Today's topic is three fold, namely sanboin, Founder Niwano and IBC.

　First is sanboin

　First is sanboin. Some or even many of you may already be familiar with these three great truths taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, as Founder Niwano explains them in his book, Buddhism for Today. The Three Marks of the Dharma (then called “The Seal of the Three Laws”) are: "All things are impermanent,"(shogyo mujo), "Nothing has an ego" (shoho muga) and "Nirvana is quiescence" (nehan jakujo).

Shogyo means all phenomena or things in this world and mujo means "impermanent"; that is,　nothing exists in a fixed, unchanging form--in short, "All things change." Therefore, the teaching of shogyo mujo is that everything in this world is always changing.

The teaching that "nothing has an ego" involves the idea that all things in this world, without exception, are related to one another. There is nothing that exists in complete isolation, wholly separated from other things. In other words, all things are interdependent.

The teaching that nirvana is quiescence is the third of these three fundamental principles of Buddhism. It tells us that we can completely extinguish human suffering and obtain peace and serenity when we destroy our illusions. How can we reach this state? The only way is to grasp the two teachings "All things are impermanent" and "Nothing has an ego."

With these brief explanations given to us by Founder Niwano in mind, when we think of what he himself has done, we can find examples from his life from which we can learn for our own lives.

All things are impermanent, shogyo mujo

To illustrate the first principle, shogyo mujo, all things are impermanent, let me tell a story about Rissho Kosei-kai's first independent structure. On November 5, 1941, shortly before the outbreak of the Pacific War, the building of a training hall was proposed to the members.

Only three days later, foundation work and land purification rites took place. Volunteer work got the ground-breaking under way, but collecting money for the costs of construction was another matter. Though there were a few large donations, many members could make offerings of only five or ten yen--and that by extraordinary effort, managing to save out of their meager incomes.

On December 8, carpenters and other construction workers began to work on the building. Some of the items needed for construction, such as cement, were already being rationed by the national government. Rev. Niwano later recalled the difficulties involved. Hurrying to collect the needed cement, he would borrow from others who had already received their supply--promising to replace their cement when he received his own share. That took longer than anticipated, however, and he found himself repeatedly having to apologize for the delays in making the replacements.

On December 20, a ceremony was held to mark the completion of the structure's framework. By the time this very first Rissho Kosei-kai facility was completed, it was already well into the next year--May 7, 1942.

The very first training hall--only 25 tsubo (less than 900 square feet) in size--was finished with member donations of only 16,000 yen. The founder told the following story: "In my sermon at the completion ceremony, I said, 'I am not satisfied with such a small facility as this.' The members gathered there complained about my ambition, saying, 'We have already given all we can; we just can't do any more.' I was even urged to apologize for asking so much of them.
But I did not. I believed that the Dharma is of supreme importance, so I was determined that we would not remain in a headquarters facility of only 25 tsubo." War had just begun, and Japan's future was quite uncertain.

Members at that time surely could never have imagined the present Rissho Kosei-kai, developed decades later. Yet even then Rev. Niwano was unswervingly confident about the future--when the Dharma would shine in every direction.
Today, the total number of congregational buildings in Japan is 600, and overseas there are 17. The main facilities around the headquarters in Tokyo include 41 buildings.

In the passage about shogyo mujo in Buddhism for Today, the founder writes, "When we understand in this positive way the law that all things are impermanent, we realize how great is our power as human beings; and finally, we clearly understand why man must live in such a way as steadily to grow and improve." The founder's positive, forward looking posture shown in this story about the first Rissho Kosei-kai building vividly reflects that things may change for the better, particularly through the belief that the Lotus Sutra will shine its light widely, impressing people everywhere.

In 1952 that very first headquarters was moved and reconstructed as the chapel for Kosei Cemetery. Even after construction of a new chapel, decades later, the original one still stands on the cemetery grounds.

Nothing has an ego, shoho muga

The second teaching of the three marks of the dharma, shoho muga, nothing has an ego, is also related to a building.
With the growth of the organization, from time to time, Founder Niwano went to Kyoto for meetings, such as for meetings of WCRP, Shinshuren (The Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan) and the Brighter Society Movement as well as for dissemination tours. Near the hotel where he stayed in Kyoto in those days was a Japanese noodle shop only several minutes away on foot.

On days when he did not have a tight schedule, he walked with aides and reporters to the noodle shop for lunch wearing a Japanese kimono. The manager of the shop said that at first he thought Rev. Niwano was something like a manager of a big kimono store. He was curious about Rev. Niwano's behavior and about what he was talking about with people.
Gradually he was attracted by Rev. Niwano's frank, jovial and warm personality and began talking with him.

After a while, when RKK's Kyoto church needed a bigger building for the congregation, just by accident some of the people concerned about this found a possible site just across the street from this noodle shop.

In Kyoto, there was an expression (gosen kaji) meaning 5000 temples. Kyoto is much smaller than Tokyo.
This expression meant that there were 5000 Buddhist temples there, as well, of course, as other religious facilities such as Christian churches and Shinto shrines. Around the site there were local people who were for and against the plan of this new religion, RKK, to put up a building. When land owners and residents around the site gathered together, opinions about the construction were both pro and con.

