by Nichiko Niwano

Rissho Kosei-kai's president explains how the Sangha in Buddhism helps individual believers grasp the teachings and become spiritually self-reliant.

Last year, in October, exactly ten years had gone by since the founder's passing into nirvana. At that time, facing the reality of his entering nirvana, I suppose that many members might have been worried about the future of Rissho Kosei-kai. But now, ten years later, the Dharma continues to make progress, and many people have been guided to true happiness.

Due to the efforts of all members of the Sangha, we have today's achievements - I sincerely feel this to be true.

The Buddha taught us: "Our having good friends and being with them is itself the entire Holy Path." "Good friends" here means members of the Sangha who have the same sense of values regarding the Buddhist teachings and who also strive for the same kind of self-improvement. And "Holy Path" means the path of Buddhism. The Buddha taught us how important it is to meet with good friends - in a Sangha - when we walk on the Buddha Way, so that we can study hard by encouraging each other.

"Good friends" does not mean simply people of strong faith. Even people who have just joined Rissho Kosei-kai share their daily worries, their feelings, or what they have learned in <em>hoza</em> sessions or through their speeches of religious affirmation, and they can have an immeasurable effect on those around them. "That reminds me of something I have faced" and "yes, that's a good way to deal with that" are examples of such reactions. Through listening to the words of others, people can take an objective look at themselves, and after some self-examination, they can have a change of heart.

In this manner, the workings of the Sangha flow both ways. It can be said that essentially all of us are "good friends." Through studying the Buddha's teachings and grasping their meaning, we can help to liberate one another, which is what good friends do.

Also, good friends are those who share the same beliefs and walk together with us while each of us is striving to "Make yourself a light, make the Dharma a light."

Immediately before entering nirvana, Shakyamuni left that short saying behind for his disciples. "Do not depend upon me, but live as though you were your own light, as though the Dharma were your light"; these were his last words. Expressing this differently, it can be said that Shakyamuni taught us the importance of individually grasping the meaning of the Buddhist teachings, becoming self-reliant believers, and living with a true purpose.

In order to pass our days with worries or suffering resolved, with happiness and enjoyment without attachment, a group of good friends, a Sangha, is essential. Ordinarily, it is important to receive advice from those above us. But in the end the Buddha's teachings must be grasped and practiced by us ourselves. We must all strive to make the self our light, make the Dharma our light, and we must also invite those we meet to do the same. That is the act of a true good friend.

Furthermore, the characteristic of good friends is that they strive to be always cheerful, warm, and gentle.

Contemporary life is often compared to a rat race. Businesses strive to produce ever-increasing profits, and exert great efforts not to be outdone by their competitors. In one sense, this cannot be helped, but when one's life goal is defined by numerical figures, and people come to be valued by how well they achieve them, then an atmosphere arises in which natural feelings can be stifled.

At the same time, the world of religion can be said to be one in which there is no reason for comparison with others or for frantic competition. Every individual is recognized to have an absolute value, and the faithful join their hands in prayer and pay reverence to one another. I want to encourage such a true religious atmosphere, one with cheerful, warm, and gentle good friends in which anyone can rest both body and spirit. Based on the importance of such good friends in a Sangha, I would like to offer the following religious objectives for this year.

In 2010, continuing from last year, we would like to go on with the installation of an image of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and the Dharma titles of the founder and cofounder at every member's home altar, as the fundamental basics of the practice of faith in Rissho Kosei-kai.

Through this movement, we are undertaking the task of fostering members (good friends) who are aware of Buddhism's essential path to liberation and who practice that awareness.

The founder and cofounder taught us that Shakyamuni's true spirit exists in the essence of the wisdom and compassion described in the Lotus Sutra.

Looking ahead to our coming centennial in 2038, let us move forward together on the path of liberating others as well as ourselves through wisdom and compassion while creating a Sangha that is a group firmly based on the fundamental truths of Buddhism.

Having an image of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni at each member's home altar and praying before it is a basic Buddhist practice for us. But the installation of such an image is not our final goal. Our goal is that each individual will offer reverence before the image, and take refuge in the Buddha. In doing so, all of us will gradually become cheerful, warm, and gentle people. This can be accomplished through basing all our action on the fundamental truths of Buddhism. We have already learned that all human beings have the innate ability to do this.

The birth verse of the Buddha reads: "Above heaven, below heaven, I alone am the only precious one." I interpret this to mean that throughout the whole world, there is not one person who is worthless. All are precious; or more briefly, that throughout the world, all beings are precious.

In one of the Buddhist sutras, it is taught that Shakyamuni's state of mind when he achieved enlightenment was: Wonderful! Wonderful! All living beings possess the wisdom and the virtuous sign of the Tathagata (the highest epithet of a buddha), but they do not realize this because of their attachment to desires and illusions.

"Wonderful" here means "What a wonderful thing." As part of their lives, all living beings are equipped with the wisdom and various attributes and compassion of the Tathagatas. Shakyamuni says, however, that we do not become aware of the treasures we have right in our hearts because we all have such earthly desires as defilements and attachments, in other words, greed, anger, and ignorance.

All human beings are precious; all of us unenlightened ones possess the same wisdom and compassion as the Tathagata. From these words, we can gain great inspiration.

Likewise, there is a saying in the Dhammapada: "Difficult is it to be born as a human being; difficult is the existence of mortals."^* This also allows us to awaken the gratefulness within ourselves and to realize how wondrous, how precious our lives are. This is an important discovery that can help to motivate us, and we can only rejoice upon making it.

We should engrave these words of the Buddha within our hearts and not concentrate on our shortcomings and dissatisfactions, but instead express gratitude and realize the preciousness of the many blessings already bestowed upon us. It is important to recognize that we should be thankful even for those things we consider disadvantageous. Then, as in the saying "Benefit for Oneself and Benefit for Others as One," we will realize the true joy of all human beings in learning that we as well as others can be liberated. This is the true meaning of liberation through Buddhism.

We often learn this way of looking at things in places like Dharma Centers. But when we return to our homes and interact with our families, many of us tend to revert to our old selves and old habits. It is especially for this reason that it is necessary to study the Dharma. When we can correctly grasp the meaning of the Buddha's teachings, we can begin to apply what we have learned in our daily lives, and can continue to do this over and over. Eventually, it comes about that it is in our everyday lives that we study the Dharma. We come to live mindfully in a way such that in every waking hour of the day, every single day of the year, at every moment, we are in the practical position of studying the Dharma.

Despite the ten years that have passed since the founder entered nirvana, in my mind's eye I still see his smiling face. Whatever problem he may have faced, the founder never complained, never groaned in anguish, never became despondent, never attacked others, and never tried to escape the problem or to blame others, but always looked at everything with the same serene smile, which is how he lived his entire life. As members of Rissho Kosei-kai, emulating the founder's attitude should be one of our important goals, being cheerful, warm, and gentle people, with the radiance of the sun. That should be a guidepost for living for all of us.

Rissho Kosei-kai must strive to be an organization in which all members, chapters, Dharma Centers, and the organization itself can become a great harmonious Sangha, all with the same goal within our hearts.

The installation of an image of the Eternal Buddha and the Dharma titles of the founder and cofounder at every member's home altar and the creation of a religious group or Sangha based on the true characteristics of Buddhism are means that will lead us toward the attainment of true happiness. As we look ahead to our centennial, let us work together to achieve these aims, without hurrying, without resting, and with a spirit of joy.

Let us realize the importance of the people and things that are before our eyes right now, and walk forward on the path of liberating ourselves and others with wisdom and compassion, one step at a time with steady progress.