January–February 2002, Volume 29
Religious Delegates Gather in New York for WCRP Symposium
Reflections
Lessons Learned from What May Seem Dirty
by Nikkyo Niwano
We Can Change Ourselves
by Nichiko Niwano
Human beings are capable of both good and evil. No one can claim that he or she alone is absolutely right. By the same token, everyone has an essential role in life.
Essays
A Global Ethic in an Age of Global Terror
by Gunther Gebhardt
A German Christian theologian points out the dangers of blaming an entire religion for the criminal acts of a small minority of fanatics. In doing so, he also describes the progress of the multinational, multireligious Global Ethic Project.
The Equality of All That Lives
by Jion Abe
A recently deceased Japanese Zen priest and scholar of Indian philosophy here explores the roots of the Buddhist concept of peace, which respects all forms of life and advocates their shared existence.
Jack Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums”-and America as a Pure Land
by Miriam Levering
A revival of interest in the work of the American writers who constituted the “Beat Generation” of the ’50s and ’60s is focusing renewed attention on the serious Buddhist elements in Jack Kerouac’s writings.
Buddhist Living
A Reawakened Awareness of Family Love
A wife and mother who was having difficulties with her second daughter was also confronted by her husband’s increased drinking-only to then be told that she herself had developed final-stage cancer.
Buddhist Sculpture
A Gentle, Elegant Jizo Bosatsu
by Takeshi Kuno
This graceful statue from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) of one of Japan’s most beloved bodhisattvas was carved by the noted sculptor Kaikei (fl. late twelfth-early thirteenth century). Excellently preserved, it retains its original beauty.
Gotama Buddha (52)
The Rise and Fall of the City of Pataliputra
by Hajime Nakamura
Buddhism developed because of Gotama’s focus on lay people. It was the community of the ordained, however, that converted the “Last Journey” into a scripture, blurring the contents of the teaching given to lay people.
