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September 07,
2001
Q&A on Faith: What's
Our Perspective Toward Objects From Other Religions?
By Ted Morino
SGI-USA Study Department Senior Advisor
Q: How can
I encourage a member who is wondering what to do with
objects from a different religion?
A: Before
answering this question directly, I would like to address
some basics. Buddhism teaches that happiness lies in developing
our innate Buddhahood while at the same time cherishing
our individuality. It also teaches that one source of
suffering is our undue attachment to what is shallow and
incorrect.
Nichiren Daishonin refuted the Buddhist schools of his
time out of his awareness that their teachings twisted
the Buddha?s intent and guided the people away from the
heart of the Lotus Sutra. They were in fact preventing
people from cultivating their human potential.
While using the name of Buddhism, the major schools of
the Kamakura period of Japan were actually propounding
teachings that in one way or another ran counter to the
Lotus Sutra?s intent to allow all people to fully realize
that they are essentially Buddhas and to manifest their
Buddha nature.
For instance, the Pure Land sect (Nembutsu) leads its
followers to abhor the reality of this world and yearn
for an imaginary paradise after death. Such belief ultimately
deprives one of hope and weakens one?s life force, leading
one to abandon developing one?s full human potential in
this life.
Slander in Buddhism is to deny the original intent and
spirit of the Buddha as expressed in the Lotus Sutra and
crystallized in the Daishonin?s teachings. The mere act
of possessing objects of other religious schools or traditions
does not in itself constitute slander. We should make
this point clear, first of all.
Practically speaking, we can view people?s attitudes toward
religious items in two ways: First, if they attribute
to such items a power over their lives, they probably
need to change their attachment to the religious belief
or thought that compels them to do so. To help them do
so is the practice of shakubuku. We need to encourage
them to positively practice the Daishonin?s Buddhism to
the point where they are no longer undermining their own
power.Secondly, if they feel the object is valuable to
them as a work of art, cultural treasure or family heirloom,
they may choose to keep it. In any case, the person who
possesses such items is the one who should judge what
to do with them.
The mere possession of a religious object does not determine
either one?s happiness or unhappiness. Buddhism focuses
on people?s life-conditions as the determining factor.
SGI President Ikeda thus states, “Following the
same path as the Buddha means accepting and upholding
the Lotus Sutra; that is, to engrave in one?s life the
Buddha?s spirit as revealed in the Lotus Sutra and to
live in accord with that spirit” (The Wisdom of
the Lotus Sutra, vol. 2, p. 98).
Buddhism is called “the inner way” because
it encourages self-examination. In other words, Buddhism
encourages us to polish our lives to the extent that we
can clearly know what we should hold on to and what we
should let go of. In this vein, Nichiren Daishonin states,
“It is the heart that is important” (The Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1000).
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