Essentially, “roles” are things that people have in ample measure, solely by virtue of their birth in this world as human beings, irrespective of their circumstances in life or the jobs they do. And it’s not just human beings; every living thing and every inanimate entity, such as air, water, and soil, has its own role.
For example, many people may think that earthworms are only useful as fishing bait, but that’s absurd. Earthworms continuously cultivate the soil by ingesting and expelling it as they tunnel through the earth. Moreover, their tunnels aid in ventilation, and the soil they consume becomes fertilizer, benefiting plant growth.
Even smaller than worms, microorganisms also perform important functions. I’ve heard there are as many as several hundred million microorganisms in a teaspoon of soil. They decompose fallen leaves, plants, and the remains of animals, returning them to the soil. Without microorganisms to perform these functions, it is said that the earth would be covered with the bodies of animals and plants, leaving no place for us to live.
So, even microorganisms invisible to the naked eye splendidly serve other living beings in this way. Wouldn’t it be a shame if, especially since we’ve been born as human beings, we didn’t strive to fulfill our roles for the sake of the world and other people?
Humans have one outstanding quality that sets us apart from other living things: our ability to consciously choose to devote ourselves to others. While other living things naturally benefit others through the functions they instinctively perform, only human beings can consciously choose to work for the sake of others. This ability is not limited to natural roles such as working hard at one’s job; it also includes the capacity to go out of our way to work for the benefit of others.
Volunteer activities are one example of this. And it goes without saying that the most valuable activity is the bodhisattva practice of guiding others to embark on the Buddha Way. That is, as I mentioned earlier, the work of devoutly dedicating oneself to the One Great Cause for which the buddhas appear in the world.
Bodai no me o okosashimu [Germinating the Seeds of Awakening] (Kosei Publishing, 2018), pp. 51–53
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.
