honmyoji. Buddha.” I do not concentrate only on of the dissemination districts served by Th e young people participating in the success of the festival itself but always the Kiryu Dharma Center. It was held the festival widen their circle of close ask myself, “Is my own aim in taking there because Honmyoji’s priest was a friends as they play fl utes and gongs part in this festival at one with the mind member of Rissho Kosei-kai. Th ere had and display matoi and mando. It is also of the Buddha?” been a copper mine in Ashio since about evident that many people who, in hoza, Every October we hold the Oeshiki 1600, and at one time it produced about express worries about their friends fi nd Ichijo Festival at the headquarters in a quarter of Japan’s copper. Ashio pros- opportunities at Oeshiki rehearsals to Tokyo to commemorate the virtuous pered, but since the mine closed in 1973, talk with friends about their problems deeds of Nichiren and our founder. It is its population has dwindled and aged. in the light of the Dharma. Th e rehears- one of Rissho Kosei-kai’s most impor- However, for us at the Kiryu Dharma als not only improve their dexterity but tant festivals. Young members parade Center, Ashio was like a parent, having also deepen their faith. through the streets to the Great Sacred produced many senior members who I think that is why spectators are Hall, vigorously twirling matoi (tradi- worked hard to spread the teachings so impressed by the happy faces and tional Japanese fi remen’s standards) and there. Out of gratitude and obligation, the vitality and strength of the young shaking mando (portable lighted pago- as to a parent, all of our center’s mem- people taking part in Oeshiki festivals. das). Th e sounds of fl utes, gongs, and bers went to Ashio. As the director of the Youth drums merge as the young people move During World War II, many of the Department, I hope to assist young peo- in procession. Participating in the festival people killed by a cave-in at the Ashio ple all over the country to be of one mind allows them to be at one with the mind mine were from China or Korea, doing with the Buddha so they can correctly of the Buddha as they learn about how forced labor for the Japanese military. practice his teachings in their daily lives, Nichiren and Founder Niwano practiced Th e fi rst Oeshiki festival in Ashio, held in both at home and at school. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 3 MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS

Chaos and Cosmos Cultural Revival in the Wake of Natural Disasters by Minoru Sonoda

wind and fl ood damage, and heavy snow The experience of recovering unbowed from natural disasters, covers part of the country in winter. from which Japan has suffered many times in its history, Volcanic eruptions are also not uncom- rising again out of catastrophic chaos through a trust in mon. As a result, the archipelago’s inhab- the regenerative power of nature and the ties binding the itants have from ancient times feared the community, has been handed down to us within our religious ferocity of nature, which can strike any- culture in the form of shrine festivals and performing arts. where. But at the same time, they have developed a religious culture marked by strong communal bonds that help The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that already withstood smaller earthquakes them recover from disaster. struck northeastern Japan on March and tsunamis, so nearby residents did I would like to give a few specifi c 11, 2011, and the enormous tsunami not take seriously the approach of the examples of how the religious culture of that followed along the Pacifi c coast 2011 tsunami. local communities has provided spiritual destroyed fi sheries and local commu- In spite of the great losses, as has nourishment to alleviate the suff ering nities, causing as many as twenty thou- been widely reported, the people liv- of survivors of the earthquake and tsu- sand deaths and leaving more than four ing in devastated coastal areas who had nami caused by emotional trauma and hundred thousand people homeless. Th e had all means of sustenance snatched post-traumatic stress disorder and fos- earthquake and tsunami also damaged away and were left without food, cloth- tered the energy people needed to face the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power ing, and shelter rallied together in their reconstruction. Plant and triggered severe radioactive communities to maintain a well-ordered contamination, causing shock waves exist ence in evacuation centers—with- Conditions of Shrines around the world. out any kind of disturbance or looting in and Temples An equally severe earthquake, esti- their neighborhoods—as they received mated at magnitude 8.3, and tsunami emergency aid from both home and in Disaster Areas occurred on the twenty-sixth day of the abroad. Th e foreign media in particu- As roads became passable again in disas- fi ft h month of Jogan 11 (869), according lar were astonished that the evacuees ter areas between March and May of to the Japanese historical record Nihon maintained such good order and were 2011, a great many relief activities were sandai jitsuroku (Veritable records of unsparing in their praise. set in motion. Th e various relief teams three reigns of Japan [901]). Th ey too Because the Japanese archipelago included scholars of diff erent disci- caused great destruction along the Pacifi c is at a point where four of the tectonic plines who conducted on-site surveys coast of northeastern Japan, and a thou- plates (the Eurasian, North American, in conjunction with relief work. As a sand people are said to have drowned. Pacifi c, and Philippine) that make up member of a university team and other Earthquakes and tsunamis have struck the bedrock of the earth’s surface press teams, I too observed the situation in the the region many times since, but his- together, enormous earthquakes occur course of a number of visits to the tsu- tory has shown that its rich agricultural with great frequency; about a fi ft h of nami-ravaged areas of Miyagi and Iwate and fi shing industries have recovered all the world’s earthquakes happen Prefectures, traveling to most places each time. Th e recent case was partic- here. Also, Japan is subject to numer- except the exclusion zone imposed in ularly unfortunate because the strong ous other natural disasters, lying as it Fukushima Prefecture because of radio- breakwaters along the coast, built with does in a monsoonal climate zone, with active contamination from the nuclear advanced engineering techniques, had vast amounts of rain. Typhoons cause accident.

4 Dharma World April–June 2013 Minoru Sonoda is the head priest of Chichibu Shrine, in Saitama Prefecture. He took his doctoral degree at the University of Tokyo in 1965. He was a Professor at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo and then at Kyoto University until he retired in 2000. He is now a Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University. He has published widely and has edited many collections and anthologies on Shinto.

Each time I went, I witnessed a strik- that had been carefully placed near ruins in February 2012 at Ofunato in Iwate ing phenomenon common to all places. of numerous shrines and small sacred Prefecture, sponsored by the nonprofit It was the almost miraculous survival sites in lowland areas. Offerings were Shinto Kokusai Gakkai (International of many community shrines, both large also placed at torii (gateways of Shinto Shinto Foundation). Having made an and small, in ports and fishing villages shrines) that were barely left standing exhaustive investigation of the area alike, left standing amid the ruins. In amid the devastation of lowland set- affected by the tsunami, he remarked many cases local people were saved by tlements. We easily supposed that the that in many places religion had become taking refuge in them. One reason for offerings were from tsunami survivors, more visible. He recalled, “Our survey the shrines’ survival is that many are such as the people we often witnessed was virtually a pilgrimage to the shrines on high ground in the foothills behind visiting shrines in the devastated areas. in each place.” This bears out well the towns and villages. Because of this, the Many folklorists and histori- situation of shrines in the region. shrines tend to be designated tsunami ans who have visited the region have evacuation points for the local area. noted this phenomenon. One such Festivals in the Comparatively large Buddhist temples scholar is Norio Akasaka, a professor Local Community on high ground also escaped the tsu- at Gakushuin University and the direc- nami and sheltered evacuees. tor of the Fukushima Museum. He pre- Next I would like to mention the remark- What drew our attention in partic- sented the paper “Disasters, Religion, able revival of the festival culture and ular were the offerings of sake or other Culture” at the symposium Disasters local performing arts that have been things, such as small amounts of money, and Community Performing Arts held handed down in each locality. People from towns and villages along the coast that were wiped out by the tsunami have, despite the limitations imposed by liv- ing in evacuation centers, been working independently and through their own efforts to reconstruct their old com- munities. The restoration of the local festival culture and performing arts is one activity that has been strikingly effective. The Tohoku region, where the earthquake and tsunami struck hardest, has a rich heritage of religious culture in the form of festivals and performing arts, and it was these that each commu- nity revived before anything else fol- lowing the disasters. Particular performing arts that have been handed down in commu- nities in the affected area include dai- kagura (great kagura), oni kenbai (demon sword dance), shishimai (lion dance),

Dharma World April–June 2013 5 of soul-stirring festival music. Since this festival traditionally precedes the o-bon observances, which welcome the spirits of those who have died during the past year, the holding of the festi- val, even with only three floats, deeply moved people who had lost many family members in the tsunami. Their display of emotion and the fact that the festi- val had eased some of their grief was widely reported on television, eliciting responses and sympathy from viewers all over the country. The second example was in Yamada, where the Yamada Festival, centering on the festival of the Yamada Hachiman Shrine, was revived. Yamada, too, lies on a deeply indented coastline, and its deep coves are used to cultivate fish and shellfish. This prosperous town, with a population of eighteen thousand, was devastated by the tsunami. Close to fif- teen hundred people died, and the town shikamai (deer dance), and toramai (tiger festival that was revived in the stricken center near the port was left in ruins. dance), as well as ensembles riding on fishing town of Yamada on the central However, like shrines in many other floats providing music for festivals (yatai Iwate coast, under the motto “A festival’s towns and villages, Yamada’s tutelary bayashi) and various folk dances. Most revival is a testament to a town’s revival.” shrine, Yamada Hachiman Shrine, was local people learn these at a young age Rikuzentakata, at the southern tip on high ground overlooking the port and enjoy them throughout their lives. of Iwate Prefecture, was a port famous and, with its neighboring temple as well They are a cultural asset, performed for the scenic beauty of its indented as the town hall, fortunately remained during annual events and festive gath- coastline and was home to twenty-five unharmed, beyond the reach of the tsu- erings, such as shrine festivals and o-bon thousand people. The tsunami swept nami. Local people delight, as a mat- observances—when people venerate away thirty-three hundred homes, and ter of local pride, in the annual Yamada their forebears—at temples. around two thousand people lost their Festival, with its splendid parade of miko- Inevitably, the tsunami swept away lives. The city center was almost com- shi (divine palanquins) and offerings many of the costumes, masks, and musi- pletely destroyed. In the aftermath of of local performing arts. Immediately cal instruments used in these perform­ the disaster, ten thousand survivors after the tsunami, the energetic shrine ances, and sadly, too, many of the had no alternative but to live apart in priests and local young people formed performers lost their lives. Nevertheless, eighty-four separate evacuation centers. a committee to perform the festival as the surviving performers, with both Every year the time-honored o-bon sea- usual. As a result of their efforts, the recovered and improvised properties, son has been heralded by a festival held festival was revived on a large scale on toured the evacuation centers over a at Tanabata on August 7, when thirteen September 15 and 16, 2012, demonstrat- broad area, giving comfort to the grief- brightly decorated floats would parade ing the previously mentioned motto “A stricken survivors. through the city to the accompaniment festival’s revival is a testament to a town’s Let me mention two good examples of lively music. However, all but three of revival.” Most evident on the occasion showing the latent energy of festival cul- the floats were destroyed by the tsunami. was the enthusiastic participation of large ture. The first is the Ugoku Tanabata The young people of the city repaired numbers of young people and children Festival (a parade of decorated floats) of the surviving three floats, decorated in the mikoshi procession and the vari- the city of Rikuzentakata, which helped them, and drew them through the dev- ous ritual performances. It was truly a heal the spirits of survivors, and the sec- astated and darkened city, illuminated picture of a joyous festival that seemed ond is the Yamada Festival, a popular only by paper lanterns, to the sound to efface all memory of the disasters.

6 Dharma World April–June 2013 Hope in the Face of Disaster Kamo no Chomei (1153–1216), a literary figure who witnessed a number of nat- ural disasters and disturbances caused by war during his time, left an essay called Hojoki (An account of a ten-foot- square hut [1212]), in which he likened the world’s impermanence to a flowing river. In similar fashion, there’s no deny- ing that Japanese tend to resign them- selves to sorrow in the face of natural disaster or personal unhappiness, out of a Buddhist sense of impermanence. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami were regarded by some as divine pun- ishment, but I think most Japanese, not just the survivors, saw them as the kind of violence nature inflicts from time to time, and while it was to be feared, they regarded it as both an example of imper- manence and a kind of trial. However, as I have explained above, his sister the sun deity, Amaterasu. The or to restore the cosmos by venerating the Japanese possess the tradition, handed vanquished snake, in fact, symbolizes the sun deity at a time when the world down from ancient times, of combating the annual flooding of rivers, and the has fallen into chaos through an unex- seasonal damage caused by wind and name Inada-hime represents a person- pected eclipse or natural disaster. flood and the harshness of winter with ification of rice (ina) paddies (da). This the power of festivals performed by the drama is therefore a mythologization local community as a whole. of the cultural heroes who restored the Conclusion One aspect of such popular culture cosmos (a condition of tranquillity) to can be seen in village kagura, dances local communities whose rice culture Festivals held by local Japanese commu- that reenact mythological dramas, pop- flourished through flood prevention, nities at their shrines, both in the pres- ular among people even today. They thus saving people from the misery of ent and in the past, are a phenomenon are performed at annual shrine festi- the destruction of their rice fields by of religious culture, encouraging bond- vals not only in the Tohoku region but the annually flooding rivers. ing of the community by restoring the also in communities all over Japan. Two The second kagura tells how the sun cosmos after chaos caused by seasonal such dramas are invariably performed: deity, Amaterasu, angry over the vio- dangers or natural disasters. This idea Yamata no orochi taiji (Killing the eight- lence wreaked by her brother, Susanoo, of mythical regeneration has been pres- headed snake) and Ama no iwato-biraki retired into a cave and plunged the world ent from ancient times, and it is this res- (Opening the Heavenly Cave Door). into darkness. Perturbed at the chaos toration of the cosmos from chaos that The first tells how the hero-deity this caused, the wise deity Yagokoro empowers festivals. The experience of Susanoo killed the giant eight-headed Omoikane and other deities together recovering unbowed from natural disas- snake that had each year been attack- planned to lure her out by perform- ters, from which Japan has suffered many ing the village and devouring a maiden ing a lively festival at the mouth of the times in its history, rising again out of given in sacrifice. Susanoo thus relieved cave. This plan met with success, and catastrophic chaos through a trust in the villagers’ fear and sorrow. Not only the sun deity emerged, giving light again the regenerative power of nature and did he marry Inada-hime, the maiden to the world. This festival serves either the ties binding the community, has whose life he had saved, but he also to represent the restoration of the wan- been handed down to us within our found inside the body of the snake a ing sun at the time of the winter sol- religious culture in the form of shrine jeweled sword, which he presented to stice through the power of the festival festivals and performing arts. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 7 MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS

Modern Meanings of Kagura Performances by Irit Averbuch

blogs, and YouTube links that pop up in In the period immediately following the tsunami, most folk a Net search for kagura events, kagura performers in and around the devastated areas thought it was seems to be a thriving form of perform- not possible to perform in such disastrous times. However, ance that attracts both young and old. they soon remembered that their “arts” were originally rites This modern-day appeal to the gen- of spirit pacifi cation, and they started performing wherever eral Japanese public is a remarkable they could, intentionally reestablishing the original meaning achievement for a performance con- of their dances. sidered as the most ancient ritual form in Japan. Traditional performing arts have Getting off the Shinkansen (bullet landmarks, they lure the traveler to visit always been a source of local pride. train) at Shin-Hanamaki Station in the area and enjoy its attractions. One Certain areas in Japan (Hiroshima Iwate Prefecture, one is struck by the is likely to encounter similar posters Prefecture, for example) host heated formidable shishi fi gures, with their or galleries that advertise the so-called competitions in kagura performance tall stature, wild black animal faces, folk performing arts in most train or skills. Artistic kagura groups (Takachiho and glittering golden teeth. These are bus stations in the Japanese country- Kagura, for example) have gained the images of mountain deities that side as part of offi cial efforts to promote national fame and stage regular kagura are manifested in all kagura perform- tourism and enliven local economies. “shows” for visitors. Other kagura groups ances in the vicinity. Placed here as local Judging by the great number of entries, even boast international fame and travel abroad (in 2009 Hayachine Kagura was designated by UNESCO as an intangi- ble cultural heritage). In reality, however, kagura and other folk performing-art forms are struggling to survive in today’s Japan. Modern life has brought great changes to traditional communities and to the fortunes of many folk performing-art forms. With new economic and education concerns, the rural population is rapidly dwindling today. Th is depletion of population now poses the greatest threat to the survival of kagura and other folk performances. Preserving a performing-art tradition requires time, fi nancial resources, and community eff ort. In many cases, it has become mandatory to rely on outside offi cial and public support to preserve traditional cultural performances such as kagura.

8 Dharma World April–June 2013 Irit Averbuch is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University. She received her PhD from Harvard University

religious folk culture in Japan. She is the author of The Gods Come Dancing: A Study of the Japanese Ritual Dance of Yamabushi Kagura and of articles in leading academic journals.

