News Archives 2008

2008

October

Niwano Peace Foundation Announces Activity Grants in Second Half of Fiscal 2008
In October the Niwano Peace Foundation announced that it had allocated 4.97 million Japanese yen in activity grants to seven organizations for the second half of fiscal 2008. The goal of the grants program is, while promoting mutual understanding and cooperation among different religions, to encourage people to build social harmony and solidarity in the light of religious faith.

The recipients were primarily selected not for the duration of their activities but for concrete activities having a ripple effect and for their plans for long-term contributions to world peace. This time, all the recipients are organizations that are promoting negotiations for the settlement of conflicts in Asian countries and Japan as well as for peace and disarmament, and programs promoting human harmony beyond the differences of religion and ethnicity.

During the application period, July 1 to August 13, the foundation received 65 applications from organizations in Japan and other countries. The Rissho Kosei-kai Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace entrusted the foundation with the administration of its grant aid activities. The recipients and grants are as follows:

1. Burmese Relief Center-Japan: 470,000 Japanese yen to set up a database of affairs in Myanmar
2. The executive committee of the Multi-Ethnic Education Forum 2008 in Osaka: 600,000 Japanese yen to organize an education network to guarantee the right of education for children belonging to foreign and ethnic minorities in Japan, and support for their schools
3. Shapla Neer, Citizens’ Committee in Japan for Overseas Support: 550,000 Japanese yen to educate girls and support the aged in Bangladesh
4. Christian Coalition for Refugee and Migrant Workers: 700,000 Japanese yen to continue the management of a national network conducting interviews of refugees and prisoners at immigration centers in Japan and for Japanese-language schools for refugees in Japan
5. Asian Health Institute: 650,000 Japanese yen to support Muslims in Mindanao, the Philippines, through the improvement of their health conditions
6. Peace Depot: 1 million Japanese yen to support the building of a security system that does not rely on military power, nuclear weapons in particular, in Northeast Asia
7. Intercommunication Center for Asia and Nippon: 1 million Japanese yen for the care of children who are victims of the conflicts in Mindanao, the Philippines

Week of Prayer for World Peace Observed
A Week of Prayer for World Peace (WPWP) was observed worldwide October 19-26. Forty one religious organizations, including Rissho Kosei-kai, affiliated with Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and other religions, took part. Their leaders and members offered prayers for world peace.

Rissho Kosei-kai members, in the Great Sacred Hall at the headquarters in Tokyo and at local churches and at home during daily devotions, recited a Prayer for World Peace with a different theme for each day of the week. Members each looked into their hearts and minds and renewed their commitment to concrete actions for peace at home and in the community according to the prayer of the day.

Members of many churches also held joint prayer services with people of other religions, as a grass-roots peace activity in the spirit of interreligious cooperation. In addition, on each day many churches held a hoza session on the day's theme in the Prayer for World Peace. Through these events and activities, members increased their awareness of worldwide efforts for peace.

ACRP Holds Seventh Assembly in Manila
Under the main theme “Peacemaking in Asia,” the seventh Assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP) was held in Manila, the Philippines, October 17-20, hosted by the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Some 400 people from 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific region representing Asia's principal religions--Buddhism, Baha’i Faith, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and others--took part.

The participants addressed the problems facing Asia, including armed conflicts, poverty, discrimination, human rights violations, and environmental destruction, and discussed practical ways to make peace.

The approximately 50 participants included, on behalf of Rissho Kosei-kai, President-designate Kosho Niwano and five headquarters officers as official delegates.

The opening ceremony at the University of Santo Tomas was attended by Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, president of the Philippines. Following multireligious prayers by the representatives of 13 religions and a welcoming address by Rev. Rolando de la Rosa, rector of the university, Mr. Mir Nawaz Khan Marwat, moderator of the ACRP, declared the assembly open. Then Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, and Hadja Lourdes Salma Mastura, president of ACRP Philippines, delivered speeches. Following a congratulatory video message from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Mr. Yasushi Akashi, representative of the Government of Japan on Peace Building, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, and Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado of the Diocese of Nashik, India, delivered keynote speeches. Mr. Akashi emphasized the need to pursue common interests in today's global society in which the interests of nations, local communities, and individuals are intricately intertwined. Archbishop Machado declared that “the theme of peace is central to all religions” and that “the theme of peace must be seen in the wider context of the problems of our world: the dehumanizing poverty, exploitation of children and women, . . . ecological disaster, discrimination on the basis of religious affinity, oppression of minorities, problems of disillusioned youth, unequal distribution of world’s resources, etc.”

During one of the plenary sessions in a Manila hotel, religious leaders from China, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Indonesia reported on their present peace-building activities. The participants also took part in five commissions focusing on the subthemes “Peacemaking through Shared Security and Conflict Transformation,” “Human-Rights and Peace Education,” “Common Values and Community Building,” “Sustainable Development and Social Justice,” and “Healing the Past and Building the Future.” The commissions met three times, and at a plenary session their rapporteurs reported on their discussions.

On the last day, the participants adopted a declaration emphasizing the importance of dialogue. The declaration includes 14 recommendations as part of an action plan for the next five years. One of them recommends national chapters to establish centers for dialogue at universities or other educational institutions and urge their national governments to strengthen their commitment to nuclear disarmament.

The participants also agreed that as part of the post-congress projects, the ACRP will establish centers for interreligious dialogue in the Philippines, including Mindanao, where armed strife continues even now.

During the Closing Ceremony on October 17 at the University of Santo Tomas, Dr. Kim Sunggon, secretary-general of the ACRP, introduced President-designate Kosho Niwano. She read out a message from President Nichiko Niwano, president of the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace and a copresident of the ACRP, expressing hope for further interreligious cooperation for peace, saying that the ACRP has a very important mission of making Asia a place from which the light of peace will shine forth to bring the world together.

Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America Holds First Symposium in United States
On October 18, Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America (RKINA) organized a symposium in the Doheny Beach Room in the Student Center at the University of California, Irvine. To commemorate the publication of the English translation of Cultivating the Buddhist Heart by Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of Rissho Kosei-kai, the symposium was held under the title “Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Changing World.” It was cosponsored by UC Irvine’s Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and the Buddhist Association at UC Irvine. Some 107 people attended, including UC Irvine students, ordinary citizens, and American members of Rissho Kosei-kai.

The event was chaired by Dr. Gene Reeves, a visiting professor at Peking University, Beijing. Dr. Michio T. Shinozaki, president of Rissho Kosei-kai Gakurin Seminary, Tokyo; Dr. Miriam Levering, professor of religious studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Dr. Ruben L. F. Habito, professor of world religions and spirituality at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas gave speeches and participated in the subsequent question-and-answer sessions.

Then Dr. Shinozaki gave a speech titled “Buddhist Visions of Peace in Today’s World: Rev. Nikkyo Niwano’s Vision for Peace.” He pointed out two ideals that Founder Nikkyo Niwano found in chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra: the Bodhisattva Never Disrespectful's reverence for the buddha-nature in all people; and the One Vehicle, or the belief that everyone can attain buddahood. Dr. Shinozaki explained that these Buddhist ideals inspired Founder Niwano’s lifelong promotion of world peace through interreligious and secular cooperation through organizations such as the International Association of Religious Freedom and the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

In her speech titled “Impermanence is Everyday: the Thought and Guidance of Nichiko Niwano,” Dr. Levering referred to President Niwano's latest book, saying, “According to the law of transience, everything changes and is transient. The fact and the concept of transience are the key to overcoming suffering and turning it into joy.” She emphasized that “once firmly recognized, this concept enables us to find the fundamental solution to all the kinds of sufferings we may encounter. Without losing the sight of ourselves, we have to firmly recognize, not intellectually alone, but in a deep way, the Buddhist answer to suffering.”

Dr. Habito's speech was titled “Inner Peace and Global Peace: Cultivating Compassion in a Wounded World.” He pointed out three major problems faced by the world today: “increasing military violence,” “the increasing gap between rich and poor,” and “the ecological crisis.” He asked, “How can Buddhist practice make a difference in this wounded world around us?” and “First of all, how do we understand and look at our troubled world?” He explained a factor common to the three Buddhist practices of meditation, chanting the name of Amida Buddha (in the Pure Land Buddhist tradition), and chanting the o-daimoku (the title of the Lotus Sutra), saying that “we find ourselves in the circle of interconnection so that this practice of the meditation in stillness can open our eyes to the fact of the interconnectedness.” He emphasized the importance of bodhisattva practice, by which all Buddhists aspire not only to their own happiness but the happiness of all.

Annual Little Bags of Dream Campaign Ends
From June 1 to August 31, the annual Little Bags of Dream Campaign was held by Rissho Kosei-kai churches throughout Japan. The Buddhist organization announced that some 40,000 little bags were made and donated by elementary and junior high school student members with the help of their parents as well as fellow members in their churches for the campaign.

This year marks the campaign's tenth anniversary. It has sent little handmade bags of toys and stationery items to children living in areas of conflict to heal their spirits. This campaign and the Donate-a-Meal Movement share the same goal of teaching members compassion, to pray for peace and to practice charity. The 40,000 bags are now in a warehouse awaiting shipment at the end of the year to countries including Azerbaijan, Lebanon and the Philippines. They will be distributed to children in these countries by members of local nongovernmental organizations and U.N.-related regional offices.

Rissho Kosei- kai also will dispatch parent-and-child volunteer groups to these countries in March to hand out the bags personally to children.

727th Anniversary of Nichiren’s Death Commemorated
On October 13, at the training hall in the grounds of Rissho Kosei-kai's birthplace, Rissho Kosei-kai commemorated Nichiren on the 727th anniversary of his death. Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest who dedicated his life to the spread of the Lotus Sutra in the face of severe persecution in the thirteenth century. Present in the hall were about 40 officers of Rissho Kosei-kai and its affiliates, including President Nichiko Niwano, President-designate Kosho Niwano, and Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees. They recognized the beneficial influence of Nichiren's virtues and renewed their determination to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra throughout the world.

At the commemoration, Rev. Kosho Niwano led the sutra chanting and then read out President Niwano’s tribute to Nichiren. After that, President Niwano delivered a Dharma talk, referring to the fact that Nichiren made his vow at the age of 32 to spread the Lotus Sutra. Quoting from one of Nichiren's writings, “Shijo Kingo Nyobo Gosho” (Letter to Shijo Kingo’s Wife), President Niwano explained the ideal described in the Lotus Sutra and expressed his wish that members would greatly expand their religious work, keeping the ideal of the Lotus Sutra follower Nichiren firmly in mind.

Further, from Nichiren’s Rissho Ankoku Ron (Treatise on the Establishment of the True Dharma and the Peace of the Nation), he cited this passage: “You must discard your false faith and take refuge immediately in the true vehicle, the sole good teaching of the Lotus Sutra.” He said people of faith should not pray for the fulfillment of their own desires but be thankful for what they already possess: the gift of life. He added that one can make a fresh beginning in life by never complaining or blaming others but by accepting with gratitude whatever happens. Thus he emphasized the importance of looking carefully at the reality of all things and accepting them positively.

South Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Buddhist Leaders Hold Eleventh Conference on Jeju Island
The eleventh South Korea-China-Japan Buddhist Friendly Interaction Conference was held October 9-11 at a hotel and temples in Jeju Province, an island off the south coast of the Korean peninsula. Some 440 Buddhist priests, representing various schools, and lay followers from the three countries took part. Supervised by the Association of Korean Buddhist Orders, the tripartite Buddhist conference was held under the theme “The Role and Responsibility of Buddhists in Environmental Preservation.” Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by Rev. Katsunori Yamanoi, advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai, and Rev. Ken’ichiro Nakamura, head of the Kyoto Church.

