A significant role of religions ― a quest for world peace | Daiko Matsuyama | TEDxKyoto

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
Taizoin Temple Deputy Head Priest Daiko Matsuyama, explores Inter-faith dialogue as a path towards spreading the teaching of Buddhism and a promising first step towards lasting international peace.

I was born 35 years ago

in a Buddhist temple here in Kyoto.

I was raised as a child
of a Buddhist monk,

but graduated from Catholic
junior high and senior high schools.

(Laughter)

As a son of a Buddhist monk,

getting educated
in Christianity is very unusual;

however, everybody, including
my family, relatives and friends,

have been very supportive of me.

I have once been to Ireland
when I was a college student.

As you know,

Ireland is a religious Catholic country.

When I stayed at one local B&B,

I explained about my upbringing
to the lady, the owner of B&B.

Then her face turned pale,
and she said this:

"Why are things like that
allowed in your country?

If you do such a thing in Ireland,
no excuse would save your life!"

That was her reaction.

Sad to say, I was too young
to refute her opinion then.

The Japanese religious
perspective is very unique.

For instance, many Japanese celebrate
the birthday of Christ, Christmas,

listen to the temples' gongs
on New Year's Eve,

and pay the New Year's visit
to the shrines.

People in other countries may say:

"How unprincipled the Japanese are!"

Japanese people generally
are religiously tolerant.

Our attitude towards religions

may be similar to the one towards food.

Take the example of the differences
between Japanese and Western meals.

Take a look at a full course Western meal.

You have a main dish
that's the highlight of a course.

There isn't such a thing as a main dish
in a Japanese meal course.

Take a traditional Japanese kaiseki-ryori:

if you look at each one, from
the appetizer through the last rice dish,

none of them is considered as a main dish.

Just like the way we view our dishes,

we don't hold any discriminatory view
towards any religion,

and we instead treasure
common philosophies or moral values

that are shared by all religions.

So the Japanese view about religion
isn't, "Believe in something,"

but instead, "Respect for something,"
or "Respect for others."

This is the Japanese style
of viewing religions.

So in Japan, many people
believe in various religions.

but we all respect each other's.

In fact in my temple, Myoshinji,
in spite of being a Buddhist temple,

we often recite a sutra
to deities of shrines.

A lot of temples have
a shrine on their premises.

Japanese Buddhism
is very unique in that sense.

There are exceptions, but Japanese
Buddhist monks are allowed to marry.

We refrain from eating meat and fish
during the ascetic training

and eat only vegetables,

but after finishing the training, we don't
have such strict principles to obey.

In Japan, we detest wasting things

and throwing away food.

If anybody from India,
the birthplace of Buddhism,

sees the reality of the Japanese Buddhism,

he may say,
"This isn't Buddhism, is it?"

Throughout the Southeast Asia and India,

in Theravada Buddhism,

strictly following the principles,
studying the teachings, and meditation

are what they aim
to pursue in practicing it.

However, in Japan,

Buddhism lays a weight
on other daily practices

such as the commemoration

of our deceased family
members and relatives

and teaching propriety.

If this form of Buddhism
we have established in the past 1,500 years

is denied to be called Buddhism,

what can we call it then?

No matter what,

there isn't any other way
but to call this "Japanese Buddhism."

The Japanese Buddhism has been refined,

being influenced by Shinto,
the ancient Japanese religion,

and taken in the appropriate form
adjusting to the Japanese soil.

So the earliest Buddhism

is different from today's
in its actual practice,

but the underlying core
of all forms of Buddhism--

wherever it's in India,
the East Asia or Japan

is based on the principles of wonderful
philosophy and teaching of Buddha.

The differences between Japanese Buddhism
and India's reminds me of the differences

in the tastes of curry we eat and theirs.

(Laughter)

In India very spicy curry
is preferred by Indians.

Curry has also come from India,

but if people from India eat
the Japanese curry, mild and sweet curry,

that we are used to eating

- I'm sure many of you like it -

they would say, "This isn't curry."

That's what they would think.

What would you call the Japanese curry

that we have become
so familiar with, then?

(Laughter)

Again, there isn't any other way
but to call this "Japanese curry."

The cooking method
and the ingredients may differ,

but we cook the ingredients
in the curry sauce

and eat it with rice or bread.

India and Japan share this style.

I majored in agricultural science.

I once had an experiment about curry
when I was a college student.

I'd like to tell you about the experiment.

We prepared two separate rooms.

The first one was made
very hot and humid

just like the summer in Japan.

Its temperature and humidity were high.

The other one was made
into hot but not so humid.

Like India it was hot and dry.

Thirty students gathered
from the world's different cultures

were asked to stay in the Japanese room
of high humidity for awhile.

