Rissho Kosei Kai
Encyclopedia
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Buddhism in Japan
The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the Nara period , the Heian period and the post-Heian period . Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools...
lay movement founded in 1938 by Nikkyo Niwano
Nikkyo Niwano
was one of the founders and first president of the Buddhist organization, Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:Born on November 15, 1906 to farmers, Nikkyō had a humble life in a small town. Later in his youth he moved to Tokyo to work and it was here that he began to study several different religions....
and Myoko Naganuma
Myoko Naganuma
was the co-founder and first vice-president of the Buddhist religious sect Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:She was born as Masa Naganuma on December 25, 1889 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. At the age of sixteen she was adopted by her older sister, but soon left for Tokyo. In Tokyo she found work as a...
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History
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Nikkyo Niwano
was one of the founders and first president of the Buddhist organization, Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:Born on November 15, 1906 to farmers, Nikkyō had a humble life in a small town. Later in his youth he moved to Tokyo to work and it was here that he began to study several different religions....
and Myoko Naganuma
Myoko Naganuma
was the co-founder and first vice-president of the Buddhist religious sect Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:She was born as Masa Naganuma on December 25, 1889 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. At the age of sixteen she was adopted by her older sister, but soon left for Tokyo. In Tokyo she found work as a...
, both former members of the Buddhist sect Reiyūkai
Reiyukai
is an organization founded in 1920 by Kakutarō Kubo and Kimi Kotani. It is a lay organization—meaning that there are no priests—associated with Nichiren Buddhism...
. Rev. Niwano met Ms. Naganuma while he was engaged in missionary work with Reiyukai and the two became close friends. In 1938 they attended a Reiyukai meeting in which its president made remarks that lectures and study of the Lotus Sutra were out of date. After hearing this and consulting with each other, they determined that they could not support such ideas and left Reiyukai. It was then that they decided to form a new organization. The first meeting was held at Mr. Niwano's house and some 30 people joined at that time.
The organization grew quickly and by 1941 membership had reach 1,000. No longer able to meet at Rev. Niwano's house, construction on a new headquarters began. However, as membership continued to grow the new headquarters also became too small and work on the Great Sacred Hall began in the late 1950s'. Myoko Naganuma, who had been serving as Vice-President, died before the Great Sacred Hall was completed, dying on September 10, 1957. Seven years later it would be completed.
It was also during this time that Rissho Kosei-kai began to become active in interfaith co-operation. Nikkyo Niwano had a private audience with Pope Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council in 1965 and later attended the 20th world congress of the IARF in 1969. In 1970 Rev. Niwano helped to form the World Conference of Religions for Peace and became a leader of the WCRP.
In 1991 Nikkyo Niwano stepped down as President and his son, Nichiko Niwano, who had been appointed successor and was at that time serving as Vice President, took over as President in a special ceremony. Nichiko Niwano had been designated his successor in 1960. In 1994, Nichiko's eldest daughter, Mitsuyo Niwano, was made Vice President and designated successor. She was given the Buddhist name Kosho by her father and grandfather and is known to members as “Kosho-sama” with “Sama” being an honorary title.
Nikkyo Niwano continued to engage in interfaith activities and participate in Rissho Kosei-kai activities even though he handed over the presidency in 1991. He died on October 4, 1999.
In 2008 Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America was established due to growth of interest in the group in America and Canada and in the summer of 2009 the United States celebrated 50 years, holding a gathering in Las Vegas, Nevada, which President Niwano attended.
As of 2010 there are over 240 churches and centers in 20 countries. Membership currently stands at 6.5 million members , with the majority living in Japan.
Government Structure
Rissho Kosei-kai is run, both religiously and administratively, by a board of directors, with the Chairman being the head. The office of the President is the highest spiritual office, therefore the President is the chief spiritual leader and master of ceremony. The duties of the President include visiting churches and centers, representing Rissho Kosei-kai at interfaith and cultural events, giving sermons, speeches and greeting guests. In this regard, the office of president holds much importance and the President plays an active role in how the church is run. However, it is the board of directors that holds the final say on all matters.Characteristics
Rissho Kosei-kai teaches that its two main characteristics are:
1. Rissho Kosei-kai is a Buddhist organization in direct line of descent from Shakyamuni Buddha. Rev. Nikkyo Niwano discerned the principle of peace and liberation and established Rissho Kosei-kai on that basis.
2. Rissho Kosei-kai emphasizes the practical application of the teachings. Members of Rissho Kosei-kai, with faith in the Buddha, apply his teachings in their daily lives. They recite the sutra mornings and evenings, strive to learn the teachings at local churches through hoza counseling sessions and doctrinal lectures, as well as significant events and ceremonies, and guide other people to the faith by sharing the teachings and their experiences., Taken from their website.