Indeed, government support and pres- Kagura Origins and ervation societies greatly contribute to the survival of local performing arts. In History addition to financial sponsorship, national Kagura is a general scholarly term for a or regional recognition as an Important great variety of ritual events that include Intangible Cultural Property promotes deity worship in the form of performing local pride and provides an incentive for arts. The Chinese characters for kagura the younger generations to carry on the mean “kami music” or “pleasure,” but tradition. Mass media help spread fame scholars agree that the word may be a by exposing local kagura to national audi- contraction of kami no kura, or “seat of ences. And as mentioned, local perform- the kami.” For a performance of kagura, ing arts are now used as tourist attractions a sacred space is prepared, the kami are to enliven rural communities. The local summoned to reside and perform in it, performers themselves make every effort and their divine presence imbues the to preserve their tradition. Former res- surroundings with their life energies. idents of remote communities insist on During their visit the kami are enter- returning to their ancestral villages on tained and enlivened with offerings of festival days to keep up and perpetuate sake, music, and dance performances. this mythical rite of revival is carried their kagura rites (as with Hanamatsuri, Kagura is commonly performed through all matsuri and kagura events. Tsugao Kagura, and Shiromi Kagura). In as part of a shrine matsuri (festival); An earlier rite (called chinkon) many places, kagura dances are taught outside the shrine context it forms a to rejuvenate the spirits of the Sun in schools to prepare a future genera- matsuri on its own. Indeed, kagura is Goddess’s imperial descendants was tion of performers. considered to be the prototypical ma­tsuri performed at court from ancient times. Even though traditional values and and the origin of the performing arts. Later called kagura, this rite consisted in beliefs have lost ground among Japanese Tradition relates its birth to the myth - youth, during the last decade I have ing” or “enlivening” through songs and encountered many youngsters enthu- recounts how the myriads of kami, fear- dances. Folk kagura forms and genres siastically participating in their local ing the Sun Goddess’s retreat into her that developed and spread during medi- kagura performances. True, young people cave-tomb and the world’s imminent eval and premodern times absorbed the today perform kagura more for its com- death, gathered in front of the Cave esoteric Buddhist practices and world- munal value and for its artistic quality. Door and conducted a life-restoring rit- view and acquired magical potency to For them, kagura acts as a social bond- grant blessings and protection. e ing event or as an acrobatic spectacle, as the frenzied possession dance of the - “sport” and entertainment. On the same divine shamaness Ame-no-uzume, which ated many old kagura schools through note, modern-day official and public enticed the myriads of kami to laugh. political cohesion in the Meiji period support is granted to kagura groups as - traditional performing arts and as cul- osity of the dying Sun Goddess (that is, tural assets. Yet kagura has never lost awakened her life energy), and caused its various forms, kagura has retained its its original essence: it functions as a liv- her to open the Cave Door and be pulled essential functions: to employ its ritual ing ritual even today. and magical power to purify, protect,

Dharma World April–June 2013 9 prevent calamities, ensure fertility, and fixed occasions or by special invitation. activity that enhances local identity and induce the renewal of life forces on both Here, too, whether on shrine stages or local pride. cosmic and village levels. Many varie- in private homes, kagura occasions a I find that this claim presents an gated genres of kagura still abound in public celebration and spreads its bless- incomplete picture. My mid-1980s today’s Japan. ings to all involved. research among Hayachine Kagura audi- ences (of all ages) yielded more compli- Kagura Community Kagura Meaning and cated findings (Irit Averbuch, “Yamabushi and Audience Function Kagura: A Study of a Traditional Ritual Dance in Contemporary Japan” [PhD A kagura performance unites a village in As mentioned, kagura performances con- dissertation, Harvard University, 1990]: a celebration to welcome the gods into its stitute more than mere prayers or offerings 388–401, 456–65). Although most midst, thereby strengthening local ties to the kami: they are traditionally believed respondents (53 percent) admitted that and creating a sense of community. As to possess magical powers and to carry they came to watch the performances for a joint social enterprise, a kagura event divine blessings. As we saw, perform­ their artistic and entertaining aspects, can sometimes become a complex oper- ances are known to ensure the renewal of an overwhelming majority (89 percent) ation (in certain places, preparations for vital energies. Specifically, they promise considered kagura as ritual for the kami. kagura events may last weeks or months). protection from harm and trouble, exor- Only a few (6 percent) thought that the Community members contribute to its cism of evil, and healing. In northeast- kagura they watched was invited for organization, both financially and phys- ern Japan, for example, kagura groups entertainment or artistic reasons. In fact, ically: constructing and decorating the specialize in fire-prevention charms. most claimed it was performed for mag- sacred stage and preparing costumes, Kagura performances work to induce ical and religious reasons (for example, tools, offerings, or the concluding feast. fertility of both fields and wombs and to to prevent calamities [46.3 percent], to The great variety of kagura forms, bestow prosperity on homes and fami- be blessed with good harvests [41.3 per- however, presents different degrees of lies. Depending on the community, they cent], or to please the kami and perform audience participation in the perform­ bless it with rich harvests, lucky catches, its ritual [23 percent]). In other words, ance. At Hanamatsuri, for example, all or good game. And most kagura forms at least in the 1980s, kagura were invited dancers and spectators gather around retain their ancient function as a rite to to perform for traditional reasons, but a boiling cauldron. Roles are tradition- pacify ancestral spirits. people came to watch kagura for fun. ally assigned to particular families: the Kagura thus constitutes a potent rite Indeed, as my research revealed, kagu- elders perform the rituals, then other essential to the survival of the commu- ra’s artistic skill is believed to enhance age groups, including young children, nity, which may explain kagura’s sur- its magical powers. take turns dancing around the caul- vival as a living tradition in modern Undoubtedly, kagura’s artistic excel- dron. Spectators, dancers, and mani- times. However, as is obvious in today’s lence and the performers’ stage skills festing deities join and mingle in the Japan, kagura’s artistic aspect is of cen- appeal to audiences. As we saw, kagura dances. Here we see a communal event, tral importance. Kagura stages theat- schools today are regarded as cultural prepared and performed with general rical, dramatic, educational, amusing, assets and thus put an emphasis on their participation, that creates a strong sense awe-inspiring, even acrobatic, perform- showmanship aspect. However, one of community and local identity. ances. It is believed that a skillful per- aspect does not necessarily come at the In most other places, however, kagura formance of kagura activates its inherent expense of another. We see this today is performed by a chosen few on a sacred magical powers and enacts its blessings when we witness how kagura reorients stage and observed from a distance. At at the same time that it uplifts the spir- itself toward its ancient functions when times religious professionals perform its of its audience, who drinks, laughs, the tide is turned. alongside a trained group of village danc- and celebrates. ers (as in Ōmoto Kagura or Hiba Kōjin Many now claim that its artistic Kagura and Folk Kagura); in other cases local commu- or entertaining value is what enables Performing Arts in nity members perform their traditional kagura to survive in modern times, priestly roles (as in Shiromi Kagura). while its ritual meaning and effects have Tōhoku Today In northeastern Japan, kagura is per- blurred and faded. The younger gen- In the aftermath of the great earthquake formed by itinerant, semiprofessional erations, it’s claimed, are less occupied and tsunami in northeastern Japan in groups (such as Hayachine Kagura and with kami worship and are now inter- 2011, in the following year there was an Kuromori Kagura) who visit villages on ested in kagura more as a communal increased demand for all forms of folk

10 Dharma World April–June 2013 as a magical rite of rejuvenation that can infuse life energies into weakened communities. Processes of rejuvenation have taken place in some Hōin Kagura groups in Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered severe personal losses when performers and their families perished in the tsunami (ibid., 22–24). These groups now strive to renew performances: to borrow or re- create missing implements, costumes, and tools; to combine surviving mem- bers and create new groups that can carry on performances—at first as con- solation and spirit pacification but now performances, especially for the north- to house to dance their auspicious shi- increasingly as rites to regain spiritual eastern kagura groups. shi dance and then visit the local cem- strength and restore their audiences’, as In the period immediately follow- etery to perform a special rite for the well as their own, life energies. Again, ing the tsunami, most folk perform- repose of the dead (haka jishi). Then in this commendable effort to perform ers in and around the devastated areas they stop at a private residence where at all costs, we see that kagura groups thought it was not possible to perform the villagers gather to watch their ener- now pay less attention to their show- in such disastrous times. However, they getic and entertaining program of night- manship and revert to their original soon remembered that their “arts” were kagura. The next morning they conduct ritual meaning and function as spirit- originally rites of spirit pacification, and another rite for the repose of the host- pacification, magical-protection, and they started performing wherever they ing household’s departed souls (kagura especially, life-renewal rites. could, intentionally reestablishing the nenbutsu). Kuromori Kagura thus ful- In Tōhoku today we see how kagura original meaning of their dances. This fills its traditional functions, perform- reverses the modern-day attitude to con- is true, for example, of Kitakami Oni ing both spirit pacification and spirit sider it as mere tourist entertainment Kenbai, a popular, energetic, and acro- rejuvenation. and redirects our attention to its true batic performance that originated as a Though they escaped direct harm, nature as a life-strengthening ritual of rite of spirit pacification of the nenbutsu Kuromori Kagura members faced diffi- rejuvenation. We thus witness kagura’s (invocation of Amida Buddha) tradi- culty in continuing their performances, flexibility in adjusting to changing times, tion (Takeshi Abe, “Iwate-ken no mukei especially when their host communi- and its own powers of self-regeneration minzoku bunkazai hisai jōkyō hōkoku,” ties were so badly damaged. Naturally, and self-rejuvenation, which perpetu- Minzoku geinō kenkyū 52 [March 2012]: they were called upon to perform their ate it as a relevant ritual performing- 20–21). Interestingly, performers of kagura nenbutsu rite facing the pounded art form even today. other folk performing arts in the area shores and devastated areas. Nowadays Many now consider the preserva- now tend to expand the original purpose Kuromori Kagura is exceptionally busy tion and continuation of the folk per- of their auspicious rites and perform and is constantly called on to perform forming arts as essential for rebuilding them with a new meaning, as prayers in various places in that area and else- the devastated communities of Tōhoku for the dead (ibid., 21, 27). where around Japan. Its performances (Hiroyuki Hashimoto, “Hisaichi no The Kuromori Kagura group, how- have increased far beyond their regular mukei minzoku bunkazai fukkō shi ever, does not need to be reminded of its annual rounds. But significantly, today jōkyō hōkoku,” Minzoku geinō kenkyū ritual roles. It is based in one of the places Kuromori Kagura is invited mainly to 52 [March 2012]: 54). Preservation of hardest hit by the tsunami: Miyako City, perform kagura as a rite of rejuvena- local kagura and other performances on the Rikuchū coast of Iwate Prefecture. tion, to strengthen the life energies of may reconnect residents to their ances- It is an itinerant kagura group that annu- the local communities. It is asked to tral traditions and cultural identity, and ally travels along the Rikuchū coast perform its dances as healing charms the communal enterprise required to (alternating north and south rounds that can activate the area’s powers of perform them could invoke the neces- with Unedori Kagura). When arriving in growth. We here witness the renewed sary energy to rebuild the broken com- a village, the performers go from house importance of kagura’s original role munities of northeastern Japan. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 11 MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS Kagura: Dramatic Interplay between Nature and Humanity by Masataka Suzuki

two weeks between the new moon and Kagura has diversity—it may be a solemn ritual inviting the full moon of the eleventh month of the deities to a sacred ritual site, or equally a secular event the lunar calendar, and also around the associated with town revitalization and the promotion of the fi ft eenth, eighteenth, and twenty-third local area. days of the same month. Th e kagura, performed as a supplication for stron- ger vitality, was thus closely related to An important part of many local festi- the next year. Th is season is also close the waning and waxing of the moon. vals (matsuri) in Japan is the perform- to the winter solstice, a time when the Its purpose was to assure people that ance of songs, dances, and dramas that hours of daylight are at their shortest there was a correspondence between communicate and make interplay with and when it was once believed that the them and the cosmos, in both the move- the deities. Th is is calledkagura . Kagura sun itself was waning and the vitality ments of the sun and moon and other has diversity—it may be a solemn rit- of human body seemed in correspond- heavenly bodies. Kagura performance ual inviting the deities to a sacred ritual ing decline. People are intoxicated by represents the natural fl ow of the sea- site, or equally a secular event associated the dances, which last the whole night sons from autumn to winter and win- with town revitalization and the promo- through, and people confi rm their regen- ter to spring, thus revivifying them and tion of the local area. Th is invokes the eration by venerating the newly risen restoring the communication between question: why hasn’t kagura declined sun the following morning. Today many nature and humanity. in the face of modernization? such kagura are held on weekends in One example of the Shimotsuki Th e fi rst main type of kagura is called November or December, though in the Kagura is the Tōyama Festival (Iida City, Shimotsuki Kagura, a term taken from past they were performed during the Nagano Prefecture). It is characterized the name of the eleventh month in the lunar calendar (shimotsuki means “month of frosts”). Today this type of kagura is performed in December in the solar calendar in winter. It has many forms and is called by diff erent names in each region: for example, the Flower Festival (Hanamatsuri) of the Oku Mikawa area in northern Aichi Prefecture, the Tōyama Festival in south- ern Nagano Prefecture, the Kōjin Kagura in Hiroshima and Okayama Prefectures, the Hongawa Kagura (Kōchi Prefecture), and the Kagura of Mount Horoha (Akita Prefecture). Th e Shimotsuki Kagura is suggestive of an agricultural ritual, giv- ing thanks to the deities for the har- vesting of the rich crops of this year and praying for a plentiful harvest in

12 Dharma World April–June 2013 Masataka Suzuki, PhD, is a Professor in the Faculty of Letters at Keio University, Tokyo, and Vice Director of Keio Institute of East Asian Studies. He specializes in cultural anthropology and religious studies and has engaged in area studies in Japan, South India, Sri Lanka, and southwest China for more than three decades. He has written many books and articles.

as a yudate (boiling water) kagura, frosts, begins. Yudate is performed where water is boiled in one or more for the various deities, one by one, as cauldrons (kamado) that are erected their origins are related. They are then in the center of the sacred space and offered prayers and dances. After mid- around which the performers dance night, elements of making offerings to with songs and spells. Drops of boil- the spirits of the dead are added, but ing water (called tama, meaning “jew- as dawn approaches, masked deities, els” and “spirits”) are splashed on the familiar to the spectators, come out for spectators, giving them the sensation their appearance and dance raucously of having their lives renewed. The among them. Finally, in the last of the sacred song (kamiuta) sung during masked dances, the mountain deity, the part called the List of the Kami known as Tenpaku, appears. He sprays (Jinmyōchō) describes the arrival, when water from the cauldron around the winter comes, of the deities riding the sacred space, displaying his supernat- wind and clouds and rain: ural powers and undertaking to return the following year. At the end of the When winter comes, all-night festival, a sacred song is sung Someone has made it known. in farewell to the deities: [Deities] arrive, Riding the rain clouds Deities, go forth! used to last four days and four nights From the North Country. Dwell in your groves. and were performed in the residence of When winter comes again, the tōya, the family responsible for the There is also the kagura song that We will call you back festival that particular year. It has grad- goes: To this village. ually shortened, first to three days and two nights, until now when it lasts two Snow on the peaks, The kami will return to their faraway days and one night. At the end of the Hail in the dead of night, mountains, but there are also some for Great Kagura, a dance called Kōjin no Rain in the villages, whom the village is their original abode mai asobi is performed. The oracle man Sheets of ice in the valleys. and they will remain in shrines or groves (shinbashira) swings a length of white there. This communication with the cloth and dances leaning over a long In the season when snow falls on deities, spirits, and nature builds up straw rope suspended across the room, the high mountains, rain falls in the a rhythm in villagers’ everyday lives, called Tatsu (a dragon deity, a messen- villages, and ice hardens in the valleys, year in year out. ger of Kōjin). The oracle man enters a and when the barley sprouts, there are The Kōjin Kagura of Bingo (Shōbara trance and tells an oracle from the Kōjin gatherings of worshippers of the moun- City, Hiroshima Prefecture) prays for that possesses him. People in this region tain deity (yama no kami), during which the fierce earth deity Kōjin and is per- order their everyday lives according to people offer skewers of potatoes or rice formed by members of ten or so house- this oracle, received through a direct cakes to the deity and share a feast. holds, called myō. Large-scale kagura encounter with the deities and spirits, When the feast is over, the Shimotsuki (Great Kagura) are held in every seventh, seeking compatibility with them and Matsuri, or festival of the month of thirteenth, and thirty-third year. They focusing one’s mind on them.

