March–April 2005, Volume 32
Thousand Buddhas
From the Advisor’s Desk
Heeding the Voices in Our Hearts
by Kinzo Takemura
Reflections
Striving and Good Habits
by Nichiko Niwano
“All phenomena are constantly changing. Strive to practice my teachings diligently.” These are said to have been Shakyamuni Buddha’s last words. They indicate that recognizing impermanence and striving to advance spiritually are the keys to the practice of Buddhism. The following is a translation of a recent interview with Rev. Nichiko Niwano that originally appeared in Rissho Kosei-kai’s Japanese periodical Yakushin.
The Role of Faith in a Moral Life
by Nikkyo Niwano
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra
Bodhisattvas of the Earth
by Gene Reeves
Chapter 15 tells of the enormous number of bodhisattvas who sprang up out of the earth, whom the Buddha explains he himself has been teaching and leading from the most remote past.
Essays
Buddhist Ecological Ideas and Practices
by Wei Dedong
Buddhism itself is not ecology, but it contains extremely profound ecological ideas and practices. Their philosophical basis can be found in the teaching of “dependent origination.”
God and the Garden
by Kenneth J. Dale
In this essay, the author shares some of his musings and discoveries regarding the questions: Who is God? What is God? Where is God? How do we talk about God?
Meditation and Compassion in Action
by Bhikkhu Sanghasena
We must make meditation and compassion part of our daily lives, like our breathing. True compassion, true love is to serve others, to share all good things with others, to share the pain and sufferings of all fellow beings.
Gotama Buddha (71)
The Historicity of Gotama Buddha
by Hajime Nakamura
Buddhists in southern Asia and those in northern Asia disagree on the most likely dates for the Buddha’s birth and death. Scholars around the world still debate the issue, but seem agreed that he usually displayed warm affection for his followers.
Buddhist Living
Coming Home
by Carol J. Ewer
An American member of Rissho Kosei-kai describes how her introduction to Buddhist teachings and experience in hoza counseling sessions allowed her to confront the truth about her life.
Small Trips of Self-Discovery
by Etsu Sakamoto, Hiroe Terauchi, and Satoe Takahashi
Three members of Rissho Kosei-kai relate how their lives have changed through their participation in training sessions at the seminar house in Ome, a western suburb of Tokyo. Within the beauty of nature, various programs–sutra chanting, hoza, lectures on the Lotus Sutra, as well as forest conservation work–were conducted during the two- or three-day sessions. Since the Ome Seminar House was established in 1966, a large number of members, including many youths, have visited it, making friends with fellow participants, discovering their inner selves, and confirming the joy of having faith.
