The discussion of Chapter 16 is divided into two parts for the RKINA 201 course. In the first portion, Nikkyō Niwano focuses on the fundamentals of Buddhism that are essential to understanding the eternal life of the Buddha revealed in the chapter. I’ve set some items aside in a separate page, Fundamentals of Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra.
Today I want to focus on Nikkyō Niwano’s explanation of “What is Religion.”
Buddhism for Today, p199-200What in fact is religion? We must consider religion from its very origin. In all periods men have felt fear of things more powerful than they. In the course of time, their fears changed to feelings of worship and awe.
Primitive man feared the moon and stars, not to mention the sun. They had the same feeling toward the snow-capped mountains soaring above them, the great rivers that sometimes flow quietly and at other times overflow their banks and cause heavy floods that ravage the land, and the boundless ocean stretching to the horizon. They revered birds because of their wonderful ability to fly and stood in awe of powerful beasts like elephants and lions. Man’s fear of natural things changed gradually to the feeling of awe and finally to that of worship of such forces and beings as gods. This kind of faith is called nature worship or animism.
Next, people came to believe that in the heavens and in the air there were spirits that had such supernatural power that human beings could not control them. These spirits were not characterized by love and compassion but only by the possession of power. Therefore people were afraid of being cursed by these forces unless they worshiped and propitiated them. They believed these spirits could both cause and prevent such calamities as diseases, bad harvests, storms, and rough seas. They trembled in fear of these spirits and worshiped them, praying to be spared misfortune and granted blessings. This kind of faith is called spirit worship.
Primitive man believed that such spirits dwelt within physical things either temporarily or permanently. This abode might be a nonliving thing, such as a stone, a feather, or an implement, or it might be a great tree, an animal or bird, or even a human being. They regarded these things as protecting them, their families, and their villages from harm, and they worshiped them earnestly. This kind of faith is called fetishism. Some primitive men considered a specific animal, plant, or nonliving thing as their ancestor. They worshiped it to be spared harm and to obtain happiness. Such a faith is called totemism.
A more advanced form of religion than the above is primitive pantheism, whose believers regard everything in the universe as god. There is also a primitive monotheism, which proclaims that one and only one god exists in this world and presides over all things, including good and evil, in this world.
These religions remain at so low a stage of spiritual development that modern people consider them mere superstitious beliefs. This is because they establish something as an absolute, to be worshiped and prayed to, although religion should be originally related to man. It is odd to worship such an animal, plant, or nonliving thing and pray to it. Such things should not be worshiped and prayed to but should be freely put to practical use by people for the promotion of their happiness.
One of the aspects of Rissho Kosei-Kai philosophy that I’m constantly struggling with is the theory that all religions can be said to lead to the same place, the Summit of Truth. See this discussion on Chanting Namu Amida Butsu.
Nikkyō Niwano’s definition of religion would appear to undercut that idea, relegating all other religions to the status “superstitious beliefs.”
What then should we depend upon in living our lives? Nikkyō Niwano’s offers this:
Buddhism for Today, p204-206We must here remember the Buddha’s teaching “Make the self your light, make the Law your light” (Ji-tōmyō, hō-tōmyō), the words Śākyamuni spoke to Ānanda, one of his ten great disciples, before dying. Ānanda felt anxious, reflecting, “When the World-honored One, who is an unparalleled leader and teacher, dies, who on earth should we depend upon in our practice and life?” In response to Ānanda’s anxiety, the Buddha taught him as follows: “Ānanda! In the future, you should make yourself your light and depend upon your own self. You must not depend upon other people. You should also make the Law your light and depend upon the Law. You must not depend upon others.”
There is no better teaching than this to sum up the essence of a right religion in a few words. The Buddha first taught, “You can depend upon your own self.” When we depend upon other people, we do not know what to do if we are forsaken by them or if they disappear. Therefore, the Buddha admonished us to depend upon ourselves and walk the Way through our own efforts. But what should we depend upon in living our lives? The Buddha taught that this is nothing other than the Law, namely, the truth, and that we must not depend absolutely upon others. Here the word “others” means “gods,” beings who are considered to exist outside ourselves and to be our masters. The Buddha taught emphatically that we must not depend upon such gods but only upon the Law, the truth. …
Through this teaching, we understand that what we depend on, the Law, exists both within and outside us. It is the truth that permeates the entire universe, not establishing a distinction between inside and outside. …
A person who feels the word “truth” to be somewhat cold and abstract can replace it with the term “the great life,” which makes everything in this world exist and live. When we are firmly aware in the depths of our mind that we are given life by this great life that permeates the universe, we can obtain the true mental peace that is not disturbed by anything. …
Our awareness of being caused to live is our true salvation. Our absolute devotion to the truth that imparts life to us, so that we utter “Namu” in our hearts, must be said to be the highest reach of faith. Namu comes from the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word llamas, and means to take refuge in the Law wholeheartedly, with utter faith and trust. The state of religious exaltation in which we feel inexpressible gratitude to and joy in the Law is also included in the word namu. We do not worship a thing, a person, a spirit, or a god existing outside ourselves, but devote ourselves to the Law, which causes us to live and unites us with it—this is the purest and the supreme faith. Uttering the sacred title Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō is the expression of our practice of taking refuge in the Law with our entire heart and mind. No form of religion is purer than this; this is the highest form of religion.
Earlier in the chapter Nikkyō Niwano wrote:
Śākyamuni Buddha did not regard this universe as God’s creation or his conquest, but as resulting from the relation of cause and effect by which all phenomena are produced.
I have great difficulty resolving that statement with “we are given life by this great life that permeates the universe.” I prefer the liberation found in the Seal of the Three Laws.
My wife often complains that I overedit. I’m constantly nit-picking and quibbling. After 32 years of marriage I suppose she has a foundation for her perception.