268 CHAPTER TENfostering a sense of gratitude for those who have given one life: the Eternal
Buddha; one's ancestors, distant and immediate; and the kami. One should
also feel gratitude for one's teachers and superiors in general. To express grati-
tude, one should develop sincerity, which means a willingness to fulfill one's
duties, learning the lessons that one's superiors have to teach and thus growing
as a person. Of course, the lessons of the Eternal Buddha are the most impor-
tant to learn. These come in two forms: (1) the verbal instructions given in
the Lotus Sutra, and (2) the trials and tribulations of everyday life, which-ac-
cording to the Lotus Sutra-are to be regarded as expedient lessons given by
the Eternal Buddha to help one grow in the direction of Awakening.
By mastering these lessons, one enters the second half of the dynamic of
perfecting the personality. In light of the interdependence of all things, one
realizes one's own ability to change the world through a change of one's atti-
tude. A common Japanese saying states that other people are a mirror of one-
self, and Kosei-kai, similar to other new religions, takes this saying literally.
Problems at home, at work, or in school are regarded as signs that one's atti-
tude is problematic and needs changing. The smooth functioning of society is
a sign of one's own self-perfection. This explains why one's own perfection
cannot be regarded as separate from the perfection of society. Although this
viewpoint places heavy responsibility on each person, it is also empowering,
as it implies that within each person is the potential for perfection both within
and without. According to Niwano, only when one keeps the ideal of perfec-
tion alive in one's thoughts and actions is it possible to head in the direction of
the true Mahayana teaching: the cultivation of the higher self and the creation
of a Pure Land on Earth.
These themes find expression in the three primary activities of the Kosei-
kai religious life: hoza, family ancestor rites, and proselytization of new mem-
bers. Hoza sessions typically number 12 or so participants, including one
trained leader. Some members attend them daily, others at less frequent inter-
vals. Each participant is encouraged to speak frankly of particular problems in
his/her personal life, to repent the attitudinal error that brought on the prob-
lem, and then to seek advice from the other members as to how to bring about
a change of heart. Although the Lotus Sutra is recognized as the ultimate source
for wise advice, all manner of practical advice from other sources is also ad-
missible at these sessions. Niwano's writings, for instance, contain anecdotes
from the lives of Zen masters, quotations from Chekhov, Confucian maxims,
and lessons from business management to demonstrate how to improve one's
attitude at work in such a way that will engender personal growth, increase
productivity, and advance one's position, all at the same time. Similarly, he ad-
vises managers on how to improve productivity from workers while at the
same time exhibiting greater responsibility for the environment. Hoza leaders
are trained to be similarly resourceful in providing advice pertaining to family
life, neighborhood relations, and other aspects of daily life. The basic dynamic
of hoza sessions is thus twofold: calling forth repentance for following the self-
ish instincts of the observed self, and gaining confidence in the power of the
seeing self to correct one's problems and work toward one's highest ideals.