Dharma circle, as one of Rissho Kosei-kai’s basic practices of the faith, is an opportunity to learn the Dharma in concrete ways through understanding the sufferings and challenges faced by ourselves and others. It is also an occasion to recognize the Dharma at work in all the events of our lives.

Dharma circle participants listen to each other describe the problems they face in daily life in order to understand together the Buddha’s wishes and the workings of the Dharma within their lives. By applying the Dharma to a problem, participants seek a way to help each other free themselves from the suffering that comes from the problems in life.

There is no “one size fits all” liberation, and this is why Shakyamuni Buddha always taught the Dharma according to the listener’s capacity for understanding the teachings, as well as their specific conditions, circumstances, and the occasion, and this allowed Shakyamuni to liberate each individual person from their suffering. Dharma circle is inherently a place where his easily understandable teachings enable people to form a bond with the Buddha Dharma. In short, it is a place to encounter the Dharma.

Members hold Dharma circles daily or weekly at their Dharma centers or meeting places to learn how to employ the Buddha’s teachings as a guide for living, obtain relief from suffering, and also to gain insight and achieve spiritual growth.