President Niwano Confers with Australian Anglican Pastor
The retired Australian Anglican pastor Rev. George Mullins and Mrs. Mullins visited Rissho Kosei-kai on September 1 and had an informal talk with President Nichiko Niwano and in a conference room of the Great Sacred Hall at the headquarters in Tokyo. Also present were the president's wife, Mrs. Niwano; Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the General Affairs Bureau; and Rev. Teruo Saito, director of the South Asia Division.
Rev. Mullins and Rissho Kosei-kai have enjoyed friendly relations since his first visit to the headquarters in 1968. He taught at Rissho Kosei-kai's Gakurin seminary in 1976, and later welcomed Gakurin seminarians and other young Rissho Kosei-kai members, including Takeshi Kawabata, to his home when they were in Australia for study. In 1971 he wrote a doctoral thesis on Rissho Kosei-kai from a Christian viewpoint, and it was published as a book, Raising Up Bodhisattvas in the Modern Age, in 2002.
At the meeting on September 1, Rev. Mullins recalled Rev. Kawabata's visit to Australia and referred to the Dharma talk delivered that morning by President Niwano at the service in the Great Sacred Hall. He said it strongly reminded him of Founder Nikkyo Niwano's emphasis on religious practice over theory.
In reply, President Niwano thanked Rev. Mullins for his 40-year friendship with Rissho Kosei-kai and said he looked forward to many more years of deepening ties.
