SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda
Buddhism Can Transform a 'Society of Desire'
Nen kon hi jitsu metsu-do. Ni ben sho gon. To shu metsu-do.
Nyorai i ze hoben. Kyoke shujo.
Sho-i sha ga. Nyaku buk-ku-ju o se. Haku-toku shi nin.
Fu shu zengon. Bingu gesen. Ton-jaku go-yoku. Nyu o oku-so.
Moken mo chu. Nyakken nyorai. Jo zai fumetsu. Ben ki kyoshi.
Ni e endai. Fu no sho o. Nan-zo shi so. Kugyo shi shin.
"Now, however, although in fact I do not actually
enter extinction, I announce that I am going to adopt the
course of extinction. This is an expedient means which the
Thus Come One uses to teach and convert living beings.
"Why do I do this? Because if the Buddha remains
in the world for a long time, those persons with shallow
virtue will fail to plant good roots but, living in poverty
and lowliness, will become attached to the five desires'
and be caught in the net of deluded thoughts and imaginings.
If they see that the Thus Come One is constantly in the
world and never enters extinction, they will grow arrogant
and selfish, or become discouraged and neglectful. They
will fail to realize how difficult it is to encounter the
Buddha and will not approach him with a respectful and reverent
mind." (LS16, 227)
This passage explains why the Buddha enters nirvana even
though his life span is in fact eternal. This is thematically
related to the passage "as an expedient means I appear
to enter nirvana" (LS 16, 229), which we will study
later in the verse section of the chapter.
Shakyamuni's entering nirvana was the ultimate expedient
means he employed to guide people to attain the supreme
state of Buddhahood. The teaching of the "Life Span
of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter is the crystallization
of Shakyamuni's spiritual struggle to engrave the Buddha's
wisdom, the Buddha's compassion and the Buddha's struggle
in the lives of his disciples and cause them to advance
along the same path as he.
If, on the other hand, the Buddha were to remain in the
world forever, then people of shallow virtue would likely
be content to lead spiritually impoverished and craven lives,
abandon any attempt to accumulate good causes, and become
ensnared in mistaken beliefs. They would undoubtedly succumb
to arrogance and indolence, becoming unable to "realize
how difficult it is to encounter the Buddha" and to
"approach him with a respectful and reverent mind."
Therefore, the Buddha enters nirvana as an expedient means
to cause people to arouse a seeking mind. The Buddha is
the "teacher of the supreme path," appearing and
then entering nirvana in order to arouse in people a seeking
spirit for this supreme path, to advance and improve themselves.
If the Buddha were always in the world, then disciples,
thinking "the World-Honored One will always be here,"
would relax, become lazy and forget the path of self-improvement.
Under such circumstances, they could not possibly attain
Buddhahood.
Although at first they would revere the Buddha and exert
themselves in their practice, in time they would become
used to having the Buddha always in their environment and
succumb to inertia and lose their sense of excitement and
appreciation in being able to advance with the Buddha. Increasingly,
they would give in to small-mindedness and neglect their
Buddhist practice. Such is the tendency of the human heart.
It may well be that Shakyamuni sensed something prefiguring
this in the attitude of his disciples.
And so, to cause his disciples to "realize how difficult
it is to encounter the Buddha" and to "approach
him with a respectful and reverent mind," as an expedient
means Shakyamuni taught that the Buddha enters nirvana.
A realization of how difficult it is to encounter the Buddha
and a spirit of respect and reverence -that is, a sense
of the joy, excitement and appreciation in having met the
Buddha, and a spirit of veneration toward the Buddha-is
the true wellspring of faith.
From one standpoint, Buddhism is a philosophy for helping
people become self-sufficient. It is a teaching that explains
how people can develop themselves through their own effort.
We cannot develop a truly profound state of life if we have
a spirit of dependence on the mentor.
At the same time, Buddhism is also a teaching of respect
for human beings. By seeking through our minds and actions
the Buddha who attained the supreme state as a human being,
we can develop in ourselves the same vast state of life.
This is the principle of mentor and disciple in Buddhism.
For human beings it is extremely difficult to both establish
a solid self and manifest true respect for others. Those
possessing a strong spirit of independence often have an
equally strong tendency to look down on others. And those
who have the capacity to respect others may tend to rely
on other people to such an extent that they are unable to
discipline themselves. It must be said that both cases represent
a lack of maturity.
The scholars and leaders from throughout the world with
whom I have formed ties of friendship are highly independent
people making tremendous efforts in their respective fields.
Moreover, when you actually meet them, you find they are
in fact humble and possess refreshing character filled with
respect for others. In people of the highest caliber, self-sufficiency
and veneration of others are perfectly combined.
Buddhism is the path that enables people to develop the
supreme character of the Buddha. It could be said that many
concerns of modern society come down to issues of humanistic
education and the cultivation of character as expounded
in Buddhism.
The sutra passage we are presently studying speaks of people
being "attached to the five desires."1 It seems
to me that this accurately describes our situation today.