After the representatives’ meeting at a hotel Oct. 9, at which they decided to hold the twelfth meeting in Japan next year, they attended the eighth Korean Buddhist Art Festival at Yakchunsa Temple, in the south of the province. On the morning of October 10, three Buddhist priests from the three countries led 3,000 believers in prayers for world peace at a joint service at Kwanumsa Temple on Mount Halla. The service began with the consecration of a 12-meter-tall Buddha statue conducted by the three priests: Ven. Jikwan, president of the Association of Korean Buddhist Orders; Ven. Cheng Xue, vice-president of the Buddhist Association of China; and Rev. Ryusho Kobayashi, chairman of the South Korea-China-Japan International Buddhist Exchange Council. Then representatives of each country offered a prayer for peace. From Japan Rev. Keisho Nishimura, head priest of the Tendai Shinsei sect led the Japanese representatives, including Rev. Yamanoi, in recitation of verses from the Heart Sutra. Then Ven. Jikwan, Ven. Cheng, and Rev. Kobayashi read out their collective prayer for world peace.

In the afternoon, an international academic symposium on the conference theme was held at a hotel.

BCYCC Members Visit Rissho Kosei-kai
Seventeen members of a goodwill mission from the Bataan Christian Youth Civic Circle (BCYCC), based in Bataan Province, the Philippines, visited Japan October 6-13. The BCYCC was founded in 1978 by young Filipinos in Bataan, and it has promoted friendly exchanges at the grass-roots level with Rissho Kosei-kai youth members since the latter first visited Bataan in 1973. This year marks BCYCC's thirtieth anniversary, and some of the BCYCC’s founding members also joined the mission to Japan.

On October 7 the visitors met President Nichiko Niwano in the Horin-kaku Guest Hall in Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters complex. He congratulated them on BCYCC’s anniversary and spoke of his visit in 1975 to commemorate the building of the Friendship Tower and toll its Peace Bell. The tower was the idea of young members of Rissho Kosei-kai, as an expression of repentance for the war and a symbol of their desire for peace, and they built it in 1975 with the help of young Filipinos. Ms. Josanna Banzon Leon, the BCYCC’s first president, recalled the difficult relations between two countries during World War II, reviewed the history of interaction between the BCYCC and Rissho Kosei-kai, and spoke of the importance of reconciliation through the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations.

That afternoon six members of the BCYCC mission, including Ms. Banzon, conferred with Rev. Kinjiro Niwano, advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai, and four senior leaders of Rissho Kosei-kai in the administration building. They shared reminiscences of the building of the tower. The discussion also included various aspects of the two organizations' interaction since BCYCC's founding.

That evening in the Horin-kaku Guest Hall, Rissho Kosei-kai gave a dinner party in celebration of the BCYCC’s thirtieth anniversary. From Rissho Kosei-kai, in addition to Rev. Kinjiro Niwano and Rev. Hiroshi Niwano, members who had helped promote trust and friendship between the two organizations were also present. Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of Rissho Kosei-kai’s board of trustees, made an address in which he said that Founder Nikkyo Niwano described the relationship between the two organizations as a miraculous transcendence of the bitter legacy of war. Rev. Watanabe expressed hope that members of both Rissho Kosei-kai and the BCYCC would strive to walk together for the realization of world peace through the further deepening of their friendship. After that, singing and dancing by members of the BCYCC mission drew enthusiastic applause.

On October 8-10, the BCYCC members visited Rissho Kosei-kai’s Nagoya Church and interacted with members of the Chubu area, where Nagoya Church members live. The visitors experienced a Japanese lifestyle during two-day homestays at Rissho Kosei-kai members’ homes. On October 11-13 they visited Suganuma, the founder’s birthplace in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, and toured a replica of the house where he was born and the Founder’s Birthplace Center. They also attended the Seitanchi Matsuri (Founder’s Birthplace Festival), sponsored by the Tokamachi Tourist Association and Rissho Kosei-kai and held annually in veneration of the founder.

President's Book Published in Paperback
Shinden o Tagayasu (Cultivating the Field of the Heart and Mind), a book by President Nichiko Niwano, which was originally published in Japanese in 1998, was recently republished in compact paperback editions in Japanese and an English translation, Cultivating the Buddhist Heart: How to Find Peace and Fulfillment in a Changing World.

Since its first publication by Kosei Publishing Company in 1998, the book has been read by many Rissho Kosei-kai members in Japan for its explanations in plain language of the essence of the Buddha's teachings. It collects Dharma talks President Niwano gave at the Great Sacred Hall and local churches after he inherited the Lamp of the Dharma from Founder Nikkyo Niwano in 1991. President Niwano revised and expanded the texts of his talks for publication. The book has been used by Japanese members as a handbook at hoza sessions and seminars at the headquarters and local churches for everyday practice of faith. The two paperback editions were published at the urging of many members who hoped for a wider readership.

The English translation was first published in Dharma World in installments over four years, beginning in 1999. Rissho Kosei-kai made international dissemination one of its pivotal plans for 2008, commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the organization's founding. The English translation was published to share with many English-speaking people the teachings of the Buddha as interpreted by President Niwano and is now on sale mainly in North America.

2008 Oeshiki-Ichijo Festival Held
With the theme "Each Person's One Vehicle, Big-heartedness, and Grand Dream," the 2008 Oeshiki-Ichijo Festival was held October 5 in the Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters complex and the neighboring area in Tokyo.

Rissho Kosei-kai annually commemorates the anniversaries of the deaths of the thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren, who dedicated his life to the spread of the Lotus Sutra in the face of severe persecution, and Founder Nikkyo Niwano, who devoted his life to social reform by saving people in the spirit of the One Vehicle (Ichijo) taught in the sutra.

Through the event Rissho Kosei-kai members praised the virtuous deeds of Nichiren and deepened their veneration of Founder Niwano, renewing their pledge to practice the bodhisattva way in a spirit that enables them to reciprocate the compassion of the two great teachers and express gratitude to them.

Some 7,000 members in 44 contingents from throughout Japan and overseas took part in the One Vehicle Parade along the street leading from the starting point before the religious training hall in the grounds of Rissho Kosei-kai's birthplace to the parking lot in front of the Horin-kaku Guest Hall. Some 25,000 spectators lined the street and cheered the marchers.

That morning in the Great Sacred Hall at the opening ceremony before the parade, President-designate Kosho Niwano led the sutra recitation with the parade participants to pray for their safety and the event's success. In her greeting after chanting the sutra, the president-designate spoke words of encouragement to them.

In the afternoon, the starting ceremony for the One Vehicle Parade was held before Rissho Kosei-kai's birthplace. Then the march began, with the 44 contingents headed by a group of 24 representatives from the headquarters and 23 churches in Tokyo, carrying banners bearing three phrases that signify the universal truth of the Lotus Sutra.

In the evening, at the closing ceremony in the parking lot before the Horin-kaku Guest Hall, President Nichiko Niwano summed up his impressions of the parade, saying the churches had made a great show of solidarity transcending each one's uniqueness. Finally, he referred to the spiritual interaction between the marchers and spectators, through the marchers' performance and spectators' cheering, thus emphasizing the importance of interdependent support.

Rissho Kosei-kai Commemorates Founder Nikkyo Niwano's Entrance into Nirvana
On October 4, in the Great Sacred Hall at the Tokyo headquarters as well as churches throughout Japan, Rissho Kosei-kai observed the ninth anniversary of Founder Nikkyo Niwano's death and his entrance into nirvana. Some 3,500 members from Japan and overseas participated in the ceremony in the Great Sacred Hall. They cherished the memory of Founder Niwano's virtues and renewed their dedication to bodhisattva practice in gratitude for his legacy of teachings. The ceremony was broadcast by satellite television to all Rissho Kosei-kai churches in Japan.

Before the ceremony, at the Precious Stupa of the One Vehicle, which houses the founder's relics, the ritual of opening the door of the stupa was held. President Nichiko Niwano opened the door as many members prayed nearby. Then President and Mrs. Niwano, President-designate Kosho Niwano, and Board of Trustees Chair Yasutaka Watanabe offered flowers at the altar before the stupa.

In the ceremony at the Great Sacred Hall, to the accompaniment of a lullaby from the Niigata area, sixteen young women members wearing hakama trousers placed offerings of products from their areas on the altar before the image of the Eternal Buddha. The hall was then darkened, and the solemn sounds of Sanukit stone percussion reverberated throughout. During that special moment of silent communion with the spirit of the founder, members were filled with appreciation for their encounter with the Dharma through the founder's efforts and renewed their dedication to the practice of its teachings.

The president-designate then led the assembly in chanting the Lotus Sutra and read out a tribute to the founder written by President Nichiko Niwano. The tribute recalled Founder Niwano's virtuous deeds in the time of Rissho Kosei-kai's establishment seventy years ago, and his perseverance in meeting challenges as opportunities and building harmony among members. The tribute concluded, "We, all members of Rissho Kosei-kai, as well as all living beings, should pray for each other as manifestations of the life of the Buddha and further deepen our realization that all living things share just one life source." It added, "We must disseminate Buddhism in the spirit of 'putting others first' and 'cultivating a sense of revering others by clasping our hands in prayer.'"

Rev. Masataka Uchida, former chair of the board of trustees, gave a speech on Founder Niwano's character, recalling episodes in his life. Explaining Founder Niwano's encounter with the Lotus Sutra through his religious mentor Sukenobu Arai and the establishment of his firm belief in the sutra, he said, "The true essence of religion exists in soul-stirring experience in meeting the person who awakens our emotions from the bottom of our hearts." Then he quoted Mahatma Gandhi's famous saying, "My life is my message," and said, "Founder Niwano's way of life must exemplify the teachings of the gods and the Buddha." In conclusion, he pledged to devote himself to seeking the true Way.

After that, President Niwano offered incense at the altar and explained the significance of one of Rissho Kosei-kai's new guiding principles, which is the installation of an icon of the Eternal Buddha and the Dharma titles of the founder and the cofounder at the home altar of each member. He put great stress on our attitude toward the Buddha as true believers in studying the Dharma and applying it in daily life.

September

Niwano Peace Prize Committee's Second Symposium Discusses Challenges and Opportunities for Religion
On September 18, the Niwano Peace Prize Committee held its second peace symposium at the International House of Japan in Roppongi, Tokyo. Some 70 people participated, as individuals as well as members of Japanese nongovernmental organizations and religious organizations.

The symposium was paneled by the current members of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee, which is the selection board for the annual Niwano Peace Prize and was established in 2003 to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the prize. The committee is constituted multireligiously, of members of various nationalities who are themselves personally deeply devoted to peace based on their religious spirit. In 2007 the committee held its first peace symposium, on the theme "Religions for Peace?" Remarks by the panelists and discussions among the other participants revealed the various challenges faced, and the hopes cherished, by today's religious communities. After considering the issues that emerged in the first peace symposium, the committee chose for the theme of its second symposium "Religion Today: Challenges and Opportunities."

In his welcoming address, Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of the Niwano Peace Foundation, pointed out that people of religion would become as one when they truly take refuge in the universal truths common to all religions. He also emphasized that the role of people of religion is to spread recognition of those universal truths through love and compassion.

Mr. Doudou Diene (Muslim, Senegal), United Nations special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racial discrimination, xenophobia and other kinds of intolerance, made an opening presentation explaining the second peace symposium's aims.

According to guidelines proposed by Mr. Diene---that the presentations should recognize that religion itself can cause problems as well as solve them---the panelists discussed the role of religious people in working to overcome divisions caused by intrareligious conflicts, in promoting awareness through self-examination, and seeking ways to inspire secular societies.

