A professor in college once informed us that “There are two kinds of people in the world – those who divide humanity into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.” We laughed, but we got the point.
There are different kinds of people, of course. Personality traits, gender, class, politics, and race are among the ways we use to differentiate ourselves from others. We root for different teams, we dress in ways which set us apart from people of other generations or cultures, and we choose our friends not on the basis of diversity, but because like attracts like, and we like to be birds of a feather who flock together.
And what’s wrong with that? It’s perfectly understandable that we are drawn to kindred spirits, though our choice of friends and associates may change as we redefine or reinvent ourselves. We can’t be close friends with everybody, and so we choose our inner and outer circles, and create boundaries between ourselves and others. It’s when those boundaries lose their fluidity and become rigid lines of demarcation that we get lost in the illusion of separation.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing ourselves as “me, not you,” or, “you’re in one group, but I’m in another, and my group is better that yours.” Tribalism has long been the bane of the human race.
Sakyamuni Buddha, and mystics down through the ages, have taught that not only are all beings interconnected, we are the same being – there is only One of us. We are many, but we are also One. So while we distinguish between individuals, and maintain our preferences for the types of people with whom we choose to associate, we are wise to remember that the buddha nature which unites us is more important than the tribal affiliations which divide us.
This remembrance is especially important in the realm of religion. Human kindness, whether practiced by Christians, Buddhists, or Muslims, is still human kindness. Rudeness, partisan bickering, or hatred, carried out on behalf of a religious cause, are still reflections of deluded minds, no matter which religion the individuals purport to champion. I would rather live with a compassionate Muslim than a Buddhist fanatic. It’s our humanity that counts, not our sectarian affiliations.
Love is the only religion that matters. How we pray, or to whom or what, is secondary to the reality that we are all buddhas, regardless of our religion or lack of religion, and so we are all worthy of respect. Even terrorists and child molesters are worthy of respect, though their actions are not, because they too are beings of light.
I recently had the pleasure of performing in a community theater production of an Arthur Miller play, All My Sons. The theme of the play is that while our own family and its prosperity may be important to us, we must not sacrifice the lives of others in order to enrich ourselves. We may love our own sons, but in reality, all sons are our sons, and all daughters are our daughters. Interestingly, the phrase “all …my sons” is also used in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra, when Sakyamuni says, “All living beings are my sons.”
Nichiren, in his letter known as On Attaining Buddhahood, says, “Once you realize that your own life is the Mystic Law, you will realize that so are the lives of all others.” In The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, he adds, “All disciples and believers of Nichiren should chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with one mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim…When you are so united, even the great hope of kosen rufu can be fulfilled without fail.”
I would broaden the definition of “disciples and believers of Nichiren” to include all buddhas and bodhisattvas, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, because in my view, Nichiren was and is the same Source that has given us Jesus, Sakyamuni, Mohammed, and the Goddess. Nichiren’s life is the Mystic Law, and so are the lives of all saints and sages, and your life and mine. I would also broaden the definition of kosen rufu to mean peace, love, and joy for all people and life forms on the planet, whether or not they chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. “One mind” – unity – is more important than the form we use to express our prayers.
As Nichiren Buddhists, we owe it to ourselves to be kind and respectful toward Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, atheists, and anyone we might think of as being different than ourselves. “Actual proof” of our faith can be seen in our actions, even in small acts of considerate behavior, such as using our turn signals while driving to alert other drivers regarding our intentions. Unity does not mean converting others to our religious denomination. Unity means recognizing the inherent buddha nature in each other, and then acting in recognition of that reality by practicing loving kindness toward all people, animals, and plants.
After all, there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who belong to the One True Religion, and those who understand that our buddhahood transcends the One True Religion.
© 2003
David Wigginton 