We live in a "society of desire," as it were.
A society that does not seek superb ideals and a superb
way of life will gradually be undermined by various base
desires. This lack of rectitude in the adult society has
a direct negative impact on children. It would seem that
"attached to the five desires and... caught in the
net of deluded thoughts and imaginings" sums up the
ills of people today.
The fundamental cause of society's various problems, including
the impoverishment of education, lies in the lack of a philosophy
and principles for correctly controlling and guiding the
five desires.
Shakyamuni taught that he would enter nirvana to cure people
of these fundamental ills. Having fully grasped the tendency
of the human heart to be inevitably drawn toward the shallow,
he expounded his teaching to guide people's hearts toward
the state of life of the Buddha, which is as magnificent
as the Himalayas.
The great mission of Buddhism lies in this --- cultivating
and developing character.
In light of the spirit of this passage, to desire only
to be constantly together with the mentor is not the way
of life of a disciple. The way of a disciple lies rather
in embracing the mentor's teaching and struggling with all
one's might as a self-sufficient practitioner. This is the
path of a true disciple.
Among the disciples of Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai
president, some merely indulged themselves in his vast mercy.
Some, because they were close to him, misused his influence
and carried on arrogantly. Some left when things got difficult,
scurrilously mocking him for the failure of his business
or on some other account.
These were all people who, in the words of the sutra, had
become "arrogant and selfish." They had little
appreciation at having encountered a mentor so seldom encountered.
They did not "realize how difficult it is to encounter"
such a person, nor did they possess "respectful and
reverent minds."
President Toda was the greatest mentor one could have.
Realizing this most profoundly, I have lived up to the strict
spirit of mentor and disciple. As a result, today nothing
and no one can defeat me. And the Soka Gakkai has greatly
developed just as President Toda envisioned --- no, to an
even greater extent. I want my friends in the youth division
in particular to deeply engrave in their lives this history
of solemn struggle and triumph.
The crucial point is our determination to inherit, in its
entirety, the spirit of the mentor. This is our prayer;
it is to wage a great struggle to succeed with this spirit.
This is the fundamental spirit that Shakyamuni tries to
explain in this sutra passage.
Shakyamuni's teaching to not be dependent on others and
to maintain a seeking mind might well be characterized as
strict. But at the same time, we cannot help but be profoundly
moved by Shakyamuni's mercy, deep as the ocean, to elevate
everyone to his own state of life, that of the Buddha.
"My disciples, develop a dignified self." This
is the cry of the spirit of Shakyamuni, the great leader
of humankind.
Our Purpose Is To Lead Wonderful Lives
If we expand on this idea of entering nirvana, that is,
of dying, in terms of our own lives, it might be said that
death, in enabling us to sense the wonder of life, is an
"expedient means" for us to lead a rich and fulfilled
existence.
President Toda lectured on this passage of the sutra:
Nothing would be more fearful than to not die. It would
be one thing if it were only human beings. But if all living
beings were to not die, the consequences would be truly
calamitous.
Suppose that cats and dogs and mice and even octopuses
all were to not die. This would create great problems. If
nothing were to die, then what would happen? Even if someone
or something were beaten, or killed, or run over by a train,
or deprived of food, it would not die. The result would
be pandemonium....
Thus, for people to not die would be problematic. On the
other hand, it would also be problematic if we knew when
we were going to die. If we knew, for example, that we had
only three days left, then we would not have time, for example,
to sit around like this listening to a lecture.
Death is necessary. And the fact that we are not aware
of when we will die with any precision makes life interesting.
This is mystic. And it is because of the mystic nature of
our existence that we come to take faith in the Gohonzon.
Life is, in fact, very interesting.
These words reveal President Toda's great and profound
insight into the nature of life and death.
Because we die, we can appreciate the wonder of life. We
can savor the great joy of being alive. This is truly the
ultimate teaching of life.
To be so filled with fear of death that, upon falling sick
or having an accident, we immediately become depressed and
despair would be pointless. At the same time, however, I
cannot believe those who claim they don't care about risking
their lives or who say they are not in the least afraid
of dying. This is simply nothing more than bravado.
The most fearful thing of all is inner or spiritual death
--- losing the desire to lead a truly fulfilled and meaningful
life. Norman Cousins, who was dubbed the "conscience
of America," came to the following conclusion, based
on his experiences of overcoming a number of grave illnesses:
"Death is not the ultimate tragedy of life. The ultimate
tragedy is depersonalization."
No one can escape death. Precisely because of this, when
people resolve to live with all their might at each instant,
to make the present moment shine by living true to themselves
and leading truly humane existence's, they can summon forth
immense strength. At the same time, they can manifest a
considerate spirit toward others.
Herein lies the mystic nature of life. Herein lies the
Middle Way. Buddhism is the philosophy that teaches this
essential way of life.
- The five desires are earthly desires or illusions that
arise from the functions of the five sense organs (eyes,
ears, nose, tongue and body).
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