The panelists included eight Niwano Peace Prize Committee members: Mr. Diene; Rev. Dr. Phramaha Boonchuay Doojay (Buddhist, Thailand), lecturer and vice rector at Mahachulalongkornrayavidyalaya University in Chiang Mai; Dr. Irfan Ahmad Kharn (Muslim, the United States), president of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations; Ms. Christina Lee (Christian, Italy), vice-director at the International Headquarters of the Focolare Movement; Ms. Roza Otunbayeva (Muslim, Kyrgyz), co-leader of the political party Asaba in the Kyrgyz Republic; Ms. Katherine Marshall (Christian, the United States), senior fellow and visiting professor at Georgetown University; and Dr. Oh Jae-shik (Christian, South Korea), director of the Asian Institute. They were joined by Rev. Kakujo Tamagawa, chief priest of Ankokuji temple, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and chairman of the Buddhist NGO Network of Japan (BNN). The panel discussion was coordinated by Ms. Yasmin Sooka (Hindu, South Africa), executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights.

Mongol Hoza Youth Group Holds First Special Training Session
On September 13-14, the Mongol Hoza Youth Group held a special training session at Camp Mirage in Terelj, about 70 kilometers east of the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The session was attended by 35 people, including members of Rissho Kosei-kai of Mongolia and their friends. From the Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo, Ms. Shiho Matsuoka, a staff member of Rissho Kosei-kai International, and Mr. Masatoshi Shimamura and Mr. Takashi Daidoji, staff members of Youth Department, joined them to give their support.

During the session, participants had the experience of staying in a Mongolian yurt, a traditional, circular tent. They heard lectures by Japanese headquarters staff members on “a general view of Rissho Kosei-kai,” “romantic relationships from the viewpoint of the Buddhist spirit,” “the necessity of religion in contemporary society,” and “a brief summary of the Lotus Sutra.” They also attended an open-air ceremony of chanting verses from the Lotus Sutra, and a hoza session.

After the training session one participant said, “The lecture on the Lotus Sutra and the open-air religious service were great.” He added, “Since Mongolia is a vast country, it is not easy to frequently meet other [Rissho Kosei-kai] members in our country. . . . However, I hope that we can have an opportunity like this at least once a year.”

Fifty-first Anniversary of Cofounder Naganuma's Death Commemorated
On September 10, Rissho Kosei-kai commemorated the fifty-first anniversary of the death of Cofounder Myoko Naganuma, revered by members as a "compassionate mother," who established the Buddhist organization with Founder Nikkyo Niwano in 1938. To carry on her spirit and offer thanks for her teachings, members held memorial services in the Great Sacred Hall in Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters in Tokyo and all churches throughout Japan.

At the Great Sacred Hall, about 3,000 members gathered from throughout Japan. The memorial service began with sixteen young women members bringing offerings to the altar before the statue of the Eternal Buddha, and a recording was played of a talk by the cofounder. President-designate Kosho Niwano then led the members in sutra chanting and read out President Nichiko Niwano's tribute to the cofounder.

Then Rev. Kyozo Ishiyama, head of the Mutsu Church, testified to his experience of the faith. He said he had been on bad terms with his father, but his wife's support and his parents' unswerving seeking of the Way had enabled him to find joy in the Buddha's teachings and be thankful for his family. He concluded that he, as the head of a church, was aware of the importance of revealing his own buddha-nature through association with his church's members.

In his subsequent Dharma talk on Cofounder Naganuma as a "compassionate mother," President Niwano mentioned two goals for an ideal mother: winning the lifelong adoration of her children and gaining the admiration of daughters-in-law. He said achieving these goals is a way for women members to show gratitude for the cofounder's legacy of teachings.

Further, he said no one is more honored than the mother who sacrifices her own happiness for that of her children. He said that the more mothers there are like that, the more children there will be who grow into worthy adults working to benefit the community. Thus President Niwano emphasized the importance of making every home a place of harmony and love.

WCRP/Japan Holds pre-ACRP VII Seminar for Religious Leaders
On the afternoon of September 9, after the joint meeting of the board of directors and councilors, the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace held its 35th national interreligious consultation for peace at Ikuta Jinja Shrine in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Some 250 people of faith including board members as well as representatives of member organization of Religions for Peace Japan took part. Under the title "Peace Creation in Asia," the consultation was designed as a preparatory study session for the seventh assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP VII) to be held this month in Manila, the Philippines. After an opening address by Rev. Mitsuhiro Fukata, a director of Religions for Peace Japan, Secretary-General Keishi Miyamoto introduced the official delegates from Japan to ACRP VII and outlined its agenda.

In his subsequent keynote address, Mr. Michio Ito of the Asia Community Center 21 said that despite Asia's rising prosperity, based partly on tourism, the problems of slums, street children, child labor, human trafficking, and landless tenants persist. He blamed these problems on greed putting economic growth above all. He urged people of faith to unite in a spirit of love and compassion to tackle those problems.

There followed a panel discussion on how to mitigate economic disparities with mid- and long-term support programs to help the poor become self-reliant. The panelists, chaired by Prof. Yoshiaki Sanada, director of the Peace Research Institute of Religions for Peace Japan, were Prof. Munetoshi Maejima of the United Church of Christ in Japan; Rev. Tokumasu Kimiaki, president of the Japan Muslim Association; and Rev. Kariura Masayoshi of Tomo no Kai.

After the panel discussion, Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, executive director of Religions for Peace Japan, delivered closing remarks.

WCRP/Japan Holds Joint Meeting of Boards of Directors and Councilors in Kobe
On September 9, the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace held the 102nd meeting of its board of directors as well as the 98th meeting of its board of councilors, at Ikuta Jinja Shrine in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Fifty-one directors and councilors took part. From Rissho Kosei-kai, President Nichiko Niwano attended in his capacity as president of Religions for Peace Japan. Other committee members present from Rissho Kosei-kai were Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees; Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Youth Department; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department; Rev. Yoshiko Izumida, a former trustee; and Rev. Keiji Kunitomi, director of the General Secretariat.

Before the meeting, the board members paid their respects in the shrine's hall of worship. They then joined in a prayer for peace and were greeted by Rev. Takahisa Kato, the shrine's head priest, and heard the opening address by Rev. Nichiko Niwano.

During the meeting, board members discussed and approved an activities plan and a budget draft for fiscal 2009. They were informed that Ven. Kakucho Take, chairman of Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei, had been installed as a director succeeding Ven. Eko Kiyohara, a former chairman, and that Rev. Yukihiko Matsuda, chief director of Oomoto Kyodan headquarters, took up the post of councilor succeeding Rev. Kunihiko Shimamoto, also a former chairman. The board members heard an outline of plans for the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace to be held this month in Manila, the Philippines. They also heard the reports on the World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace in Sapporo held before the summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations (G8) near Lake Toya in Hokkaido and detailed reports on fiscal 2008 activities from the subsidiary committees of Religions for Peace Japan.

Rissho Kosei-kai Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace Aids Georgian Refugees in South Ossetia
On September 5, the executive committee of Rissho Kosei-kai's Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace, headed by Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of Rissho Kosei-kai's External Affairs Department, announced the donation of 3 million Japanese yen in emergency relief for people displaced within or outside Georgia by the conflict between Russia and Georgia in August over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

The money was entrusted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is providing relief there.

According to the UNHCR's reports, some 190,000 people fled their homes. Hygienic conditions in shelters are reported bad. Medicine and daily necessities are also reported to be running short. The UNHCR will use some of the funds to provide refugees with tents and blankets.

President of Japan Committee for UNICEF Visits Rissho Kosei-kai
On September 3, Ms. Ryoko Akamatsu, who recently became president of the Japan Committee for UNICEF, visited Rissho Kosei-kai's Horin-kaku Guest Hall in Tokyo and talked with President Nichiko Niwano. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Ken Hayami, managing director of the committee; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of Rissho Kosei-kai's External Affairs Department; and Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Youth Department.

President Niwano congratulated Ms. Akamatsu on her becoming the committee president, and she thanked Rissho Kosei-kai for its support of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) activities since 1979. They exchanged views about the World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace, which was sponsored by the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and the Junior Eight (J8) Summit 2008, co-hosted by UNICEF and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both events were held in July on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Rev. Niwano and Ms. Akamatsu affirmed their commitment to future cooperation between the Japan Committee for UNICEF and Rissho Kosei-kai.

Ms. Akamatsu joined Japan's Ministry of Labor in 1953. She has held various important posts in the ministry as well as other branches of the Japanese government. She worked for passage of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law in 1985. She served as the minister of education, science and culture on the Hosokawa and Hata cabinets in 1993-94. She became the first woman president of the Japan Committee for UNICEF in June 2008.

August

Youth Seminar on Human Rights and Religious Freedom Held in Jordan
During August 19-26, the 2008 International Youth Seminar on Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Beliefs was held in Amman, Jordan, under the auspices of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), the Euro-Med Youth Program of the European Commission, and the Youth Spirit Center, a Jordanian nongovernmental organization (NGO). About 40 people participated, including young leaders of faith communities, young scholars of religious studies, and members of NGOs, from 21 countries, mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by Mr. Yasutomo Sawahata and Ms. Akie Takahashi of the External Affairs Department and two Gakurin seminarians.

The seminar aimed to give young people a better understanding of one another's cultures and widen their recognition of a common heritage, while fully respecting cultural diversity beyond the differences of nation, ethnicity, and religion. It aimed also to deepen their sense of the need to protect the human dignity of all individuals and the right to religious freedom as a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In one of the workshops, Mr. Morse Flores, an IARF International Council member and president of its Religious Freedom Young Adult Network (RFYN), delivered a lecture on such subjects as international laws and regulations for the protection of human rights, the role of UN agencies in upholding them, and policies on national and international levels against the violation of human rights.

After the seminar, the four participants from Rissho Kosei-kai toured Jordan's Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies in Amman.

Rissho Kosei-kai Holds World Youth Meeting 2008
On August 24, Rissho Kosei-kai International and Youth Department of Rissho Kosei-kai jointly held a webcast meeting titled the "World Youth Meeting 2008" at Fumon Hall at Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters in Tokyo as a key station. Via the Internet, 173 youth members took part in the United States (Hawaii and New York), Brazil, Bangladesh, Mongolia, India (Kolkata), and Taiwan. The participants also included members of the International Buddhist Congregation and Rissho Kosei-kai 's Gakurin seminary in Tokyo as well as of Korean Rissho Kosei-kai, a sister organization in South Korea.

During the opening ceremony, a video message from Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees, was broadcast. In his message, Rev. Watanabe encouraged the participants, saying, "It is our great hope that youth members around the world who have learned about the spirit of the Lotus Sutra will discuss their dreams." He explained the significance of enshrining an icon of the Eternal Buddha at the home altar of every member, saying, "The installation should serve as an opportunity for each and every Rissho Kosei-kai member to come closer to fulfillment as true Buddhists, and every member's house should serve as a base for neighborhood dissemination of the Buddha's teachings."

Rev. Toshimasa Arai, deputy director of the Youth Department, explained the importance of sharing the aspiration to save all living beings, which Rissho Kosei-kai promotes as a guiding principle for its youth members. The youth members then divided into several groups according to their regions, such as the Americas and Asia. Following an agenda set by preparatory meetings in May, representatives of each region reported on the results of the implementation of their action plans, which were drawn up at last year's meeting in Hawaii.

The Hawaii Church members said they held a seminar on the role of Buddhists in efforts for world peace according to principles in books by Founder Nikkyo Niwano. They said they affirmed that living in harmony with others is the first step in building world peace. The Bangkok Church members said they emphasized participation in Rissho Kosei-kai's Donate-a-Meal Movement and that they hoped to participate in the movement as a religious practice with the deepest understanding of the movement's purpose.

After that, the participants heard a lecture on the theme "Learning from the Eternal Buddha" by Mr. Masatoshi Shimamura, an assistant minister of the Youth Department, and attended a hoza session led by Rev. Kotaro Suzuki, director of Rissho Kosei-kai International.

One participant said of the meeting, "I was really impressed by the speeches of church members from other regions and countries." Another said, "I had a wonderful time because of the lectures and hoza sessions during the meeting."