Dharma World April–June 2013 13 Kōjin, enshrined under a tree, besides that underlies it. The Great Kagura held as offerings on an altar, in the shape of a being a fierce earth deity, also has aspects every thirty-three years is both a pledge mountain, on an outdoor altar. The vil- of a water deity, who appears as a snake and vow to an intimate “Kōjin-san” and lagers hunt boar before the festival and, or a dragon. Kōjin shrines are often a return of thanks for prayers that have oddly enough, always claim success. The located in old graveyards, and many been fulfilled. Such prayers concern not kagura is conducted by Shintō priests, but people consider Kōjin to be ancestral only a plentiful harvest and personal its core is conducted by devotees called spirits. From the late Middle Ages until health but also the overcoming of ill houri, selected from men in surround- the seventeenth century, under the influ- fortune, such as sickness or disaster. ing villages who belong to twelve hered- ence of Buddhism, kagura intermingled People believe that Kōjin fulfill prayers itary households. The number “twelve” with an annual agricultural ritual and and grant wishes. This kind of “belief” is the same as the number of the des- memorial services for the spirits of the is not so much a Western idea of a reli- ignated hunting areas (kakura), which dead in fixed years after their deaths. gious concept as a kind of reliance on demonstrates the strong link between Originally, little distinction was made deities. At a deep spiritual level, there is these places and the kagura. Today there between Japanese concepts of deities and reciprocity between deities and human are a large number of dancers who per- Buddhist divinities. Japanese Buddhism beings. When this relationship is lost, form as a special prayer (gan) to the dei- has been characterized by syncretism ties with the invisible world decline, and ties (gan houri); their qualifications to that mixes buddhas and bodhisattvas kagura changes simply into an enjoy- participate to kagura are not hereditary with Japanese deities and spirits. But able and entertaining event. like those of the houri proper. canonical Shintō’s influence on kagura The Shimotsuki Kagura is also per- The first of the thirty-three dances, increased from the late seventeenth cen- formed in the mountainous region of the Star Kagura (Hoshi no Kagura), is tury, with acceptance of Yoshida Shintō southern Kyūshū. The Shiromi Kagura of performed indoors on December 13 as a doctrine. In the nineteenth century the Mera (Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture) dance of prayer. On the afternoon of the influence of Kokugaku, an indigenous is varied and rich in detail, and spec- following day, Shintō priests and houri and nationalistic movement, was added tators lose all sense of the passage of pick up the masks of the various deities to kagura, transforming it into the story time. Thirty-three kinds of dances are from shrines scattered through the valley of an ancient myth. The ritual for spir- performed on the occasion of the great and bring the masks to the kagura site. its of the dead and for ancestors dis- festival of Shiromi Shrine each year in This is called Mensama Mukae, welcom- appeared from kagura. After the Meiji December. The central deity, the deity ing sacred-mask beings. The remaining restoration in 1868, under the govern- of Mount Ryūbusa, which rises behind thirty-two dances are then performed ment’s decree of separation between the village, is also called Nishinomiya through the night into the next morn- Buddhism and Shintō, Buddhist ele- Daimyōjin. A dancing place is con- ing, mostly at the dancing site in front ments were completely eliminated from structed outdoors in front of the Hanaya, of the Hanaya. The first part of the eve- kagura. This situation continues down a house where ancestor spirits of the ning consists of a succession of purifica- to the present. Kagura—once based on shrine priest are enshrined. This kagura tory dances, followed by masked dances a worldview where nature, deities and derives from the belief of mountain and representing the descent (orii) of three spirits, and human beings are one—has ancestor worship, while under the influ- kinds of deities: outer deities, the main now changed greatly, into an occasion ence of Tendai esoteric Buddhism and deities (Nishinomiya Daimyōjin and for the entertainment of the living—in Kumano Shugendō, there was a mixture Shukujin Sanpō Kōjin), and local dei- other words, a colorful and joyful event. of kami and buddhas. However, again ties. The main deities are solemn and On December 3–4, 2011, the Great as a result of the increasing influence awesome. The priests wear the masks Kagura was held at Takemori, in the of canonical Shintō in the Edo period of the deities of their own shrines and Tōjō district of Shōbara in Hiroshima (1603–1868) and the proceeding suc- dance in the constricted space of the Prefecture, after an interval of thirty- ceeding process of National Shintō in stage, under an elaborate canopy of paper three years. I had made a trip to see it the modern age, the Shiromi Kagura is cuttings. This is the climax of the first on the previous occasion, September today a completely Shintō ritual. half of the dances. 29–30, 1979. Despite the long time that People in this region used to live by The second half again begins with a had passed, it was conducted in the same slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting succession of purificatory dances, and place in 2011, and under the responsi- in those days, and now, through kagura, includes performances of Mori no Kōjin bility of the same household as before. they make a petition to the deities for (a fierce forest deity), Kannagi (a female What allows the continuity of tradition a good hunt, especially of wild boar. shaman), Tsuna no Kōjin (a fierce rope is the idea of the prayerful vow (gan) Hunters place the heads of the wild boars deity), Ise Kagura, Kijin (a demon deity),

14 Dharma World April–June 2013 and various other deities. These “outer deities” belong to high-status deities that have been invited from the outside world to the village. They appear aloof and inaccessible to the other deities. On the contrary, the local deities, con- nected with agriculture and hunting, are familiar to villagers. Agricultural dei- ties ensure prosperity and a rich crop, and also protect the fields. Hunting dei- ties are supplicated for safety during the conduct and for a good bag. The dancers share much in com- mon with the participants and specta- tors, and during their dances, people are caught up in gales of laughter at their comical gestures and sexual clowning and make a wish for a plentiful harvest. On the last day, early in the morn- ing, the fire deity appears in women’s clothing and shows an androgynous offerings on the rocks, and the boar’s made kagura’s preservation and contin- character. The fire deity is also the tute- left ear, cut into seven pieces and placed uation difficult. Even so, the fact that lary deity of weaving and food in every- on a skewer, represents the seven hunt- kagura has been kept up continuously day life, and after the dance, the actor ing spirits (kōzaki) associated with the testifies to its transmission as “folk wis- goes to the kitchen, where he receives mountain deity. Kneeling in the pres- dom,” with its insight into the rebirth and an offering of sake and side dishes. The ence of the mountain, the devotee per- circulation of nature. Kagura’s found- fire deity is the guardian of the hearth forms a memorial service for the dead ing philosophy is a worldview where in the kitchen and so has an intimacy wild boar, in expiation for the taking of with women, and is also connected with its life, which is in itself an expression of the fire used in slash-and-burn agricul- the love of life. The view of nature and ture in the past. The mountain deity is life held by people who live by hunt- female. The strong reliance on female ing permeates this ritual. The Shiromi power is one of the principles of kagura Kagura is a condensation of the imag- performance. inative power of a mountain people Around noon of this day, December with deep wisdom learned by their close 15, the Shishitogiri, the mimicry drama interaction with nature. of hunting, is performed at the danc- All the kagura I have described ing site. It is a humorous skit featuring here have been registered as Important wild boar hunting. A pile of brushwood Intangible Folk Cultural Properties by on the site represents the mountain. the Japanese government since 1975. Three actors perform the skit: a hus- Nowadays people go to see them as great band and wife with masks, and a hunt fun, and information about kagura has leader, unmasked. A cutting board hid- been shown on various Web sites. Kagura both human beings and nature conceive den in the brushwood stands for the is also used to promote tourism as a cul- “life,” and coexist with seasonal rhythms. boar. The hunters take their prey with tural resource. Some kinds of kagura Kagura has been a drama of the inter- much horseplay. When all the dances will be gradually added to UNESCO’s play between nature and humanity for are over, the villagers are served a rice intangible cultural heritage list in the a long period based on the knowledge soup containing wild boar meat. near future. The concepts of heritage of local people. It may have great poten- Early on the morning of December and property have already changed the tial for changing the lifestyle of contem- 16, the final day, the Kōzaki ritual takes character of kagura. Japan’s declining porary people who are accustomed to place on the riverbed. The houri makes birthrate and an aging population have thinking only in modern terms. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 15 MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS

The Cultivation of Memory and Invention in Contemporary Thai Festivals by Rachelle M. Scott

and the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Th ese Some Thai festivals are reputed to have ancient origins that three examples highlight the varied fl ows are based on the agricultural seasons and stories from Hindu, of both memory and invention as well Buddhist, and Chinese traditions, while others are wholly as the creation of locality (ideas of the new—the products of skillful tourist marketing or new cultural local) amid globalization. tastes and sensibilities. Loy Krathong

Tourist literature often describes Some observers today claim that Th e festival of Loy Krathong, with its Th ailand as the Land of Smiles, but the cultural festivals embody the past, cap- fl oating lotus boats and spectacular country could equally be described as turing the essence of a place, a people, lights, is perhaps the most well known the Land of a Hundred Festivals. Some and/or a tradition; while others con- of all of Th ailand’s festivals. When I of these festivals are reputed to have tend that festivals today refl ect noth- fi rst arrived in Th ailand more than fi f- ancient origins that are based on the ing of the past—only the corruption teen years ago, I was repeatedly told agricultural seasons and stories from of tradition by the corroding processes that the practice of fl oating a krathong Hindu, Buddhist, and Chinese tradi- of modernization. I suggest that cul- (a decorative lotus-shaped fl oat) was tions, while others are wholly new—the tural festivals are sites of both mem- an act of paying respect to Phra Mae products of skillful tourist marketing ory and invention that engage diverse Khongkha (Mother Ganges, the god- or new cultural tastes and sensibilities. audiences with a wide variety of prac- dess of the river) and of asking forgive- Some of the festivals with older ori- tices and narratives. In other words, ness for bad actions—especially acts gins, yet new expressions, include the religious festivals are sites with mul- that have led to the pollution of water. Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival in May, tiple meanings and associations; they Th ekrathong s serve as the means both which ushers in the rainy season; the signify a dynamic religious fi eld rather for expressing gratitude and for expiat- Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, in than a static religious event. Th e diversity ing the demerit of immoral action. Th is which dozens of beautifully sculpted of festival practice is nothing new, but description is, by far, the most common candle images, taken from Buddhist the processes that facilitate memories interpretation of the festival, but the stories, are paraded through the streets of the past and new experiences in the TAT (Tourist Authority of Th ailand) to mark the beginning of the monks’ present have radically changed over the Loy Krathong Web site lists a number of rainy-season retreat (khao phansa); and past few decades. National and regional other interpretations: the festival com- Songkran, the Th ai Buddhist new year tourism agencies, Internet travel sites, memorates the return of the Buddha festival, which is widely known as a local television, and mass print media from heaven; it is a Brahmanic purifi - “get wet and have fun” festival. Festivals all play a role in the defi ning of a par- cation ritual; it celebrates the footprint with a more recent origin include the ticular festival—what it signifi es, what of the Buddha on the Nammathanati Bangkok Motorbike Festival, the Bo one will see, and what one should do River beach; it facilitates worship of Sang Umbrella Festival, and the Hua as a participant. Chulamanee in heaven (where a hair Hin Jazz Festival. In the contemporary In this essay, I examine three diff erent relic of the Buddha dwells) as well as world, all of these festivals (both old and festivals that demonstrate the dynamic, worship of Bhakabhrama in heaven and new) off er participants a glimpse of the refl ective, and inventive character of the revered saint Uppakutta-dhera (www varied social, cultural, and economic Th ai festivals today: the Loy Krathong .loikrathong.net). As with most festivals worlds that produce and sustain them. Festival, the Mekong Fireball Festival, and rituals in Th ailand, the plurality of

16 Dharma World April–June 2013 Rachelle M. Scott is Associate Professor and Associate Head at the Department of Religious Studies of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Nirvana for Sale?: Buddhism, Wealth, and the Dhammakāya Temple in Contemporary Thailand, examines contemporary debates over monastic and lay wealth in Thailand. Her current research focuses on stories of powerful female spirits, the impact of new media on religious authority and community, and the role of the Buddhist sangha in global Buddhism.

interpretation does nothing to detract and Chanita Panmanee’s 2010 survey of from the sacrality of the event. In fact, this plurality only enhances and expands krathongs similarly embody both in the Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, and Tak Provinces dem- - onstrated that the festival served multi- ing a krathong purportedly dates back constructed from mass-produced mate- ple audiences and that tourism in these to the Sukhothai period, when Nang rials such as Styrofoam as well as tradi- Noppamas, the favorite concubine of a tional materials such as banana leaves adults who combined travel (pai tieow) Sukhothai king, made a krathong that and tree trunks. Discourses on the qual- and fun (sanuk) with religious practice ity of the beauty queen (what aspects (“Tourist Motivation, Characteristic of beauty are emphasized) and the kra- and Satisfaction in Night Festival,” http: down the river. While this history is thong (what materials are used) dem- //iscthlr.turismo.wu-wien.ac.at/ les contested, the practice is alive and well onstrate how both serve to signify the /papers/p25_fullpaper.pdf). present as well as the past. In this study, Roengchai and Chanita Today, participants in this festi- also noted that a vast majority of the par- lunar month. It is celebrated all across val, especially in larger cities such as ticipants, local people as well as domestic Bangkok and Chiang Mai, are a broad and foreign tourists, favored the kra- as the royal barge procession in Bangkok, mix of local residents and domestic and thongs made of natural materials over foreign tourists. Roengchai Tansuchat the man-made variety and that many the local beauty contests in provinces across the country. In fact, the image of a newly crowned beauty queen, wearing ) and holding a krathong books, and TAT billboards. Both the beauty queen and the kra- thong itself embody memory and inven- tion—both are natural yet manufactured. - torical Nang Noppamas (the contests are called Noppamas beauty contests) and dons a “traditional dress”—but and cultural traditions does the cos-

dress today emphasizes the over other regional styles. In addi- tion, the participants’ hair, makeup,

Dharma World April–June 2013 17 1990s, a local police officer linked the supernatural event to the end of the Buddhist lent (ok pansa). In so doing, he linked local beliefs about the actions of nagas to a highly potent time in the Buddhist calendar. Cohen argues that attendance at the festival also dramat- ically increased after the release of the movie Mekhong Full Moon Party, in 2002. The film raised serious questions about the origins of the fireballs, while simul- taneously validating the importance of mythic narratives and practices for the community. A subsequent investigative report by the British ITV program Code Cracking (Thord rahat) further ques- tioned the authenticity of the fireballs, claiming that they might be the result of gunfire on the Laos side of the bor- found the fireworks displays to be unnec- The principal focus of the festival der (Cohen, “Postmodernization,” 174.) essary to the performance of floating today is the witnessing of naga (water The investigative report did not krathongs. Roengchai and Chanita’s sur- serpents; in Thai, naka) fireballs (hong lead to a diminishing of interest in the vey questions about the environmental fai phyanak) along the Mekong River, event (although it did stir a lot of debate impact of contemporary practices dem- on the full moon of the eleventh lunar and controversy); on the contrary, it onstrate that environmental concerns month, a day that marks the end of the appeared to foster even more interest in are now a part of the national discourse Buddhist monks’ rainy-season retreat. the event. The TAT now promotes the on the Loy Krathong Festival, an issue Nagas are present in folklore throughout festival as one of the principal symbols that points back in time (memory of the South and Southeast Asia and occupy a of the region and suggests that tourists tradition) as it embraces a postmodern primary place in religious art and archi- will be “amazed by various colors of ethic (environmental conservation). tecture. It is a naga on which the Hindu mysterious fireballs abruptly soaring god Vishnu reclines, and the Buddha up from the water high into the air” Mekong is often depicted with Muchalinda, the (www.tourismthailand.org). Tourism Fireball Festival serpent king, who protects him dur- and souvenir marketing are booming. ing his meditations. In Thailand, nagas One tourist Web site (www.thailand The Mekong Fireball Festival in Nong are generally presented as devout fol- -travelonline.com) provides a map of Khai Province has, like many local fes- lowers of the Buddha, and many say the best places to watch the fireballs tivals in Thailand, grown exponen- that sightings of their fireballs extend along the Mekong River, and it details tially over the past decade. Its growth far back in history (Erik Cohen, “The festival events: “The Naga Fireball fes- has been fueled by modern media— ‘Postmodernization’ of a Mythical Event: tival will also feature food stalls, Naga not only by the agents of tourism but Naga Fireballs on the Mekong River,” legend information, Naga Fireball exhi- also by the film industry, as a widely Tourism Culture and Communication bitions, night bazaar, long-boat races, popular movie, Mekhong Full Moon 7 [2007]: 172). light and sound show, and other events. Party, served as a medium for both Erik Cohen argues that what was If you like to join in the fun and be part popularizing and defining the festi- once an event that occurred on mul- of the crowd, the Naga Fireball Festival val as a site for debates over tradition tiple days and attracted little attention promises to be unique and enjoyable.” and invention. The fireballs, like the has now transformed into a featured If you are unable to attend the festi- beauty queen and the krathong, engen- festival for domestic local tourists. This val in person, there are a number of der discourses on the past (memories transformation is due in large part to video clips available on YouTube that of past sightings) as well as questions the creation of a new master narrative include not only the naga lights but concerning authenticity (what really about the festival and its dissemina- also the sounds from the crowd as each causes them). tion through mass media. In the early light pierces the water and enters the

18 Dharma World April–June 2013 sky. The Mekong Fireball Festival aptly demonstrates the simultaneous cultiva- tion of both memory (naga stories from the past) and inventive narratives and modes of expression. It also highlights how debates over authenticity may fos- ter or renew interest in contemporary religious festivals.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, like the Loy Krathong and Mekong Fireball fes- tivals, commemorates an event within Thailand, but unlike the other two festi- vals, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival has origins within the Chinese community. It occurs during the ninth lunar month city pillar, thereby making the festi- any space, is produced and reproduced of the Chinese calendar and functions val a part of Thai civic religion (Erik over time (Henri Lefebvre, La produc- as an event for spiritual cleansing and Cohen, “The Vegetarian Festival and tion de l’space [Anthropos, 1974]), and merit making. During a period of ten the City Pillar: The Appropriation of this space is the “active product of intel- days, people of Chinese ancestry in a Chinese Religious Custom for a Cult lection rather than its passive recepta- the Phuket region (and elsewhere in of the Thai Civic Religion,” Journal of cle” (Jonathon Z. Smith, To Take Place: Thailand, especially in Bangkok) follow Tourism and Cultural Change 10, no.1 Toward Theory in Ritual [University of a strict vegetarian (often vegan) diet to [2012]: 1–21). At the same time, ritu- Chicago Press, 1987], 26). As such, festi- facilitate the purification of their bod- als and festivals of Chinese origin are vals highlight so dramatically what takes ies. As with the other festivals, there are also subject to global processes. The place in other, more ordinary, spaces— several main origin narratives for this religious sites of southern Thailand the embodiment of both memory and festival, but the general story tells of an are a popular destination for Chinese- invention. While the production of fes- opera group from China who fell ill while Malaysian and Singaporean tourists tival space has always been subject to a traveling in the Phuket area in the early (Mark Askew, “Materializing Merit: myriad of voices, reflections, and inter- nineteenth century. Some say that the The Symbolic Economy of Religious ests, the rapid pace of postmodern social cause of the illness was their failure to Monuments and Tourist-Pilgrimage in change and global communication has pay proper respect to the nine emperor Contemporary Thailand,” in Religious fostered even more diversity within the gods in Daoism. To cure themselves, they Commodifications in Asia: Marketing contours of a religious festival. Tourists had to refrain from unclean activities, Gods, ed. Pattana Kitiarsa [Routledge, and the agents of tourism now define including eating meat, drinking alco- 2008]), and the Discovery Channel and these events along with local holders of hol, and engaging in sexual activities. numerous Internet sites have success- memory and tradition. Critics lament While this festival has origins within fully redefined the Phuket Vegetarian the commercialization and commod- the Chinese community of southern Festival as an event of extreme body ification of religion in the contempo- Thailand, the festival, along with other piercing rather than bodily purification. rary era, but even these criticisms are Chinese signifiers such as worship of Jow a part of the production of the festi- Mae Kwan Im (Guan Yin), is increas- Role of Festivals val. Nostalgic memories of “authentic” ingly identified as an aspect of Thai cul- Today festival practices play a key role in the ture. In fact, many Bangkok residents reproduction of festival space, as do the will eat vegetarian food during the fes- Cultural festivals are sites of both conflu- narratives and practices of distant and tival even if they do not self-identify as ence and contestation. They unite com- unfamiliar participants. Together, they being of Chinese origin. In Phuket, city munities across generations and regions, aptly represent the multiplicity of festi- officials have linked the Chinese fes- but they also cultivate multiple mean- val space and are the sources for both tival with a prayer ritual at the Krabi ings and practices. Festival space, like memory and invention. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 19 MODERN MEANINGS OF FESTIVALS Shugendo, Festivals, and the Performing Arts by Gaynor Sekimori

become part of the broader religious In recent years there have been efforts to embrace lost landscape. Some of these are now com- Shugendo traditions to create a distinct local culture that pletely divorced from Shugendo and are enriches the whole community and is attractive to visitors. performed within the Shinto milieu, others are community festivals, while still others retain their roots within the Shugendo, the name given to the beliefs curses. While from the seventeenth cen- and practices of men who undertook tury the y were mainly associated, directly e word festival translates the austerities in the mountains of Japan, has or indirectly, with large mountain shrine- Japanese word matsuri, which today is had a deep, though little-acknowledged, temple complexes, and their head tem- most closely associated with shrine festi- ples were powerful organizations with vals, where the tutelary kami is paraded ture and performing arts, particularly close ties to the ruling elite, they had an in palanquins called mikoshi through kagura (see the articles in this issue by ambivalent reputation that resulted in the streets of the area over which the Suzuki and Averbuch). Its practitioners, Shugendo’s being banned in 1872 as a kami holds sway. It is highly probable called yamabushi, “those who lie down superstitious religion, little suited to the that our modern English term derives in the mountains,” had long been asso- enlightened civilization the new Meiji from the Portuguese festival or festa, ciated with the performance of magico- government was trying to foster. Even words describing the processions of religious rites for personal, family, and though Shugendo was not legally per- saints that are a feature of the Catholic communal well-being, though they were mitted to reemerge until 1945, many world and that share much visually with also reputed to be able to perform more of its traditions were preserved in the the parade of mikoshi malevolent acts, such as bringing down form of festivals and rituals that had matsuri

20 Dharma World April–June 2013 Gaynor Sekimori is a Research Associate in the Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and concurrently Visiting Professor at Kokugakuin University, Tokyo. She received her doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 2000. She was managing editor of the International Journal of Asian Studies (Cambridge University Press) and a member of the Institute of Oriental Culture at the University of Tokyo from 2001 to 2007.

