April 2010

President Niwano Welcomes Buddhist Monks from Bangladesh

On April 8, a group of Bangladeshi Buddhist monks visited Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo and met President Nichiko Niwano in the Great Sacred Hall. Rev. Takeshi Kawabata, director of the General Affairs Bureau, and Rev. Kotaro Suzuki, director of Rissho Kosei-kai International, also attended the meeting.

The Bangladeshi group consisted of ten Theravadin monks, including Ven. Sreemath Satyapriya Mahathara, chairman of the Bangladesh Sangharaja Bhikkhu Council; Ven. Priya Ratna, secretary-general of Ariyabangsha Bhikkhu Sangstha; and Ven. Sunanda Priya, joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Buddhist Federation.

Ven. Sunanda Priya praised Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, and expressed his hope to help spread the Buddha's teachings throughout the world, applying what he has learned from Rissho Kosei-kai, and said he prayed for Rissho Kosei-kai's further dissemination of the teachings. In reply, President Niwano expressed appreciation for the monks' visit and said that they must be proud of their country's long Buddhist tradition. He said he hoped they would welcome a younger association like Rissho Kosei-kai sharing their organizations' mission of spreading the Buddha's teachings worldwide.

The Bangladesh Dharma Center has enjoyed cordial relations with the Bangladesh Buddhist Federation, and Ven. Priya Ratna has a deep understanding of Rissho Kosei-kai. The monks' visit to Rissho Kosei-kai in Tokyo was arranged by Rev. Noriyuki Aritomi, minister of the Bangladesh Dharma Center. During their April 4-10 visit they made a brief study tour of Rissho Kosei-kai facilities. After visiting the headquarters, they traveled to Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan to visit Founder Niwano's birthplace at Suganuma, Tokamachi City.

[back to News Archive]