As We Approach the Centennial of the Founder's Birth

As We Approach the Centennial of the Founder's Birth

by Katsunori Yamanoi

This year, as the centennial year of the Founder's birth, is a memorable one for Rissho Kosei-kai. But I believe that, as we plan and undertake the various public memorial celebrations, there is something else that must not be forgotten.

It is that we, the members of Rissho Kosei-kai, must now look back over what Founder Nikkyo Niwano did during his life, discover what his aims and ambitions were, and then ponder their meaning and significance.

I believe that one of the most deeply significant things that he did was to promote interreligious cooperation. Founder Niwano had the belief, since his youth, that "all religions should work together hand-in-hand for peace." He became attached to this firm conviction when, in 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council and had an audience with Pope Paul VI.

From that point on, Founder Niwano was inspired to action, and with like-minded people who shared his ardent belief, he began to work toward the major goal of convening a World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP). Key thinkers inside and out and the religious officials themselves were quite skeptical at the time, wondering if it was even possible to bring together representatives of different religions for a conference, let alone get them to contribute to peace.

But in the spirit of the expression "all religions spring from the same source," meaning all religions aspire after the same goal, Founder Niwano continued his dedicated efforts to give concrete expression to the idea of the One Vehicle as taught in the Lotus Sutra, and in 1970 the World Conference of Religions for Peace was finally held.

This year will see the Eighth World Assembly of the WCRP; coincidentally, it will be held in Kyoto, the same city in which the first conference was held. The conference theme is "Religions for Peace: Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security."

We still cannot know when the world will see an end to its many ethnic conflicts and religious conflicts, or to the development of nuclear weapons and to arms build-ups. Against the background of such a world situation, that this World Conference of Religions for Peace is being held in Kyoto, where the first such conference was held, has deep significance, in the sense that it reaffirms the starting point of interreligious cooperation.

Furthermore, for a religion to fulfill its original role, it is said that it must satisfy three requirements. First, the religion must actually offer relief to people who are suffering. Second, it must enhance the spirituality and character of the people. Third, it must contribute to society. For representatives of the religions fulfilling these three requirements to be able to get together once every few years to discuss what they can do to cooperate with one another and to help bring about peace is, I believe, of great benefit to those religions. I am certain that they can double or even triple the results of their activities by doing so.

In the sense also of spreading the spirit of the One Vehicle, it is my fervent wish to make this centennial year of the birth of the Founder one in which Founder Niwano himself would have been truly delighted were he alive.

Katsunori Yamanoi is the chairman of the board of directors of Rissho Kosei-kai.

This article was originally published in the April-June 2006 issue of Dharma World.


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