This year (1992), the sumo wrestler Takanohana won the championship in the January Grand Sumo Tournament. He set a historic record for the youngest champion ever by winning the tournament at the age of nineteen years and five months. Everyone was delighted, and I was strongly impressed. However, what impressed me was not just the fact that he has become the youngest champion ever or that his sumo skills outshine those of the average wrestler. I was struck by the powerful aura of his presence.
During his interview, he was humble and unpretentious, giving calm and composed responses, and his demeanor was truly dignified. Even though he is not yet twenty years old, he seems remarkably grounded.
Today’s society is so overly affluent that individuals, particularly those of the younger generation, lack any objectives or goals in life, and they seem to lead somewhat frivolous existences. I can’t help but feel they have only a weak sense of existing here, in their present circumstances, with any determined purpose.
We are in the habit of thinking of ourselves as people of little consequence. But if you consider this carefully, you’ll realize that every type of person who is in this world is necessary to this world, and this is precisely why they exist here and now. If they were unnecessary, they would have never been born into this world in the first place.
In “Skillful Means,” the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni teaches that “Buddhas, the world-honored ones, appear in the world only because of the One Great Cause.” This means, as I always say, the Buddha appeared in this world to make known what the wisdom and compassion of buddhas are like, and to guide all people onto the Buddha Way.
Just like the Buddha’s “One Great Cause,” there is no doubt that we each have our own important causes for coming into this world. If the word “cause” is difficult to understand in this context, we can alternatively say that each of us has a role to play in this world.
What is that role, that calling? It differs from person to person. The variations are indeed uncountable. However, there are a couple of things that apply to everyone.
The first calling is doing things for the benefit of others. This contribution can be spiritual, or it can be material. It can even be the contribution of your physical labor. In any case, do things for the benefit of others. This is the purpose of your birth in this world, your calling. And by fulfilling this purpose, we constantly stir within our hearts the compassion the Buddha has given us, translating it into action.
The second calling is being a person who brings joy to those around them. If your presence brings joy to those around you, makes them happy and gives them a sense of well-being, then your life is truly what we can consider purposeful. To become such a person, empty your heart and think to yourself “I want to do something to make this or that person happy.” This kind of sentiment is your starting point.
And more important than anything else is having the awareness that “I am here because the Buddha brought me into this world.”
Bodai no me o okosashimu [Germinating the Seeds of Awakening] (Kosei Publishing, 2018), pp. 35–37
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.
