March–April 2002, Volume 29
Celebration of the Anniversary of Shakyamuni’s Birth
Reflections
Ridding Ourselves of the Defilements
by Nikkyo Niwano
Removing the Framework of Ego
by Nichiko Niwano
Self-attachment or egocentricity means seeing and thinking about things in reverse order, being bound to a rigid way of thinking. It is a sign of an impoverished spirit.
Essays
Women in War and Peace: Victims but Not Negotiators?
by Azza Karam
Despite many years of suffering, the women of Afghanistan only became “visible” after world media focused on the plight of their nation as a whole. The common understanding is that war is a man’s game.
Winning the “Ghost War”
by Joseph Grange
An American philosopher warns that the heightened emotions of the “war on terrorism” can lead to serious delusions. It is time, he says, that people seek to take control of events.
The Case for Religion
by Jamshed K. Fozdar
Today, if the past and present vilify religion because of . . . sects and creeds of “the many” where there should be one . . . religion vindicates itself by answering that its “vilifiers” search their hearts and history.
The Social and Ethical Meaning of Shinran’s Teaching for Our Time
by Myoshin-Friedrich Fenzl
An Austrian Buddhist leader says it is now time to reconsider critically the attitude of Buddhism toward modern society.
Interview
Everyone Has an Equal Right to Education
Last December, during a three-day session of the NGO Conference in Tokyo on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, representatives of twenty-seven Afghan NGOs discussed with members of Japanese NGOs longterm comprehensive plans for post- conflict recovery and reconstruction of that country. Palwasha Hassan participated in the meeting representing the Afghan Women’s Educational Center (AWEC), an Islamabad-based NGO established in 1991, that promotes women’s education, protection of women’s rights, medical care, and income generation for women. Ms. Hassan is the director of the AWEC-affiliated Center for Street Children and Women in Peshawar, Pakistan. During an interview with Dharma World and reporters for the Japanese mass media, she described her hopes for creating better opportunities for education, particularly for women and children, to ensure enduring social reconstruction efforts at the hands of the Afghans themselves.
Buddhist Living
Let Me Shine in Life for Family and Friends
by Noriko Uchida
A woman who has faced the ordeal of surgery and chemotherapy to halt her cancer has learned to be grateful for being given life–and to stop blaming others.
Buddhist Sculpture
A Fierce Pair of Goblins
by Takeshi Kuno
The carver of one of these early Kamakura period statues was the great Koben, but the sculptor of the other remains unknown. Regardless, together they are superb and lively examples of the sculpture of their time.
Gotama Buddha (53)
Gotama Crosses the Ganges
by Hajime Nakamura
People strive to move beyond the difficulties of life and cross to the other side, but there are various methods for reaching the ideal realm.
