These are truly difficult times. It is impossible to insulate myself from the divisive rhetoric and violent behavior occurring in every corner in the world. Believe me, I've tried! If I were to look down from the sky, I wouldn't be able to distinguish between the billions of humans living on the earth. Ethnicities, religions, lifestyles, and social status would just be meaningless labels. But, as has become so painfully obvious in the last few years, these labels actually have the power to really hurt people. Clearly these fear-based distinctions do not have the ability to create peace.
The Japanese word kosen-rufu is a Buddhist vision of social peace brought about by the widespread respect for the dignity of human life. The phrase first appeared in the 23rd chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the final teaching of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. He encouraged his followers to approach their Buddhist practice in a way that was actively engaged in the affairs of society as opposed to divorcing themselves from human desires and worldly affairs.
Over time, I've learned that my personal happiness is inextricably linked with the peace and happiness of my fellow humans. Enlightenment is not something to be only cultivated as a private, inner virtue. Neither is the goal of Nichiren Buddhism to garner reward in an afterlife. These two ideas are incompatible with the core Buddhist tenet that people are capable of realizing genuine happiness in this world as they are.
The life-state of Buddhahood is not a distant goal to be achieved after many lifetimes of suffering and practice. Rather, it is a condition of limitless vitality, wisdom and compassion -- one that is expressed and strengthened through committed action to contribute to the well-being and happiness of other people. All people have this Buddha nature. This means that every single individual is deserving of respect. To slander another is to demean and diminish my own life.
Kosen-rufu is about the struggle between the good and evil in our lives. For good to triumph, the evil must be brought into the light -- its true aspect revealed. I believe that has been happening all over the world and, hopefully, is a harbinger of an overdue positive global shift in how we humans treat each other.
Ikeda has said, "Kosen-rufu does not mean the end point or terminus of a flow, but it is the flow itself, the very pulse of living Buddhism within society." In other words, kosen-rufu does not indicate the end of the conflicts that drive history. Rather, it implies a world in which a deeply and widely held respect for human life will serve as the foundation for working out conflicts in a peaceful, creative manner.
I believe it is time to move on from despair and blame. There is just too much important work for us to do!