And it is said that the noodle shop manager made quite an effort to persuade those who were not happy about the construction, helpfully explaining Rev. Niwano's personality and features of RKK. When the new Kyoto church building and Kyoto Fumon Hall attached to it were completed the total floor space was 11,264 square meters (3403 tsubo or over 121,000 square feet.) It was 136 times the size of the first RKK building.

At the completion ceremony many prominent figures in Kyoto from various religions and other fields attended and congratulated us. That building has also been used for international interfaith gatherings. Local religious leaders say that the central focus of worship, the go-honzon, of RKK is Shakyamuni Buddha, and thus that no Buddhist would feel any hesitation about going there. They also know that RKK, led by Founder Niwano, is always sincere in its promotion inter-religious cooperation. And anyone can see that members who welcome visiting religious people always serve them wholeheartedly regardless of difference of faiths.

The founder's attitude toward others was always the same. For him, there was no difference at all between the unknown noodle shop manager and a great religious leader. He was always friendly, warm and sincere.

In the process of constructing the new Kyoto church building, many members met many people for the first time and made an effort to widen good relationships following the teaching of the founder. The story of the founder and the noodle shop manager is an example of how invisible human relationship can extend widely and deeply, like the meshes of nets. We can easily realize how closely the people of the same area and country are linked to one another.

The IBC

　Now, I would like to turn to the third topic, the IBC.
　During the founding period of RKK, not many members had telephones at home. When someone　in the family became ill or some other difficult problem arose suddenly, they sent a telegram to 　the founder asking him to come.
Rev. Niwano hurried to the house with the Co-founder, Mrs. Naganuma, to give guidance and care, teaching the Dharma.
In the early period, after the birth of the Youth Division, when some member was absent for a few days, I visited them at home to give attention and care.

Decades later it became common for leaders of churches to use the telephone to be in touch with the members, both for convenience and so as not to disturb people’s privacy.

These days, however, the still more convenient internet is useful in various ways. We can communicate with someone at any time through email regardless of time and distance. Here we can see both shogyo-mujo and shoho-muga, both impermanence and absence of ego. The change of the methods for staying in touch with members is an example of everything changing. Being able to contact people freely regardless of geographical distance can be said to demonstrate our inter-relatedness. It is an example of the remarkable spread of inter-dependence among human beings.

Personally, I feel there are many virtues to email exchanges. Tedori, giving attention and care to guiding others through repeated email messages seems rather helpful for encouraging others. In return, I receive useful information not only about the main topic of the messages but also about a wide variety of other matters as well.

The RKK San Francisco list server, where people can post messages to the group, is another example of a new method of sharing information, opinions and ideas in much wider spheres. Sometimes it even functions as a kind ofinternet hoza. It covers not only individual matters but also common issues of society, both national and international, even issues in common to human beings. Questions and answers can also be used to give guidance through the internet.
The internet may help promote mutual understanding of cultures other than one’s own.

This seems deeply related to the principle of interdependence. Members are accustomed to benefiting from satellitebroadcasts from headquarters. Rapid advances in technology have already made it possible for some religious organizations to use the internet as a tool to directly connect the headquarters and their members. It is said to be good for reducing expenses as well. TV conferencing systems can be used to reduce business trips, saving money and time. President Niwano's speech at the UUA General Assembly last June was produced as part of a 4 hour broadcast on the home page of the UUA with both video and voice. Needless to say, traditional ways of dissemination, such as holding group worship the headquarters, visiting member’s homes and making phone calls are to be maintained. But, with the change of an era, utilization of modern tools, depending, of course, on needs and occasions, should be seriously explored.

Nirvana is quiescence, nehan jakujo

Finally, the third fundamental principle, "Nirvana is quiescence." In Buddhism for Today Founder Niwano first explains that the word “nirvana” has long been misunderstood by many people as being synonymous with death. The words "Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana" were used to refer to the death of the Buddha. But, he continued, in the true sense of the Sanskrit word, “nirvana” means the state attained by completely destroying all illusions and of never again being tempted by them. Therefore the words "Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana" mean not his death but his awakening. President Nichiko Niwano said at the Founder's entrance into nirvana that he had "become one with the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni." He also said, as I quoted here last month, "Whenever we have faith in the Buddha and put that faith into practice, that is when the Founder is together with us in our minds."

The doctrine that "Nirvana is quiescence" teaches us that we can completely extinguish all the suffering of human life and obtain peace and serenity when we destroy all illusions. How can we reach this state? The only way is to understand deeply the two teachings, "All things are impermanent" and " Nothing has an ego". What we learn from the examples from Founder Niwano’s life will be, I think, to pursue our goal in a positive and forward looking way. One present goal is the Global Sangha gathering planned for 2006. I am reminded that the titles of the two memorial books for Founder Niwano were in words he left for us, "itai doshin," many in body but one in spirit, and "hashu kyoko," walk together, hand in hand.

Today, I talked about sanboin, Founder Niwano and IBC. But this might also be sanboin, Founder Niwano
and the Global Sangha.