Dharma World

July-August 2003, Volume 30

July-August 2003, Volume 30(PDF)

Niwano Peace Foundation

Reflections

Walking the Buddha Way in Everyday Life by Nikkyo Niwano

This essay is part of a continuing series of translations from a volume of inspirational writings by the late founder of Rissho Kosei-kai. Dharma World will continue to publish these essays because of their lasting value as guidance for the practice of one’s faith in daily life.

Nikkyo Niwano, the late founder of the Buddhist association Rissho Kosei-kai, was an honorary president of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) and was honorary chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan) at the time of his death in October 1999.

In Praise of Mildness by Nichiko Niwano

Shakyamuni’s teaching is the teaching of peace. If we could control and cut off anger and violence–and thus conflict and war–then peace and harmony would appear.

Nichiko Niwano is president of Rissho Kosei-kai and the Niwano Peace Foundation, a president of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), and vice-chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan).

Essays

The Spirit of Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience by Yoshiaki Iisaka

The only way we can avoid letting the twenty-first century become another “century of war” is to spread to the world the true spirit of nonviolence and civil disobedience. In this way, we can make our vision of peace a reality.

Yoshiaki Iisaka is president of Seigakuin University and professor emeritus of Gakushuin University. A leading advocate of interreligious dialogue and cooperation, he acted as the secretary general of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (ACRP) from 1996 to 2002 and presently serves as the director of the Peace Research Institute of the Japanese Committee of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP/Japan). He is the author of numerous books and articles, mainly on politics and religion.

Mahayana and World Engagement by John P. Keenan

The identification of emptiness and dependent co-arising is the foundational Mahayana teaching for world engagement. It is only when the silence of the ultimate meaning of emptiness has laid to rest all ideas of any stable being that conventional ideas of how to engage in the world are resurrected and the reality of the world–as co-arisen–is restored.

John P. Keenan, Ph.D., is a specialist in Yogacara Buddhism, professor of religion at Middlebury College in Vermont, and vicar of Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church in Scarborough, Maine. His publications include translations from the Chinese Buddhist canon and works on Christian scripture and theology as seen through the lens of Mahayana philosophy. With Harold Kasimow and Linda Klepinger Keenan, he has co-edited Beside Still Waters: Jews, Christians, and the Way of the Buddha (Wisdom Publications, 2003).

How Can Interfaith Organizations Address Global Problems? by Marcus Braybrooke

In today’s world, it is always hard to know what to do and how to do it. And it is even harder for a group of people to come to any kind of meaningful consensus. Is the interfaith movement part of the problem of globalization or part of the solution? The president of the World Congress of Faiths examines this very question in great detail.

Marcus Braybrooke, an Anglican vicar, has been involved in interfaith work for forty years. He is president of the World Congress of Faiths, a Peace Councillor, and cofounder of the International Interfaith Centre at Oxford and of the Three Faiths Forum. His books include Pilgrimage of Hope, Faith and Interfaith in a Global Age, and three anthologies of meditations, Bridge of Stars, Lifelines, and 1,000 World Prayers. Braybrooke and his wife, Mary, visited Japan, including the headquarters of Rissho Kosei-kai, in 1993.

Building a Nuclear-Free World of Peace and Harmony by Naomi Shohno

A scholar who was born in Hiroshima, but who escaped the city’s atomic bombing, describes the life experiences that led to profound changes in his thinking and his role in the antinuclear movement.

Naomi Shohno, D.Sc., was professor at Hiroshima Jogakuin University from 1961 until his retirement in 1991; he is now professor emeritus. He serves as a consultant to the Hiroshima University Institute of Peace Science. Professor Shohno is the author of several books on the effects of the atomic bomb and nuclear disarmament, including The Legacy of Hiroshima and Jinrui Kyozon no Tetsugaku (The Philosophy of Coexistence). This essay is a translation of part of the latter book.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra

Penetrating Wisdom Buddha by Gene Reeves

Through the tale of the fully-awakened buddha known as “Excellent in Great Penetrating Wisdom,” Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us that the best way we can serve the Buddha is to do something that will benefit all beings–indeed, it is by doing this that we are awakened to our own buddha-nature.