Rissho Kosei-kai Holds 63rd Annual Memorial Service for War Dead
On August 15, the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II, Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters in Tokyo and the organization's churches throughout Japan held annual ceremonies for the Day of Repose for the Spirits of the War Dead and Prayers for Peace. Some 2,000 members from the Tokyo District gathered in the Great Sacred Hall at the organization's headquarters in Tokyo to mourn and pray for the victims of World War II and all other wars. They prayed also for an end to all current wars and conflicts throughout the world and for lasting peace.

The ceremony began with an offering of lighted candles before the image of the Eternal Buddha as the Kosei Choir sang a Japanese version of "I Am a Thousand Winds," a song of bereavement. The subsequent sutra chanting was led by President-designate Kosho Niwano. She then recited a prayer for merit transfer, and at the Buddhist altar she offered a paper crane, a symbol of peace in Japan.

President Nichiko Niwano then gave a Dharma talk, in which he pointed out that, while Japan has been free of war for the 63 years since the end of World War II, some aspects of today's Japan prevent it from being a nation at peace. He underlined the importance of kindness, which he said can help everyone find happiness even in adversity. He also stressed the importance of promoting harmony in the family, since only harmonious families can rear children who will work for world peace.

Following a speech of religious affirmation by one member, Chair Yasutaka Watanabe addressed the gathering, reporting on his visit to the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan in August.

President Niwano Attends Government-Sponsored Memorial Service for War Dead
On August 15, the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II, President Nichiko Niwano attended the government-sponsored ceremony for the Day to Commemorate the War Dead and Pray for Peace, which was held in Nippon Budokan Hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. He attended as the representative of the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations (JAORO). The gathering of some 6,000 people included Japan's emperor and empress and bereaved family members of the war dead and other representatives of various sectors of society. They prayed for the repose of the spirits of all the dead of World War II and renewed their pledge to work for lasting peace.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda gave an address at the start of the ceremony, which began shortly before noon. As the clock struck 12, all the participants prayed in silence for one minute. Then followed addresses by the emperor, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the House of Councilors, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and a representative of bereaved family members. Representatives of different sectors of society then proceeded to the stage and offered chrysanthemums. President Niwano offered a chrysanthemum on behalf of JAORO for Rev. Masami Yatabe, chairman of its Board of Directors, who was unable to attend.

Shinshuren Holds Memorial Service for War Dead in Tokyo
On August 14, the 43rd Annual Memorial Service for the War Dead of All Nations and Prayers for Peace was held by Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan) and its Youth League in Tokyo's Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. Some 3,700 people from Shinshuren's member organizations, including Rissho Kosei-kai, participated.

The ceremony opened with an offering of lighted candles by young women members of Shinshuren at the altar in the hexagonal building where the remains of Japan's war dead---not only servicemen and military support personnel but ordinary civilians as well---are enshrined. Following an offering by leaders of the Youth League of a thousand paper cranes (which are a symbol of peace in Japan) strung together, representatives of religious organizations proceeded to the altar by turns and led prayers according to their own rites.

Rev. Nichiko Niwano, Shinshuren's chairman, delivered an address in which he spoke of the importance religious youth across the country knowing the truth about the wars waged by Japan in Asia and the Pacific and continuing to organize, in a spirit of interreligious cooperation, annual observances mourning the dead of all wars and calling for a total renunciation of war. He expressed the hope that they also would promote global harmony as individuals. He also spoke of the necessity of overcoming hatred in oneself, and emphasized that the only way to realize true harmony lies in cultivating consideration and compassion for others by pointing out that overcoming hatred is religion's key role.

Rev. Yukihiro Hozumi, president-designate of Taiwa Kyodan and chairman of Shinshuren's Youth League, then delivered a message for peace in which he emphasized the importance of realizing that world peace can be attained only if all young people of faith work for it together. He called on them to join in praying for that purpose and to strive together for the realization of a world where all life is held sacred and humankind forever renounces war.

Shinshuren Presents Statement to Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Yasukuni Shrine
On August 12, the chairman of Shinshuren's Committee on Freedom of Faith, Rev. Masaru Miki, delivered a statement to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda through the Liberal Democratic Party, of which Mr. Fukuda is also the president, opposing the proposed official visit by cabinet members to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II.

In the statement, Shinshuren points out that since Japan's postwar Constitution declares the separation of religion and the state (Article 20), any form of governmental involvement in a religious organization would be unconstitutional. Shinshuren also stressed the significance of the fact that Article 20, which also guarantees freedom of religion, is the basis of guaranteeing liberty, freedom, and human rights for everyone following our great repentance for the war.

Niwano Peace Foundation Announces Financial Support Plan for First Half of Fiscal 2008
In August the Niwano Peace Foundation announced its semiannual financial support-activity plan for the first half of fiscal 2008. The foundation is offering 4.6 million Japanese yen in grants to eight projects.

The purpose of the foundation's support is to encourage mutual understanding and cooperation among different religions, and to support and cultivate relationships with people promoting human harmony in the light of religion.

Eighty-two applications for grants were received from Japan and overseas during the application period. The selection committee decided on the recipients on June 24 after careful study of the applications.

The Rissho Kosei-kai Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace entrusted the foundation with funds collected by the members and other well-wishers to aid the foundation's support activities.

Rissho Kosei-kai Holds Dharma Youth Seminar in Hawaii
During August 6-13, Rissho Kosei-kai's Youth Department and its American churches jointly held the Dharma Youth Seminar under the theme "World Peace---What the Founder Hoped For" at the Kona Retreat Center of Rissho Kosei-kai of Kona, a chapter of the Hawaii Church on the Big Island. The program was attended by 13 youth members from Japan and the United States.

Each session was conducted in Japanese and English. Participants learned about the life of Founder Nikkyo Niwano from a DVD created at Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters. It documents his personal discovery of the Lotus Sutra and his work for world peace. The participants learned about Buddhist views on peace and interreligious cooperation by reading the book A Buddhist Approach to Peace. They also visited the USS Arizona Memorial museum at Pearl Harbor.

Before the seminar, the Japanese participants flew to Oahu and held a memorial service at the cenotaph of the Ehime Maru, a Japanese high school fishery training vessel that sank after being rammed accidentally by the surfacing nuclear submarine USS Greeneville in February 2001. They also visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, for U.S. soldiers killed in World War II and the Vietnam War.

Rissho Kosei-kai International Holds First Seminar for Overseas Leaders in Japan
From July 28 to August 10 in Tokyo, Rissho Kosei-kai International held the First Dharma Training for Leaders. Eleven leaders of overseas churches as well as dissemination districts in the United States, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and from the International Buddhist Congregation (IBC) in Tokyo took part. It was a special seminar for overseas leaders and English-speaking leaders living in Japan aimed at increasing their understanding of the teachings of Buddhism, that they may help relieve human suffering and contribute to the dissemination of Rissho Kosei-kai's teachings worldwide.

On July 28, a special lecture was delivered by Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the Buddhist organization's board of trustees, in Fumon Hall at Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters. He explained the history of Rissho Kosei-kai and the transmission of Buddhism from ancient India to China and thence to Japan. He then mentioned one of the organization's new guiding principles of installing an icon of the Eternal Buddha and the Dharma titles of the founder and the cofounder at the home altar of each member worldwide. He explained the significance of the installation and encouraged members to cultivate self-reliance as Buddhist believers.

On August 1, Rissho Kosei-kai President-designate Kosho Niwano led a special seminar for the leaders. She shared her reminiscences of Founder Nikkyo Niwano and described her experience of writing a book about him, titled Kaiso Sama ni Naraite (In the Footsteps of the Founder). She emphasized the importance of cultivating the wisdom of venerating the buddha-nature in all people.

During August 1-3, the participants divided into ten groups and visited 10 Rissho Kosei-kai churches in Tokyo to participate in practical training for dissemination. During August 4-7, they visited the Suganuma district of Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, to take part in special seminar near the birthplace of Founder Nikkyo Niwano.

Rissho Kosei-kai Mission Led by Chair Watanabe Visits Tzu Chi Foundation
Rissho Kosei-kai dispatched an eleven-member mission, led by Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees, to Taiwan August 7-12 to visit the Taiwan Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation. Their purpose was not only to deepen friendship with the foundation but also to witness firsthand the broad range of its activities.

On the evening of August 7 a reception was held for the Rissho Kosei-kai mission at the foundation's headquarters at Hualien. They were welcomed by its leaders, including Mr. Chen Zhao-ming, a vice president, and Dr. Wang Pen-jung, president of Tzu Chi University. On the 8th, after touring Tzu Chi University, the visitors from Rissho Kosei-kai joined Tzu Chi volunteers on a visit to the foundation's rest home for military veterans. They then toured Tzu Chi General Hospital and Tzu Chi College of Technology, which offers courses in nursing.

Early on the 9th they participated in a meeting of the foundation's volunteers at the Jing-si Monastery, where nuns follow their religious practice. The Rissho Kosei-kai visitors then attended a briefing on Tzu Chi members' relief activities for victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, China, and of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

Afterward on the same day, they met with Dharma Master Chen Yen. She expressed gratitude to Rissho Kosei-kai for its quick contribution from the Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace for the foundation's relief of cyclone victims, enabling Tzu Chi members to boost their support activities in Myanmar, where they had rendered assistance. She said that since all Buddhists, including Rissho Kosei-kai and the Tzu Chi members, possess the spirit of the bodhisattva, they can unite spiritually for the relief of disaster victims.

On the 11th, in Taipei, the Rissho Kosei-kai visitors toured the foundation's Da Ai TV station and a branch of Tzu Chi General Hospital. That evening they visited the foundation's recycling center in Taipei.

The Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 by Ven. Chen in an impoverished village on the east coast of Taiwan. Since then the foundation has been dedicated to a mission of charity for the needy on the basis of the Buddha's teachings imparted by Ven. Chen. In addition, the members engage not only in the fields of medicine, education, and culture but also in charitable work, such as international relief, bone marrow donation, environmental protection, and community volunteer work. The foundation has become one of the largest Buddhist volunteer groups in the world, with over 5 million members, primarily in Taiwan.

In May 2007, Ven. Chen was awarded the 24th Niwano Peace Prize by the Niwano Peace Foundation, which is affiliated with Rissho Kosei-kai, and Rev. Nichiko Niwano, also president of the foundation, traveled to Taiwan to meet with Ven. Chen and deepen their friendship.

Mission to Tzu Chi Foundation Visits Rissho Kosei-kai of Taipei
Rissho Kosei-kai's mission to the Tzu Chi Foundation visited Rissho Kosei-kai of Taipei in Taiwan on August 10. Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees, and ten other mission members paid homage to the Buddha-image in the church. Rev. Watanabe made a speech of greeting to a gathering of about fifty members.

In his speech, he began by referring to one of the divine revelations made during Rissho Kosei-kai's founding days, that the truth and spirit of the Lotus Sutra would be spread worldwide by Rissho Kosei-kai. He interpreted that to mean that Rissho Kosei-kai would disseminate the teachings of the Lotus Sutra globally through its overseas churches and dissemination centers, which have continued to grow in many countries, and, in a broader sense, through the work of all local members.

He then mentioned various problems which afflict humanity, such as global warming, famine, and natural disasters. Rev. Watanabe said Rissho Kosei-kai members should feel love and compassion for the earth as they pursue their basic religious practice and efforts to improve their family life. He urged all Rissho Kosei-kai members throughout the world to be diligent in their bodhisattva practice to attain the goal of world peace.

21st Anniversary Religious Summit on Mount Hiei Celebrated
On August 4, the Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace was held in front of the Konpon Chudo Hall of Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei, Shiga Prefecture, under the aegis of the Tendai Association of Religious Cooperation for International Peace.

From Japan and other countries, some 1,000 religious leaders, including Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and adherents of folk religions, gathered to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Religious Summit Meeting on Mount Hiei to keep alive the spirit of the Day of Prayer for World Peace held in Assisi in 1986 at the initiative of Pope John Paul II.

Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by President Nichiko Niwano; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department; and Rev. Kenichiro Nakamura, head of Kyoto Church.

