2021/12/05

** Buddhism for Today: Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra: Nikkyo Niwano

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Buddhism for Today: A Modern Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra: Nikkyo Niwano
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Buddhism for Today: A Modern Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra Paperback – December 15, 1989
by Nikkyo Niwano (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars    13 ratings
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from AUD 22.70 
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This concise, readily understandable book is designed as a guide to one of the supreme scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism: the Threefold Lotus Sutra. 

The first publication of the complete sutra in English (Kosei, 1975) was widely acclaimed, and an ever-growing audience has been created for what is certainly among the greatest of the world's religious documents.

 Like the Bible and the Koran, however, the Threefold Lotus Sutra requires explanation by a gifted teacher, and it is for this reason that Niwano has written this guide. Giving careful consideration to the relationships among the thirty-two chapters of the sutra, he not only outlines the contents but also explains the major points.
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504 pages
Language
English
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Bunno Kato
4.6 out of 5 stars 40
Paperback
36 offers from AUD 6.04
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Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
About the Author
Nikkyo Niwano, well-known author of such works on Buddhism as Shakyamuni Buddha and Buddhism for Today and winner of the 1979 Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion, is the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, a lay Buddhist organization that numbers well over six million members throughout the world.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kosei Publishing Company; Fourth Printing edition (December 15, 1989)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
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Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars    13 ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
Threefold Lotus Kwoon
2.0 out of 5 stars same old religion problem
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
As a 40 plus year monk, I am so tired of the anglicised transliteration of Buddhism as a variation on the "faith and believe" model of Christianity and others applied to the Buddha's teaching and scholarship. It is appalling that such erudite teaching be violated to create yet another flavor of devotional manipulation and governance. 

I am very sad to have found this to be yet another transparent effort to support organised cultism. 

Buddhism is a single minded pursuit of scholarship to get control of one's own life and mind. Buddhism share a community of mind, not congregation. We are Bodhisattvas, helping one another to attain this mind. 

This book would have you think that BUddhism is another system of beliefs and hopeful thoughts on something like an after life. Well, news flash, the core concept of Buddhism is that everything happens here and now. No "after", no "before". No "soul", no "incarnations". No "faith", only perception. This is why enlightenment is also known as "awakening". 

If you are interested in Buddhism, please read the ample scholarship of sutras and Mahayana scholarship. I guarantee it will serve you well.

One person found this helpful
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Allan Carpenter
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Read the Lotus Sutra Without This Book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2006
Verified Purchase
To generalize a bit, Americans, and modern people as whole, want to get "straight to the sources", and today's Buddhists are no different. Unfortunately, when western Buddhists pick up the Lotus Sutra without any preparation, they're left befuddled. It all seems so multi-leveled, symbolic, and dream-like. Where is the practical side of this sutra? How can this be the most important sutra for millions of Mahayana Buddhists?

Luckily, we have Nikkyo Niwano's enjoyable book as a guide. Niwano was the founder of the second-largest Buddhist organization in Japan, and he manages to make the Lotus Sutra accessible, understandable, and even applicable to everyday life. Having studied the sutra his entire adult life, Niwano anticipates many of the questions the reader will have when he or she encounters the Lotus Sutra. No matter what faith tradition you belong to (Buddhist or otherwise), you'll find reading this book rewarding and frequently enlightening. Although profound, this isn't a work for scholars: its a work for laypeople, practicing the dharma in everyday life.
19 people found this helpful
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Rhonda Wilsoon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
An excellent companion to the Lotus Sutra.
One person found this helpful
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Bonnie
5.0 out of 5 stars I like Nikkyo Niwano's interpretation
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
I like Nikkyo Niwano's interpretation, and its beautiful; however, in the spirit of true Buddha it is important that each person interprets the Lotus Sutra through their own life experience.
3 people found this helpful
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NR
5.0 out of 5 stars I am reading it now and this has to be ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am reading it now and this has to be the vest book on The Lotus Sutra thank you very much for this book ! Yours Truly, Neil
2 people found this helpful
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Gerald Aitken
5.0 out of 5 stars Good for independent Buddhists
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent for an independent Nichiren Buddhist.
3 people found this helpful
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pha1248
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very good book. It helps a lot. I strongly recommend it.
One person found this helpful
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John J. Petry
5.0 out of 5 stars A good general study guide for Buddhism
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2010
This translation has been recently updated but the essentials remain the same. Niwano's work is a condensed version of a Japanese language multi-volume scholarly commentary of the Lotus Sutra done many years ago by priests of the Nichiren Shu lineage in Japan. I do not mean to disparage his efforts by using the term condensed as he took an extensive, extremely comprehensive scholarly work and presents the essential points in terms non-scholars can understand. If I had any criticism for this work at all it would be that it is still overly influenced by a Japanese mindset which can be sometimes difficult for a Westerner to follow. The underemphasis of women as well as the Japanese overemphasis of societal duty and ancestral worship are not truly in keeping with the Lotus Sutra or the Japanese monk, Nichiren Shonin, who provided the doctrinal underpinnings for the original work. Still it is the most comprehensive of the English language study guides on the Lotus Sutra and while the Shinju Suguru "Introduction to the Lotus Sutra" is more modern and easier to read, it is not nearly as complete as this work is. Anyone seeking to understand the meaning of the words written in the "King of the Sutras" should buy this book and the Shinju Suguru book and use them in any study of the Lotus Sutra or they likely will be completely lost.
6 people found this helpful