Shinto and its shrines and their relation practice, and it underlies other types represent each of the four directions with the local community, the word is of Shugendo matsuri as well. Today the and then in front of the altar (fig. 1). also used to refer to large-scale rituals best-known mountain entries are the The second of the dances is called the and rites associated with Buddhism. Okugake of the Omine mountains (Nara Dance of the Five Colors; here she puri- The term matsuri is also used to refer and Wakayama Prefectures) and the fies the five directions and sings verses to particular esoteric Buddhist ritu- Akinomine (Autumn Peak) of Mount depicting the color appropriate to the als, to some Onmyodo rituals, and to Haguro (Yamagata Prefecture). In the direction being purified. The identifi- Chinese-derived calendrical events, past, though, especially before the reli- cation of various sets of five, including such as the Girls’ Festival (hinamatsuri) gious changes of 1868 that separated the colors and the directions (deriv- in March. In addition, it is applied to a Buddhism and Shinto, and then the ing ultimately from Chinese yin-yang wide variety of secular events, such as ban on Shugendo in 1872, as many as ideas), as well as Buddhist divinities, is the famous Sapporo Snow Festival, pop two thousand sacred mountains existed very important in Shugendo. For exam- and jazz festivals, cultural festivals, and in Japan, where yamabushi isolated ple, in Haguro Shugendo, the five main flower-viewing festivals—and depart- themselves at set times for ritual and officials of the Akinomine represent each ment stores will sometimes describe ascetic purposes. The Yamakita Mineiri, of the five directions and the five ele- their bargain sales as “matsuri” as well. a festival performed every five years ments and wear surcoats or robes of the Here, though, I will limit my discussion in October in the town of Yamakita in associated color: the ritual leader (dai- to various festivals directly or indirectly Kanagawa Prefecture, retains memo- sendatsu) wears white (center, earth), related to Shugendo, and to instances ries of the mountain-entry practice that the doshi (in charge of ritual adminis- of the recent revival of festivals that once existed in the local region. tration) wears purple, denoting black fell into desuetude after 1872, to high- Eighty-one men, said to be descend­ (north, metal), the kogi sendatsu (in light how local communities are reviv- ants of the old yamabushi, form into charge of firewood) wears green (east, ing lost traditions as “events.” I will twenty-nine groups to perform eleven wood), the aka sendatsu (in charge of pre­sent these matsuri in the context of different dances, whose names, such as water) wears red (south, water), and the traditional Shugendo ritual practices to Purification, Dance of the Staffs, and kari sendatsu­ (who clears the way with highlight their relationship to moun- the Ascetic’s Dance, clearly recall their his long ax) wears yellow (south, fire). tain religion. Shugendo heritage. The dances are per- The dance most reminiscent of the formed twice, first in a square near the yamabushi is the Ascetic’s Dance (shu- Yamakita Mineiri town station and then deep among hilly gyo odori). To the sound of a conch shell, tea plantations at Shinmei Shrine, three four dancers dressed as yamabushi enter The most important event for prac- kilometers away, to which the danc- the ritual area, in the middle of which titioners of Shugendo is the annual ers process. The ritual site is purified is an oblong box containing pine leaves. “mountain-entry” (mine-iri) practice; at both the beginning and the end of They wear red robes, a surplice with secluding themselves in the mountains the festival in two dances featuring an four yellow pompoms, and, on their for a set period of time, they purify them- old round-faced woman (okame) car- forehead, a black pillbox cap. Each car- selves, make contact with the numi- rying a large white papier-mâché penis ries a black box festooned with white nous powers there, and reemerge to (haribote) on her back and a wand with paper fronds on his back, represent- bring the sacred power to their com- five-colored paper fronds and a bell in ing the portable altar carried by yama- munity. The trope of death, conception, her hands. In each dance she waves the bushi. The first dancer, who is identified and rebirth is at the heart of the ritual wand in front of four small saplings that as being from Haguro, blows the conch

Dharma World April–June 2013 21 shell, the second (Mount Atago) car- goma, and it derives from the indoor attainment, which is known as gen- ries an ax, the third (Mount Fuji) car- homa (Jpn., goma) ritual of esoteric kurabe (comparing one’s power). In ries a staff with metal rings on top, and Buddhism in Japan. In both cases, the some cases it has become completely the fourth (Kumano) carries a wand of central divinity invoked is usually Fudo ritualized, as, for example, during the twisted paper. The conch blower per- Myoo. Sacred fire is considered to be New Year shrine festival at Haguro, forms the kuji (literally, nine syllables) spiritually purifying, burning away the called Shoreisai, where there are two in front of the altar, making a grid of 108 defilements, and it is also a way to genkurabe “performances.” The first is nine intercut lines with one hand while transmit people’s prayers and wishes; “crow jumping” (karasu tobi), where intoning nine syllables and then slash- pieces of wood so inscribed are thrown two teams of six shrine yamabushi com- ing the grid with two strokes of a sword. on the flames. When the flames have pete in leaping high around the hall This magical action is closely associated eventually died down, the coals of the like the divine crow associated with with Shugendo and now permeates all saito goma are raked in preparation for the founding of Haguro Shugendo. areas of esoteric practice in Japan. He the yamabushi to walk over them. Logs The second is a test of skill between then sets fire to the pine leaves, recall- are usually placed in a zigzag fashion on a figure in the guise of a rabbit (asso- ing the saito goma (bonfire) ritual dis- top of the coals, which may still be burn- ciated with nearby Gassan Peak) and cussed below. The fact that the ritual ing. Before walking across, the yama­ two yamabushi and six priests. leader is said to be from Haguro sug- bushi rub the soles of their feet with Another form of genkurabe is gests that yamabushi in this area may salt, a purificatory action that also has called blade climbing (tsurugi-watari). have been affiliated with that mountain the effect of making them more resist- Though rare, it is still performed today in the past (fig. 2). ant to heat. Fire walking is one of the at the Spring Festival at Fukan Reijo biggest of Shugendo’s drawing cards Shrine in Honjo (Saitama Prefecture) Fire Walking today, and large public performances, by Ontake-kyo practitioners, among like that at Mount Takao near Tokyo in whom Shugendo influence is strong. A When yamabushi emerged from the March, draw enormous crowds who vie wooden tower is erected, against which mountain after their training, they were to cross the coals as soon as the priests is tied a ladder whose crosspieces are expected to prove in some fashion that have finished (fig. 3). made of thirteen sword blades wrapped they had indeed attained magico-reli- in white paper at each end and tied to gious power. Thus in many Shugendo Genkurabe the uprights with rope. The uprights traditions a fire-walking ceremony is are wrapped in diagonal bands of red held at the end of the period of moun- Fire walking is just one example of the and white bunting. It is important when tain entry. The actual ritual is called saito manifestation of ascetic and spiritual climbing to keep the feet lengthwise

22 Dharma World April–June 2013 along the blades, not straight on, to dis- space between the hand and the sur- water over the spectators. He then pro- sipate the pressure. Practitioners climb face of the paper, increasing the heat. ceeds to a cauldron of water boiling over buoyed by the chanting of mantras by Conversely, the tighter the practi­tioner hot coals and is lifted onto it by assis- the watching group and by the exhor- grabs the blade, the less the heat (fig. tants, balancing on a board across the tations of the sendatsu (an instructor 6). The third ordeal is the hot caul- lip. Once again he flails those around or leader of Shugendo practitioners), dron (atsugama), where the yamabushi him with droplets of water—this time who has climbed first (fig. 4). sits inside a cauldron of boiling water hot—roaring ferociously. Yamabushi are held to be masters over (fig. 7). The fourth is the fire walking Atsugama, the hot cauldron, is a form fire, and this is demonstrated through described in the previous section. Like of the hot-water rite yudate. Though its four “ordeals” that feature in the Fire other Shugendo or Shugendo-derived origins are obscure, yudate was spread Samadhi (kasho zanmai) ritual held matsuri, this was traditionally regarded by yamabushi throughout Japan in medi- annually in June at the temple Kongoji, as a ritual to protect against and cure eval times and today is performed across which lies at the foot of Mount Akakura epidemic disease. To spectators these a broad spectrum of religious affiliation in Aomori Prefecture. Secret manuals seem death-defying acts, but like many during festivals. Many such festivals reveal the importance of the trope of other Shugendo “performances,” they demonstrate the yamabushi’s mastery death, conception, and rebirth in each are made possible by a knowledge of over fire, such as the Hibuse [fire-pre- ordeal. The first is called taimatsu and certain principles that we recognize vention] Festival held each December at involves the yamabushi pulling burning today as scientific. Ryogakuin temple in Odawara, south of torches through the sleeves and legs of Interestingly, the first and third of Tokyo. About thirty yamabushi attend his clothing (fig. 5). The second, “iron these ordeals have been incorporated the festival, where glutinous rice (mochi) hoe” (tetsukuwa), consists of holding into Haguro Shugendo as an ancillary is pounded for presentation to the sev- on to a red-hot blade protected only by performance preceding the saito goma. enty-five mountain deities and sacred a sheet of paper covered in a one-cen- This is owing to the fact that one of the sake is given to spectators to sip from timeter layer of salt. According to the senior officers of the Akinomine is also a large bowl by yamabushi wearing the researcher Andrea Castiglioni, contact a practitioner at this festival. In a state of mask of a crow or a rabbit (sun and between the hot surface of the blade pseudopossession, he roars as he passes moon). When a yamabushi performs and the salt sparks a chemical reac- the torches through his sleeves and the yudate (fig. 8), spectators rush forward tion that produces water and allows legs of his hakama (voluminous trou- to feel the hot drops of water on their the practitioner to take hold of the sers). When the torches have burned bodies. The festival’s climax, when night blade. If the blade is not held tightly out, he takes up bundles of reeds, wets has fallen, is a saito goma followed by enough, air will penetrate the open them in a nearby spring, and sprays fire walking.

Dharma World April–June 2013 23 in 2003 as part of a broader event that included performances of drumming and kagura. It is now held every three years. According to the researcher Caleb Carter, the ritualists have included both shrine priests and visiting yamabushi; banners at the ritual site have carried the pre-Meiji temple names, not the shrine names; and both Shinto purifi- catory prayers and the Buddhist Heart Sutra have been recited. After the three stands of pine are set alight, yamabushi circumambulate them, another indica- tion of their assumed mastery of fire (fig. 10). Such modern revivals point to how local communities are seeking to reaf- firm their identity through traditional festivals. Reclaiming the past is par- ticularly important in view of the rent Events were told to their bemusement not to caused in religious culture 150 years introduce religious elements. Since this ago by the separation of Buddhism and Shugendo was lost in many parts of Japan was patently an impossible request, they Shinto. By understanding the nature of as a result of nineteenth-century gov- wisely chose to ignore it. Government this religious culture, where the deities ernment legislation, but in recent years officials were reportedly taken aback and buddhas were not artificially kept local communities have revivified many when many of the women participants apart, people are better able to appre- of its rituals as events to attract tour- spoke of a strong spiritual experience, ciate the rich traditions that underlie ism. Since local government cannot be and the event was not held again until the festivals that bind their commu- seen as sponsoring religious events, ten- 2005, when to all intents and purposes nity together and through them con- sions have sometimes emerged between it was conducted as a religious ritual by firm their place within the cosmic order the government sponsors and the per- Shingon and Tendai priests and local in this twenty-first century. ≥ formers, as in the case of the revival of yamabushi (fig. 9). the Nunohashi Kanjoe (Brocade Bridge A second example of the revival of Consecration) at Tateyama. This rit- Shugendo tradition comes from within ual was devised in the early nineteenth a shrine context. When the Shugendo century by one of the Shugendo cen- temples on Mount Togakushi in Nagano ters there to appeal to women pilgrims, Prefecture were forcibly converted into who were not allowed to set foot on the state shrines after 1868, the triennial mountain itself. A bridge over a ravine Hashiramatsu [stands of pine] Festival, marked this boundary; women were led a divination rite involving the firing of blindfolded from the Enma Hall, where three stands of brushwood fixed to the they had received the precepts, across tops of tall pillars, was abolished. Like the bridge, now covered in white cloth, many other sacred mountains in Japan, to the Ubado (inside the forbidden area), Mount Togakushi is now divorced from where they received a certificate to say its past, but in recent years there have they had been transformed into males been efforts here, and in other places, and were assured of rebirth in the Pure to embrace lost Shugendo traditions Land. When this ceremony was revived to create a distinct local culture that in 1996, it was intended to be a secular enriches the whole community and is matsuri celebrating local culture, not a attractive to visitors. The Hashiramatsu religious ritual, and officiating priests Festival was revived at Togakushi Shrine

24 Dharma World April–June 2013 ESSAY On the Islamic View of Global Ethical Values by Anis Ahmad

Anis Ahmad is a Professor Emeritus How are we to determine values that can be globally of Comparative Ethics and Religion acceptable? There can be at least fi ve benchmarks for and Vice Chancellor at Riphah evaluating and judging global relevance, acceptability, International University, in Islamabad, and application of values: universality, consistency and Pakistan. He is also editor of the practicality, fl exibility, simplicity and understandability, quarterly The West and Islam, impartiality. published in Islamabad. He can be contacted at [email protected] .pk or [email protected]. Ethics and values are usually understood acceptability, and application of values. in a cultural and historical context. Asian First and foremost is the values’ uni- and political relations and in interna- values and European values are oft en versality; rather than being particular tional policies. mentioned as contrary and confl icting. to a people, place, and time, they have Th e Qur’an invites humans to cre- Ethics and concepts of good and bad, universal applicability. Second, they are ate unity in their lives in the same man- virtue and vice, are also visualized as consistent and practical. Th ird, they are ner as unity exists in the universe. Th e specifi c to place and time. Infl uenced fl exible enough to respond to moder- essence of tawhid is elimination of the by the concept of evolution, what is nity and avoid rigidity leading to fos- duality and multiplicity of gods and con- considered ethical at one time or at an silization. Fourth, they are simple and fi rmation of the one and only Creator individual level is sometimes consid- understandable rather than complex. and Sustainer as true and legitimate, ered not good when society evolves. Last but not least, they are blind, not which means Oneness, or Unity. A taw- According to a similarly evolutionary discriminating on the basis of gender, hidi personality does not consider per- mind-set, in the East and in the West color, ethnicity, or faith. Here I will use sonal glory, the glamour of power, or humans are defi ned as social animals. these fi ve benchmarks to identify values individual benefi t as the ultimate objec- Humans, in Islamic thought and cul- that can help realize global peace, the tive in life. While freedom of will and ture, are regarded as ethical beings and dignity of humanity, and a just social the right to make individual judgments not just social animals. Th e Qur’an calls order. are recognized, the value of unity in life humans Allah’s vice regents or deputies Th e Qur’an, though revealed in the creates a synergy between individu- (al-Baqarah 2:30), gift ed with freedom Arabic language, calls itself a revelation als, society, and the state. It encourages of will and given power to accept good for the whole of mankind: “During the individuals to exercise freedom of will (ma’ruf) or bad (munkar), to adopt virtue month of Ramadan the Qur’an was sent in order to live in accordance with the (birr) or follow vice (ithm), and to stand down as guidance to humans with clear divine universal principles of truth, jus- for truth (haqq) and piety (taqwa) or signs of true guidance and as criterion tice and fairness (‘adl), and doing good indulge in injustice (zulm) and oppres- [between right and wrong]” (al-Baqa- and seeking Allah’s pleasure (rida) in sion (taghut). rah 2:185). all actions in life. Ethical conduct and freedom of will, To begin with, the fi rst global ethi- The second global ethical value, in Islamic thought, are two sides of a sin- cal value underscored by the Qur’an is of ‘adl, leads to moderation, balance, gle coin. But how are we to determine unity in life. It implies that it is unethi- and fairness in all human transactions. values that can be globally acceptable? cal to follow double standards of moral- “Believers! Be upright bearers of witness Th ere can be at least fi ve benchmarks for ity and ethics in human relations as to Allah, and do not let the enmity of any evaluating and judging global relevance, well as in personal, social, economic, people move you to deviate from justice

