SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Learning from the Gosho: The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
by SGI President Ikeda
Lecture 16 - The Ultimate Teaching Affirmed
by All Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future
Polish Your Eternal Entity
What, ultimately, is Buddhism? The Buddhist canon encompasses
an immense number of scriptures, known as the 84,000 teachings.
And then there are also countless commentaries. Trying unaided
to come to terms with such a monumental body of material
is like journeying through a vast jungle without a map.
However, Nichiren Daishonin clearly states, "The 84,000
teachings are the diary of one's own life" (Gosho Zenshu,
p. 563). The Buddhist sutras, in other words, are a record,
a diary, of one's life. "They are about you,"
he is saying. "There is nothing at all in the sutras
that does not pertain to your life."
Life Transcends Both Birth and Death
To conceive of life and death as separate realities is
to be caught in the illusion of birth and death. It is deluded
and inverted thinking.
When we examine the nature of life with perfect enlightenment
[the true enlightenment of one awakened from the dream of
illusions], we find that there is no beginning marking birth
and, therefore, no end signifying death. Doesn't life as
thus conceived already transcend birth and death?
Life cannot be consumed by the fire at the end of the kalpa,
nor can it be washed away by floods. It can be neither cut
by swords nor pierced by arrows.
Although it can fit inside a mustard seed, the seed does
not expand, nor does life contract. And although it fills
the vastness of space, space is not too wide, nor is life
too small. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 563) (1)
Death is an issue of the greatest importance for all people
without exception. No one can honestly say that death is
of no concern.
At the same time, however, few important issues are given
as little serious consideration as death. It is said that
there are two things people cannot gaze at directly: the
sun and death.
The French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-62) decried
people's tendency to avoid thinking of their own mortality:
"This negligence in a matter where they themselves,
their eternity, their all are at stake, fills me more with
irritation than pity; it astounds and appalls me."
(2) His dismay at people's irrational indifference toward
death drove him to use such strong words.
What is death? What becomes of us after we die? Failing
to pursue these questions is like spending our student years
without ever considering what to do after graduating. Without
coming to terms with death, we cannot establish a strong
direction in life. Pursuing this issue brings real stability
and depth to our lives.
Many views of life and death have been articulated over
the ages by religious leaders, philosophers and scientists.
Without going into a detailed discussion, I think it's fair
to say that human knowledge has not advanced sufficiently
to either definitively affirm or deny the possibility of
life after death. Science takes as its object of investigation
phenomena discerned with the five senses; what happens after
death is beyond its purview. Its basic stance disqualifies
it from speaking on the matter one way or the other.
No view of the nature of existence can offer direct proof
of what happens after death. It seems, therefore, that rather
than trying to compare the relative merits of different
views, it is far more fruitful to ask how a particular view
influences people's lives in the present- whether it makes
them strong or weak, happy or miserable.
Buddhism teaches that life is eternal. It encourages us
to use this existence to thoroughly polish the eternal entity
of our lives. Eternal happiness, it explains, lies precisely
in making such efforts.
With the view that life continues eternally over past,
present and future, accomplishing human revolution becomes
the ultimate purpose. When we polish and revolutionize our
lives, then life is joyful --- and death is joyful, too.
We will also experience happiness in our future lives. What
else can we call eternal?
In a letter to his follower Shijo Kingo, Nichiren Daishonin
says, "No matter how dearly you may cherish your estate,
when you die, it will only fall into the hands of others"
(The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 3, p. 238).
You should not jealously cling to your possessions, the
Daishonin says. All too often, people fail to fully come
to terms with their mortality and as a result become attached
to things that ultimately have no worth.
In his Essays, the French Renaissance philosopher Montaigne
( 15 33-92) introduces the following episode about a king
of ancient Greece who was planning to conquer Italy:
When King Pyrrhus [of Epirus, 319-272 BCE.] was undertaking
his expedition into Italy, Cyneas, his wise counselor, wanting
to make him feel the vanity of his ambition, asked him:
"Well, Sire, to what purpose are you setting up this
great enterprise?" "To make myself master of Italy,"
he immediately replied. "And then," continued
Cyneas, "when that is done?" "I shall pass
over into Gaul and Spain," said the other. "And
after that?" "I shall go and subdue Africa; and
finally, when I have brought the world under my subjugation,
I shall rest and live content and at my ease." ...Cyneas
then retorted, "tell me what keeps you from being in
that condition right now, if that is what you want. Why
don't you settle down at this very moment in the state you
say you aspire to, and spare yourself all the intervening
toil and risks?" (3)
The source of this anecdote is Plutarch's Lives of the
Noble Grecians and Romans. Pascal and others in later ages
have cited it.
The point is that people find contemplating their lives
and facing mortality so distasteful that they instead look
for one thing after another in which to absorb themselves.
Thus avoiding the essential point of polishing their lives,
they arrive finally at death without having prepared in
the least for that moment. The King Pyrrhus anecdote teaches
the folly of such a life.
