Reflecting on the One Hundred Twentieth Anniversary of the Birth of Founder Niwano

As this year marks the one hundred twentieth anniversary of the birth of Founder Nikkyo Niwano, someone recently asked me, “What are the Founder’s words and actions and spirit that Rissho Kosei-kai members should carry on?” I responded by sharing my honest feelings, as follows:

“We all have our own personalities, abilities, and lifestyles, and therefore, just as Founder Niwano was true to Founder Niwano, isn’t it important for each of us to develop our own unique qualities so that we become individuals who do our best for the sake of other people?”

To quote Shakyamuni’s final words to all of his disciples: “Make yourself the light, make the Dharma your light.” Just as Shakyamuni said, it is essential that by relying on the Dharma teachings we were guided to and learned from the Founder, as well as relying on our selves that are manifestations of buddha nature, each of us shines forth the light of kindness and warmth, in our own way and to the best of our abilities, to those around us.

However, even though we understand the importance of “making ourselves the light and making the Dharma our light,” at times we may be carried away by desire or anger and lose sight of what we rely upon to discipline our bodies and minds. Therefore, I think it is vital to reflect deeply upon the bodhisattva spirit found in the Lotus Sutra and cultivate the habit of approaching every day—not merely special days like the Anniversary of the Birth of Founder Niwano—with a fresh feeling that it is bringing us something new. By doing so, we can continue to lead our lives with self-restraint while shining forth a bright light for those around us.

The Meaning of Having Been Born in This World

Last month, I wrote that “we are living as part of the eternal life force that has continued, without interruption, since the universe began,” and we are now, as part of it, receiving life as human beings in this world. Our lifetimes, though, are but fleeting moments in the course of that unbroken eternal life—like tiny points of light flickering faintly along the timeline that stretches from the distant past to the distant future. In that case, what is the point of being born in this world, so often called “the saha world of suffering,” to only be here for a fleeting moment?

According to the Lotus Sutra, “because we wish it, we are born in this world.” What is this wish? It is our innate desire to emulate the Buddha’s wish to liberate people who are anxious and suffering. And to do so, we pursue the Way in order to alleviate the suffering of ourselves and others as much as possible and continue making our best effort to realize our wish that “the world become a place where everyone can live in harmony and happiness”—a wish that we can interpret as the purpose of our lives and the meaning of having been born in this world as human beings.

Furthermore, someone described this world as “a temporary place for the development of the human spirit,” which I feel also comports with the way of living and view of life that I have spoken about many times before: “Make an effort, make an effort, I will keep on making an effort until I die, and if I am reborn, I will make an effort again.” For us, life in this world becomes the precious time and place in which we experience joy and sorrow, and grow as human beings.

To summarize, a person’s life in this world is but a fleeting moment of the one eternal life. Yet, as observed by Dr. Haruo Saji, who I mentioned in last month’s issue, the entirety of that person’s lifetime is condensed into that single moment [of eternity]. When we reflect on the fact that we are receiving the precious gift of life and are now in this world because we wished to be born here, we realize that there is no time to waste being swayed by petty pride or self-serving calculations. After all, keeping in mind Kenji Miyazawa’s words, “There can be no individual happiness until the whole world is happy,” as well as the bodhisattva spirit expressed in them, while remembering to always be considerate of others and living our lives so that we bring joy to our fellow human beings who are living alongside us—that is the meaning of life and the reason we are now receiving life here on Earth.

The poet Utsubo Kubota once wrote, “Long ago, Shakyamuni and Christ felt compassion for us and taught us to look at ourselves from the perspective of the universe” (Kubota Utsubo kashu [A collection of poems by Utsubo Kubota], edited by Makoto Ooka, [Iwanami Shoten, 2000]). When we fully embrace this universal outlook and the workings of the eternal and enduring, we overcome the anxieties of living and dying and find the resolve to live our lives in ways that fully utilize our potential.