Dharma World April–June 2013 25 and protection of life. Needless to say, it, too, is a global value, not particu- lar to Muslims. The life of a non-Mus- lim, even of a bird, is as valuable as the life of one’s own child. The Prophet, peace be unto him, in an authentic tra- dition (hadith), says that on the Day of Judgment he will plead for a bird need- lessly killed by someone. The fourth applied global ethical value underscored by Islam is primacy of rational behavior, or living a life in which emotional intelligence and rational intelligence work hand in glove. Modern psychological research indicates that people act spontaneously according to emotional intelligence. Consequently, judgments made in haste can lead later on to regret and lamentation, which are of no use. The Islamic ethical prin- ciple of a rational and reasonable atti- tude (‘aql) calls for reason to precede (‘adl). Act justly, that is near to God- friends, and neighbors, and to the global action. “Believers, when an ungodly per- fearing” (al-Ma’idah 5:8). This applied human community. son brings to you a piece of news, care- principle implies avoiding excessive The third global ethical value high- fully ascertain its truth, lest you should behavior. The Qur’anic profile of a just lighted in the Qur’an is respect for hurt people unwillingly and thereaf- (‘adil) person includes modest speech, and promotion and protection of life. ter repent of what you did” (al-Huju- fairness in conduct and interactions, The unjust killing of one person, the rat 49:6). Consequently, all things that and balance in economic, social, polit- Qur’an tells us, is like killing the whole hinder or obstruct the use of reason are ical, and cultural behavior. It demands of humanity. “And he who saves a life considered prohibited by Islamic ethics conformity and coherence in conduct shall be as if he had given life to all man- and law. This includes the use of drugs, and dealings. kind” (al-Ma’idah 5:32). All the forces alcoholic drinks, tranquilizers, depres- The realization of social justice, of evil that exploit, oppress, and sup- sants, and so on (al-Ma’idah 5:90–91). peace, and balance, or ‘adl, in life there- press human beings are condemned, The fifth applied global ethical value fore becomes one major objective of and removal of oppression (fitnah and is respect for religious and cultural free- the individual, society, and the state. fasad) is an obligation for Muslims and dom. The plurality of religions and cul- This globally applied ethical principle, is a major objective of jihad (waging tures, or hifz al-din, is one of the major like the first principle, is not limited war against injustice). “Keep on fight- objectives of Islamic sharia law. The term to Muslims. Wherever and whenever ing against them until mischief ends din, used in the Qur’an about eighty- this principle is adopted, it is bound and the way prescribed by Allah [law five times, carries a wider connotation to bring a change in human conduct and order] prevails” (al-Baqarah 2:193). than the English word religion or the and behavior. Instead of becoming a In a world where the lives of inno- Arabic term madhhab. In addition to slave to one’s own desires and benefits, cent children, the elderly, women, and worship and devotions, it includes the a person is led to a socially responsible youth are threatened by the man-made realization of peace and order in soci- attitude and concern for the welfare of technology of drones such as Predators— ety and the establishment of a just eco- fellow human beings. whose frequent use has taken a heavy nomic and political order. It also means The value of ‘adl persuades a per- toll on thousands of innocent civilians, implementation of divine law, or sharia, son to act with responsibility and fair- including children, women, and men, in an Islamic state. The Qur’an upholds ness. Like filial piety in Confucianism, in various parts of the world—realiza- the principle of religious freedom and it creates a sense of doing one’s duty to tion of this global ethical principle is plurality. “To you it is your religion and one’s own self, parents, wife, children, vital for the survival of sanity, security, to me it is my way of life” (al-Kafirun

26 Dharma World April–June 2013 109:6). It also says, “There is no com- pulsion in religion [din]” (al-Baqarah 2:256). An Islamic state not only tolerates but makes sure that no one interrupts the religious practices of non-Muslim citizens. It is an obligation of an Islamic society and state to protect the places of worship of all non-Muslim citizens. “If Allah were not to repel some through others [through jihad], monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques wherein the name of Allah is much men- tioned would certainly have been pulled down” (al-Hajj 22:40). This Qur’anic ayah (sign) dispels, for once and for all, the misconception that jihad means the use of force to convert. On the contrary, it is to be done to protect monasteries, synagogues, and churches. The sixth applied global value is dig- nity of human gene. This has two dimen- sions: First, human life in its early form, that is, gene, is as valuable as the life of are, perforce, taken over by the other 15 its legal authority to penalize the perpe- a human being. Second, the biological percent of its population in the North, trator to deter others from committing parenthood of a child cannot be changed through economic imperialism and in the same crime. This is why in societies even when a child is adopted. Living a the name of a capitalist world order. where moral and ethical values are the family life is considered a sign of piety. This applied global ethical princi- basis of law, crimes are marginalized. Family is a major means for civilization’s ple demands realization of a just, fair, These seven applied global ethical continuity. The dignity of human genes and equitable global economic order values provide a framework for global demands no sexual relation outside a inspired by ethical principles and not peace and security, the dignity of human- legal marriage. Similarly, the commer- controlled by naked greed, and without ity, respect for human life, and protec- cialization of genes, such as surrogate the vicious and mischievous grabbing of tion of honor and property. motherhood, is not considered ethical. poor nations’ resources by the so-called These values, in the classical texts of The seventh applied global ethical developed nations. This is why, on the Islamic legal philosophy (usul-al-fiqh), value is the sanctity of property. One basis of this applied ethical principle, the are called objectives of sharia. It would should not become a slave to greed, Qur’an goes to the extent of declaring: be wrong to consider a sharia founded enmity, or jealousy to the extent of steal- “As for the thief—male or female—cut on these principles particular to the ing or depriving a rightful owner of his off the hands of both. This is recompense Muslims, for the simple reason that it or her property. The Qur’an and the for what they have done, and an exem- addresses on an applied and proactive Prophet’s teachings are explicit in say- plary punishment from Allah. Allah is level basic issues and challenges that ing that one should never exploit one’s All Mighty, All Wise” (al-Ma’idah 5:38). humanity faces today and shall face in fellow human beings financially, eco- From a legal perspective, the appli- the future. For lasting benefit to human- nomically, or in terms of ownership. cation of Islamic ethical principles and ity, global Islamic ethics deserve seri- In a world where so-called developed values logically requires legislation. For ous examination by all of those who economies not only influence but prac- example, if theft, defamation, or sex believe in the unity of humankind and tically maintain economic hegemony, it crimes are immoral and unethical, soci- of the universe. becomes extremely important to under- ety should not be satisfied only with ver- stand the threat of global capitalism to bal condemnation. Ethics should have Wama tawfiqi illa, bi Allah, wa the world’s developing economies. The an applied dimension. When an ethical Allahu A’lamu bi alsawab (Help comes poor get poorer. The natural resources and moral crime is proven in a court of only from Allah, and only Allah knows of 85 percent of the world’s population law, an Islamic state is expected to use best). ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 27 INTERVIEW

An Ongoing Journey into Buddhism An interview with Dr. Elizabeth J. Harris

Dr. Elizabeth J. Harris, president of the European Network of Buddhist-Christian Studies, visited Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo on September 11, 2012, to confer with interfaith affairs directors. Dharma World interviewed her about her journey into Buddhism and her perspectives on Buddhist-Christian encounter in Europe.

Editor: As a British Methodist you vis- internal connection between me and the When I heard that, I realized in my ited Sri Lanka in 1984 for the fi rst time. Buddha image. Th e Buddha seemed to heart that that was what I wanted to do. In Buddhism for a Violent World you be surrounded with light and seemed I wanted to go to Sri Lanka and study said it was there that you had your fi rst to have a kind of cosmic signifi cance Buddhism. I thought it would prepare encounter with the Buddha. Could you for just a few moments. Th e way I put me to come back to Britain and work elaborate on that encounter again? it is that I realized there was unfi nished in interfaith relations. I was success- business between the Buddha and me, ful in getting a scholarship from the Harris: When I went to Sri Lanka in as it were. But it was just a small event, World Council of Churches. 1984, I was already involved in inter- and I returned to Britain and went back The ironic thing is that I thought faith relations. I was part of an interfaith to the job I was doing. Th en I heard I was going for one year, but I stayed group near where I lived in London, but that a Christian institute in Colombo nearly seven and a half years, because I didn’t know much about Buddhism. I [Sri Lanka] had put up a new building one thing led to another. I went much had visited a Sri Lankan Buddhist tem- with study bedrooms and that they were more deeply into Buddhism dur- ple in London, but that was about all. inviting people from the West to come ing those years than I ever thought As I recount in my book, during that and study Buddhism there. possible. visit to Sri Lanka, the group I was with went to Anuradhapura, which was one of the ancient capitals in Sri Lanka. We visited the area around the sacred Bodhi tree. Buddhists believe that the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura grew from a sap- ling from the original tree under which the Buddha was enlightened. It is believed that a nun called Sanghamitra brought the sapling with her to Sri Lanka and that it was planted in Anuradhapura. Now there is a shrine room next to the Bodhi tree, and I went away from the group at one point and just sat in that shrine room, and some- thing happened. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I was looking at the Buddha image, and there was a kind of

28 Dharma World April–June 2013 Elizabeth J. Harris is an Associate Professor in the Comparative Study of Religion at Liverpool Hope University. From 1996 to 2007, she was the executive secretary for interfaith relations for the Methodist Church in Britain. Dr. Harris has been involved in Buddhist-Christian encounter for more than twenty years and serves as president of the European Network of Buddhist- Christian Studies. Her latest book is Buddhism for a Violent World (London: Epworth Press, 2010; now published by SCM Press).

Editor: Your time in Sri Lanka was a Buddhists as a threat to the very exist- Asia held that Buddhism was pessimistic period of ethnic conflict and civil unrest ence of Buddhism, because the whole and nihilistic, that nirvana was annihi- that frequently resulted in appalling acts of the teardrop island of Sri Lanka is lation, and that its ethics were not effec- of violence by both the government seen by many Buddhists as holy to the tive because there was no judge, there forces and the Tamil Tigers. How did Buddha. This is reinforced by the myth was no God. According to this view, the civil war affect your life? that the Buddha visited the island three Buddhism was also idolatrous because times, coming to Nagadeepa at the top, to Buddhists worshipped images. Harris: I don’t think I ever felt fear for Kelaniya in the west, and to Mahiyangana Then you had the opposite reac- myself, but I felt fear for others. I made in the center. So Sri Lankan Buddhists tion. Buddhism was seen as a life-giving friends with those who were under threat surround the whole island with a nar- philosophy and system of ethics, espe- from the Tamil Tigers or the government. rative connected with the Buddha. cially among freethinkers who wanted I became involved with the Movement for As one Buddhist academic told me, to reject the idea of God, in the light Interracial Justice and Equality, and with for some Buddhists, to have a separate of Darwinism. Buddhism therefore women’s groups such as the Women’s state in Sri Lanka would be like hav- presented itself as a rational philos- Commission of the National Council of ing their heads cut off, because they ophy and as a life-giving ethical sys- Churches. So I was hearing from peo- link the island of Sri Lanka with the tem. Some of the theosophists adopted ple who were affected. Buddha and almost with their own bod- this view, some of whom were influ- It was a period in which I had to ies as Buddhists. enced by Edwin Arnold’s poem The ask serious questions about Buddhism, Light of Asia. because many Buddhists in Sri Lanka Editor: It is estimated that a million Then I would say there was a third supported the military option to end the Buddhists live in Europe. Has their view of Buddhism. It was a kind of conflict. I had to ask, could Buddhism growing number changed Europeans’ romantic “other.” It was connected with actually justify, or was Buddhism jus- notions of Buddhism? the East, it was surrounded by legend tifying, violence? Some Buddhists were and strange practices, and it was roman- certainly justifying violence in that situ- Harris: At the beginning of the twentieth tic and attractive. It was colorful. The ation. There were appalling acts of vio- century there were just a few Western greyness of Britain in winter was con- lence by both the Tamil Tigers and the converts to Buddhism. Among these trasted with the color of the Orient— government forces. So living in that con- was a handful of Westerners who had of Japan or Sri Lanka or Burma. text affected my study of Buddhism. I become Buddhist monks. One of these None of these stereotypes of couldn’t look at Buddhism through rose- was Allan Bennett, who was ordained as Buddhism was completely accurate. colored spectacles. It was really encoun- Ananda Metteyya in Burma and brought Buddhism is not negative and nihilis- tering Buddhism with all of its different the first Buddhist mission to Britain tic. Buddhism is more than a philos- sides, and sides that I might not agree from there in 1908. Then there were ophy, I would say. It’s a whole way of with as well. It had a very deep effect the theosophists, some of whom had life. It is religion in every sense of the on me being in that situation of war. embraced Buddhism in a certain way. word. And Buddhism is more than just Very important to some Sri Lankan There were, in fact, two main reactions a romantic “other.” It’s something to Buddhists is defending Buddhism when to Buddhism at this time. One was a neg- give meaning to the world. As more they see it under attack. Certainly, the ative reaction. The negative represen- Westerners have converted to Buddhism demand for a separate state coming tation of Buddhism by those who were and as more Buddhists have come to from the Tamil Tigers was seen by many influenced by Christian missionaries to Europe from Asia, these stereotypes

Dharma World April–June 2013 29 Editor: What are some of the objectives was important in Buddhism, but oth- of the European Network of Buddhist- ers argued that it was simply not rele- Christian Studies, of which you are vant within the Buddhist worldview. president? The conference in 2013 in Belgium will be about Buddhist and Christian Harris: It has an academic objective, attitudes to history. How important is which is to focus on questions that are history and modern historical method? important to Buddhist-Christian studies: Many forms of Buddhism are surrounded questions that haven’t been looked at very by stories, myths, and so on, but what much before. So the network endeav- is their history? So that’s the academic ors to push the boundaries of discus- objective of the network, to push out the sion between Buddhists and Christians barriers of Buddhist-Christian studies. and to take up topics that might be con- Also, there’s a social and inter- troversial. For instance, one conference personal objective: to bring together several years back focused on creation, Buddhists and Christians deeply involved which is a controversial topic. Christians in Buddhist-Christian studies so that say God created the world, but many they can relate to one another, learn Buddhists would say that the begin- from one another, and so promote bet- ning of the cosmos is so far back in time ter interfaith relations. We present our- that conversation about it is fruitless. selves as a network of friends that has We took up that topic and published a porous boundaries. Anyone interested book of papers on it. in Buddhist-Christian studies can come have changed a little bit, because peo- The most recent conference [2011], at and be part of it. Our conferences have ple have met Buddhists in various inter- Liverpool Hope University in England, meditation sessions in the morning and faith groups. In Britain, Buddhists are was on the subject of hope. Is hope a so on. The conferences are not strictly now contributing to discussions in the delusion? Hope features quite strongly academic. They include cultural tours advisory groups that the government in the Christian framework. But some and visits, things like that. There’s a social has set up. In chaplaincy—prison chap- Buddhists might say hope is a form networking, social interaction objective laincy, hospital chaplaincy—Buddhists of attachment. If you cling to hope, if as well, so that Buddhists can understand are present and are working together you’re hoping, you’re attached to the Christianity better and Christians can with people of other religions, with object of your hope. At this confer- understand Buddhism better. the imam, with the Christian minis- ence, we delved into the question of So there are two sets of objectives. ter, and so on. Buddhists are there and hope. Some Buddhists argued that hope One set is academic and the other is are involved in British society at differ- ent levels. Schoolchildren are visiting Buddhist centers as well, in the major cities. They might visit—for their reli- gious education lessons—the mosque, the church, the Sikh gurdwara, and also the Buddhist center. I think Europeans’ notions of Buddhism are changing because Buddhists are seen now as real people who are able to contribute to society. But some Westerners are still confused about the sheer variety of Buddhists. As I and other academics have pointed out, what has happened in the West is unique in the history of Buddhism, because you have every form of Buddhism now in the West.

