Modern Lotus Sutra-Based approaches to religious diversity and the interreligious thought of Niwano Nikkyo

Abstract

This essay is a critical exploration of the basis of the Lotus Sutra-based interreligious thought of Rev. Niwano Nikkyo (1906-1999), founder of the Japanese Buddhist lay group Rissho Kosei-kai and prominent figure in the development of interreligious dialogue in the second half of the twentieth century. Niwano is emplaced in Lotus Sutra Buddhism’s history of making sense of religious diversity in order to appreciate his innovations, and his thought is also measured against today’s demand for pluralistic theologies of religious diversity. In closing, I will ponder Niwano’s interreligious thought from the perspective of a Christian approach with which it resonates-trinitarian holy spirit-based theology of religious diversity-in order to develop possibilities within his approach that promise to further expand the horizons of dialogue in Lotus Sutra-based interfaith encounters.