Dharma World

September-October 2005, Volume 32

September-October 2005, Volume 32(PDF)

Spirituality and Development

From the Advisor’s Desk

Women in Contemporary Japanese Religion and Society by Michio T. Shinozaki

Michio T. Shinozaki is president of Rissho Kosei-kai’s Gakurin Seminary. He received a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Vanderbilt University in 1988.

Reflections

All Are Precious by Nichiko Niwano

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

The Buddhist Community: An Ideal Society 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 daily practice of one’s faith.

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

Essays

Spirituality and Development: Relating Social Action and Religious Consciousness by John Clammer

John Clammer is professor of sociology at Tokyo’s Sophia University, where he teaches the sociology of development and courses in social inequality, contemporary social theory, and the sociology of the arts. He has previously taught at universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and Singapore. He has written extensively on the issues of development, and his books include Values and Development in Southeast Asia, Diaspora and Identity, and most recently, with Sylvie Poirier and Eric Schwimmer, Figured Worlds: Ontological Obstacles to Intercultural Relations.

Shakyamuni’s Aim, as Revealed by Early Buddhist Scriptures by Shoji Mori

These sources are the only clues we have to the Buddha’s life and thought, since he left no writings of his own, even though they may be colored by the viewpoints of later generations.

Shoji Mori, professor at Toyo University, is the former dean of the Faculty of Literature there. He also serves as director of the university’s Institute of Oriental Studies. His recent books include Shoki bukkyo kyodan no un’ei rinen to jissai (Theory and Practice in the Administration of Early Buddhist Communities) and Bukkyo-teki mono no mikata–Bukkyo no genten o saguru (A Buddhist View of Things: In Search of the Origin of Buddhism).

The Path to Peace as Seen in Mahayana Buddhism by Makio Takemura

The author sees a peaceful society as one in which all people can be their own protagonists, as it were, and can fully achieve self-realization.

Makio Takemura, formerly a professor at the University of Tsukuba, is presently a professor at Toyo University. He is the author of many books on Buddhism in Japanese, including Shobo genzo kogi (Lectures on Shobo genzo [Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma]), Yuishiki no kozo (Structure of the Consciousness-only Doctrine), and Daijo bukkyo nyumon (An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism).Makio Takemura, formerly a professor at the University of Tsukuba, is presently a professor at Toyo University. He is the author of many books on Buddhism in Japanese, including Shobo genzo kogi (Lectures on Shobo genzo [Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma]), Yuishiki no kozo (Structure of the Consciousness-only Doctrine), and Daijo bukkyo nyumon (An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism).

Symposium Address

No Clash, but Dialogue among Religions and Nations by Hans Kung

This article is the text of the keynote address delivered in May at the Niwano Peace Foundation Symposium in Kyoto by the recipient of the 22nd Niwano Peace Prize.

Hans Kung, a world-renowned Roman Catholic theologian, is president of the Global Ethic Foundation in Germany and Switzerland. Until his retirement in 1996, he was professor of ecumenical theology and director of the Institute for Ecumenical Research at the University of Tubingen. He is coeditor of several journals and has written many books. Dr. Kung’s advocacy of a “Global Ethic” as a way of realizing world peace has won him recognition around the world. He is the recipient of the 22nd Niwano Peace Prize.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra

The Divine Powers of a Buddha by Gene Reeves

The divine powers of a Buddha are said to be ten in all, five having to do with the past, and five with the future, the latter being understood as consequences of the former being widely implemented.

Gene Reeves is currently studying, teaching, and writing on Buddhism in Tokyo. A consultant and teacher at Rissho Kosei-kai, he was recently a research fellow at Rikkyo University. Before coming to Japan in 1989, Dr. Reeves was the dean of Meadville/Lombard Theological School and professorial lecturer in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.

Conference Reports

The Lotus Sutra and Tendai by Stephen Covell

Stephen Covell is an assistant professor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, teaching comparative religion. Until the summer of 2003 he was a visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo, where he was working on a project concerning Buddhism and morals education in Japan. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2001. He is the author of Japanese Temple Buddhism: Worldliness in a Religion of Renunciation (University of Hawaii Press).

Exploring the Methods of Socially Engaged Buddhism by Jonathan Watts

Jonathan Watts is a research fellow at the Jodo Shu Research Institute at Zojoji in Tokyo. He is also coordinator for Think Sangha, a socially engaged Buddhist think tank affiliated with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in the United States and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists.

Gotama Buddha (74)

The Beginnings of the Buddha’s Deification (2) by Hajime Nakamura

In the final installment of his distinguished biography, the author describes in detail the process by which Gotama came to be seen more as a deity with supernatural powers and less as a man.

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).

The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Commentary (84)

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law
Chapter 10: A Teacher of the Law (3) by Nikkyo Niwano

This is the eighty-fourth 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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