30 Dharma World April–June 2013 social, interpersonal, and interfaith. and Mahayana. My own view on that, journey and that the two religions— Our main activity is our biannual con- however, is that most of the things Buddhism and Christianity—are still ferences. We also have a Web site, which emphasized in Mahayana Buddhism are in dialogue within my own head. I has information about our publications also emphasized in Theravada. They’re don’t see Christianity in the same way and other things (http://www.buddhist not two distinct types of Buddhism. now that I did before I encountered -christian-studies.net/). Both place a lot of emphasis on com- Buddhism. For instance, the anatta doc- passion, and both have the concept of trine in Buddhism, the doctrine of non- Editor: Buddhism includes profoundly the bodhisattva, although in Mahayana self, has made me see what Christianity differing, even apparently contradic- Buddhism the concept of the bodhi- says about giving up the self in a much tory traditions. How do you approach sattva has become much more impor- more radical light. So Buddhism has that diversity when you are involved tant. Nevertheless, we can’t deny that helped me to see certain Christian doc- in dialogue? the two schools have developed in dif- trines more deeply. ferent ways. At one level, I think we are all one Harris: I think there is an issue here. because we are all human beings on a Sometimes people in the West have a Editor: You have continued your journey journey between birth and death. We’re window, through dialogue, into one part into Buddhism for nearly thirty years all part of the human race, and we are of Buddhism but not into the totality as a researcher, a director of interfaith all in a sense on a spiritual journey, so of Buddhism. If they meet, in an inter- programs, and an individual seeker. I want to affirm a very deep common- faith group, some Buddhists of one par- Where has this journey brought you? ality among all of us at that level. But ticular school, then they might think then there are differences in what we that school is the whole of Buddhism, Harris: Well, I would say that it’s an believe, which must be honored and whereas Buddhism is incredibly diverse. ongoing journey. I mean, in one life respected. I actually believe that some The related question is how should you couldn’t learn everything there is of the most creative things in interfaith Buddhism be taught when there is such to learn about Buddhism. In interfaith dialogue can come about through the diversity? This is a very relevant ques- relations, it’s Buddhism that I have cho- differences between us, because differ- tion for me. sen, that’s what I’ve become close to, ences can help us to see our own faith I don’t think there is any religion, although on my interfaith journey I in a new light. Differences can chal- except perhaps the Baha’i tradition, in have learned a great deal from Sikhism, lenge us and help us grow. which there have been no internal splits. Hinduism, and many other religions. So, where has this journey brought I encourage my students to understand I’m also fascinated by Zoroastrianism. me? I’m still a seeker. I’m still a that wherever Buddhism went, it, in dif- All of these religions have fed me in researcher, and I will go on doing this. ferent ways, adapted to the local situation certain ways, but Buddhism certainly Yes, until I die, I suppose, I shall work and developed differently. For instance, is the religion I have gained the most for a better understanding between reli- there is the difference between Theravada from. I would say that it’s an ongoing gions. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 31 ESSAY

Spiritual Plenty from One Cup of Tea by Sojitsu Kobori

trade. Kobori Enshu (1579–1647) estab- In the Way of Tea, we constantly focus on what we ourselves lished the Way of Tea called kirei-sabi, should do so that our guests are satisfi ed. That being said, it further refi ning the style of wabi-sabi is still impossible to learn in a short time to put others fi rst. by adding objectivity, balance, and har- That is why daily practice is so important. mony. The term kirei, meaning grace- fulness and simplicity, as used here refers not just to the appearance of In the Japanese tea ceremony (cha- the particularly Japanese Way of Tea the tea room and the utensils but also no-yu), “getting pleasure from a small (sado or chado), which respects the tea to the importance of gracefulness and amount” is connected with the spirit of ceremony’s spiritual nature as well as simplicity of mind. wabi-sabi, a way of perceiving things or its form. an aesthetic sensibility that has been cul- Eventually the soan style evolved The Importance tivated by the Japanese over the course into the wabi-cha style, which further of Character of their long history. pruned unnecessary things. It was nota- Th e tea ceremony is ultimately about bly practiced by the wealthy merchant In his last instructions about the Way each guest drinking one cup of tea. But Takeno Jo’o (1502–55), considered a of Tea, called Kakisute no fumi, Enshu each time tea is prepared, it is done with master of the tea ceremony, and his wrote the following: single-minded care so that each cup disciple Sen no Rikyu (1522–91). They can be taken by the guests to be most lived in Sakai, a city near present-day Tea utensils should not be chosen delicious. Osaka, that flourished with foreign for their rarity or fame; they are no The guest, sensing this sort of consideration and care, shows heart- felt appreciation, and through this the objective—connecting the host’s and the guests’ hearts and minds—is accomplished. Murata Juko (1422–1502), who can be said to be the founder of the tea cer- emony as performed today, practiced Zen meditation under Zen master Ikkyu (1394–1481). With the Buddhist teach- ing of shoyoku chisoku (being satisfi ed with little) as the basis, he gave birth to the soan (grass-thatched hut) tea cere- mony, held in an empty space the size of four and a half tatami mats. Th is was in contrast to the prevailing Muromachi shoin (reception room) style, centered on ornate wares and specialty products from China. Th is was also the birth of

32 Dharma World April–June 2013 Sojitsu Kobori is the thirteenth Grand Master of the Enshu Sado School. He is a director of both the Tokyo Sado-kai and Gakushuin University, Tokyo, and is an honorary lecturer at the National University of Singapore. He has received Zen training at Keitoku Zen’in in Tokyo, a temple of the Daitokuji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. He is the author and coauthor of several books in Japanese on the Way of Tea.

different from other utensils. Ones to misfortune. For people to acquire that are now old were new when good character, it may be necessary for made. What makes a utensil truly them to take the time to focus their special is its careful use by our elders, attention on this egotistical self to get who bequested it to us. Don’t use an rid of their desires. old item if the shape lacks character. In the Way of Tea, we constantly Don’t throw away a new one if the focus on what we ourselves should do shape is good. Furthermore, don’t so that our guests are satisfied. That covet a great variety of tea utensils. being said, it is still impossible to learn Don’t be upset just to have a few. Even in a short time to put others first. That a single one deserves to be passed is why daily practice is so important. along by virtue of its repeated, care- The o-temae is the series of proce- ful use. dures for offering tea to a guest with the thought, “What should I be doing What he is saying is that although to delight my guest?” First there is the tea utensils can be expensive and rare, guest, and then oneself. Repeated train- they are not necessarily good. They ing aims to foster an attitude of putting must also have dignity, a certain char- others first. acter. Even if utensils are new, as long It has been said that as people grad- as they have character and give delight, ually acquire more and more posses- one should not hesitate to start using sions, it becomes harder for them to them. There is no need to envy other be content with little. Being content people’s having many utensils, and there with little does not simply mean absti- is no shame in having few. Enshu means nence or frugality, namely, making do that even one object, if used repeatedly with what there is. I believe it means with care, will eventually be bequeathed actively discovering delight and hap- to descendants to become a treasure piness in whatever you have. It is real- in their house. izing and accepting that although there In other words, the lesson is that tea may not be enough, it is adequate for utensils must be selected with a flexi- your present self. ble mind; and of equal importance, an At the end of Kakisute no fumi, Enshu object becomes precious through gen- says, “One must have an accepting heart, tle, affectionate use. Training That welcoming people with warm goodwill This lesson is applicable not only to Nurtures the Mind at all times.” things but also to how people should A warm welcome and goodwill live. It teaches that it is also important All people carry an egotistic “self” in with even one cup of tea is the spirit for people to have dignity and character their minds. We feel ourselves lacking of the tea ceremony. I would be very and that someone with social position compared with other people and are happy if you would take this opportu- or assets but lacking in human dignity trying to get more, and this gradually nity to become familiar with the Way and good character is worthless. impoverishes our souls. It can often lead of Tea. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 33 ESSAY

Our Future Depends on “A Little” by Keibo Oiwa

radioactive waste that must be care- The ability to enjoy “a little” is a function of great wisdom. fully secured for a hundred thousand Humanity’s future hangs on this. It depends on whether we years before it becomes harmless. Th is can get back enough wisdom to stop depleting resources and is a negative legacy for our posterity. start living with less energy use. Nobody has yet fi gured out the way to break this magic spell. A single error made in managing You might be familiar with the German of water and empty them on the fl oor, the fearsome sorcerer’s magic that is folktale of the sorcerer’s apprentice, a and soon the whole house is fl ooded. nuclear power can potentially rob all young man serving as a trainee under In today’s Japan, this folktale is not humankind of its future. Still, it’s not a famous wizard. just something to laugh about. As a only nuclear power that can do that. One day the sorcerer departs for result of the nuclear power plant acci- Another fl ood—that of environmen- an international sorcerers’ conference, dent in Fukushima Prefecture aft er the tal pollution—is still spreading over having ordered his apprentice to clean March 11, 2011, earthquake, this story is the world. Th is continues because we the house while he is away. Th e appren- now coming to life. For several decades know how to cast spells using the magic tice soon tires of his chores, however, into the future and beyond, we will be we call science and technology, even and uses a spell he has only recently exposed to a dangerous “fl ood” of seri- though we haven’t fi gured out how to learned to enchant brooms to carry water ous radioactive contamination. break them yet. and clean the fl oor. A while later, the Nuclear power has been advertised apprentice realizes something. He has as a miracle technology that can provide The Bottom Line learned how to cast the spell but not the most effi cient, cheapest energy— for Human Survival how to break it. It is too late, however; modern magic, as it were. However, the brooms continue to carry buckets spent fuel from nuclear reactors becomes Th e phrase the bottom line is now part of the Japanese vocabulary. It means the most basic thing among all the basics— that without which we cannot live. Until now we have been taking this bottom line to mean money. We assume that as long as we have money, we can get anything we want and solve any problem. This is why we always pur- sue economic growth and expansion. We have phrases such as bigger, bet- ter, faster that indicate the direction we should be taking, the direction toward happiness. This is how we have been thinking. We think this is progress, which we value so highly that most people spend the better part of their lives in its pursuit.

34 Dharma World April–June 2013 Keibo Oiwa (aka Shin’ichi Tsuji) is a cultural anthropologist, author, and environmental activist. He has a PhD in anthropology from Cornell University and lived outside Japan for sixteen years. Since 1992, he has taught in the International Studies Department of Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama. He is the founder of the Japanese NGO Sloth Club, leader of the Slow Movement, and the author of more than fifty books in Japanese, Korean, and English.

However, how does this look after resources, and driving other species to when those who have continued to fla- the nuclear power plant disaster? I think extinction, to the point where it appears grantly squander and scatter resources the prayers of parents of small children likely that we will destroy the very basis say “you should use less,” it seems like must be something like “Please give this for human survival. What is this if not a selfish nonsense. child clean water to drink, clean air to crime? It is a crime against future gen- That is precisely why we should breathe, and safe food to eat. More than erations, a crime against nature, and a refrain from telling others what to do. this we do not ask.” I think this is the crime against the gods and the buddhas. Instead, our own generation, here in the true bottom line. We need to shift our bottom line developed country of Japan, should take Among our minimum requirements from money to life. up and practice a new way of life so as for survival are water, air, soil, and sun- to give an example. People in developed light. Biological diversity should also Now Is the Time to countries now have a terrific superabun- be on the list of such requirements. Demonstrate a Careful dance of possessions but can’t seem to Somewhere along the line, we have lost part with any of them. Our deep attach- sight of the fact that we exist because we Way to Live ment continues, and we cry for “more, are being given life through our con- The ability to enjoy “a little” is a func- more!” As Buddhism teaches, this only nections with the natural world. tion of great wisdom. Humanity’s future gives rise to more suffering. Humans are just one species among hangs on this. In November 2011 the king and the tens of millions of plants and ani- Our future depends on whether we queen of Bhutan visited Japan. Bhutan mals living on the earth. This one spe- can get back enough wisdom to stop is known for introducing the concept cies has until now consistently behaved depleting resources and start living with of GNH (Gross National Happiness) to so as to monopolize the planet’s riches. less energy use. the world as an alternative to the path of What we have ended up doing is pollut- From the point of view of younger economic growth, which does not neces- ing the environment, exhausting natural generations and developing countries, sarily lead to happiness. They visited the city of Soma in Fukushima Prefecture, where people are suffering from radio- active contamination. Here the royal couple prayed with the Buddhist priests who accompanied them. I think this was not simply a diplomatic gesture. To pray for others, give to others, and share with others—these are smart ways for everyone to enjoy “a little.” I think this is the secret of the great happiness that the Bhutanese people generally feel. Let us rethink what constitutes true wealth and happiness and how we can secure these for future generations. Let us bequeath to our children and grand- children the gifts we have received from the natural world. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 35 ESSAY

Simple Living for Our Shared Future by Mary Pat Fisher

together, and helped the very poor peo- We seem to lack the political and personal motivation to ple of the local area. At the same time, change our living patterns. As if oblivious to the effects on we were carrying on spiritual devotions our children and grandchildren—let alone other people’s around the clock. We were quite con- children and grandchildren—we continue our patterns of tented and happy, feeling God’s pres- overconsumption, pollution, and destruction of the natural ence everywhere. Baba Virsa Singh, environment. our teacher, once said to me as we were walking through the fi elds,

Superstorms, fl oods, droughts, heat Sadan (God’s House without Walls) in Always try to live close to nature, for waves, melting glaciers and sea ice, spe- India, where I live, or other models of you will be very near to God. Worry, cies extinctions—each catastrophe is a sharing and simple living—we can both fear, and pressure will be far from warning signal that we are running out lighten our impact on the earth and you. Your mind will be open, free, of time to lessen the burdens we have fi nd inner happiness that no worldly and clear, with no enmity. Your mind been placing on our planetary home. wealth can match. will be fearless, kind, and full of love. Th e signs of climate change linked to Th e Buddha put it very succinctly: Th e muscles of your mind—as well human activities are becoming more “High thinking and simple living—Th is is as of your body—will be strong. A and more evident. However, we seem the teaching of the enlightened ones” (P. person with a strong mind is not to lack the political and personal moti- Lal, trans., Th e Dhammapada [Noonday susceptible to evil; it cannot enter vation to change our living patterns. As Press, 1967], 201). During the 1990s his thoughts. His mind goes straight if oblivious to the eff ects on our chil- when I was living in Gobind Sadan’s ahead. And one day his inner truth dren and grandchildren—let alone other farming community called Shiv Sadan on mixes with the Great Truth. (Loving people’s children and grandchildren— the banks of the Ganges River, we lived God: Th e Practical Teachings of Baba we continue our patterns of overcon- in huts made of the local grasses, worked Virsa Singh, 3rd ed. [Gobind Sadan/ sumption, pollution, and destruction in the communal fi elds, ate simple food Sterling Publishers, 2006], 52–53) of the natural environment. How can we develop the personal and political will to change? All proph- ets, all scriptures, have offered us sus- tainable alternatives that are ultimately highly satisfying, carrying great inner rewards. All have encouraged us to seek spiritual treasures rather than the accumulation of worldly goods. By their words and their own examples, the prophets have also encouraged us to share with each other rather than hoarding and competing for goods. Through communal living—whether in spiritual communities such as Gobind

36 Dharma World April–June 2013 For decades, Mary Pat Fisher has traveled the world studying and writing about the essence of religions. Since 1991 she has lived in the outskirts of New Delhi at the Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religion, where people of all faiths and all social levels live, work, and worship together. Her books about the world’s religions include the acclaimed textbook Living Religions, now in its ninth edition.

Nichiko Niwano, president of Rissho Kosei-kai, advocates “cultivating the Buddhist heart” for true inner peace and fulfillment. He advises:

“Simplicity” is the watchword of our new era. . . . Simplicity means the absence of frills, the reduc- tion of waste. It means a life that is unadorned and plain. The Japanese word for “simplic- it y,” kanso, is written with two char- acters, one meaning consistent and uncomplicated, the other meaning integral and without waste. Thus by most Christians today. Instead, indi- Jewish scripture stresses justice, with the the simple life is one that retains the vidualism and market capitalism are the underlying guideline: “Love your neigh- essentials yet avoids wasteful excess. modus operandi. Christian theologian bor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Charitable To attain simplicity we must pinpoint Sallie McFague explains, giving is thus a strong part of Jewish what is necessary and rid ourselves tradition. of all that is not. This means clarify- Market capitalism is a type of eco- The prophet Muhammad and his ing the true meaning of life and liv- nomics that allocates scarce resources family usually lived in dire poverty ing with that as our ultimate aim and on the basis of individuals success- because of the Prophet’s generosity ideal. . . . Seek out the essentials, and fully competing for them, not with to people in need. The Holy Qur’an you will discover the secret to a happy regard to the needs of the planet’s describes charity as benefiting both giver life. (Cultivating the Buddhist Heart, inhabitants nor with an eye to its and receiver, especially if it is hidden trans. Susan Murata and Suzanne sustainability. . . . Market capital- rather than showy: Trumbull [Kosei Publishing Co., ism denies one huge fact: Unless the 2008], 97–98) limited resources of the planet are If you dispense your alms openly, justly distributed among its myriad it is well, but if you conceal it and Jesus advised people that if they really life forms so they all can flourish, give it to the poor (in secret), this is wanted to follow him, they should first there will be no sustainable future better for you; and God will (make sell their possessions and give the income for even the greediest among us. it an atonement to) blot out some to the poor. Apparently some people did (“God’s Household,” in Subverting of your evil deeds. . . . Those who so and then lived in communities with Greed: Religious Perspectives on the spend their wealth night and day, sharing of goods and meals. Jews and Global Economy, ed. Paul F. Knitter secretly and in public, their reward Gentiles ate together, setting an exam- and Chandra Muzaffar [Orbis Books, is with their Lord, and they will have ple that was contrary to the exclusive 2002], 121, 133) no fear, nor will they grieve. (Ali social norms of those times. Jesus’s pro- Unal, The Qur’an with Annotated gram was a radical economic, social, In contrast to the growing gap Interpretation in Modern English, and spiritual way that is not practiced between rich and poor in the world, Surah 2:271–74 [The Light, 2006])

