I was born the second son of six children to a farming family in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. My older brother remained at home and carried on the family line, while I ended up going to work in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, when I was sixteen. On the night train to Tokyo, I made six vows and repeated them to myself.
The first three were “I will never lie,” “I will work with all my strength,” and “I will undertake tasks that others find disagreeable.”
The second three were as follows: First, “I will never struggle with others. No matter how miserable my experiences, I will hold firm to the belief that they are all according to the wishes of the gods and buddhas.” Next, “I will work steadily and work hard, whether others are watching me or not.” And finally, “No matter how unpleasant the task, I will see it through once I have undertaken it.”
I also added the following tenets since my grandfather as well as my father had taught them to me almost every day: “Always do what’s right,” “Never deceive anyone,” “Grow up to be a person who does good for others,” and “Rise early and work late.” I traveled to Tokyo with these vows engraved on my heart.
Because of my faithful adherence to these vows and my willingness to suffer hardships to put them into practice, my employer placed great trust in me, telling me “Hardworking and honest young men like you are rare.”
Bodai no me o okosashimu [Germinating the Seeds of Awakening] (Kosei Publishing, 2018), p. 22
Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, was born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in 1906. A longtime advocate of cooperation and dialogue between the world’s religious faiths, Rev. Niwano promoted interreligious understanding as honorary chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan), honorary president of Religions for Peace, and in various other capacities. He is the author of several books on Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra, and spirituality, such as Buddhism for Today, Lifetime Beginner, Buddhism for Everyday Life, and more. Rev. Niwano passed away in 1999 at the age of 92.
