Mere Ordinary People
Rev. Nichiko Niwano
President of Rissho Kosei-kai

Recognizing Our Own

Article Ten of Prince Shotoku's historic sixth-century Seventeen-Article Constitution states, "We are not undoubtedly wise, nor are others undoubtedly foolish. Together, all of us are just ordinary people."

The meaning, of course, is that none of us always displays wisdom and other people are not always foolish. The implication is that all of us, ourselves and others, are no more than ordinary people. No one can claim to be special in this world, we are all just regular people.

It is quite easy to recognize the shortcomings and mistakes of others, but our doing so only means that we ourselves share them. We do not recognize something that we do not share in ourselves.

When we realize this, then when someone becomes angry with us, instead of attacking the person or returning the anger in kind, we can calmly reflect and detect that the cause of the person's anger may lie within ourselves. Then the anger will fade naturally and we will be less likely to have conflicts with others.

The renowned Japanese educator Nobuzo Mori (1917-91) wrote about the importance of "having an amicable heart rounded like a circle." We can say that an amicable, rounded heart is one that is neither arrogant nor servile. In other words, it has no harsh irregularities, it is a heart that is gentle, calm, and at ease.

There is something similar to this in these verses of the writer Kenji Miyazawa's much-loved poem, "Unyielding in the Rain":

Devoid of greed,
Never angry,
Always quietly smiling.

Everyone calls him a fool,
He is praised by no one,
And nobody troubles him.

When we realize that we are all ordinary people, that none of us is perfect and all of us are foolish, then petty rivalries among us vanish and we become aware that we are caused to live by the one great life-force.

Playing Our Roles

We have all been given life equally as ordinary people, and at the same time, each of us has a uniquely independent personality that is demonstrated as we seek to lead the life of the Peerless Honored One. Therefore, each of us plays a variety of roles in the surroundings in which we find ourselves at home, in our workplace, and in our community.

For example, at our church we may be given such assignments as chapter head, area leader, and group leader. Assigning members to these roles is similar to casting actors in a movie or a play. For certain period these members play the assigned parts at their church, but this in no way makes them special people. What is important is that they develop a good grasp of their roles and diligently fulfull their duties.

Having a role to play presents us with an opportunity to do our best for others, to exercise our abilities, and to grow. We may not always feel excited about the role we have been assigned, but from a broad point of view, it is a positive thing for us. When we become aware of this, we can then complete our assigned role with pleasure, and will be grateful for it.

Kaicho Howa
October 2005

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