<REIYUKAI and its Background>                      Reiyukai, an international nonprofit association, was founded in Japan in 1930 by Mr. Kakutaro Kubo and Mrs. Kimi Kotani. They originated a way in which people could personally apply the philosophy of Shakyamuni Buddha within the framework of their daily life activities.     Among the many principles that Shakyamuni discovered and put forth were important concepts regarding the interconnection of all things and the misleading and seductive nature of ego. Mr. Kubo and Mrs. Kotani understood that Shakyamuni's concepts are based on reality and human psychology, and are unrelated to a Creator or His Messenger. Those ideas therefore do not interfere with religious faith, and, consequently, they can be utilized by everyone, independent of, or in concert with, their established religious practices. Reiyukai asserts that, as any scientific principle can be discovered (or rediscovered) and utilized by any scientist, the principles discovered by Shakyamuni also can be rediscovered and experienced by anyone, and can be utilized for the betterment of one's own daily process of living.