Dharma World April–June 2013 37 The Buddha taught that charitable are structures composed of humans. giving—dana—is necessary for a peace- Even in the face of potential planetary ful world. He cited the disastrous story disaster, they cannot behave wisely and of a wealthy king who chose not to give unselfishly unless their leaders and cit- any of his resources to the poor: izens are wise and unselfish. Where do we find true wisdom and unselfishness? From the not giving of property to Only in our great religious teachers. They the needy, poverty became wide- have always directed us toward the path spread, from the growth of poverty, of true happiness. It is not a path of over- the taking of what was not given consumption, of satisfying every desire, increased, from the increase of theft, of traveling to exotic tourist destina- the use of weapons increased, from tions. It is the path that leads inward to the increased use of weapons, the tak- the Great Truth, to the Beloved. Listen Truth, we automatically begin to lose ing of life increased. (Digha-Nikaya to Kabir, the great Sufi saint: interest in the clutter of material goods III, 65 ff., in The Long Discourses, around us. Longing shifts away from 396–405, as quoted by David R. Loy, I said to the wanting-creature inside accumulation toward an appreciation “Pave the Planet or Wear Shoes? me: . . . of material simplicity. The more we sim- A Buddhist Perspective on Greed Do you believe there is some place plify and attend to the present moment and Globalization” in Knitter and that will make the soul less rather than past and future, the more Muzaffar, Subverting Greed, 63) thirsty? satisfaction we find. In that great absence you will find To meditate does not necessarily One can easily see that increasing nothing. mean abandoning compassion for the wealth does not make people funda- Be strong then, and enter into your suffering world. Nikkyo Niwano, founder mentally happier. Poor children in India own body; of Rissho Kosei-kai, set a great exam- have no toys, no television. They help there you have a solid place for your ple of combining spiritual practice and their parents and happily play with each feet. faith with hard work to support others other, inventing games, making tem- Think about it carefully! as well as oneself. He explained, porary playthings out of whatever is at Don’t go off somewhere else! hand—a brick, a discarded box, a piece Kabir says this: just throw away all My belief is that serving others is of string, a leaf. If they are pitied by a thoughts of imaginary things, and the fundamental qualification for wealthy person and given a store-bought stand firm in that which you are. true humanity and that allowing toy, it brings only momentary joy, soon (Kabir: Ecstatic Poems, trans. Robert the maximum number of people to followed by unhappiness as they try to Bly [Beacon Press, 2004], 26–27) know the desire to serve is the way keep it to themselves, defending their to produce a truly happy and peace- new possession against others who have The vehicle for this inward jour- ful human society. . . . This seems a no store-bought toys. ney is not an expensive fuel-consuming remote ideal to some people. . . . On Many wealthier people today are car; it is utterly free and nonpolluting. the contrary, I think it is the image anxious and depressed because of the The only vehicle on the spiritual path of a world that can be realized in pressures required to earn money to is meditation. As Kabir says, what we the relatively near future. (Lifetime pay for the “toys” of modern civilization really want is already inside us. The only Beginner: An Autobiography, trans. that they and their family have learned way to find it is by turning our atten- Richard L. Gage [Kosei Publishing to think they need. Traditional cultures tion inward. When we begin to medi- Co., 1978], 81) of communal sharing have given way to tate, the first thing we discover is that commercially inspired overconsumption our minds are totally cluttered with Guru Nanak, First Guru of Sikhs, and private property. How then can peo- worldly thoughts, to such an extent that taught a very simple spiritual way, in ple who have grown up surrounded by even in silence we cannot find inner which the seeker is enjoined to stay in excess toys be happy with only what is peace. In meditation, we can observe the world helping others: Work hard to needed? How can they be encouraged the clutter and slowly, slowly weed out earn your living by honest means, share to share with others? all that is unnecessary. As we weed the with others from what you earn, and Governments try to agree on envi- mind and begin to see glimmers of the always remember God. He and his suc- ronmental protocols, but governments inner light, begin to encounter the inner cessors, nine more enlightened gurus,

38 Dharma World April–June 2013 developed the tradition of langar—free community kitchen in which every- one sits side by side in long rows on the floor, without distinctions, eating the same simple vegetarian food—to help bring down barriers of caste and creed between people as well as to make sure that no one goes hungry. To pro- vide food for the langar, Guru Nanak developed a collective farm in his set- tlement in Kartarpur. In the twentieth century, the great God. In these simple circumstances, we community. We have built many large spiritual teacher Baba Virsa Singh began experienced paradise. underground tanks to capture and reuse to put the principles of Guru Nanak into Now that Babaji has left his phys- great quantities of water. Our langar practice again. Rather than solicit dona- ical body, devotees still live simply in is supplied by our own organic crops tions to support his interfaith mission, Gobind Sadan, his central community and dairy. Waste materials of all sorts he and his followers worked very hard on the outskirts of New Delhi. When are reused or sold to recyclers. There to develop barren wastelands into pro- the weather is cold, we use jackets and is continual free distribution of medi- ductive farms, which in turn provided blankets rather than room heaters; when cines and good used clothing donated food and income for langar and food, the weather is very hot, we use “des- by those who have plenty. Places of medicines, education, and clothing, as ert coolers,” an indigenous technology worship for all religions and peace- well as employment, for the poor. Babaji in which water is pumped across grass ful gardens offer an oasis of spiritual and his devotees, including me, lived mats and then blown into the room by refreshment open to all. very simply, focusing their efforts on a small fan, lowering the room temper- Seeing this example and being developing croplands and dairy rather ature by evaporation. We have very few touched by the spiritual magnetism of than elaborate buildings. Despite great vehicles. A small van suffices to bring the twenty-four-hour-a-day devotions differences in educational backgrounds, things from the market, and otherwise under Babaji’s blessings, visitors from castes, and creeds, we lived and worked we mostly use bicycles, bus, and Metro. all over the world begin to change. The together like a large family, united by Most families live in only one room each happiness of the children, the friend- our devotion to our teacher and to one but enjoy use of the whole eighty-acre liness of greetings, the open nature of this extensive family, and the peace- ful environment automatically bring people to question their own patterns of living. Many are inspired to begin sharing with others in whatever way they can. Even in India’s caste-defined social setting, people begin to regard others of different castes and differ- ent religions as their own family mem- bers and to care about their welfare. It is our hope that this model of the pleasures of simple living and sharing will spread its influence around the world, inspiring people everywhere to remember and live by the teachings of their own prophets—that in simple living and high thinking, in working hard and sharing with others, we will find the path to happiness and Truth, which will be to everyone’s benefit, and to the future of our planet. ≥

Dharma World April–June 2013 39 FOUNDER’S MEMOIRS

The Restructuring of Rissho Kosei-kai by Nikkyo Niwano

In March 1999 an autobiography by 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.

On June 8, 1958, I left Haneda airport to have been arranged by the Buddha, Kosei-kai. Aft er that, I was transferred to in Tokyo for Brazil. I had been invited since it planted many suggestions in Brazil. I had no idea that I would meet to take part in celebrations that sum- my mind, both about how dissemina- you here. I’m afraid I caused you a great mer in São Paulo marking the fi ft ieth tion was conducted overseas and about deal of trouble.” I was very surprised and anniversary of the arrival of the fi rst the construction of Rissho Kosei-kai’s still remember what I said to him. “It’s Japanese immigrants to Brazil. Great Sacred Hall. all over now,” I replied. “Th anks to the Th e death of Myoko Sensei [Myoko I learned a great deal from my obser- articles you wrote, I was able to refl ect Naganuma, cofounder of Rissho Kosei- vations during my time in Brazil, but on how things were, and as a result, kai] had left me feeling bereft , like a bird space does not permit me to go into Rissho Kosei-kai was able to experience with only one wing. Th e invitation to detail here. However, there is one thing further growth. Please, don’t brood over visit Brazil came just when the nation- that happened that was completely unex- the matter but do a good job in Brazil.” wide implementation of the revised edu- pected. Mr. Mitsuto Mizumoto, president [Editor’s note: Beginning in January cation program of Rissho Kosei-kai was of the São Paulo Shimbun, a Japanese- 1956, over a period of about two months, being consolidated, so it seemed to me language newspaper, had invited me the Yomiuri Shimbun published a series to be a good time to accept the invita- to meet local journalists at a welcom- of articles criticizing Rissho Kosei-kai tion. Motoyuki Naganuma and I were ing party. He introduced the journal- about the purchase of real estate, the chosen to represent our organization ists to me one by one. We exchanged nature of its beliefs, the way the organ- at the celebration, whose other guests business cards and chatted about all ization was managed, and other things, included Prince and Princess Mikasa kinds of things. However, one person against the backdrop of the organiza- and Japanese representatives from the stood alone, isolated from the crowd, tion’s rapid growth.] fi elds of politics, economics, religion, seemingly hesitant about coming for- I spent fi ft y-fi ve days in Brazil and art, and sports. ward. I asked Mr. Mizumoto who it four other South American countries. It was a wonderful opportunity to was. “Ah, a journalist from the Yomiuri On the night of August 3, I left São Paulo learn about the religious situation in Shimbun” [one of Japan’s leading news- for New York on a Pan American fl ight other countries. With this in mind, I papers], he replied. I took it upon myself and arrived there the following evening. planned to spend two and a half months to go up to him and introduce myself. While there I visited the headquarters in the Americas, visiting not only Brazil “I am Niwano from Rissho Kosei-kai,” of the United Nations and Columbia but also other countries in the area to I said, and off ered my card. He looked University and then fl ew on to Boston to observe their religious and cultural life. deeply embarrassed and said, “Sir, it was visit the world headquarters of Christian Th is, my fi rst trip abroad, seemed to me I who wrote those articles about Rissho Science. I then traveled to Washington,

40 Dharma World April–June 2013 Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, was an honorary president of the World Conference of Religions for Peace and 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.

DC; Chicago; and Los Angeles. In Los the faith disappears, and if it accommo- Angeles I visited a synagogue. I flew from dates itself too far, it will become com- San Francisco to Honolulu and spent pletely secularized. On the other hand, some busy days making a pilgrimage if it leans too far into its own different to the National Memorial Cemetery of identity, it will become estranged from the Pacific (also called the Punchbowl society. The eternal question facing reli- National Cemetery) and visiting Pearl gious organizations is, I think, how to Harbor. steer skillfully between universality and Everything I saw or heard taught me peculiarity, how to walk the Middle Path. something. A case in point was my visit My experience during this trip, both to the headquarters of the (Mormon) to South America and to the United Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints States, where I spent fifteen days, bore in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I met its many fruits and expanded my horizons. president, David O. McKay. I expressed Many ideas rose in my mind about the my thanks to him for the Mormons’ kind type of structure Rissho Kosei-kai should laughingly that I could never get our support for the Japanese citizens who have and how we should go about dis- Great Sacred Hall out of my thoughts. had remained in the United States at the seminating our faith. The churches I saw abroad without doubt beginning of World War II. He replied, One impression that I had received played an important role in the construc- “War happens between governments. We during my trip, which remained strongly tion of the Great Sacred Hall. are all, Americans and Japanese alike, with me, was of the large buildings I returned to Japan on August 22, God’s children, and so brothers and sis- occupied by churches wherever I went. finishing my seventy-five-day journey, ters. Because we are human beings, it is Inevitably, my thoughts traveled to our including the flights from Japan to Brazil only natural that we should take care of Great Sacred Hall, then under construc- and from the United States to Japan. each other.” I was greatly moved. tion. Circular in shape, its plans were Ken’ichi Takemura, a best-selling The rules of Mormonism are very revised many times before the actual con- author and Japan’s best-known televi- strict: Mormons cannot drink alcohol or struction began. We had examined the sion commentator, has said that two even coffee or tea. Despite this, church architect’s plans with the greatest atten- types of eye are necessary to discern membership is rapidly increasing. While tion, but it was after I actually saw church the essence of something. In order to people speak of the sluggish growth of architecture in the Americas, reflect- be able to proceed without error, he the traditional Christian denominations, ing a long history, that I realized how said, we need the eyes of an ant that which take a more lenient view toward much we could learn from it. I dearly see reality from ground level and the the commandments, there seems to be wanted to incorporate the good points eyes of a bird that look at the situation an increasing number of people seek- of such buildings into the architecture from high in the sky. ing to follow the Way by imposing strict of the Great Sacred Hall. My trip to Brazil allowed me to sep- precepts upon themselves. I think that Whenever I visited a church during arate myself a little from the actuality this tells us something important about my travels, I would look up at its tower of Rissho Kosei-kai and look at it again the way to practice faith. or steeple and slowly walk around its more objectively and from a perspec- If a religious organization accom- interior. Motoyuki Naganuma, seeing tive of world religion. It also gave me modates itself to society and swims with me constantly pausing, once asked me the chance to think about what form it the stream, all reason for people to enter if there was anything wrong. I replied should take in the future.

Dharma World April–June 2013 41 A New Structure deeply moved by the self-sacrificing it witnessed the rapid growth in indus- efforts of chapter heads and members trial productivity, the modernization of With the affirmation of the main focus that I witnessed. However, it was clear agricultural practices, and the liberal- of devotion for Rissho Kosei-kai as the to me that there was often little to show ization of trade that paved the way for a Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, and the for their exertions in terms of concrete high level of economic growth. The first implementation of a program of doctri- results, and I felt this was a great waste boom, in the mid-1950s, was described nal study for our members, the restruc- of good intentions. For the spirit of the in the mass media as the time of great- turing of the organization had become Lotus Sutra to be disseminated not only est prosperity since the reign of the first an unavoidable and pressing need. among members but to all people every- legendary emperor, Jinmu. The second Until then I had not thought that where, I was convinced that somehow or boom, from 1958 to the end of 1961, running a religious organization was other the whole organizational structure was hailed as being unprecedented since a particularly difficult thing. Our first of Rissho Kosei-kai had to be revised. the time of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. and greatest duty had always been to In the eleventh chapter of the Lotus People were convinced that the post- save each and every person, so struc- Sutra, “Beholding the Precious Stupa,” war period had finally come to an end tures were set up as the need arose. Thus, we find the words “The Buddha desires and were taking their first steps toward when a number of people had grouped to bequeath this Wonderful Law-Flower a new and prosperous life. The idea of together, one person was selected to look Sutra so that it may ever exist.” “May creating a nationwide system of regions after them and transmit the thinking of ever exist” means manifesting the true for conducting dissemination activities the headquarters correctly to them. This worth of that which exists. The teach- in response to these social changes had was the nucleus of chapters. People had ings of the Lotus Sutra bring out the long been maturing in my mind. first met together in one another’s homes, best in everything. They are taught not First it was vital to send leaders with but this became impossible when the just through theory but also through a correct understanding of Buddhism to number of members increased. It was causality and parable. If only we can every corner of the country. A leadership then that training halls began to be built. fully manifest the true worth of that system based on a balanced relationship In the beginning, the chapters that which exists within each and every per- of intellect, emotion, and will was nec- spread all over the country were not son, a great harmony will fill the world. essary if members’ efforts were to bear necessarily geographically organized Rissho Kosei-kai’s role is to bring out fruit in the pursuit of the truth. I spoke but based rather on a vertical relation- that which is within all people and to to members about the need to change. ship between the chapter leader acting allow it to bloom. “Now it is no longer enough for one as a “godparent” giving spiritual guid- I often use the metaphor of the car- person to shut him- or herself away at ance to his or her “godchildren.” This rot and the white radish to explain what home and perform ancestral veneration. type of lineage existed in the eighty- faith is. Faith does not try to change the We must gather together as many peo- four chapters around Tokyo and con- radish into a carrot but allows the rad- ple as possible in hoza [Dharma circles, tinued when members increased at a ish to be the very best it can be as a rad- a form of group interaction guided by great rate outside the capital too. ish. Similarly, faith makes sure the carrot experienced leaders] and discuss things The chapters were each like a family tastes its most delicious as a carrot. In together from many angles so that people group, with a high degree of cohesion. other words, faith brings the individual of different temperaments and person- However, the way they were organized abilities of each and every person into full alities are able to reach understanding, meant that people living in the same area play and makes all people bodhisattvas repent together, and through correct might be affiliated with different chap- within their own sphere. Surely this is faith deserving of the name of Rissho ters, and members of a single chapter the purpose of a life of faith. Bringing Kosei-kai, go on to perfect themselves might be scattered throughout Japan. into play everything that we are made through interaction. This is the sort of Communication between chapter mem- of converts to an amazing strength. I organization we must become.” bers often involved considerable losses was convinced this was why we had to On November 15, 1959, to mark in both time and money. change the structure of Rissho Kosei-kai. my birthday, I issued the first statement After I announced the true nature of about the appointment of chapter heads, our organization (the Manifestation of Deciding on a National to lay the ground for the reform of the the Truth in 1958), I traveled through- System of Regions lineage system into one of regions cov- out the country seeing with my own ering the whole country. Then, the fol- eyes how guidance was given in the The year 1955 marked an important turn- lowing January, I made an appeal in training halls and liaison offices. I was ing point in Japan’s postwar history, for the magazine Kosei to our members

42 Dharma World April–June 2013 regarding the necessity of establishing a new organizational structure. I wrote:

Chapter heads and senior leaders understand fully the need to make fundamental reforms to the organ- ization of Rissho Kosei-kai by set- ting up a national system of regions. However, I think there are still some members who do not understand the point of the reorganization at all well. permitted to waste our time adher- Members could not easily give up During the twenty-two years that ing to the old way. We must leave the system that had existed till that time, have passed since its founding, Rissho aside minor differences for the sake of the godparent-godchild relationship Kosei-kai has gone through a num- of our greater unity, and we ask you based on ties of sympathy and compas- ber of small reforms as experience to recognize how important it is to sion. A too-rapid imposition of the new has suggested, until we have come build a basis for Rissho Kosei-kai’s organization would only result in reduc- to what you see today. Our struc- continued growth in the future and ing the impact of faith. ture of spiritual guidance based on deepen your understanding of its In the February issue of Kosei that chapters, lineage, and the relation- significance. year [1960], I spoke again about the ship between those who guide and relation between true faith, vigorous those who are guided is characteristic It was my greatest wish that by plac- dissemination, and the national system of our organization. It has been the ing the right trained person in the right of regions. I appealed to the member- strong foundation on which we have place through this reorganization, we ship concerning the need to first put achieved great results and has pro- would be able to foster a dissemination into practice the Four Noble Truths, vided the framework for the practice system that marked Rissho Kosei-kai the Noble Eightfold Path, and the Six of more than two million members. as an organization based on the Lotus Perfections in order to grasp the essen- Because the vertical relationship Sutra. Thus a second aim of establish- tial way of liberation as true Buddhists within lineage groups has been over- ing a national system of regions was to and the importance of religious effort emphasized, however, there has been provide a way for our teachings to per- for self-perfection and for upholding the a lack of positive exchanges among meate all members in a way not possible ideal of attaining buddhahood. members belonging to different chap- under the old vertical system. Since the ters and lineage groups. On occa- word Rissho in our title refers to estab- A New Beginning sion, in dissemination and guidance lishing the correct Dharma, the Buddhist activities, this has unfortunately led teachings had to be at the center of our The change to the national system of to a lack of cooperation between endeavors. We were seeking a way of regions was a piece of major surgery, different chapters and groups, even building a structure that depended not severing from their godparent those liv- though their members all belong to on a person but on the teachings. ing in different areas. The organization one Rissho Kosei-kai. This is why To a certain extent, it was quite nat- of chapters until then, which centered we must slough off our old skin and, ural that people endowed with com- on the chapter head as the godparent through reorganization, focus on the mon sense could not be satisfied with guiding its other members, was more original form of the teachings with guidance that veered overmuch toward than anything else a matter of emotion. the aim of building a strong dissem- spiritual powers. But through the study Moving to a new system that did not ination system that is balanced both of Buddhist doctrine, we could confi- destroy this relationship was the most horizontally and vertically. dently instruct any person anywhere difficult of all of our tasks. From the The decision to embark on this with all the courage of our convictions. emotional standpoint, the loving rela- new system has been taken after All the same, there remained some who tionship between the person offering many years of deep thought and con- said that there was something unsat- guidance and the person being guided, sideration by the leaders of Rissho isfying in rational teachings that any- like that between a parent and a child, Kosei-kai about how best to improve one could understand and know from is very beautiful. However, a broader dissemination nationwide. We are not common sense. view is required from the Mahayana