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Nikkyō Niwano

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Nikkyō Niwano
KCSG
Statue of Niwano.JPG
Statue of Niwano at Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters
President of Risshō Kōsei Kai (RKK)
Great Teacher of the One Vehicle
In office
March 5, 1939 – November 15, 1991
Assumed office
March 5, 1939
Preceded byNone, office created
Succeeded byNichiko Niwano
1st President of Risshō Kōsei Kai
Personal details
BornNovember 15, 1906
Niigata Prefecture, Japan
DiedOctober 4, 1999 (aged 92)
NationalityJapanese
Spouse(s)Sai Niwano
ChildrenNichiko Niwano (son)
RelativesKosho Niwano (Granddaughter)
Known forReligious work, founder of Risshō Kōsei Kai
Awards
WebsiteRisshō Kōsei Kai

Nikkyō Niwano KCSG (庭野日敬, Niwano Nikkyō, 1906–1999) was one of the founders and the first president of the Buddhist organization Risshō Kōsei Kai.

Early life[edit]

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, where he began to study several different religions. During his studies, he attended a sermon on the Lotus Sutra and became a Buddhist.

Risshō Kōsei Kai[edit]

Mr Niwano had been actively involved with the Buddhist group Reiyūkai, and it was then that he encountered Ms. Myoko Naganuma and led her to convert to Reiyūkai. In 1938 they both attended a leaders meeting where the leadership of Reiyūkai made several comments stating that the Lotus Sutra was outdated. After discussing this matter with each other, they decided that they could not belong to an organization which held this type of view.[1] On March 5, 1938, they founded Risshō Kōsei Kai, holding the first meeting in Mr Niwano's house.

Niwano was to be the President and Naganuma to be the vice-president. As the organization grew he gave up his job as a milkman and devoted himself full-time to the ministry. He became involved in interfaith activities and helped to found the World Conference of Religions for Peace in 1970. During this time he became involved in numerous religious and cultural conferences and gatherings, some of which include the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace and the 6th WCRP in Italy, where he presided over the WCRP alongside Pope John Paul II.[2] He also spoke on several occasions as the United Nations calling for world peace and the abolition of nuclear arms.

In 1991 he stepped down as president and was succeeded by his eldest son, Nichiko Niwano. Although retired, he continued to participate in interfaith and peace activities.

Awards[edit]

In 1979 he was awarded the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion. In 1992 he was made a Knight Commander with the Silver Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by the Vatican. In 1993 Mr Niwano was awarded the Interfaith Medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews. Daniel Montgomery quotes that "no Buddhist leader in the World has become more widely known or showered with honours than him."[3]

Death and legacy[edit]

Nikkyo Niwano died on October 4, 1999. He was cremated and some of his ashes were placed in the Precious Stupa of the One Vehicle, a small stupa located on the grounds of the groups headquarters. He is remembered for his interfaith work and his calls for global peace and disarmament. While many people around the world regard him with the highest respect, some criticism occurred shortly after his death regarding the large fortune that he left behind, many claiming that this was un-Buddhist.[4]

Works[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Church of Hawaii". rkhawaii.org. Archived from the original on 2012-09-15.
  2. ^ "About Rissho Kosei-kai, a Buddhist organization". rk-world.org. Archived from the original on 2010-04-04. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  3. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (1991). Fire in the Lotus, The Dynamic Religion of Nichiren. London : Mandala, ISBN 1852740914, page 232.
  4. ^ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20000907b8.htm[permanent dead link]

