Dharma World Buddhist magazine

The Obligations of Religions in the Twenty-first Century

by Yasutaka Watanabe

The world's religions differ from one another in many respects, not only in doctrine and practice, but also in rites and prayers, and it is clear that the reason for this is that different climates, peoples, and cultures have given birth to the world's various religions.

I think that religions have been caught up in their differences for too long. Religions have too long ignored the fact that beyond their superficial differences they share many essentials. As a result of this focus on differences, we all know, and history shows, that conflicts attributed to religion have occurred repeatedly.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, however, many religions came to add introspection to their own histories. It dawned on them that, rather than directing attention to their differences, they should be directing their attention to the points they have in common.

One person who focused on these common points and opened the way to dialogue among religions was Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, the late founder of Rissho Kosei-kai. He firmly believed that "all religions are one" and "all religions spring from the same source." He was propelled toward working for religious cooperation by his further conviction that since the happiness of all people and peace in the world were the common goals of all religions, religions should endeavor to have dialogue with one another.

These convictions were derived from the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which Rev. Niwano came to believe in deeply. It is well known that the Lotus Sutra recognizes not just a variety of divinities, but also a variety of doctrines and beliefs. In the Lotus Sutra, they are all described as pathways toward the "One Vehicle."

At Rissho Kosei-kai, there was a divine revelation that the truth and spirit of the Lotus Sutra will spread throughout the world through Rissho Kosei-kai's efforts. This does not mean that the Lotus Sutra's teachings will take the place of other religions, but rather that the spirit of the Lotus Sutra, which recognizes all other religions, will spread throughout the world.

Buddhism is called "the religion of tolerance," and, among the numerous Buddhist sutras, it is the Lotus Sutra that most advocates tolerance. Without such tolerance it would surely be difficult to continue or expand dialogue among religions.

Due to the population explosion, technological innovation, economic growth, and the like, intractable issues are piling up in the world of the twenty-first century, such as issues concerning natural resources, the environment, energy, poverty, and even finance (such as huge national debts). These are issues that must be solved through dialogue by all nations if the human race is to continue to survive and if we are to continue living together on this earth.

It is understandable that we must entrust these issues to politicians and economists as well as to scholars and specialists in various fields. But for issues of the human spirit, it is the religions that must work together through dialogue for the betterment of humanity. This is because no matter how much science and technology develop, if this is not accompanied by the betterment of humanity, the global crises will only keep increasing.

The chapter entitled "The Divine Power of the Tathagata" in the Lotus Sutra describes the ideal and goal for a society in the distant future, wherein all teachings will be integrated into one teaching, meeting the wishes of the gods and buddhas, and the earthly society will become like a buddha land. Working toward such an ideal and goal, I believe it is the responsibility of people of religion living in the twenty-first century to further continue and develop the tradition of dialogue among religions that began in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Yasutaka Watanabe is the chief executive for dissemination affairs at Rissho Kosei-kai.

This article was originally published in the October-December 2006 issue of Dharma World.

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