November–December 2002, Volume 29
Roundtable Discussion at the World Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom
Reflections
Problems the Sangha Must Tackle
by Nikkyo Niwano
The Fertile Field of the Heart and Mind
by Nichiko Niwano
We are like fields that generate merits. These fields of merits are none other than the fields of the heart and mind within each of us. The more we cultivate these fields, and give them water and light, the richer the harvest we will gain.
Conference on the Lotus Sutra
A Conversation about the Lotus Sutra and Zen
by Stephen Covell
Interfaith Encounter
Gethsemani Encounter II
by James Wiseman
This article recounts an important dialogue between Buddhists and Christians that was held this past spring. The author is a Benedictine monk of Saint Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C., and chairman of the theology department at the Catholic University of America. He participated in a conference on the Lotus Sutra that was sponsored by Rissho Kosei-kai in July 1994.
Essays
Shakespeare and Globalization
by Peter Milward
Globalization is not just something that affects us in today’s world. Indeed, with the great voyages of discovery of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Shakespeare’s age was one in which men thought to put “a girdle round about the earth.” This article takes a look at what globalization was then and what it should be today.
Talismans of Hope in War-torn Sri Lanka
by Bardwell Smith
An American scholar takes seven stones with him on a trip to Sri Lanka, and places all but one in what to him are important locations in a symbolic prayer for peace and reconciliation. The seventh stone, however, finds a different home, but one that is as meaningful and significant as the others.
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra
The Parable of the Vehicles
by Gene Reeves
The Buddha, like any teacher, has to use appropriate means in order to lead others to the realization of their own potential. In chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra, this is illustrated by the Buddha’s tale of how a father uses his wits and skillful means to persuade his children to leave a burning house.
Buddhist Living
Living to the Fullest
A former maintenance technician at a nuclear-power plant decided to change his job and devote his life to being of service to others. Luckily, supported by family and friends, he now works in a nursing home, helping others–as well as himself–to live life to the fullest.
Buddhist Sculpture
A Buddhist Statue Dressed in Elegant Robes
by Takeshi Kuno
Japanese Buddhist art includes several statues that were carved naked and then clothed in beautiful silk robes. This statue of the bodhisattva Jizo, from Nara’s Denkoji, is exceptionally beautiful, with its expression of great compassion.
Takeshi Kuno, formerly a director of the Tokyo National R
Gotama Buddha (57)
Falling Ill along the Way of the Journey
by Hajime Nakamura
Upon leaving Ambapali’s grove, the Buddha went with Ananda to Beluva, but there he became very ill. When begged by Ananda to give teachings, he said that Truth is the possession of all people. He added that all that is necessary is to practice and meditate upon the Truth.