Further reading[edit]

  • Shinozaki, Michio T. (2001). Peace and Nonviolence from a Mahayana Buddhist Perspective: Nikkyo Niwano's Thought. Buddhist-Christian Studies 21, 13-30

External links[edit]

Buddhist titles
Preceded by
None
Director General Rissho Kosei-kai
March 5, 1938–March 28, 1943		Succeeded by
Himself as President
Preceded by
none
President of Rissho Kosei-kai
March 28, 1943–November 15, 1991		Succeeded by

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Namgok Lee ‘백낙청의 원불교 공부

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그 동안 박 석 교수의 ‘인문학, 동서양을 꿰뚫다’를 읽어 왔다.
이제 9장 건축, 10장 발산의 서양문화, 수렴의 동양문화를 남겨두고, 다른 책을 보려고 한다.
한 책만 오래 보다보니 약간은 변화를 주는 것도 좋을 것 같고, 하나를 끝내야 다른 것을 시작하게 되는 독서 습관도 좀 바꿔볼까 해서다.
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다음에 볼 책은 ‘문명의 대전환과 후천개벽’이라는 제목의 책인데, ‘백낙청의 원불교 공부’라는 부제(副題)가 붙어 있는 책이다.
나는 백낙청 교수의 현실인식과 정치적 판단에 대해 견해가 다른 면이 많다.
총론에서는 비슷한 부분이 있는데, 각론에 가면 많이 달라지는 대표적인 경우에 속한다.
그래서 솔직히 책에 선 듯 손이 안가는 면이 있다.

이것도 내가 극복해야할 독서 습관 같아서 당분간 이 책을 보려고 한다.
독후감은 지금처럼 쓰지는 않을 생각이다.
전체를 다 보게 될지는 모르겠지만, 가능하면 내 입장을 내려놓고 읽는 연습을 하려고 한다.
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박석 교수의 책을 일단 좀 쉬면서, 여러 느낌이 있다.
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박 교수는 도덕경에 나오는 대교약졸(大巧若拙)이라는 코드로 동서양의 고금 문명사를 회통해서 읽고 있다.
물론 이런 시도가 갖는 위험성은 있다.(저자도 후기에 그런 이야기를 하고 있다)
어떤 하나의 코드로 문명사를 일관해서 읽을 수는 없다.
그것은 또 다른 교조(敎條)로 될 수 있기 때문이다.
그럼에도 그런 위험을 자각하면서 읽는다면 전체를 대관(大觀)하는 감각을 익힐 수가 있고, 각박하고 혼돈스러운 현실을 좀 더 여유있게 바라보게 하는데는 도움이 될 수 있다.
현실과 인식에 대해서 나선형 순환으로 보이는 여러 관점의 코드들이 있다.

대교약졸의 코드로 보면
졸(拙)Ⅰ→ 교(巧) → 졸(拙) Ⅱ로 순환한다.
자연과 인간, 인간 상호 간의 관계의 변천으로 보면
무분절(無分節)Ⅰ(원시적 무분절)→ 분절(分節 문명)→ 무분절 Ⅱ(새로운 문명, 또는 超文明)로 순환한다.
인간의 인식의 깊이에서 보면
분절Ⅰ(산은 산이고 물은 물이다) →
무분절(산은 산이 아니고, 물은 물이 아니다) →
분절Ⅱ(다시 산은 산이고, 물은 물이다)로 순환한다.
분절Ⅱ의 인식은 무분절을 통과한 것이다.

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우리는 지금 문명전환이라는 절박한 인류사적 요구 앞에 서 있다.
그 핵심은 생활양식의 변혁이다.
축약하면 ‘단순소박한 삶’이다.

이것 역시 원시적 단순소박으로 회귀하는 것이 아니라, 문명을 통과하며 그것을 소화한 단순소박Ⅱ가 될 것이다.

그 이행의 동력이 자발적 자유욕구이어야 하는데, 과연 어떨지 모르겠다.
시간이 허락하지 않으면, 생태 전체주의의 어두움이나 최악의 경우 여섯 번 째 대멸종의 주인공이 인류가 될지도 모른다.
보통 사람들의 자각이 보편화되고, 자발적 자유욕구에 의해 삶의 양식이 단순소박Ⅱ로 바뀌는데 최선의 노력을 다할 뿐이라는 생각이 든다.
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