Genshu Imamura
Zen-Soto Buddhism, Japan
  

Good afternoon to everybody. First of all, I would thank the Community of Sant� Egidio for inviting us here.

My name is Genshu Imamura. I�m a General Director of Soto Zen Buddhism European Office. On behalf of Sotoshu, I would like to express myself about a theme of this meeting. Once, I have been to the head quarters of Sant� Egidio Community in Roma, after the study as a participant of the spiritual interchange of the East and the West at Sanct Otterien monastery where in the suburbs of Munich in Germany. And now, I�m very pleased to meet you and participate to this meeting again by a stroke of luck. I feel the first thing is the Dharma connection.

Well, I would express our Sotoshu�s bout concerning the Japanese Religious humanism. On March in Last year, the international situation was continuing of strained situations, because using the military power or the inspection by the United Nations against whether there are the large quantities of the destructive weapons in Iraq. Our Sotoshu adhere to the position of antiwar, quote the words of Buddha Shakyamuni. �Everybody is afraid of violence and everybody is afraid of the death. As we are in line with it, we must not kill and we must not urge somebody to kill�. This is the most observant rule as a Buddhist. We proposed as a Buddhist position, we should be act for the peaceful solution. And we expressed our intension and opinion to the 15 countries of the UN Security Council, the authorities concerned, mass communications and the persons who religious concerned.

But, we regret to say that antiwar, at last the using military power has taken place to Iraq on March 20th of the last year. The people always fall victim to the battle. Now, it feels stop fighting. But, so many people died in the other day and it seems to increase progressively by the battle in some local area and terrorism now.

On the other hand, we expected the situation of Israel and Palestine are going to be stable by a route to peace, it call �The Road Map� which takes measure as a definite plan to the peace of the Middle East area. But, the bilateral collision recurred, the route to the peace is going chaotic situation.

And there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 at the south part of Iran on December 26th of the last year. We heard the report of the deceased over 40,000 people and the injured over 30,000 people by the earthquake. The aid for the victim, the government authorities and some private groups in Japan were carrying out the rescue operation. Our Sotoshu visited to the Iran embassy to Japan, and deliver 3,000,000 yen to the embassy as our contributions. Also we are considering for offer more subsidies to Shanty International Volunteer Organization which is dispatching an investigating commission to the stricken area.

At the end of the last year, the state of the advance troop of the Air Self-Defense Force of Japan left for Kuwait and Qatar from the Tokyo International Airport was given a lot of media coverage to the nation. And the beginning of this year, the Diet resolved dispatch of the Ground Self-Defense Force and the Maritime Self-Defense Force in according to the special measures law for the supporting of the reconstruction of Iraq.

After the declaration of the conclusion of the War in Iraq, even now terrorism is attacking to the U.N., the Red Cross and the police officers in Iraq indiscriminately. And we can remember that two Japanese diplomats were killed by the assassin�s bullets. Actually, the most Japanese people still more hold so anxiety about the dispatch of the Self-Defense Force to the dangerous area, but under the supporting of the reconstruction on humanitarian grounds.

As Sotoshu and a Buddhist, we make clear our position of antiwar at the last December 21st. And under our theme �Our prayer and pledge wish for the world peace�, we insist that the war is mistake to everybody. And we wished that the peace bring about, because the people of the whole world own jointly respect of the human rights and the peaceful living. Also we expressed this official written statement to the Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, some government VIP, representative and the head of the opposition party of the total 10 peoples as our opinion. On the other hand, when we turn our attention to the Japanese society, the brutal and the law age�s crime is going because the thin of the human relation and the loss of the morals in the society. Therefore, the ruin of the mind is more increasingly.

When we see it, something to key it seems to be lacking to the problem of education and home in Japan at the fundamental point. We become painfully aware of the necessaries of just understanding for young people who carry the times on their shoulder about the preciousness and the responsibility of the human being through the education of the religion and the morals.

Our mission is to be clear the sincerity is living in the wisdom of the Dharma to the society, because the practice of joining our hands together and worship in prayer based on the fundamental mind of Zen. And the founder of our Soto Zen Buddhism, Zen master Dogen�s vow in his life �Before being involved in rescuing ourselves, we put our heart in rescuing everybody else (all other people) and we actually practice it�. We are conscious of his words another time. And we take a vow in our mind that we have to make an effort more.

Buddha Shakyamuni said �All living things are being who can be blessed the peace of Buddha equally. �The mind of Mahayana� as symbiosis recognizes the dignity to the human beings who are requested in this world today. And we can call that is agreed with the concept of peace which support by religious world.

We think the above mentioned; we wish the world peace and the peaceful life for the people. We continue our pray for the world peace, human lights, peace and environment. And everyday, I admonish myself to be continue our efforts to the absolute pacifism is our mission as a Buddhist.