The final goal: world peace

Japanese member of the Buddhist lay movement Rissho Kosei-kai helps us enter more deeply into the
Buddhist-Christian dialogue through his personal experience

By Munehiro Niwano

Dialogue is not limited to a mutual understanding of the differences and similarities of our respective faiths, but a goal of interreligious dialogue is to contribute to peace in the world.

The deepening of relationships among people of different religions undoubtedly helps to develop trust between different religious worlds and, as a consequence, nourishes world peace.

My experiences with the Focolare starting with my arrival in Rome on September 1, 1993 illustrate this point. I had great expectations and many concerns. During the first two weeks I was staying in a residence of the Salesian Pontifical University.

After a few days I received a strange phone call. The only sound I heard coming from the other end was a Japanese popular song. No Japanese person had my phone number, so I got suspicious. Angrily I asked, “Who is speaking?” Immediately a voice full of regret said, “I am sorry, I am sorry. My name is Mario of the Focolare. Am I speaking with Hiroshi of the Rissho Kosei-kai?” Hiroshi is my given name. Munehiro is the religious name I was given later. The man on the phone was a focolarino from Rome. He had been informed of my arrival and had the idea to welcome me with a Japanese song. I could not understand very well what Mario was telling me in Italian. I still remember, however, that I was moved by his sensitive love.

Communicating and studying in Italy was difficult for me and this made me feel isolated. During my third year in Italy, while still facing this problem, I went to Rocca di Papa and met Enzo Fondi and Natalia Dellapiccola. They were among Focolare founder Chiara Lubich’s first companions and were responsible for the Center for Interreligious Dialogue of the Focolare. Speaking with them and other members of the center I felt at ease. I shared my concerns regarding my studies and my difficulty with the language. While doing so, I realized I had been able to communicate how I really felt inside. This deeply heartened me.

Someone else who was able to help me was Donato Falmi, the director of the Focolare publishing house in Italy, Città Nuova. Donato had studied philosophy and theology and had lived in Japan for four years.

My Italian improved as Donato and I met weekly, even though he always spoke more than I. The more we met, the more confident I became in expressing my thoughts in Italian. Donato not only helped me with my grammar, but he really understood what I felt and thought. Every time we met I came home happy. Even my wife took notice of this. With Donato, the negative thoughts I had also disappeared.

Our weekly meetings were for me like attending a Rissho Kosei-kai meeting called hoza. Hoza is a meeting for our members where we try to reflect on our daily lives in the light of Buddha’s teachings from the Lotus Sutra. Of course, Donato did not explain the Buddhist doctrine to me. He spoke and lived as a Christian. But I felt he loved me as he had learned to do in Chiara’s movement and this enlightened and heartened me.

As is known, Buddhism draws its origin from the experience of the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, which happened in India 2,500 years ago. Seated in meditation under the tree of enlightenment, while the morning star was shining in the clear sky, Siddhartha reached the state of perfect awareness that, in the Buddhist tradition, is called “enlightenment” or “awakening.” Siddhartha became the Buddha, the Enlightened One.

In that moment, the Buddha understood profoundly that, beyond the attachments and the illusions that block us from seeing the true nature of reality, all human beings have the wisdom and the virtue of the Buddha. In other words, he understood that all human beings possess in themselves the same life as the Buddha, that all human beings have in themselves this precious characteristic that is called the “Buddha nature.”

We members of the Rissho Kosei-kai make an effort to discover and revere the Buddha nature in every neighbor. This is rather easy toward those with whom we agree and toward those whom we like, but becomes more difficult toward people with whom we feel uncomfortable or whom we find unpleasant.

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that an important element of our religious practice is really that of being able to revere the Buddha nature in everyone, even those of differing religious beliefs.

The driving force of the commitment of the Rissho Kosei-kai in interreligious dialogue is the doctrine of “One Vehicle” that is developed in the Lotus Sutra. According to this doctrine, the Buddha reaches human beings through various ways because he wants to lead everyone to salvation, to true enlightenment. Although through different paths, everyone can reach this unique goal, which is for all to become Buddha. This is the meaning of the expression “One Vehicle.”

In the light of this teaching, we Buddhists can recognize Christians as brothers and sisters. Without forcing things, without the need to say that “it is because you will become Buddha,” we can welcome Christians as people led primarily to salvation, to true enlightenment. This was also my personal experience on many occasions.

In the Rissho Kosei-kai, we use the Japanese expression itai doshin that can be translated as “different bodies, one heart.” The teaching that is expressed in this phrase is that beyond the diversity of nationality, of language or way of thinking, when we live according to the great Law of the Universe, it is possible for all to live in perfect harmony and peace. Whether we are Christians or Buddhists, when we try to live united in this way, we contribute to the salvation of all humanity and bring peace to the world.

Munehiro Niwano is the Dean of the Rissho Kosei-kai Gakurin Institute.

Excerpts from a December 2009 presentation at the launch of the book Incontrarsi nell’Amore: Una lettura cristiana di Nikkyo Niwano (Meeting Together in Love:
A Christian reading of Nikkyo Niwano) by Cinto Busquet (Citta Nuova).

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