Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

37 you some examples and illustrations. Donation is in gen- eral an offer of clothes or food or money to the poor but it does not mean just to support or to give. Rather it is a virtue of Bodhisattva’s. To practice offering is valuable in itself to nurture our mind and hearts. As a concrete practice of donation, we, the Buddhist movement Rissho Kosei Kai, have been engaged in a meal campaign by which we skip meals several times a month and contrib- ute money to different humanitarian activities. We have also been carrying out a Dream Bag cam- paign for more than 20 years. Children in my country put small toys, stationery and messages into handmade bags and present them to children living in conflict sit- uations around the world such as the ex-Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Mindanao and Lebanon. The essence of these campaigns or activities exist in their attempts to share sadness and suffering as well as joys with others. The harmonious practice of donation benefiting both oneself and others is a Bodhisattva practice. This year I attended a conference held in Marrakesh, Morocco under the theme of full citizenship of minori- ties in Muslimmajority countries and communities. The conference was convened in the spirit of the historical Medina Charter and Islamic primary source, which was developed in 622 AD before the division between Sunni and Shia Islam. The Charter assured equal citizenship for all minorities. At that conference, I emphasised that my role is to praise and prove the value of others based on Buddhist teachings that nothing in the world is absolute, everything is conditioned, relative and inter- dependent. This approach also lives in the teaching of “self and Other in oneness”. This summer I had a chance to visit several Palestin- ian refugee camps in Lebanon guided by Dr. Sammak who is a member of the KAICIID Board of Directors. I also met the Grand Mufti. When I went to Nigeria last month I visited a hospital for HIV Aids patients and a camp of internally displaced people from the Boko Haram affected area. In the face of these severe realities I felt powerless in myself and wondered what I could do. This experience made me realise again from the bottom of my heart the very importance of practicing mercy – mercy can make a contribution to the solution of global issues. However, from the opposite point of view, we’re given a chance to nurture mercy in ourselves through challenging the current global issues. So, I try to con- tinue my humble efforts. Rev. Kosho Niwano Rev. Kosho Niwano is president designate of Rissho Kosei-kai. Granddaughter of founder, Nikkyo Niwano, and first daughter of President Nichiko Niwano, Rev. Niwano devotes herself to sharing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra with leaders both in Japan and overseas as well as with members who visit the Great Sacred Hall for wor- ship services and special events from all parts of Japan. Career summary v President designate of Rissho Kosei-kai v Participated at several interfaith congresses including Religions for Peace World Assembly, and the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace v Studied at Rissho Kosei-kai’s Gakurin seminary v Graduated from Gakushuin University, Tokyo. Opposite page: Rev. Kosho Niwano (left) with Dr. Seyyed Ata’ollah Mohajerani THE FOUNDAT IONS OF MERCY