Ven. Korei Hamanaka, chancellor of the Tendai Buddhist administration, delivered the opening address. This was followed by recitation of the Heart Sutra, led by Ven. Kojun Handa, head priest of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination. He then made a declaration emphasizing the importance all people devoting their wisdom and power to tackling various social problems, including environmental degradation and the worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons.

In the subsequent ceremony, eleven religious leaders representing Buddhism, Christianity, established Shinto and Sectarian Shinto, and new Japanese religions, including Ven. Handa and Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of Rissho Kosei-kai and chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of the New Religious Organizations of Japan), prayed together silently on the platform for world peace as the temple's peace bell tolled. The peace bell was installed last year to commemorate the summit's 20th anniversary.

Members Mark 63rd Anniversary of End of World War II
In August, in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa, local Rissho Kosei-kai members marked the 63 anniversary of the end of World War II by taking part in ceremonies to pray for world peace. In Hiroshima on August 6, 374 members of the Hiroshima Church of Rissho Kosei-kai held a memorial service. After offering lighted candles, flowers, and a thousand of paper cranes, which symbolize peace in Japan, they recited the Lotus Sutra and prayed not only for the atomic bomb victims but the victims of all wars.

In Nagasaki on August 8, a council of local people of faith in Nagasaki Prefecture hosted the 36th annual memorial service for victims of the atomic bombing on August 9, 1945. The service was held in Nagasaki's Peace Park adjacent to the hypocenter, attended by some 800 people of faith from the prefecture. Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo was represented by Rev. Kinjiro Niwano, a consultant to the Buddhist organization. On the next day, Rev. Niwano also attended the peace memorial ceremony organized by the city of Nagasaki in the same park as the official delegate from Rissho Kosei-kai.

In Okinawa on August 15, the 18th Interfaith Prayer for Peace Ceremony was held in Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall on Mabuni Hill in Itoman City. Some 309 people of faith took part, including members of the Okinawa Church of Rissho Kosei-kai. Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo was represented by Rev. Keiichi Akagawa, deputy director of the External Affairs Department.

July

Rissho Kosei-kai Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Dissemination in Brazil
On July 27, Rissho Kosei-kai of Brazil held a ceremony in the church's training hall in Sao Paulo to commemorate Founder Nikkyo Niwano's first visit to the country in 1958, to attend a festival celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil and undertake his first dissemination of the teachings of Rissho Kosei-kai in that country. This year also marks the seventieth anniversary of Rissho Kosei-kai's founding in Japan. Under one of the organization's new guiding principles, Rissho Kosei-kai launched a project to install an icon of the Eternal Buddha and the Dharma titles of the founder and the cofounder at the home altar of each member worldwide.

Two hundred forty-three people, including distinguished guests and members, attended the ceremony in Sao Paulo. The headquarters in Tokyo was represented by Rev. Keiji Kunitomi, an emeritus member of the board of trustees.

An offering of the lighted candles and flowers by young women members was followed by recitation of the Lotus Sutra. Rev. Kunitomi then presented the icons as focuses of devotion as well as the Dharma titles to fifty-one members. Following one member's testimony to the faith, Rev. Kunitomi gave a speech. He explained the significance of the installation of the focuses of devotion as well as the Dharma titles of the cofounders and encouraged members to cultivate self-reliance as Buddhist believers. After the ceremony, Rev. Kunitomi also joined a hoza counseling session and a class in Buddhism at the church to strengthen friendly ties with the Brazilian members.

New President Welcomes Rev. Nichiko Niwano at Focolare Headquarters near Rome
After attending the World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid July 16-18 hosted by the Mecca-based Muslim World League, President Nichiko Niwano flew to Italy on July 19. On the 20th he visited Rocca di Papa near Rome to call on the new Focolare president, Ms. Maria Voce, successor of the late Chiara Lubich, at the movement's headquarters. Also at the meeting were President Niwano's wife, Mrs. Yoshie Niwano; Rev. Keiji Kunitomi, director of Rissho Kosei-kai's General Secretariat; and Mr. Giancarlo Faletti, the Focolare Movement's co-president.

President Niwano congratulated President Voce on her election and expressed his hope for continued close ties between the Focolare Movement and Rissho Kosei-kai, arising from the partnership between both organizations' founders---Rev. Nikkyo Niwano and Ms. Chiara Lubich. In reply, President Voce said she could not forget the deep spirituality of both founders, describing it as a lasting heritage for future generations.

Later, President Niwano spoke at the general assembly in the Focolare headquarters' meeting hall, where the movement's leaders from all over the world had gathered. President Niwano stressed the importance of further cooperation between the two organizations and said they could grow stronger by combining the love and the spirit of unity cherished by Ms. Chiara Lubich with the compassion and the spirit of the One Vehicle embodied by Founder Niwano.

President Voce told the assembly that on assuming the heavy responsibility of leading the Focolare Movement, she hoped to emulate Ms. Lubich's dedication to the service of others and would strive to preserve her legacy.

President Niwano Discusses Sanctity of Life at Interfaith Meeting in Spain Sponsored by King of Saudi Arabia
In Madrid President Nichiko Niwano attended the World Conference on Dialogue, held July 16-18 and organized by the Muslim World League (MWL), one of the largest Islamic nongovernmental organizations, founded in Mecca in 1962. More than 200 religious leaders and scholars of different faiths, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism, were invited from around the world. Also attending were President Niwano's wife, Mrs. Yoshie Niwano, and Rev. Keiji Kunitomi, director of Rissho Kosei-kai's General Secretariat.

The interfaith conference was sponsored by King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia. As custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in March he proposed a conference to promote dialogue among governments, organizations and peoples irrespective of their religions and cultures. In June he also called for and sponsored the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue, at which some 600 Muslim leaders from around the world convened in Mecca. They issued the Mecca Appeal for Interfaith Dialogue, which emphasizes "the importance of continuing positive participation in the symposiums and meetings that had a clear, positive impact in promoting the culture of dialogue and in correction of many erroneous ideas about Islam and Muslims."

The conference opened at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in the outskirts of Madrid on July 16. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Juan Carlos of Spain cochaired the opening ceremony and acted as hosts. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was also present. After a luncheon in the palace, conference participants moved to the Auditorium Hotel Madrid to exchange views and discuss interfaith dialogue.

At the second session, on July 17, President Niwano spoke of the importance of promoting peace through interfaith dialogue and cooperation as the highest calling of our time, explaining the significance of the spirit of the One Vehicle in Buddhism as well as the activities of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. He also emphasized the importance of respecting the sanctity of life by cultivating love, compassion, and consideration for others to build world harmony, following the example of the Bodhisattva Never Despise. He also pointed out that all religions are rooted in universal truths and emphasized the importance of promoting interreligious cooperation.

On July 18, the conference issued the Madrid Declaration, which includes "the agreement among the followers of religions and prominent cultures regarding the value of dialogue as the best way for mutual understanding and cooperation in human relations as well as in peaceful coexistence among nations."

Rissho Kosei-kai Holds Ullambana Ceremony
The annual Ullambana ceremony, in which members transfer religious merit to their ancestors by chanting the sutra and making offerings, was held in the Great Sacred Hall and churches of Rissho Kosei-kai in Japan on July 15. The ceremony in the Great Sacred Hall, at Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo, was attended by 3,300 members.

In the Great Sacred Hall, sutra chanting led by President-designate Kosho Niwano was followed by an offering at the altar by sixteen women members. Then the president-designate and 256 representative members who are certified Dharma teachers read out 15,285 posthumous Buddhist names of the departed. The president-designate then led members in a prayer for merit transfer, and one member gave personal testimony to the faith.

After that, Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees, spoke of the Buddha's Original Vow described in the Lotus Sutra and said, "The Buddha would focus his mind on how we could emulate his attainment of buddhahood." Rev. Watanabe emphasized that "we must accept the Buddha's boundless compassion as a tenet of belief of Rissho Kosei-kai members."

He also explained that ullambana in Sanskrit means "hanging upside down" as a metaphor for suffering; that is, all living beings suffer because they do not understand the truth and see things as if hanging upside down. "We have learned that all things are impermanent and are devoid of self," Rev. Watanabe said. He went on to say, "It is important to learn to see things from the Buddha's viewpoint so that we can awaken to truth." He added, "Parental love is the most important factor enabling children to see things from the Buddha's viewpoint." In conclusion, he urged parents, "Always stay with your children when they are infants. Do not let go of their hands when they are toddlers. Keep your eyes on them when they are in elementary school. Always take care of them when they are in junior high school."

Founder of Templeton Foundation Dies
Sir John Marks Templeton, founder of the John Templeton Foundation, died from pneumonia at the age of 95 on July 8 at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, the Bahamas. The pioneer global investor and philanthropist inaugurated the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1972, the world's largest annual award to individuals. The prize is intended to recognize exemplary achievement in spiritual work. Mother Teresa, founder of India's Missionaries of Charity, received the first Templeton Prize in 1973.

Founder Nikkyo Niwano received the Templeton Prize in 1979 for significant achievements in promoting interreligious cooperation and understanding. He is so far the only Buddhist to have received the prize. Ms. Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, received it in 1977.

In 1987 Sir John established the John Templeton Foundation to contribute a sizable amount of his fortune to philanthropic research for the reconciliation of science and religion.

After hearing the sad news of Sir John's death, President Nichiko Niwano sent a letter of condolence to the foundation, in which he praised Sir John for his great achievements and paid tribute to his memory.

Rissho Kosei-kai Chair Greets UUA President
Rev. William G. Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and Mrs. Sinkford visited Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo on July 7. They conferred with Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of Rissho Kosei-kai's board of trustees, in the administration building of the headquarters complex. Rev. Katsunori Yamanoi, advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai, and Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the external affairs department, also were present. Before visiting Rissho Kosei-kai, Rev. Sinkford attended the World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace, held July 2-3 in Sapporo on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

During their talk, Rev. Watanabe reviewed the events and activities in which both organizations have been involved, and referred to the topics discussed at the World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace. Rev. Watanabe said he had renewed his sense of the importance of religious people's cooperation through dialogue and their actions for world peace.

In response, Rev. Sinkford described the UUA's interreligious programs for promoting activities with adherents of Islam, Buddhism, and other religions. He expressed his hope that, together with Rissho Kosei-kai, the UUA will continue to promote dialogue with people of various beliefs and disseminate in their societies what they learned through the dialogue.

Rissho Kosei-kai has enjoyed friendship with the UUA since 1968 when Founder Nikkyo Niwano first met with Dr. Dana McLean Greeley, the UUA's first president, in Tokyo. The two organizations have cooperated for many years through various interreligious gatherings, such as those held under the auspices of the International Association for Religious Freedom and the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

Japanese PM Receives Religious Leaders' Statement to G8 Summit
Fourteen world religious leaders representing the World Conference of Religions for Peace called on the Japanese prime minister, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, at his office in Nagatacho, Tokyo, on July 4 to deliver a statement for him to carry to the G8 Summit.

The leaders represented some 100 faiths in Japan and around the world took part in a conference July 2-3 at the Sapporo Convention Center in Sapporo, Hokkaido, called The World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace: On the Occasion of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit. It was convened under the auspices of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, its Japanese Committee, and the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations. The fourteen religious leaders included Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of Rissho Kosei-kai and Religions for Peace Japan; Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, leader of Myochi-kai and secretary-general of Religions for Peace Japan; Sheikh Tayser Rajab al-Tamimi, supreme judge of Sharia Courts in Palestine; and His Grace John O. Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja in Nigeria.

Their visit preceded Mr. Fukuda's departure for Hokkaido to chair the 34th G8 summit held July 7-9 as leader of the host country, and they delivered a statement for him to take to the summit calling for urgent action against such threats to humanity as the destruction of the environment and climate change, extreme global poverty and deteriorating food security, nuclear arms, terrorism, and violent conflict.