Gene Reeves, former dean of the Meadville/Lombard Theological School, University of Chicago, recently retired from teaching at the University of Tsukuba, where he taught Buddhism and American studies. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from Emory University. He is currently doing research, teaching, and writing on the Lotus Sutra at Rissho Kosei-kai in Tokyo.

Buddhist Living

Lifting a Stone from the Heart by Ann Rinehard

An American member spoke at Rissho Kosei-kai of Oklahoma on July 4, 2001, describing how her experiences had taught her that what she does affects not only her own life but the lives of all.

Gotama Buddha (61)

Cunda’s Offering by Hajime Nakamura

Having heard that Gotama was staying in his mango grove in Pava, the blacksmith Cunda went to greet him. In gratitude for Gotama’s teaching him the Dhamma, Cunda invited him to his house and offered him some cooked mushrooms.

The late Dr. Hajime Nakamura, an authority on Indian philosophy, was president of the Eastern Institute in Tokyo and a professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo at the time of his death in October 1999. This ongoing series is a translation of Gotama Buddha, vol. 2 (Tokyo: Shunjusha, 1992).

Buddhist Sculpture

Enku and the Two-Headed Warlord by Takeshi Kuno

A powerful warlord of the Hida region, Ryomen Sukuna opened Senkoji temple some 1,600 years ago. Then, 400 years ago, the building was rebuilt as a Buddhist temple. The itinerant priest Enku stayed briefly at the temple during the Edo period, carving buddha statues during his stay. Some 60 statues of his–including Ryomen Sukuna’s image–are kept at the temple.

Takeshi Kuno, formerly a director of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, is now director-general of the Institute of Buddhist Art Research in Tokyo.

The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Commentary (71)

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law
Chapter 7: The Parable of the Magic City (2) by Nikkyo Niwano

This is the seventy-first installment of a detailed commentary on the Threefold Lotus Sutra by the late founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano.

Dharma World

  1. Autumn 2023, Volume 50

    Religion and the Family

  2. Spring 2023, Volume 50

    Religion’s Role in Peacebuilding

  3. Autumn 2022, Volume 49

    Religion and Happiness

  4. Spring 2022, Volume 49

    The Impact of Cyberspace on a Variety of Religious Traditions and Practices

  5. Autumn 2021, Volume 48

    Religion's Potential for Advancing Sustainable Development

  6. Spring 2021, Volume 48

    What Is Prayer?

  7. Autumn 2020, Volume 47

    Religion’s Role in Building an Inclusive Society

  8. Spring 2020, Volume 47

    Violence in Buddhism

  9. Autumn 2019, Volume 46

    Manga, Anime, and Contemporary Religion

  10. Spring 2019, Volume 46

    Is Emptiness the Goal?

  11. July-December 2018, Volume 45

    The Buddhahood of Plants and Trees: The Environment and Buddha-Nature

  12. January-June 2018, Volume 45

    Buddhism’s One Vehicle in a World of Many Religions

  13. July-December 2017, Volume 44

    Religions Tackling Extremism

  14. January-June 2017, Volume 44

    Religion and Animals

  15. October-December 2016, Volume 43

    Features: Listening

  16. July-September 2016, Volume 43

    Contemporary Ideas about Karma

  17. April-June 2016, Volume 43

    Buddhism and Food

  18. January-March 2016, Volume 43

    Dual Religious Identity: Can One Practice Two Religions?

  19. October-December 2015, Volume 42

    The Modern Significance of Meditative Practices in Religions

  20. July-September 2015, Volume 42

    Religious Rituals and Their Meaning for Today

  21. April-June 2015, Volume 42

    Religion's Contributions to Society

  22. January-March 2015, Volume 42

    Cultivating Hearts That Welcome the Other

  23. October-December 2014, Volume 41

    Buddhism and Language

  24. July-September 2014, Volume 41

    Life After Death

  25. April-June 2014, Volume 41

    Building an East Asian Community: Roles of Religions

  26. January-March 2014, Volume 41

    Aging Societies and Religion

  27. October-December 2013, Volume 40

    Nuclear Power and Contemporary Religion

  28. July-September 2013, Volume 40

    Where Does the Buddha Live Now?