Basic Teachings
Rissho Kosei-kai places a strong emphasis on studying the Lotus Sutra and the Buddha's teachings. They affirm the basic teachings of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Three Seals of the Law, among their core teachings . The Threefold Lotus Sutra is the groups chief scripture. It is viewed as containing the highest teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.The Buddha and the Dharma
Adherents believe that Shakyamuni Buddha was the first human to be awakened to the Dharma, which is believed to be an invisible entity that sustains, guides and improves the lives of all living things . They refer to this life force as the Eternal Buddha, teaching that it is omnipresent and universal.Daily Practice
Members begin and end each day by chanting parts of the Lotus Sutra and saying various prayers and vows before family altars in their home . The center of the altar is the Focus of Devotion, either a scroll which an image of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni on it or a small statue of the Eternal Buddha. Members leave offerings of rice, water and tea before the imageHolidays
Rissho Kosei-kai observes various Buddhist holidays, including Nirvana Day, Buddha's Birthday and Bodhi Day. They also have special gatherings to mark important events in the organizations history, such as memorial services for the Founder and Co-Founder and the Anniversary of the Founding of Rissho Kosei-kai .Interfaith and Peace Activities
Since its founding, Rissho Kosei-kai has sought to cooperate with other religions and work with the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and a variety of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Interfaith Co-operation
Nikkyo Niwano was one of the founders of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. Since the founding of the WCRP in 1970, Rissho Kosei-kai has been actively involved with the organization and currently President Nichiko Niwano is a president of the WCRP .In 1981 Nikkyo Niwano was elected as the President of the International Association for Religious Freedom
International Association for Religious Freedom
The International Association for Religious Freedom is a charitable organization that works for religious freedom around the world. It was founded in Boston in 1900 and is the oldest international interfaith group....
and in 1984 hosted the IARF at the Great Sacred Hall.
Nichiko Niwano is currently the President of the Japanese branch of the WRCP and Chairman of Shinshuren. The organization is also involved with the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace and maintains close ties to the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
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UNICEF and the United Nations
Rissho Kosei-kai has supported UNICEF since 1979 and members regularly participate in campaign activities related to UNICEF. It has also supported and participated in a number of UN programs, including the second Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament held in 1982.Humanitarian Projects
Rissho Kosei-kai engages in numerous campaigns to end hunger and poverty, support the environment and work for peace. In the late 1960s, Rissho Kosei-kai began to advocate the Brighter Society Movement, a public-spirited undertaking through which the local churches of Rissho Kosei-kai cooperate with local governments, welfare organizations, and volunteer groups throughout Japan .In 1974 it launched the Donate a Meal Movement in which one skips a meal twice a month and contribute the money saved to the Movement. During the last thirty years over 11 billion yen has been donated in Japan and thousands more worldwide to this Movement.
There is also the Little Bags of Dreams Campaign started in 1999 in which local churches have the youth members prepare cloth bags full of toys, small gifts and cards with well wishes, for children in war torn nations. Children in Northern Ireland, Palestine and the former Yugoslavia.
The Niwano Peace Foundation was established in 1978 to promote research for world peace and religious, cultural, scientific and educational endeavors . Starting in 1983, with the exception of 1988, it has on a yearly basis given out the Niwano Peace Prize
Niwano Peace Prize
Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those who are devoting themselves to interreligious cooperation in the cause of peace,and to make their achievements known...
to an individual or organization that contributes to world peace.
Music
Rissho Kosei Kai is world-renowned in the field of music for its generous support of several leading professional music ensembles, most notably the Tokyo Kosei Wind OrchestraTokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra
The is a professional concert band that has long been regarded as one of the world's finest, perhaps rivaled only in recent years by the Dallas Wind Symphony ....
. Its facilities are also used to host the world's largest music competition, the All-Japan Band Association
All-Japan Band Association
The All Japan Band Association is an organization that exists solely for the purpose of facilitating an enormous annual music competition among Japanese wind bands...
national band contest.
Criticisms
Detractors have alleged that it is too strongly linked to JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
and that it supported Japanese militarist elements in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This charge is dubious at best, since Rissho Kosei-kai suffered severe religious restrictions under the Japanese regime in power during that conflict. There is also criticism, specifically Buddhist in nature, concerning its practice of fortune telling and ancestor worship. Members memorialize their ancestors (their names are kept in a death register, or a kakocho, which is kept on their home altars), but this practice is extremely common among Japanese Buddhists of many sects. Critics also see the massive estate left by Niwano as a sign of un-Buddhist materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
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