At the beginning of the meeting with the prime minister, Rev. Niwano thanked Mr. Fukuda for the religious summit's support from Japan's Ministry of the Environment. Mr. Fukuda agreed to convey the religious leaders' statement to the G8 leaders. He also emphasized the importance of heeding the views of people around the world, especially the wisdom of people of faith.

World Religious Leaders Discuss Pressing Global Issues Before G8 Summit
On July 2-3, the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (Religions for Peace Japan) convened the World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace in Sapporo, Hokkaido, with the cooperation of its international body of Religions for Peace. The conference was held shortly before the summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations (G8) held July 7-9 by Lake Toya near Sapporo. The participants discussed pressing global issues and worked out a statement to the G8 leaders. The religious summit was attended by about 300 religious leaders, including 100 delegates, from 23 countries and regions. It was one in a series of multireligious conferences preceding annual G8 summits. The first was held in Moscow in 2006 and the second in Cologne in 2007.

Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by President Nichiko Niwano (also president of Religions for Peace Japan); President-designate Kosho Niwano; Chair Yasutaka Watanabe; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department; Rev. Keiji Kunitomi, director of the General Secretariat; and Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Youth Department.

During the opening ceremony, Ms. Harumi Takahashi, governor of Hokkaido; Mr. Fumio Ueda, mayor of Sapporo; and Rev. Masami Yatabe, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations (JAORO), made welcoming addresses. After messages from Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar; Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue; and Rabbi Yona Metzger, chief rabbi of Israel, were read out by their representatives, Rev. Koshin Otani, head priest of the Honganji subsect of the Jodo Shin sect of Japanese Buddhism, delivered the keynote address. During the following six plenary sessions, the participants discussed the draft statement to the G8 summit and addressed such issues as the environment and climate change, Millennium Development Goals, nuclear disarmament, violent conflicts and terrorism.

On the afternoon of July 3, the participants adopted the statement, which lists areas of concern that they requested the G8 Summit to discuss or tackle in its action plans. A copy of the statement was then presented to Mr. Matsushige Ono, deputy chief cabinet secretary. During the Closing Ceremony, Rev. Niwano urged the participants to continue efforts to instill the spirit of the statement deeply in their communities and nations.

June

Youth Department Announces Further Support for Victims of Cyclone in Myanmar and Earthquake in China
In June, the Youth Department of Rissho Kosei-kai announced that it had donated 15 million Japanese yen to victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the earthquake in Sichuan, China, which both occurred in May. In consultation with the Japan Association for UNICEF, the youth department decided to donate funds raised for UNICEF in fiscal 2008.

The department had received many letters of requests from members throughout Japan who were concerned about the victims as well as the devastation in Myanmar and China. Annually the department has donated funds to the Japan Association for UNICEF for use, as specified by the fund-raiser, in improving elementary education in East Timor, Nepal, the Philippines, and Cambodia. The department switched its allocation this year originally intended for the improvement of primary education in four Asian countries to aid children who are victims of natural disaster in Myanmar and China. The department allotted 10 million Japanese yen for children in Myanmar and 5 million yen for children in China.

UNICEF has conducted relief activities in both countries, such as the distribution of medical aid and relief supplies, support for the rehabilitation of schools, and counseling for children.

The Youth Department sent letters of gratitude to young members of Rissho Kosei-kai churches throughout Japan for their work to help children who are victims of natural disaster. The letters also described the significance of the Donate-a-Meal Movement long promoted by Rissho Kosei-kai and asked for the further cooperation of members as well as ordinary citizens in helping UNICEF's education programs in Asia through Rissho Kosei-kai's UNICEF fund-raising campaign.

Minister of Rissho Kosei-kai of New York Attends Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly
During June 25-29, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) held its General Assembly 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, attended by 3,000 members. Every year Rissho Kosei-kai dispatches a delegate to the General Assembly, and this year the Buddhist organization was represented by Rev. Masamichi Kamiya, minister of the New York church. President Nichiko Niwano had the opportunity to attend and speak at the General Assembly 2004 in Long Beach, California.

The theme of this year's assembly was "Common Threads," meaning the weaving together of the fabric of the Unitarian Universalist faith with local communities. This year the president's annual report outlined UUA's efforts to address social issues in the United States, such as the rights of the rapidly increasing number of Hispanic illegal immigrants and sexual discrimination, as against gays.

The five-day assembly included a number of workshops. Rev. Kamiya attended one on June 26 titled "My Minister Is a Buddhist?" hosted by UUA ministers who publicly identify with or acknowledge the influence of Buddhist practice and teachings. At this workshop, Rev. Kamiya described the lay Buddhist movement in Japan, whose members strive to apply the Buddha's teachings in daily life. On the afternoon of the 26th, Rev. Kamiya met UUA's president, Rev. William G. Sinkford. Rev. Sinkford referred to the trust built up over the years between Rissho Kosei-kai and the UUA and expressed his hope for future collaboration through exchanges among churches of Rissho Kosei-kai and UUA in America.

President of Rissho Kosei-kai Seminary Lectures at Thai University on the Lotus Sutra
During June 9-26, Rev. Michio T. Shinozaki, director of the Chuo Academic Research Institute and president of Rissho Kosei-kai Gakurin Seminary, lectured at the College of Religious Studies at Mahidol University's Salaya campus in Nakhorn Prathom, Thailand, on the teachings of the Buddha as set down in the Lotus Sutra. Dr. Shinozaki's special seminar on the Lotus Sutra was planned and sponsored by the university for 44 undergraduates, who could receive credit for attending the seminar.

Mahidol University is a public university, and one of the most prestigious universities in Thailand. Its College of Religious Studies was founded in 1999. Its academic programs address new, emerging challenges to religion, such as globalization, women's rights, new scientific discoveries, and the use of modern technology in medicine.

Rissho Kosei-kai and the college have had a close relationship. In May 2001 a group of twenty-three students from the college were welcomed at Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters in Tokyo during a visit to Japan. They also traveled to Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka to study the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. In November 2003 another group of twenty-one students also visited Rissho Kosei-kai for the same purpose. At that time Mr. Masatoshi Shimamura, then chief coordinator of the Thai Rissho Friendship Foundation, which is one of Rissho Kosei-kai's churches overseas, accompanied them to the headquarters of member organizations of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan) and to Taisho University, one of Japan's leading institutes of Buddhist studies.

Dr. Shinozaki said he hoped his lectures on the Lotus Sutra, based on the practical teachings of Rissho Kosei-kai, a lay Buddhist organization in Japan, would promote understanding between Mahayana Buddhists in Japan and Theravada Buddhists in Thailand and that their exchanges would deepen one another's understanding of the One Buddha Vehicle. Dr. Shinozaki said he would lecture again at Mahidol University in August and said he hoped to impress upon students that the Lotus Sutra embodies the message of the Buddha as a manifestation of the great life force.

Rissho Kosei-kai Gives Emergency Relief to Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake Victims
In June, Rissho Kosei-kai's executive committee of the Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace, chaired by Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department, decided to provide emergency relief to the victims of the Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake took place on June 14 in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu.

On June 18, the committee assigned regional representatives of Rissho Kosei-kai churches to present a letter detailing the contribution of 1 million yen and then allocated the funds to disaster relief headquarters in the cities of Oshu, in Iwate Prefecture, and Kurihara, in Miyagi Prefecture.

According to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency, as of June 17, 10 people were confirmed dead, 12 missing, and 286 injured, and 10 buildings were destroyed and 204 damaged. Two cities, Oshu and Kurihara, where the earthquake struck at a magnitude of 6, were seriously damaged and about 260 people have stayed in shelters since the earthquake. Landslides and unstable ground in the broader area of the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures may cause further damage.

WCRP/Japan Holds Joint Meeting of Boards of Directors and Councilors prior to World Religious Leaders' Summit for Peace in Sapporo
On the morning of June 16, the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace held the 101st meeting of its board of directors as well as the 97th meeting of its board of councilors, at the headquarters of Myochi-kai, a religious organization in Tokyo. Fifty-two directors and councilors participated. Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of Rissho Kosei-kai, attended as president of Religions for Peace/Japan. Other committee members present from Rissho Kosei-kai were Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department; Rev. Yoshiko Izumida, a former trustee; and Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Youth Department.

An opening address by President Niwano was followed by an address by Rev. Watanabe, who succeeded Rev. Katsunori Yamanoi, former chair of Rissho Kosei-kai, as a councilor. Participants heard reports on committee activities and approved the expenditures for fiscal 2007 and ascertained the list of participants in, and the schedule of, an international multireligious conference in to take place in Sapporo July 2-3 before the annual summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations (G8), which was set for July 7-9 near Lake Toya on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. They also learned about a preparatory meeting held in May in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the seventh assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace, to be held in Manila, the Philippines, October 17-20.

The board members also heard reports on emergency relief of victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May and detailed reports on fiscal 2008 activities from the subsidiary committees of the Japanese Committee.

WCRP/Japan Holds Special Peace Lyceum Course prior to World Religious Leaders' Summit for Peace in Sapporo
On the afternoon of June 16, the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace held its 2008 Peace Lyceum course titled "World Religious Leaders' Summit for Peace: On the Occasion of the G-8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit" at the headquarters of Myochi-kai in Tokyo. Some 160 people from member organizations of Religions for Peace/Japan, including its boards of directors and councilors, took part.

The Special Peace Lyceum course was a study session in preparation for the religious leaders' July 2-3 summit prior to the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations held July 7-9 near Lake Toya on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

On June 16 the course opened with an address by Ven. Eiin Yasuda, an executive director of Religions for Peace/Japan. Its secretary-general, Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, then outlined the religious summit meeting. Rev. Miyamoto said the summit would help people of faith deepen their awareness of the eternal truths shared by all religions in tackling current challenges. Then, in his keynote address, Prof. Akimasa Sumi of the University of Tokyo pointed out that the level of consumption of Japan's energy resources far exceeds the minimum to sustain human life and that Japanese people should adjust their lifestyles to use less energy. He encouraged people of religion to find ways to create ideal communities where people can live contented lives using less energy and where tolerance prevails for the diversity of all individuals.

There was then a panel discussion by Mr. Junichi Sato, director of the International Research Center of Metatechnology; Prof. Minoru Sonoda, head priest of Chichibu Shrine; Dr. Yasuaki Nara, professor emeritus of Komazawa University; and Rev. Keizo Yamada, professor emeritus of Sophia University, led by Prof. Yoshiaki Sanada, director of its Peace Research Institute.

American Buddhist Scholar and Students Visit Headquarters of Rissho Kosei-kai
On June 2, Dr. Stephen G. Covell, associate professor of comparative religion at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and eleven graduate students from the university visited Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters in Tokyo. They visited Japan to learn more about the country's religions and religious organizations. It was the third time that Dr. Covell brought a group of his students to the headquarters of Rissho Kosei-kai.

After visiting the Great Sacred Hall, the Precious Stupa of the One Vehicle, and the Horin-kaku Guest Hall, the group saw a video introducing Rissho Kosei-kai in the auditorium of the Nikkyo Niwano Memorial Museum. At the museum they also heard a lecture by Rev. Tomonobu Shinozaki, president of Rissho Kosei-kai Gakurin seminary, on the Lotus Sutra, the teachings of Rissho Kosei-kai, and the history of Japanese Buddhism. He referred to the parable of the burning house in the Lotus Sutra and explained that the teaching of the One Vehicle means that everyone can emulate the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment. After the lecture, the students asked questions about Rissho Kosei-kai's hoza practice, history, and interfaith dialogue and cooperation activities.

A student specializing in Islam said, "I am very surprised that each structure, even its shapes and numbers, has very profound meaning in Buddhist symbolism, and now I have a strong interest in the dialogue and cooperation among different religions in which Rissho Kosei-kai has been engaging."

