Once you deeply appreciate this precious connection with the Buddha I have described, your way of life should naturally change.
I grew up in a mountain village in snowy Niigata Prefecture, and when I was a child, I would return home covered in snow. My grandfather would embrace me by tucking me inside his padded kimono jacket, warming my ice-cold body. At times like those, he always used to tell me, as though it were a quirk of speech:
“If the members of a family are just working for a living and eating, they are no different from longhorn beetle grubs. Longhorn beetle grubs eat only to survive. Since we are born as human beings, at least one person in the family must become someone who serves society.”
Perhaps because this catchphrase was deeply ingrained in my young mind, I couldn’t stand idly by any time I saw someone in trouble and always thought, “I want to do something to help.” Seeking spiritual teachings that could bring happiness to everyone, I encountered the Lotus Sutra and ended up founding Rissho Kosei-kai.
People today are said to be self-centered, thinking only of their own interests. This is probably because they have never savored the joy of working for the sake of others. The joy of helping someone in trouble or offering advice to someone in distress and receiving their gratitude is truly a fulfilling experience. Because of this, we can say that performing actions that bring happiness to others is the quickest way to achieve one’s own happiness.
And one more thing to keep in mind is that like us, all the people we encounter also have a karmic connection with the Buddha from past lives.
It is said that in our social lives, respecting the humanity of others is important for building good relationships, yet this can be surprisingly difficult. But if you look at others thinking “This person has paid homage to many buddhas in past lives and made great vows,” you will naturally be able to respect them.
Of course, among the people you encounter there may be those who have forgotten the great vows they made in their past lives and are far from the Buddha Way. However, for such individuals, we should work to remind them of their karmic connection with the Buddha. That’s why I urge our members to practice “Each person guiding another.”
If human relationships characterized by the understanding that “I am a buddha and so are you” were to spread throughout the world, it would become, even as it is, a realm of peace that Buddhism calls the “Land of Everlasting Tranquil Light.”
I sincerely hope that all of you will take this to heart, strive to put the teachings into practice, and deepen your connection with the Buddha.
Bodai no me o okosashimu [Germinating the Seeds of Awakening] (Kosei Publishing, 2018), pp. 58–60
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.
