Despite all the social, technological, and economic progress of recent years, it is widely recognized that many people still suffer. Buddhists describe our world as the saha-world, a world in which suffering has to be endured. In today's world, as humanity becomes ever more secular, in many places religion plays a less important role in people's lives, and Buddhism in Japan is no exception. What do people today seek from religion for their salvation or spiritual liberation in our ever-changing world, where many natural and man-made disasters result in so much distress? What is a Buddhist response to those who are suffering? Moreover, in the present, how can individual spiritual liberation contribute to world peace and human happiness, which are Buddhism's ultimate goals?