Dharma World April–June 2013 43 standpoint, the teaching of liberation of a new organizational body. There author to the Lotus Sutra], who inter- of all living beings, and from that of could be no sloughing off of the old preted it and showed me its true spirit. making a contribution to the society skin, no forward movement, without I think that it was in 1936 (when within which members live. We also such anguish. I was a member of Reiyu-kai in Arai had to consider that eventually Japan’s I launched the organizational reforms Sensei’s chapter) that the rumor spread Rissho Kosei-kai would move out into between November 15 and December that if we climbed Mount Shichimen (a the larger world. We had to be able to 15, 1959, with the appointment of new holy mountain near Mount Minobu) and develop the dissemination of teach- chapter heads, and this brought to a were present at the sunrise, we would see ings that everyone could wholeheart- conclusion the reorganization of the the Precious Stupa appear in the sky. I edly accept and dissemination that is regional chapter system. Whenever I think this story arose because the event capable of responding swiftly to vari- visited the local training halls for var- was to happen in November (the elev- ous situations. ious ceremonies, I continued to speak enth month) in the eleventh year of the With these issues in mind, we divided about the teachings of the Lotus Sutra Showa period (1926–89) according to Japan into ten regions with a total of and how we should conduct our daily the Japanese calendar, and “Beholding 102 branches. Each branch was divided lives in their light. It was at this time, the Precious Stupa” is the eleventh chap- into smaller groups, each of which had too, that I wrote Buddhism for Today, a ter of the Lotus Sutra. its own leader. We also created group modern interpretation of the Threefold Half believing and half doubting, I and block leaders to handle liaison. Lotus Sutra, in order to make these teach- asked Arai Sensei’s advice. All he said Nevertheless, when old patterns are ings known to each and every person. to me was “Why don’t you go and see?” broken and an organization is modi- The Japanese edition was published in Therefore I joined the group climbing fied, inevitably there are some people five volumes, the first covering the Sutra Mount Shichimen. It was raining on the who find it difficult to break with the of Innumerable Meanings through “The mountain. The next morning, when the human relationships they have been used Parable of the Herbs” chapter in the Lotus Precious Stupa was supposed to appear, to. While understanding theoretically Sutra; the second volume the chapters the rain had stopped, but haze enveloped the need to move toward a new type of “Prediction” through “Springing Up Out the mountain and thick clouds covered structure, it was hard for them to part of the Earth”; the third volume the chap- the sky. And when I reached the lookout, from those with whom they had done ter “Revelation of the [Eternal] Life of my heart pounding with excitement, not their daily religious training. the Tathagata”; the fourth volume the only was there no Precious Stupa but we I was asked time and time again chapters “Discrimination of Merits” could not even see the sunrise to vener- whether or not the new system of regions through “The Final Commission”; and ate it. When I met Arai Sensei after my would mean that the old ties between the the fifth volume the chapter “The Story return to Tokyo, he asked me whether godparent and the godchild would be of the Bodhisattva Medicine King” to the Precious Stupa had appeared. “No, dissolved. I replied that this would not the end of the Sutra of Meditation on we couldn’t see a single thing, let alone happen, even though the organizational the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. the Precious Stupa!” I replied. Arai Sensei basis would change. The bond between In writing this commentary, I did not then said to me, “Mr. Niwano, you must parent and child in the Dharma is eter- confine myself to the Rissho Kosei-kai read the sutra properly. Certainly it tells nal. Even if members lived in different teachings as they currently existed but us that the Precious Stupa appeared, but places and so were a part of different set my sights on an interpretation fit- you mustn’t just read it on the surface. organizational regions, there would be no ting a new age. I was determined to give You must prove the verities of what is problem about their attending memorial everything I had to each word I wrote. written in the Lotus Sutra by practic- services or seeking the advice of the god- I wanted to elevate the Lotus Sutra as ing according to those teachings. You parent over family matters, for example. a practical teaching able to be a guid- will find the Precious Stupa in your- After all, this was the person who under- ing principle for setting up a worldview self through your actions. Nichiren stood them the best. However, attempts and an outlook on life for people liv- Shonin wrote in a letter to his follower to break down the new system out of an ing in modern times. That I was able to Abutsubo that Abutsubo is the Precious excess of emotion, without thinking of do so was due both to my efforts over Stupa itself, and the Precious Stupa is the needs of bettering the local society, a long period of time to read the Lotus Abutsubo. Of course the Precious Stupa would not be tolerated. Sutra with all of my being in light of didn’t appear at Mount Shichimen, Of course there was uneasiness my experiences and to the teaching of and it is good that it didn’t.” I felt his within the membership, but this was Arai Sensei [Sukenobu Arai, a Reiyu- words awaken me. the labor pains necessary for the birth kai chapter leader who introduced the To be continued

44 Dharma World April–June 2013 THE THREEFOLD LOTUS SUTRA: A MODERN COMMENTARY

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law

Chapter 20 The Bodhisattva Never Despise (4) This is the 112th installment of a detailed commentary on the Threefold Lotus Sutra by the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano.

TEXT Great Power Obtained! What is your opinion? That is the great road we must strive to build for as many Those four groups at that time, who constantly scorned people as possible. At the same time we must not entirely that bodhisattva—can they indeed be somebody else? They neglect the uses of resistance. are now in this assembly—the five hundred bodhisattvas Antagonism and combativeness imply, in any case, a Bhadrapala and the others, the five hundred bhikshus Lion degree of interest. Although that interest is hostile, its exist- Moon and the others, the five hundred upasakas Thinking ence must be taken as a plus, because it becomes the key of Buddha and the others, who all never retreat from Perfect to persuasion. Enlightenment. By contrast, nothing can be done for someone who shows absolutely no interest for good or ill. There is no COMMENTARY Here the Buddha is tacitly preach- place to get a grip. ing the opportunities arising from resistance to the teach- Imagine for a moment that you are on a diet for rea- ings. These are opportunities to help those who have been sons of health and trying to impress people with its effec- hostile to the Buddha and bodhisattvas and rejected the tiveness. Someone else on a diet the opposite of yours Dharma and induce them to accept instruction and enter will have in any case interest in food, and the two of you the Buddha Way. still can have a useful discussion with at least the chance Other people are immediately receptive to the teachings. that you can win him over to your view. But if that per- They are willing to take refuge in the Buddha and bodhi- son has no interest at all in diets, discussing them would sattvas and obediently listen to the Dharma as they preach. be a waste of time. Needless to say, receptivity is the direct way to liberation. The same is true with the Buddha Way. If a person shows

Dharma World April–June 2013 45 absolutely no willingness to consider religion or the Buddha drew near its end, / There existed a bodhisattva / Whose Dharma, no positive result can be expected. This is what name was Never Despise. / At that time the four groups / is meant by the saying “Sentient beings without relation to Clung to their own views of the teachings. / The Bodhisattva the Buddha Dharma are liberated with difficulty.” Never Despise / On approaching them / Would address As a matter of course, we should set great store in peo- them thus: / ‘I may not despise you; / You walk the Way, / ple who welcome the teachings, and they are fortunate, but And will all become buddhas.’ we must also do the same for people who have no interest in the teachings. COMMENTARY Clung to their own views of the teach- Unfortunate people who resist the teachings may have ings. They see everything from only their own point of view, mistaken ideas and be very emotional about their beliefs. with self-centered motives, and interpret everything to But because somewhere inside them there is something sin- suit themselves. They cling to their own views, completely gleminded and pure, they oppose the Buddha Way entirely caught up in them. of their own accord. Therefore, once you persuade them, It is perfectly natural that interpretations of the Dharma help them see their error, and draw them into the gate of change more or less with the times, and one must be very the Buddha Way, they will be transformed into extremely flexible in interpreting the Dharma for each country, peo- reliable kindred spirits. ple, and time. Distorting the Dharma to one’s own advan- This is quite important even in everyday life. Whatever tage undermines the Buddha’s teachings. One must be very the occasion, rather than considering someone who resists careful to avoid this. the teachings as an absolute opponent, it is essential to be • Walk the Way. This refers to the bodhisattva way. magnanimous and persevering enough to accept that person broadmindedly with the intention one day of bringing that TEXT When they had heard it, they / Contemned or person into one’s own camp. This is the spirit of the Buddha reviled him. / The Bodhisattva Never Despise / Bore it all Way, and the Bodhisattva Never Despise is an exemplar. patiently.

TEXT Know, Great Power Obtained! This Dharma Flower COMMENTARY Contemned or reviled. The original Sutra greatly benefits all bodhisattva-mahasattvas and Chinese text consists of four characters meaning, respec- en­ables them to reach Perfect Enlightenment. Therefore tively, “scorn,” “censure,” “insult,” and “insinuation.” all bodhisattva-mahasattvas, after the extinction of the • Bore . . . patiently. This does not mean putting up with Tathagata, should ever receive and keep, read and recite, others unwillingly but accepting them in a spirit of gen- expound and copy this sutra.” erosity and understanding. Just accepting what others say and do greatly enhances our own character. COMMENTARY The Buddha once more advocates the five practices of teachers of the Dharma. He is saying that TEXT When his sins were expiated / And his end was we must not perform these practices perfunctorily, but drawing near, / He heard this sutra / And his organs were embrace the fundamental spirit of revering and revealing all clarified. / By his transcendent power / He prolonged his people’s buddha-nature, and in that spirit devote ourselves period of life / And again, to all the people, / Widely preached to the five practices of teachers of the Dharma. In terms of this sutra. the order of preaching, this must be admitted and accepted. COMMENTARY When his sins were expiated. “Sin” here TEXT Then the World-honored One, desiring to pro- means the residual karma of past lives. Since the Bodhisattva claim this meaning over again, spoke thus in verse: Never Despise, at least as far as he is presented in this chap- “In the past there was a buddha / Styled King of Majestic ter, is from beginning to end performing the noble bodhi- Voice, / Boundless in divine wisdom, / Leader of all liv- sattva practice of venerating others’ buddha-nature, he can ing beings; / Gods, men, dragons, spirits / All paid hom- sin no more. age to him. However, even the Bodhisattva Never Despise was orig- inally an ordinary person. Before renouncing the world he COMMENTARY Divine wisdom. This is the superhu- must sometimes have behaved badly and given into anger man wisdom that discerns the real aspect of all things in selfishly, hated some people, and been jealous of others. this world. He must have accumulated bad karma from this in for- mer lives. By his bodhisattva practices after he renounced TEXT After this buddha’s extinction, / When the Dharma the world, he purged himself of the bad karma of former

46 Dharma World April–June 2013 lives. We have used charts to explain the expiation of bad the teachings, / Who heard Never Despise say, / ‘You are karma in considerable detail in the May/June 1994 issue to become buddhas,’ / And who because of this cause and of Dharma World. condition / Met with countless buddhas / Are the bodhi- sattvas of this assembly, / The host of five hundred, / And TEXT The groups [formerly] clung to their own views of also the four groups / Of pure believers, men and women, the teachings / All received from this bodhisattva / Instruction / Who are now before me / Listening to the Dharma. and perfection, / Being led to abide in the Buddha Way. COMMENTARY The four groups. This refers to bhikshus, COMMENTARY This passage means essentially that all bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas. Upasakas are male lay those who had been attached to the lesser teachings were followers; upasikas are female lay followers. instructed by the Bodhisattva Never Despise and became better people as a result, and he guided them along the path TEXT I, in my former lives, / Exhorted these people / To to supreme enlightenment. hear and receive this sutra, / The peerless Dharma, / And The Chinese word for “perfection” used here has pro- opened [their minds] and showed [the Buddha knowledge] found implications. It can also means “accomplishment,” to them. / That they might abide in nirvana. / Age by age and in Buddhism it means the attainment of great wisdom have [I] received and kept / This so [wonderful] a sutra. or great self-improvement. In this instance, it does not mean absolute perfection, but can reasonably be interpreted as COMMENTARY Opened [their minds] and showed [the meaning “becoming truly human.” Buddha knowledge]. As we have previously noted, the order of the four stages in which people are led to the Buddha TEXT Never Despise, his lifetime ended, / Met with count- knowledge is opening, showing, awakening, and entering less buddhas, / And through his preaching of this sutra / (see the March/April 1998 issue of Dharma World). The Obtained inestimable happiness. / Gradually perfecting his passage refers to the first two in that order. merits, / He soon accomplished the Buddha Way. “Opened [their minds]” comes first, for if their minds are Never Despise of that time / Is really I myself. / The closed, they understand nothing. At this stage, their minds are four groups of that time, / Clinging to their own views of opened to the truth that all people possess the buddha-nature.

Dharma World April–June 2013 47 “Showed [the Buddha knowledge]” means showing At the beginning of chapter 20, “The Bodhisattva Never the doctrine of dependent origination, by which we see Despise,” it is emphasized that he continued only the sin- the world as it really is in the light of the Buddha’s wisdom gle practice of honoring the buddha-nature in everyone he and the principle of cause, condition, effect, and retribu- met. This chapter teaches us that the fundamental practice tion. This principle is the fundamental law. of the Buddha Way—that which precedes all else—is awak- • Abide in nirvana. The two kinds of nirvana are the Hinayana ening to and honoring people’s buddha-nature and does nirvana of “great ease” and the Mahayana nirvana of “great not deny the necessity of reading and reciting the sutras harmony.” Since they have commenced opening and show- or preaching the Dharma. ing, it is safe to interpret this passage to mean the nirvana By means of the merit the Bodhisattva Never Despise of “great ease.” acquired through the single practice of honoring others’ After the stages of opening and showing, in the third buddha-nature, he mastered the teachings of the Lotus Sutra stage, people are led to experience firsthand what they have on his own, and in the course of many reincarnations he been taught, and thus experience awakening for themselves, preached it and brought merit to countless others. Precisely deepening their understanding of the Buddha’s wisdom. In because he continued that altruistic practice, he embodied the fourth stage, they are led to enter the way of the bodhi- the Lotus Sutra (“age by age meeting buddhas”), gradually sattva practice through the aspiration for buddhahood. deepened his understanding, and finally attained supreme Progress deep into the fourth stage brings the vision enlightenment (“accomplish the Buddha Way”). of a vibrant, harmonious world. This is called the nirvana This sequence of events applies perfectly to people of suc- of Mahayana. ceeding generations, as the Lotus Sutra teaches. Therefore, when we emulate the Bodhisattva Never Despise in revering TEXT During myriads of kotis and kotis of kalpas / Of others’ buddha-nature, we must also emulate his efforts to inconceivable reach, / Rare are the times that have heard / reveal all people’s buddha-nature by preaching the Dharma. This Dharma Flower Sutra. / During myriads of kotis and The most important passage in this chapter is “when he kotis of kalpas / Of inconceivable reach, / Buddhas, world- saw afar off [a member of the] four groups, he would spe- honored ones, / At rare times preach this sutra. cially go and pay respect to them.” This attitude is vital for preaching the Dharma. In other words, one must not wait COMMENTARY Emphasis is given here to just how passively for people to come and hear the Dharma, or preach difficult it is to hear the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and it only when convenient. One must be zealous enough in accordingly just how fortunate (because of the merit they preaching the Dharma to reach out to people. This is the have previously accumulated) are those who encounter it. true bodhisattva attitude of trying to liberate others. The Bodhisattva Never Despise was determined enough TEXT Therefore let his practitioners, / After the Buddha’s to do that constantly. At first he was disliked, or angered extinction, / On hearing such a sutra as this, / Not conceive people who felt he was meddling in their affairs, but grad- doubt or perplexity. / But let them wholeheartedly / Publish ually they sensed his sincerity, and eventually he touched abroad this sutra, / And age by age meeting buddhas, / They their hearts. We must think deeply about this active atti- will speedily accomplish the Buddha Way.” tude in spreading the Buddha’s teachings. In brief, this chapter speaks intimately to us, as a chapter COMMENTARY Practitioners. Because the Lotus Sutra that applies directly to our everyday lives in modern soci- propounds first and foremost the importance of bodhisattva ety, teaching us the proper attitude we each should take, the practice for the liberation of all, it usually refers to “practi- appropriate attitude in all human relationships, and the atti- tioners” rather than “believers,” since some Buddhist sects tude of a Buddhist in disseminating the Dharma. I firmly advocate individual liberation through belief in the “other believe that this chapter, whose teachings we can apply power” of Amitabha Buddha. exactly as they are in our world, is a gem of the Lotus Sutra. • Doubt or perplexity. “Doubt” refers to doubt about the truth To be continued of the Dharma. “Perplexity” means hesitation in accept- ing the Dharma. The last four lines—“But let them wholeheartedly / In this series, passages in the TEXT sections are quoted Publish abroad this sutra, / And age by age meeting bud- from The Threefold Lotus Sutra, Tokyo: Kosei Publishing dhas, / They will speedily accomplish the Buddha Way”— Company, 1975, with slight revisions. The diacritical marks concisely expresses the merits of preaching the Buddha originally used for several Sanskrit terms in the TEXT sec- Way. This passage is well worth reciting. tions are omitted here for easier reading.

48 Dharma World April–June 2013