Peace above all religions

A bustling modern street in Worli is hardly the place where you would look for a peaceful abode. But, if you were to look a little more carefully, you would find a Buddhist temple of an unusual origin. Nippozan Myohoji Buddhist Temple was founded by Nichidatsu Fujii Guruji over 50 years ago to propagate his message of world peace.

If one were to walk through a typical Japanese arch, one would find oneself in an island of quiet, where the bustle of traffic seems to magically disappear. High stone stairs lead to the main shrine. Along with the usual paraphernalia for rituals and statues of Lord Buddha, artwork with Japanese poetry painted on them tell of the origin of the temple. A second passage leads to the back of the temple, which is older and now mostly used as the living quarters of Bhikshu Morita, who looks after the temple today, apart from a free school for kids from the nearby locality, from lower income backgrounds. Bhikshu Morita cuts an impressive figure in his yellow robe as he speaks about the temple, his journey and preparations for the upcoming Buddha Purnima on May 10 (Buddha’s birthday).

“I must’ve been a violent person in my previous life, so in this life, I got to dedicate my life to peace,” says the priest, who came into the news when he travelled from Mumbai to Ahmedabad during the Gujarat riots, chanting “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo”.

“The objective of this temple is to spread the message of peace. So, during the Gujarat riots, it seemed fitting to make that walk. A number of people followed me too,” he recalls.

While the Bhikshu laments the fact that the Japanese Buddhist community has become much smaller since the inception of the temple in 1956, there are still enough followers for him to fill the room with chants of Buddhist mantras twice a day at 6 am and 6 pm.  “In the 1930s, Guruji (Nichidatsu Fujii) came to India and joined hands with Gandhi. It was later that the Birlas funded this temple. If you look through history, you’ll see that most religious structures are financed by the rich,” he says.

Bhikshu Morita also oversees a primary school for underprivileged students. Although school is out at the moment, the Bhikshu’s fondness for the children is apparent when he speaks about the school. “The children have all gone home; otherwise, you would find around 40-50 of them running around. We’ve a full-fledged school where teachers are given a proper salary from the donations we get, which have been quite generous so far,” he smiles.

Aside from his daily prayers, Bhikshu Morita is also looking forward to the Buddha Purnima celebrations, which are set to take place on May 10. “We will have a special prayer in the evening. Every year, we have a large congregation of people that includes those who are native to Mumbai as well as a number of Japanese expats. It is when all the people of the city come together. My Guruji and I both believe that above all religions is the message of peace and we hope to spread this message, which is so relevant in today’s world,” he says.