Then we asked them
to eat Indian and Japanese curries

to compare the tastes.

20 out of 30 students who ate

both the Japanese and Indian curry
in the humid room

said the Japanese curry tasted better.

On a different day
the same group of students

were asked to eat both curries
in the hot and dry, Indian room.

20 out of 30 students said

that the Indian curry tasted better.

The Japanese curry tastes better
in the Japanese room,

the Indian curry tasted better
in the Indian room.

That's the result we got.

Like this, food is greatly influenced

by the climate and the natural
features of the place.

Similarly, a religion is affected
by the climate and natural features,

and also the history, the culture,
and traditions of its hosting place.

Religions are refined by these aspects

while adapting to its hosting country.

If we could share the Japanese, tolerant,
religious view we generally have,

with people all over the world,

I strongly believe that it would be
a wonderful offer to the world.

Several years ago,

an amazingly innovative programme of FM

started at Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.

The very title of this programme is:

"Eight o'clock! Gods and Buddhas."

(Laughter)

Originally it was "Eight o'clock!
Buddhism and Shinto, come together."

(Laughter)

Anyway, I am going to tell you
about this program.

It goes on air for half an hour
from 8:30 every Wednesday.

As you may know,
this programme works like this:

a Buddhist monk, a Shito priest,
and a Christian minister,

listen to the callers' personal problems

and put their heads together
to find a solution for them.

(Applause)

Thank you.

Nobody had ever tried
this revolutionary idea before.

We normally see a case

in which a monk from a certain school
would give an advice to people,

but that three people dedicated
to completely different religions

get together to try to figure out
how to solve people's problems

is a very groundbreaking idea.

Such advices give the listeners
a strong sense of security, assuring them

that there are more than one
stereotype solution in the world.

And this February,

another epochal event proposed
by me was held here in Kyoto.

It's this:

"Inter Faith Ekiden". (Laughter)

Japanese people
are very familiar with "ekiden,"

and Kyoto is actually
the birthplace of the sport.

A century ago this sport,
ekiden was born in Kyoto.

In this religious city that represents
the world of religions in Japan,

the birthplace of ekiden of Japan,

people of all sorts of religions
from all over the world gathered

and took part in this road relay race

planned only for the people of religions.

This is not for one religion
against another.

One team consists of 4 runners:

say, the first runner is a Shinto priest,
the second runner is a Buddhist monk,

the third runner is a Christian minister;
the fourth one is a Muslim imam.

With the idea that [different religions
display same connects]

many teams were formed
and the race took place.

Today, we often say we need
to sit down and talk

in order to understand with each other,

but talking in a meeting room

wouldn't have much power
to make ourselves understood.

On the other hand, this kind of open race

is so clear for everybody to see
and understand with each other

because all of us become one,
running together in an open area.

And since there isn't anything
to do but running in the race,

the youth of religions inevitably have
a chance to play an active role.

Moreover not only in Kyoto
but also in Luxembourg,

the race with the same concept
has been held.

In fact through this kind of race,
a movement for all religions

to be in harmony with one another
is growing throughout the world,

In this time of turmoil,

the people of religions themselves
break their backs to make efforts

to make all religions
harmoniously co-habitable.

This is a very important thing.

Now, if I were to meet the owner
of the B&B of Ireland

whom I met in my college days,

I would unhesitatingly say with confidence

that it surely is important
to faithfully follow the teachings

of the religion you believe in;

however, there are
more important things in life.

That is no matter
which religion we believe in,

we have to respect and live
in harmony with one another.

In Japan there are many people
who believe in various religions,

but the differences among religions
rarely cause any trouble.

Such a thing hardly ever happens in Japan.

We often see on TV news

that a zealous religious group fights
another of a different religion.

This is happening all over the world.

I think they are getting priorities wrong.

The essence of religion
isn't to blindly believe in one thing.

The role of religions is to help
people live out their lives,

feeling safe and appreciative
with each other.

That's what religions are for.

The essence or role of religion is
to give people a sense of security.

Therefore, In Japan, we live
peacefully, with a sense of security

while respecting each religion,

although we have many kinds or religions.

Nevertheless, since the cultures
and the traditions differ

depending on the regions in the world,

the sense of security
can be gained in various ways.

The method shouldn't be only one.

For the past two years,

I have been invited
to the Vatican by the Pope.

This April I was invited by the Dalai Lama

to participate
in the symposium held in Kyoto.

The religious people in the world
are truly holding a high hope

for the Japanese views on religion.

So, from Kyoto,

a world's pre-eminent city of religion,

let us call for the world to permeate

our tolerant view about religion
throughout the world.

I definitely believe
that when it comes true

the world will be an even
more beautiful place to live.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)