May

Annual Campaign for Sharing Blankets with People in Africa Ends
The Campaign for Sharing Blankets with People in Africa, which starts annually on April 1, ended this year on May 31. Rissho Kosei-kai has been supporting the campaign for many years, and members especially promote it around the time of Rissho Kosei-kai's annual Youth Day, which usually falls on the third Sunday in May, and this year on May 18. In the early stages of the campaign, many Rissho Kosei-kai churches appeal to the public through the media, such as local cable TV networks and bulletins, while members reach out to local people through door-to-door visits and by distributing fliers on busy streets.

The Takachiho Branch of the Nobeoka Church on the Japanese island of Kyushu received cooperation in the campaign from local municipalities in the towns of Takachiho, Hinokage, and Gokase. The purposes and activities of the campaign were successfully communicated to each family over disaster-prevention radios in their homes. On May 19 and 29, used blankets were collected at senior facilities in each region.

On May 25, the Misato Church in Saitama Prefecture collected blankets at the Soka railway station of the Tobu Isesaki Line and two other places. The church plans to send notes of thanks to blanket donors. Efforts to raise funds for the shipping of the blankets to Africa were also carried out in many places. The Toyoda Church in Tokyo held a bazaar besides collecting blankets. The Nagano Chuo Church in Nagano Prefecture solicited funds on city streets for shipping costs. The Yatsushiro Church in Kumamoto Prefecture appropriated funds for shipping raised through the church’s yearlong volunteer activity of collecting aluminum cans for recycling. The church also appealed to the public to turn over aluminum cans on Youth Day.

On the same day, the Komatsu Church in Ishikawa Prefecture held a religious service before shipping the blankets it had collected. After chanting the Lotus Sutra, members packed 720 blankets and loaded the boxes onto trucks. The church also held a recycling bazaar the same day to raise funds for shipping. The Suginami Church in Tokyo also held a religious service before shipping blankets.

All the blankets were to be sent to warehouses of Nippon Express in Tsurumi in Yokohama for shipment to Africa.

Rissho Kosei-kai Holds World Youth Preliminary Meeting 2008
On May 25-26, Rissho Kosei-kai International and the Youth Department of Rissho Kosei-kai jointly organized a webcast meeting of youth members overseas, connecting the headquarters of Rissho Kosei-kai International at Fumon Hall, Tokyo, as a key station with Rissho Kosei-kai's sister organization in South Korea and Rissho Kosei-kai's chapters and churches overseas. Eighty-six young members participated, mainly in Asia and the Americas. The webcast meeting was organized as the World Youth Preliminary Meeting 2008 for the World Youth Meeting 2008, which is scheduled for August 24 also as a webcast. The purpose of the preparatory meeting was to confirm among the participants the achievements of each of their local religious activities based on the action plan for world peace adopted as a "Global Youth Mission Statement" expressing the shared hopes of all members of Rissho Kosei-kai's youth sangha during the World Youth Meeting 2007 last October, which also held a live webcast meeting at the Kona Retreat Center of the Rissho Kosei-kai of Kona, a chapter of the Hawaii Church on the Big Island.

On May 25 a session for members in Asia was held, joined by 52 youth members in South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, as well as the International Buddhist Congregation in Tokyo. Rev. Toshimasa Arai, deputy director of the Youth Department, gave an opening address, in which he emphasized the importance of sharing the aspiration for saving all living beings, which Rissho Kosei-kai promotes as a guiding principle for its youth sangha, and he encouraged the participants to strive together to realize world peace in the spirit of the One Vehicle. Members in the Asian region reported on their local programs embodying the action plan. Members in Mongolia, for instance, organized a youth gathering once a week to practice chanting the sutra, participate in hoza sessions, and study Buddhism, thus deepening their understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. Six members representing their chapters and branches shared their religious affirmation under the theme “The Buddha and Myself.”

On May 26 another session for youth members in the Americas was held, joined by 34 youth members from Rissho Kosei-kai of New York, Hawaii, and Brazil. Rev. Kotaro Suzuki, director of Rissho Kosei-kai International, delivered an opening address in which he said he hoped every youth member would contribute to the webcast meeting's significance by communicating as much as possible with fellow members in other countries. Members in Brazil and Hawaii reported on their local programs. Members in Brazil, for instance, said they promoted gatherings in which people could encounter the Buddha’s teachings. They held a ceremony celebrating the anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth on April 8, inviting friends and members of other civic organizations, to awaken them to the event’s significance. Four members representing their churches made speeches of religious affirmation. During both sessions Rev. Suzuki emphasized the importance of realizing that the future of humanity depends on the efforts of all youth around the world. He expressed the wish they would be torchbearers of the Dharma by embracing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra themselves and passing them on to many other people.

Rev. Koichi Matsumoto Meets Religious Youth Leaders in Europe
On May 21-22, a meeting of the Summit of European Religious Youth Leaders was held in Rovereto, Italy. Eighteen youths of various faiths such as Sikhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism gathered there from 10 European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Spain. The summit meeting was cosponsored by the World Conference of Religions for Peace and the Campana Foundation.

The summit served as a post-congress of the Youth Assembly, which was held as part of the Eighth World Assembly of the Religions for Peace in Kyoto and Hiroshima in 2006. Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Youth Department as an observer in his capacity of an advisor to the Religions for Peace's International Youth Committee; Mr. Yasutomo Sawahata, a Rissho Kosei-kai representative in Geneva; and Ms. Yuka Mizumo, a staff member of the External Affairs Department.

In his opening address, Rev. Matsumoto encouraged the youth participants, saying that cooperation among religious youths would greatly contribute to world peace.

The European youth religious leaders discussed the European Interreligious Youth Network (EIYN), one of the six regional networks of the Global Youth Network, which was proposed in the Hiroshima Declaration adopted by the Youth Assembly in 2006. They elected officers of the EIYN and discussed a three-year concrete action plan for enhancing and enlarging the youth network in Europe.

IBC Invites American Buddhist Philosopher to Give Public Lecture
The International Buddhist Congregation (IBC) of Rissho Kosei-kai hosted a public lecture by Dr. Brook Ziporyn, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on "Buddhism and Ecology" in the First Group Pilgrimage Hall at Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters complex in Tokyo on May 24. It was attended by twenty-eight people, including foreign residents of Japan.

In his lecture, Dr. Ziporyn gave an example of the Buddhist teaching that people should concentrate more on trying to change their attitude than on changing their environment. He said the cleaning up of a neighborhood is not only the cleansing of a place but of the heart and fosters community spirit.

Dr. Ziporyn explained the relationship between the self and its surroundings in terms of the Buddhist teaching of interrelatedness. He concluded that there is no fixed self and people's acts stem from their attitude, and their acts shape realities.

Young Rissho Kosei-kai Members Work for Peace on Annual Youth Day
On May 18, Rissho Kosei-kai's annual Youth Day was observed throughout Japan with the theme "Great Aspiration: Raising the Winds of Social Change." On this day some 19,000 young members throughout the country participated in various activities for the betterment of society and the building of world peace. About 35,000 adult members and members of the general public also joined in the activities. They promoted such projects as visiting facilities for the elderly, blood donation drives, the cleaning of public places, raising funds to support UNICEF activities, and collecting blankets for the Campaign for Sharing Blankets with People in Africa. At noon all the participants joined in a silent prayer for peace.

This year, when global warming is an issue of widespread concern in Japan, many of the churches focused on environmental problems, collaborating on such projects as beautifying the environment, environmental studies, and fundraising to support environmental protection projects. At the Kakegawa Church in Shizuoka Prefecture, members and citizens together cleaned up a coastal windbreak forest, near the beach where blue turtles lay their eggs. Cleanups of local beaches and rivers were also carried out by many other churches across Japan. Shiga Church members held a charity bazaar at their church and donated the proceeds to the Lake Biwa Trust, an NPO founded in April at the initiative of citizens in Shiga Prefecture to protect the environment of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, in their prefecture.

Shortly before Youth Day, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on May 2-3, killing hundreds of thousands of Burmese, and a strong earthquake devastated the southwestern province of Sichuan, China, on May 12, leaving nearly 70,000 people dead or missing. Appealing to passers-by at railway stations or in the streets for donations to help UNICEF projects strengthened many young Rissho Kosei-kai members' sense of the significance of the fundraising drives undertaken by their churches over many years, and they experienced the joy of serving others.

Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace Gives Emergency Aid to Victims of Sichuan Earthquake
Rissho Kosei-kai's Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace executive committee announced that it was donating 3 million Japanese yen to repair damage in China's Sichuan province caused by the magnitude 8 earthquake that struck on May 12. On the afternoon of the 15th, Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees of Rissho Kosei-kai, visited the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo and presented the donation to Counselor Ma Jinsheng.

The Sichuan earthquake did extensive damage not only in that province but neighboring parts of western China. According to the Chinese government, it was confirmed that 40,075 people had been killed and 247,645 injured as of May 20. The total number of people dead or missing is estimated at more than 70,000. In the province's high, mountainous regions, roads near the epicenter have been blocked by landslides, delaying the arrival of rescue teams and hampering their efforts.

Meeting with Rev. Watanabe, Counselor Ma, who was born in Sichuan, described the devastation there and said, "According to Chinese tradition, whenever we meet difficulties, our friends never fail to come forward and help us. We deeply appreciate having received many kinds of aid from our neighbors, including Japan."

Rev. Watanabe explained the ideals and activities of the Donate-a-Meal Movement, which Rissho Kosei-kai has conducted for many years, and said, "I hope this aid will serve to ease the sufferings of the victims of the earthquake."

Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace Gives Aid to Victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar
On May 12 the executive committee of the Rissho Kosei-kai Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace, headed by Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the External Affairs Department of Rissho Kosei-kai, announced that it would donate 5 million Japanese yen for emergency relief of victims of the cyclone that struck southern and central Myanmar May 2-3.

The State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar, or the ruling junta, announced that some 28,000 people were dead and 33,000 missing. The United Nations estimated in its report that more than 1.5 million people were severely affected. In Bugale (Bogale), a town in the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) Division of southwest Myanmar, where the cyclone wreaked catastrophic destruction, 95 percent of the urban structures were devastated. Serious damage also was reported in other areas. Relief efforts were hampered by the junta's refusal to issues visas to many foreign aid workers from the United States and Europe as well as UN agencies, and by many roads being partially blocked by wrecked houses and fallen trees.

Taking that into consideration, the executive committee decided to entrust the funds to the Taiwan Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, whose volunteer aid workers were being allowed into Myanmar and had started distributing relief supplies. The donation from the Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace was to be used to boost support for efforts by the Tzu Chi Foundation.

The Tzu Chi Foundation was founded in 1966 by Ven. Dharma Master Cheng Yen, who was the twenty-fourth recipient of the Niwano Peace Prize in 2007.

Niwano Peace Foundation Holds 2008 Symposium in Kyoto Fumon Hall
On May 10, the Niwano Peace Foundation Symposium 2008 was held in Rissho Kosei-kai's Kyoto Fumon Hall, adjacent to the Kyoto Church. Some 300 people, including religionists, religious scholars, and ordinary citizens, took part.

In 2001 the foundation adopted the symposium's main theme, "Challenges Facing Religious People in the New Century." Under the special subtheme of 2008, "The Ethic of Human Solidarity---Bridging the Human Dignity Divide," the keynote lecture was given by the recipient of this year's 25th Niwano Peace Prize, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In his address, Prince Hassan described the world of the early 21st century as a world of conflict. He criticized huge military expenditures especially at a time when an increasing number of people are living in poverty. He expressed the hope that all human beings would cultivate mutual understanding in promoting human happiness and global cooperation on a foundation of shared spiritual and ethical values.