Tolstoy wrote: Death is more certain than the morrow, than
night following day, than winter following summer. Why is
it then that we prepare for the night and for the winter
time, but do not prepare for death. We must prepare for
death. But there is only one way to prepare for death ---
and that is to live well. (4)
"To live well" means to develop, cultivate and
elevate our lives. Socrates called this "attending
to one's soul." His famous words to the effect that
"philosophy is practice for dying" carry the same
meaning.
In the Gosho we are studying this time, Nichiren Daishonin
teaches that the eternal entity of our lives cannot be burned
by fire, corroded by water or destroyed by weapons. The
eternal entity can both fuse with the universe in all its
vastness and take the minuscule form of a mustard seed.
It truly exists in the perfectly free state of non-substantiality
(Jpn ku).
Buddhism teaches how we can gain firm control over the
function and power of the free, unimpeded aspect of life
--- the power of the Mystic Law. This is the teaching of
a single life moment possessing 3,000 realms. Herein lies
the ultimate meaning of faith.
We possess within us indestructible life force equal in
power to the universe. When we tap this life force, we have
no sufferings or worries that we cannot overcome.
What Is True Transcendental Power?
People, confused by their minds, fail to understand and
awaken to the true nature of their lives. The Buddha is
awakened to and manifests the wondrous workings of life,
which he has called '`transcendental." By transcendental
he means "in command of all laws of life, unobstructed
by anything." This free transcendental power exists
in the lives of all sentient beings. Therefore, foxes, raccoon
dogs and the like can manifest their respective transcendental
powers. This is the [expression of] their relative enlightenment.
It is from this single entity of life that the differences
among lands arise. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 563)
True transcendental power is not along the lines of so-called
"supernatural" abilities. It is actually the ability
to help others become happy. Nichiren Daishonin says, "Aside
from the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no 'secret'
and no 'transcendental power"' (Gosho Zenshu, p. 753).
Manifesting true transcendental power means thoroughly
polishing the eternal essence of our lives, elevating ourselves
toward the state of Buddhahood. By so doing we can realize
eternal happiness and develop our state of life to one where
we can help others become happy, too.
It may be that supernatural abilities enable people to
fly. But being able to fly won't make you happy. For that
matter, to fly all you need to do is get on an airplane.
As the Daishonin indicates where he says, "It is from
this single entity of life that the differences among lands
arise," society and even the land change depending
on the state of life of people living there. The power to
change even the environment exists in the heart.
A great human revolution in the life of one person can
change the destiny of humankind and the planet. It is Buddhism,
the Lotus Sutra, that encourages and enables people to become
aware of this great power, to draw it forth and use it.
Buddhism gives people the means to develop themselves thoroughly,
and opens their eyes to the limitless power inherent in
their lives.
Through training hard, an athlete can bring out hidden
strengths and abilities to the maximum. Similarly, the extent
to which we can manifest our latent power, the true essence
of our lives, depends on our practice. The requisite discipline
is Buddhist practice-it is faith. With the view of life
existing eternally over past, present and future, establishing
solid faith becomes the fundamental concern. We should make
establishing solid faith our main purpose in this existence.
The Daishonin says: "Explaining the wonder of life
is the prime objective of all the sutras. One who is awakened
to the workings of the mind is called a Thus Come One"
(Gosho Zenshu, p. 564). Buddhism reveals the "wonder
of life" from a wide variety of angles. Attaining Buddhahood
is the same as gaining a full understanding of this wonder.
The Buddha Fully Grasps the Wonder of Life
Explaining the wonder of life is the prime objective of
all the sutras [that Shakyamuni preached], termed the 84,000
teachings. These doctrines all exist in one's life. Accordingly,
the 84,000 teachings are the diary of one's life.
We hold and embrace the 84,000 teachings in our lives.
To suppose that the Buddha, the Law and the pure land of
Eagle Peak exist apart from one's life and to seek them
outside is a delusion. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 563-64)
The Buddhist sutras, again, are said to number 84,000.
This is because human beings supposedly have 84,000 earthly
desires; the sutras are to explain the means for overcoming
these.
The sutras are a record of the Buddha's life. But the Daishonin
also says, "The example of one person represents the
impartial truth inherent in all human beings" (Gosho
Zenshu, p.564). The sutras are a diary of each person's
life. Whether we can believe this, whether we can remember
this, depends entirely on us.
Buddhism was expounded for each of us. By fully comprehending
the wonder of life, we gain complete, total freedom. We
have no sufferings that we cannot overcome, no prayers that
are not answered. We gain all the good fortune and enter
the journey of eternal life in which living is a joy and
dying is joyful, too.
Happiness does not exist outside us. It is found within,
in our own state of life.
Yet modern civilization continually draws our gaze outward.
