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SF: So, we're in a kind of Judeo-Christian society, so, what would you say are the kind of main differences between JoudoShin -- as kind of a philosophical worldview -- and say, Christianity here, Protestantism in terms of at least emphases or things that cause different perspectives on things?

RI: I think if we look at the religions themselves -- and don't keep looking at the churches that promote these religions -- then there's a lot more similarity than difference I think, within Judeo-Christianity, what has been lost, or lost focus on is their more introverted, meditative, monastic traditions. And it was Jesus who told everybody, "Go out into the world as lambs among wolves," and then the church goes out as wolves among the lambs, right? You know, things like that... and so, if we look at just the institutions, then there's a lot to criticize and lot to differentiate, but if we look at the basic messages of these religions, I think they're quite similar. So I get a lot of -- especially at the college where I teach, and the lectures I give -- a lot of Judeo-Christian, people from Judeo-Christian backgrounds who are unhappy with having gone to Catholic school, or been under a very dogmatic clergyman or something. They turn to Buddhism and say, "Well, can I come over there?" And I say, "Yeah, you can come, but just plan on visiting for a while, until you can see what you're leaving, the beauty in what you're leaving. Then you can go back, and go back with a different perspective, that gives you life and enthusiasm." You can't just switch over to another religion. It's like saying, "Well, I think I'll be Ethiopian next week." Because there's just so much in our, what we call karma, or they might call it, kind of an unconscious that we take along with us. So, if you've been Judeo-Christian thirty, forty years of your life and it goes back through generations, rather than throw it out, and put on, you know, take on a Chinese name, and put on a robe and shave your head, that's very unrealistic. So I say, "No, no, come and learn what you want to, what you need, so that you can see your own religion better, and then go back. Then you can call yourself a Protestant, a Buddhist Protestant if you want, or a Buddhist Catholic." They might not like it on that side -- [Laughs] -- but there's no problem from our side, because Buddhism's like fertilizer to me. Fertilizer, if you put it on any plant, no matter if it's a plant you want, or a weed, or a rose, they'll all grow wonderfully. But if you just put fertilizer in the ground and no plant, you don't get anything, right? So Buddhism I don't think is having any real substance, but rather as more of a catalyst or fertilizer to have all the plants in your garden grow, whether you're talking about work, or marriage or whatever. And so I see the same thing with other religions; it helps you to be a better Catholic or a better Baptist or whatever. If you just say you're a Buddhist, I guess I'm not really sure what that means. Maybe you like bazaars -- no, I shouldn't say that. [Laughs] Yeah. But it is a way of living, anyway. It's not a religion, per se or philosophy. A way of living that keeps bringing you back to your true nature, or looking at yourself, and by knowing yourself, you know others that way.

SF: Just, sort of describing, at least to me, sort of like how people sort of move through life personally and change and integrate their past with their, with their future and present.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.