  29. April-June 2013, Volume 40

    Modern Meanings of Festivals

  30. January-March 2013, Volume 40

    Transforming Greed

  31. October-December 2012, Volume 39

    Religions Coping with Prejudice

  32. July-September 2012, Volume 39

    The Significance of Religious Communities

  33. April-June 2012, Volume 39

    Buddhist Teachings on Spiritual Liberation

  34. January-March 2012, Volume 39

    The Meaning of Modern Pilgrimage

  35. October-December 2011, Volume 38

    The Evolution of Funerals in Japan

  36. July-September 2011, Volume 38

    Buddhism in North America

  37. April-June 2011, Volume 38

    Religion and the Power of Women

  38. January-March 2011, Volume 38

    What Is True Wealth?

  39. October-December 2010, Volume 37

    Dialogue Draws Religions Closer

  40. July-September 2010, Volume 37

    Tackling the Question "What Is the Lotus Sutra?"

  41. April-June 2010, Volume 37

    Religion's Role in Abolishing Nuclear Weapons

  42. January-March 2010, Volume 37

    Help in Overcoming Alienation

  43. July-September 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Prayer

  44. July-September 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Media

  45. April-June 2009, Volume 36

    Religion and Health

  46. January-March 2009, Volume 36

    The Changing Forms of the Family and the Role of Religion

  47. October-December 2008, Volume 35

    The Meaning of Giving in the Contemporary World

  48. July-September 2008, Volume 35

    Buddhism in the Face of Environmental Crisis

  49. April-June 2008, Volume 35

    The Many Forms of the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin

  50. January-March 2008, Volume 35

    Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

  51. October-December 2007, Volume 34

    Buddhism and Bioethics

  52. July-September 2007, Volume 34

    Respect for Ancestors

  53. April-June 2007, Volume 34

    Self-Examination and Peace Work

  54. January-March 2007, Volume 34

    Buddhism and Social Responsibility: Boddhisattva Practice Today

  55. October-December 2006, Volume 33

    Buddishm in Dialogue

  56. July-September 2006, Volume 33

    Religions Working for Peace

  57. April-June 2006, Volume 33

    Creating the World of the One Vehicle: The Centennial of the Birth of Rev. Nikkyo Niwano

  58. January-February 2006, Volume 33

    The Human Condition and Religion: A Global Future?

  59. November-December 2005, Volume 32

    Remembering Hiroshima

  60. September-October 2005, Volume 32

    Spirituality and Development

  61. July-August 2005, Volume 32

    Women in Contemporary Japanese Religion and Society

  62. May-June 2005, Volume 32

    Rissho Kosei-kai 67th

  63. March-April 2005, Volume 32

    "Thousand Buddhas," Sanbanggulsa Temple, South Korea

  64. January-February 2005, Volume 32

    Emerging Forms of Spirituality

  65. November-December 2004, Volume 31

    Peace Building Through Multi-Religious Cooperation

  66. September-October 2004, Volume 31

    The Increasing Importance of Dialogue and Cooperation

  67. July-August 2004, Volume 31

    Paths to Reconciliation

  68. May-June 2004, Volume 31

    Religion in Crisis

  69. March-April 2004, Volume 31

    Spiritual Friendship

  70. January-February 2004, Volume 31

    Resolving Conflict

  71. November-December 2003, Volume 30

    Dividing Good From Evil

  72. September-October 2003, Volume 30

    Common Truths: Cooperation Among Religions

  73. July-August 2003, Volume 30

    Niwano Peace Foundation

  74. May-June 2003, Volume 30

    Religionists United in Prayer for Peace

  75. March-April 2003, Volume 30

    Life is Larger Than Globalization

  76. January-February 2003, Volume 30

    Emerging Forms of Spirituality

  77. November-December 2002, Volume 29

    Roundtable Disscussion at the World Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom

  78. September-October 2002, Volume 29

    Sixth Assembly of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

  79. July-August 2002, Volume 29

    The Most Reverend Samuel Ruiz Garcia, Recipient of the 19th Niwano Peace Prize

  80. May-June 2002, Volume 29

    National Treasure Tapestry Illustrating Shakyamuni Sermon to the Faithful

  81. March-April 2002, Volume 29

    Celebration of the Anniversary of Shakyamuni's Birth

  82. January-February 2002, Volume 29

    Religious Delegates Gather in New York for WCRP Symposium

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