Ours is a civilization, it is said, which has forgotten
death --- death has become an anathema. People try to get
by without thinking about or coming into contact with it.
But does ignoring death enrich life?
While science can push back the moment of death, it cannot
stop it. Death is a condition of human life --- no one can
escape it. A civilization that has forgotten death, therefore,
has forgotten human beings. And a civilization that has
forgotten human beings will not bring people happiness.
Tolstoy says: "An enlightened man is he who knows
why he lives and what he ought to do. Do not try to be either
learned or educated, but strive to become enlightened."
(5)
In this sense, aren't the lives of SGI members, who strive
to cultivate themselves and serve others based on the eternity
of life, "enlightened"?
There are countless dramas of life and death in the SGI.
I have heard of one person who, after expressing gratitude
for the SGI, said, "I'll be back soon" and then
passed away. Another person, smiling gently, closed her
eyes, saying, "I'll be born right away and return to
the garden of kosen-rufu." Someone else died after
bravely relating his dream --- to undertake great activities
in his next life --- while listening to such well-loved
Soka Gakkai tunes as "Song of Comrades" and "The
Song of the Human Revolution." Aren't these enlightened
people who have awakened to the eternity of life and met
death with complete composure?
A civilization that revolves around cultivating life respects
human dignity and excellence. It is a society that treasures
people of wisdom.
In modern society, where highest value tends to be placed
on material wealth and utility, people are often judged
on whether they are "useful." As a result, the
elderly and the sick tend to be marginalized. A civilization
that does not squarely face death also deserts people in
sickness and old age. For the rapidly graying populations
of many countries, this spells a bleak future.
This would not be the case in a civilization that treasures
human maturity and depth of wisdom. If there is value in
the young shoots of spring and the light of summer, then
there must also be value in the mature trees of autumn and
the grand sunsets of winter.
This is all the more so for those who practice Buddhism.
For us, old age is a time of unsurpassed fulfillment when
we put the finishing touches on the "golden journal"
of our lives and attain Buddhahood; days of mission when
we show actual proof and relate to others the wonder of
life and power of the spirit we have experienced. This lifetime
is precious and irreplaceable.
As a young man, the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky
(1821-81) was once arrested for revolutionary activities
and sentenced to die. He was taken to the execution grounds
and, along with his friends, tied to a stake. Guns were
pointed at them.
The thought that in a few moments he would no longer be
in this world stirred a powerful reaction in the young Dostoevsky.
A character from one of his novels in a similar situation
thinks to himself:
What if I were not to die! What if I could go back to life
--- what eternity! And it would all be mine! I would turn
every minute into an age; I would lose nothing, l would
count every minute as it passed, l would not waste one!
(6)
At the last moment the execution was canceled, but the
episode left its imprint on Dostoevsky's entire life. His
experience might have been extreme, but if we think about
things objectively, everyone, differences in their length
of life notwithstanding, is certain to die. From that standpoint,
each of us is a "prisoner on death row."
Incidentally, I understand that efforts are being made
to educate people on death. One example of this is having
people imagine that they have only three months to live,
encouraging them to think how they would spend that time.
This kind of exercise prompts people to think earnestly
about what they need to accomplish.
Tolstoy observed: If a man knows that he will die inside
of thirty minutes, he will not do anything trifling or foolish
in these last thirty minutes, surely not anything evil.
But is the half century or so that separates you from death
essentially different from a half hour? (7)
Use your time wisely and polish your life. When I was young,
my health was so poor that I might have died any time. Therefore,
I threw myself into efforts for Buddhism with the determination
to use each moment to the fullest.
We have to work hard. We have to develop ourselves. As
the Daishonin says, "Arouse deep faith and polish your
mirror night and day" (MW-1, 5). That is the fundamental
objective of life and the conclusion of "The Ultimate
Teaching Affirmed by All Buddhas of Past, Present and Future."
Daily, we carry out this practice, the essence of Buddhism
--- this is the same as mastering the 84,000 teachings.
Let us live aware of the fantastic wonder of life, with
the realization that each day is a priceless treasure.
(This concludes President Ikeda's lecture
on "The Ultimate Teaching Affirmed by All Buddhas of
Past, Present and Future.")
Notes:
l. "Sanze Shobutsu Sokanmon Kyoso Hairyu" (Gosho
Zenshu, pp. 558-75), written in October 1279 when the
Daishonin was 58.
2. Blaise Pascal, Pensees, trans. A.J. Krailsheimer (NewYork:
Penguin Books, 1966), pp. 156-57.
3. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, The Complete Works of Montaigne,
trans. Donald M. Frame (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University
Press, 1957), p. 196.
4. Leo Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, trans. Archibald
J. Wolfe (New York: International Book Publishing Company,
1919), part 2, p. 179.
5. Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, part 1, p. 296.
6. Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot, trans. Constance Garnett
(New York: Bantam Books, 1988), p. 57.
7. Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, part 2, p. 32.
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