Prince Hassan then joined in a panel discussion, chaired by Bishop Gunnar Stalsett, bishop emeritus of Oslo of the Church of Norway as well as chairman of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee. The other panelists were Sister Shizue Hirota, regional coordinator of Japan Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz and a board member of the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, and Rev. Hitoshi Jin, executive director of the Japan Buddhist Council on Youth and Child Education (Zenseikyo Foundation). The panelists discussed the role of ordinary citizens and people of faith in building world peace, the effects of terrorism in many parts of the world, and the amendment of Article 9 of Japan's Peace Constitution proposed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, which would allow Japan to possess a military force for defense.

25th Niwano Peace Prize Awarded to Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan
On May 8 the Niwano Peace Foundation presented the 25th Niwano Peace Prize to Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. Some 200 people, including Mr. Samir Naouri, Jordan's ambassador to Japan, and representatives of Japan's political and religious circles, attended the ceremony.

The Niwano Peace Prize Committee honored Prince Hassan for his tireless interfaith advocacy and leadership in the promotion of peace based on his profound faith in Islam. He is the second Muslim recipient of the prize since the fifth prize in 1987, which was awarded to the World Muslim Congress.

At the presentation, Bishop Gunnar Stalsett, chairman of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee and bishop emeritus of Oslo of the Church of Norway, described the screening process for the prize. Rev. Nichiko Niwano, the foundation's president, presented a citation, a medal, and 20 million Japanese yen to Prince Hassan.

After an address by President Niwano, a congratulatory message from Mr. Kisaburo Tokai, Japan's minister of education, culture, sports, science, and technology was delivered by proxy. Then, Rev. Daijo Toyohara, chairman of the Japanese Association of Religious Organizations (JAORO) and the Japan Buddhist Federation, read out a message of congratulations. Prince Hassan then delivered his acceptance address, in which, warning against the world's widening economic disparities and the continuous loss of life in neverending armed conflicts in many parts of the world, he proposed the creation of a network of religious and other organizations to create a global dominion of peace based on humanitarianism.

Members See Results of Donate-a-Meal Movement
This year Rissho Kosei-kai initiated a new program as a part of the project of Rissho Kosei-kai Global Volunteers Leaders, one of the Buddhist organization's seven independent projects sponsored through its Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace. The new program is to organize participants to see firsthand the activities of joint projects Rissho Kosei-kai promotes overseas with other organizations, such as in Cambodia, East Timor, Vietnam, Pakistan, and India. The program aims to deepen their understanding of the spirit of the Donate-a-Meal Movement by on-site observation of such local activities and thus of the importance of promoting the movement. Rissho Kosei-kai also expects that the program will allow each participant to learn more about the various problems that our societies face and to find ways as an individual to promote global harmony.

From April 28 through May 5, a group of 10 members headed by Rev. Ryuichi Iwasaki, minister of the Takanabe Church, visited Cambodia. They toured sites where work is being carried out as part of the joint project Rissho Kosei-kai promotes with the Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), a Japanese NGO. They visited slums in Phnom Penh where the SVA operates a mobile library. They also toured the National Buddhist Institute of Cambodia, whose construction was completed in 2002, paid for in part by the Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace. They also visited one of the mass graves at Choeung Ek, where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the communist Khmer Rouge regime, and held a memorial service before a commemorative stupa there.

Another group of 15 members, headed by Rev. Takamasa Hirai, minister of the Setagaya Church, also visited East Timor at the same time. First they visited the Santa Cruz cemetery, where the Santa Cruz massacre was carried out in November 1991 by a group of Indonesian soldiers, and held a memorial service for the victims. They also toured four elementary schools in Dili, the regional capital, and the Aileu and Manatuto Administrative Districts, which are supported by UNICEF, which promotes a program to normalize education across the country.

Inter-Religious Council of Sri Lanka Inaugurated
Through a longstanding effort by the World Conference of Religions for Peace and religious leaders in Sri Lanka, the Inter-Religious Council of Sri Lanka (IRC-Sri Lanka) was set up as a regional council of Religions for Peace and held its inaugural ceremony at the governor's auditorium in the capital, Kandy, on April 28.

Thirteen leaders of Sri Lankan Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim organizations took part, as well as about 150 religious leaders from other countries, including the Most Ven. Tep Vong, great supreme patriarch of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Dr. M. Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second-largest Muslim organization in Indonesia. Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by Rev. Norio Sakai, former chair of the board of trustees, in his capacity as an international trustee of Religions for Peace.

At the ceremony, Dr. Jehan Perera of the National Peace Council in Sri Lanka made an address. Referring to the approximately 19 members of IRC-Sri Lanka, he expressed his hope for the council, saying that while Sri Lanka had seen many attempts at interreligious cooperation in the past, this could be the most important one, since the most senior prelates of four major religions in the country had pledged their participation. In his address, Rev. Sakai explained Rissho Kosei-kai's effort to support development of the country through the Donate-a-Meal Fund for Peace.

On May 2 in Colombo, the participants and delegates who had taken part in the inauguration met with Mr. Basil Rajapakse, a senior advisor to the president of Sri Lanka, and Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, a former prime minister and leader of the United National Party, to explain the reasons for establishing IRC-Sri Lanka and asked for their understanding and collaboration for the council's efforts for conflict resolution.

April

Third Buddhist- Christian Symposium Held at Focolare Headquarters in Italy
During April 27-30, the Third Buddhist-Christian Symposium took place in the Mariapoli Center at the headquarters of the Focolare Movement, a worldwide Catholic movement based in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Some 100 Buddhist and Christian representatives took part in the symposium. They included clerics and lay members of various Christian denominations and the Focolare Movement and non-Christians, including Theravada Buddhists from Thailand and adherents of Mahayana Buddhist traditions, such as the Tendai and Nichiren sects of Japanese Buddhism.

Rissho Kosei-kai was represented by President and Mrs. Nichiko Niwano; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, external affairs director; Dr. Michio T. Shinozaki, director of the Chuo Academic Research Institute; Rev. Keiko Yamao, minister of the Taito Church in Tokyo; and Rev. Munehiro Niwano, assistant professor at Rissho Kosei-kai Gakurin seminary.

At the opening ceremony on April 27, the participants offered prayers according to their own traditions. Led by Rev. Yamao, Rissho Kosei-kai participants prayed after adherents of the Theravada and Tendai traditions offered their prayers.

The opening address by Professor Giuseppe Zanghi, co-director of the Focolare's Center for Interreligious Dialogue, was followed by President Niwano's address.

In his address, President Niwano recalled the late Ms. Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, who died in March, and the late Ms. Natalia Dallapiccola, former co-responsible for the movement's Centre of Interreligious Dialogue, who died in April. He said, "By convening the Third Symposium at such a time as this, we are following the wishes of Chiara and Natalia that we should never flag in our efforts to bring love and compassion to the entire world."

The symposium was divided into three sessions. The first was introductory; the second addressed the theme "Buddhist Dharma in the Face of the Challenges of Our Contemporary Cultures"; and the theme of the third was "Buddhist Compassion in the Face of the Challenges of Contemporary Cultures."

At the third session, moderated by Dr. Shinozaki, Rev. Munehiro Niwano, husband of President-designate Kosho Niwano, delivered a speech titled "Compassion of the Buddha and the Ecological Issue--From the Viewpoint of the Lotus Sutra."

The series of Buddhist-Christian Symposiums, with the common theme of "The Dharma and Buddhist Compassion--Christian Agape," began in 2004 to seek beliefs common to both Buddhism and Christianity and to apply them in meeting the challenges of life today. The first symposium was held at the Mariapoli Center in Italy and the second at Rissho Kosei-kai's Osaka Church and Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei near Kyoto in 2006.

Rissho Kosei-kai Inaugurates Buddhist Center in North America
On April 8, Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America (RKINA) was inaugurated at its new office in Orange County, California. The 47 participants included invited guests, local residents and Rissho Kosei-kai International's director of overseas dissemination, Rev. Kotaro Suzuki. RKINA is a regional office of Rissho Kosei-kai International in Tokyo and will help the five Rissho Kosei-kai churches in North America--Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Oklahoma--spread the Buddhist teachings in North America and support dissemination work by the five other Rissho Kosei-kai churches.

In his opening remarks at the beginning of the ceremony, Rev. Suzuki said, "Inheriting Founder Nikkyo Niwano's wish for worldwide dissemination of the Lotus Sutra, we would like to continue our endeavors to support the activities of Rissho Kosei-kai churches in North America."

Chanting of the sutra was led by the RKINA's director, Rev. Shoko Mizutani. Then Rev. Ken Nagata, secretary and chief financial officer of RKINA, described its facilities and RKINA's future activities.

Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, founder and president of California Institute for Human Science and head priest of Tamamitsu Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, and Rev. James Fredericks, professor of theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, delivered congratulatory messages and encouragement for the future activities of RKINA.

Click here to visit Web site of Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America

Youth Department Supports Japan Program of Israeli Youth
During April 8-17, fifteen Jewish and Palestinian youths of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI) visited Japan and held a study session at the Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo. The ICCI is an Israeli nongovernmental organization (NGO) that serves as the Israeli chapter of Religions for Peace and is a member organization of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). The ICCI had held six previous study sessions since last April, mainly in Israel, under the theme "Between Memory and Reconciliation: Individual Identity, Collective Memory and Narrative Implication for Conflict Transformation." The final session in Japan was called the Japan Program.

On April 9, the ICCI group heard a lecture on Buddhism and Rissho Kosei-kai's history and activities at Rissho Kosei-kai's Administration Building. They also had a cordial talk with Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of Rissho Kosei-kai's board of trustees. Rev. Watanabe discussed Rissho Kosei-kai's founder, Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, and his efforts for world peace through interreligious dialogue and cooperation. He mentioned that the Niwano Peace Foundation, affiliated with Rissho Kosei-kai, has awarded the Niwano Peace Prize to one individual and two organizations in Israel for their contributions to world peace: Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (1993), Rev. Elias Chacour (2001), and Rabbis for Human Rights (2006). Rev. Watanabe encouraged the youths to study ways of reconciliation reflected in Japan's culture and history, including, for example, the practice of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. He said, "Everything in this world arises from a combination of causes and conditions. We can comprehend that these represent the manifestation of truth, and therefore they inevitably lead us as Buddhists to revere everything we encounter by clasping our hands in prayer and bowing our heads."

On April 11, the ICCI group visited the Diet, or house of parliament, where they met some of its members, and the Israeli Embassy to confer with diplomats. On the 12th they heard a lecture on Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra by Rev. Michio T. Shinozaki, director of the Chuo Academic Research Institute, affiliated with Rissho Kosei-kai.

IBC Holds International Hanamatsuri
On April 13 an International Hanamatsuri (flower festival) was sponsored by the International Buddhist Congregation (IBC) of Rissho Kosei-kai at Rissho Kosei-kai's former headquarters within the current headquarters complex in Tokyo. Some 300 foreign residents of Japan from 19 countries took part. The fifteen guests of honor included the Indian ambassador, Mr. Hemant Krishan Singh; the Cambodian ambassador, Mr. Pou Sothirak; and the Myanmar ambassador, Mr. U Hla Myint.

The ceremony in the former headquarters' main hall opened with an offering of lighted candles and flowers to an image of the Buddha by 17 IBC youth members, followed by an offering of words of praise for the Buddha by some of its juvenile members. Rev. Yoshihiro Ono, head of the IBC, then led recitation of the Lotus Sutra in English. After that Dr. Brook Ziporyn, an associate professor at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, in the United States, gave a lecture titled "The Buddha's Eternal Life." This was followed by music played by a woodwind quintet of members of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

Finally Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of the board of trustees of Rissho Kosei-kai, gave the closing address. He expressed the wish that all people in the world will find happiness in embodying the Buddha's teachings.

After the ceremony, the participants moved to the Kosei Library nearby, where they saw such expressions of traditional Japanese culture as a koto performance, a tea ceremony, and flower arrangement.

Rissho Kosei-kai Mission Visits Philippines for Bataan Day
Seven Rissho Kosei-kai members, led by Rev. Yasunori Kobayashi, director of Chubu-Hokuriku Area, visited the Philippines April 6-10 to hold memorial services for the dead of