by Masuo Nezu

These are personal reminiscences about the late founder Rev. Nikkyo Niwano from his former chief secretary, Masuo Nezu, now in retirement. During his years of service, the writer accompanied Rev. Niwano on dissemination tours, interreligious cooperation activities, and peace promotion work, both in Japan and overseas. This series recalls not only heartwarming episodes from the founder's everyday life, but also the spiritual insights derived from his words and deeds.

43

"Step forward with high hopes"

Rissho Kosei-kai's Youth Division was born on August 28, 1949. In the subsequent two years, the organization's daily report for January 3 noted that the New Year Gathering of the Youth Division was held at the Kosei Nursery School (now known as Ikuseikan). Both Founder Nikkyo Niwano and Cofounder Myoko Naganuma were present and delivered New Year messages to the young members attending.

On the last day of 1950, after taking part in the general year-end cleaning of Rissho Kosei-kai's headquarters facilities, I went to a friend's home. Since I had guided him to join the organization, I visited his parents' house to attend the installation ceremony of the focus of devotion for ancestor veneration in their home Buddhist altar. On January 3 of the new year I rushed to his home again, early in the morning, and shoved him out of bed to wake him from a deep sleep. We hurried together to the headquarters. At least that is how I remember my first attendance at a New Year Youth Gathering. That morning, sermons were delivered by Founder Niwano and Cofounder Naganuma, and in the afternoon impromptu entertainment was offered by Youth Division members.

In 1952, because of the growth in membership, the venue of the New Year Gathering was changed to the main worship hall in the headquarters at that time. Although it rained that day, luck was with us. "The rain is a special arrangement by the Buddha to allow us to spend the whole day with the Youth Division," Founder Niwano told us. Then he and Mrs. Naganuma changed their schedules for the day so that instead of visiting branch churches in the afternoon, they stayed with us at the New Year Gathering until late in the day.

"You young people," the founder urged, "should step forward with high hopes--with a mind actively seeking the Dharma." He continued, "Believe in the absolute, supreme Dharma and practice it earnestly."

On May 1, 1954, young women members attend a tea ceremony held at Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo.

For almost an hour Rev. Niwano instructed the youths and expressed his great expectations in them--all the while praising and encouraging them. Mrs. Naganuma offered guidance as well, saying that from that year she planned to have classes for the girls in sewing, conducting the tea ceremony, and Japanese flower arranging, all of which at that time were abilities that young Japanese girls of good families were expected to have. She also announced plans to set up a baseball team for the boys.

As more than a decade had passed since the founding of Rissho Kosei-kai, this was a time when the organization was mainly concerned with religious practice, so these prospects of special youth activities were both surprising and regarded as a welcome New Year's gift.

The founder and cofounder had stayed up late the previous night to create amusing lottery games for the hundreds of young people to play. With funny trinkets as prizes, each with a message attached making a significant connection between the Dharma and the novelty, the result was that some participants were delighted, while others were less elated. There was plenty of happy laughter among them all that afternoon, however.

The baseball team was started in the spring of 1952, and in a friendship tournament featuring the member groups of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations in Japan) the Rissho Kosei-kai team took second place for the year. One after the other, classes were started in the tea ceremony, flower arranging, and sewing. In 1953 the New Year Gathering of the Youth Division took place in a much larger facility--the Second Training Hall. More than a thousand members attended, including many from local churches in various parts of Japan.

In the early 1950s, shortly after the founding of the Youth Division, Rissho Kosei-kai members had sought the Dharma without a halt from the beginning to the end of the year. New Year's Day thus marked the "first worship" of the year at the organization's headquarters. On January 2 a New Year Ceremony took place in which the founder and cofounder delivered their first sermons of the year.

On the third, the New Year Gathering took place, and then from the fourth on, the first hoza counseling sessions were held and continued throughout the rest of the year. In later years the New Year Ceremony that had been held on January 2 was included in the first memorial service on January 5, so the New Year Gathering of the Youth Division on January 3 became the first official Rissho Kosei-kai event of each year. In it, representatives from both the Men's and Women's Groups of the Youth Division delivered religious testimony at that time.

During those annual New Year Gatherings Rev. Niwano not only delivered a sermon, but also held a question-and-answer session in which he instructed the young people about various topics and issues. Hoping to receive more direct instruction, some of the young members asked him to conduct seminars on doctrine. So it was the Youth Division that first received that opportunity, with the beginning of Rissho Kosei-kai's Age of the Manifestation of the Truth (1958--77). On April 9, 1958 the first doctrinal lecture meeting was held for Youth Division leaders. In March of that year the Youth Members' Vow was adopted, and within a few years it became the Members' Vow and from then on was chanted by everyone belonging to Rissho Kosei-kai.