SGI-USA Study Curriculum

Selected Lectures on the Gosho by SGI President Iked

Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life
- Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho -

Lecture 1 of 3 from Selected Lectures on the Gosho, vol. 1.

Mirror for Believers

The Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho (Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life) brings back fond memories of my master, Josei Toda, for he lectured on it many times. "Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho is one of the most difficult letters of all the Gosho," he used to say over and over again. "Whenever I read it, it seems so clear at first, but then I find myself wondering again what it means. The higher my state of life becomes, the more fully I understand this Gosho." Mr. Toda also said it contains the essence of faith for disciples of Nichiren Daishonin. In fact, he said, without the spirit of this Gosho we cannot accomplish kosen-rufu nor can we achieve the essence of faith and the ultimate in Buddhism. "Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho," he added, "is a spotless mirror of the practice of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth."

I am convinced that what he said is true, for it can be proven --- there is documentary, theoretical and actual proof. I myself have often lectured on this Gosho and have pondered deeply on it. Each time I am astonished and again impressed by all that is condensed into each sentence, each phrase. I can only call it a mystic work. Without my even being aware of it, this Gosho has come to bear a decisive influence on my life. Here I want to share with you the thoughts I have developed after many years of study and reflection on the Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho. I would like to think of this as a commemoration of the seventeenth anniversary of my inauguration as president, and also of this year, 1977, the Year of Study. I have only one goal: knowing that the movement toward kosen-rufu will continue far into the future, I want us to delve deeply into the basic point of faith of the Soka Gakkai through this Gosho. I want to confirm the fundamental spirit of our faith, the lifeblood of faith.

This is a very short Gosho, but the doctrine it contains is profound, for it probes directly into life and death, the ultimate question of Buddhist philosophy. It is that question to which Shakyamuni Buddha and all the others who lived for Buddhism devoted their wisdom and passion in the search for a solution. All of the so-called eighty-four thousand teachings and all the innumerable theses and commentaries on them, without exception, focus on one theme: life and death. Sairenbo was a scholar of the Tendai sect which was regarded as the highest school of Buddhist philosophy in those days. Eager to break through the mystery of life and death, he asked Nichiren Daishonin for illumination. The Daishonin's reply is the Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho. There he presents the conclusions he has reached, based on his enlightenment as the Buddha of the Latter Day, and at the same time he explains how all mankind can actually attain Buddhahood.

In Shoho Jisso Sho (The True Entity of Life), the Daishonin discusses general themes, such as universal phenomena and the true entity, the Ten Worlds and the Mystic Law, the common mortal and the Buddha. Then he reminds us of our mission to propagate the Mystic Law as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, people "of the same mind as Nichiren." In contrast, the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life deals specifically with the ultimate purpose of Buddhist practice --- attaining Buddhahood --- and tells us clearly the type of practice which leads directly to that objective.

The True Entity of Life, it will be recalled, contains the main points of two of the Daishonin's major theses: The Opening of the Eyes, which explains the object of worship from the viewpoint of the Person, and The True Object of Worship, which discusses it from the viewpoint of the Law. The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life is no less important, for it contains the teaching based on Nichiren Daishonin's own enlightenment as the original Buddha. It is the place where the Daishonin reveals the state of his Buddhahood. Since this Gosho is so important to Buddhist teaching, it should be read and reread, until it becomes a part of your life.

This Gosho was written on February II, 1272, at Tsukahara on Sado Island. As in the case of The True Entity of Life, it was written to Sairenbo Nichijo, whose background I have described elsewhere.* Of course the original was a personal letter, and the title it now has was affixed later. However, because it begins with a discussion of shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku, I will begin by examining this phrase.

*[ Sairenbo Nichijo, who received the letter containing that passage, is said to have been a priest of the Tendai sect before he became a follower of Nichiren Daishonin. We can presume, therefore, that he knew about "the true entity of all phenomena" as the basic teaching of the Tendai school. He could not, however, thoroughly understand it through T'ien-t'ai's theory, and so he asked the Daishonin to explain the exact meaning of the passage.]

Shoji is life destined to repeat the endless cycle of birth and death. Ichidaiji may be rendered as "the most fundamental essence." Ichi, literally "one," here means not "one of many," but "the one and only." Ichidaiji, then, is "the one and only fundamental essence." Shoji ichidaiji, as a result, denotes the most important thing in our lives --- the ultimate law of life. Kechimyaku is the "pulse" of the flow of life, which continues on, unchanged, beneath the superficial passages of life and death. The master-disciple relationship is vital in Buddhism, for through this relationship the Buddha, as teacher, transmits the law of life --- which he has fully realized --- to the lives of his disciples. The transmission of the law is also called kechimyaku.

Shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku conveys, in effect, the way the Buddha endows people undergoing the endless cycle of birth and death with the ultimate law so they can manifest it in their lives. That is the crux of Buddhism, the quality that makes Buddhism a practical philosophy involving living relationships, carrying it far beyond the reach of mere ideas.

The Ultimate Law of Life

Having roughly explained shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku, I would like to elaborate now on the meaning of shoji and ichidaiji. I will speak about kechimyaku in detail later. Shoji has basically two meanings. One is its significance as an abbreviation of sho-ro-byo-shi (ji of shoji is a phonetic change of shi) --- birth, old age, sickness and death --- including all human suffering. The other meaning is derived from belief in eternal life and signifies the entity that repeats the endless cycle of birth and death. Shoji, as used in this Gosho, denotes the latter.

Life and death are the two phases that all living beings must pass through. Conversely, a living being can exist only in the state of life or death. The ordinary person can see his life only as it begins with birth and ends with death. The Buddhist perspective goes beyond this limited view, however, extending its horizon to life as a changeless entity that exists eternally, sometimes in the manifest phase called life, and at other times in the latent phase called death. What is the Buddhist view of the two phases of life and death? The Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, "There is no ebb and flow of birth and death, . . ." Since "ebb and flow" indicate death and birth, the Juryo chapter, based on belief in eternal life, denies the ebb and flow of life, that beings are born and die. In the Ongi Kuden (his oral teachings of the Lotus Sutra), however, Nichiren Daishonin says that the denial of birth and death originates in delusion. We should instead regard birth and death --- the ebb and flow --- as essential phases in the ultimate entity of life. This, he says, is the only valid view of life. Life is the state in which its ultimate entity is manifest, and death the state in which it lies dormant. The ultimate entity remains unchanged, repeating the endless cycle of birth and death.

Buddhism also teaches us that life and death are one and the same. What allows life to continue is the mystic energy accumulated in its latent state. When the latent form is aroused by some external influence, it becomes manifest once again, giving full expression to its individuality. Eventually, it quietly recedes into the state of death. However, during this latent state, that being stores up fresh energy in preparation for its coming rebirth.

Life is like the explosion and combustion of a force stored up during its rest period. When it has completed its lifetime, it passes away, merging into the universe. During this latent state it refuels itself with cosmic force, awaiting the time when it can spring to life once again. Thus birth and death are intrinsic to the ultimate entity of life. The source of its rhythm that accords perfectly with the rhythm of the universe is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. A deformed life, out of step with the intrinsic rhythm, must go through a cycle of birth and death burdened by a limiting destiny, and it is usually in the state of Hell, Hunger or Animality. This is what we call evil karma. One possessing such a karma is born, lives and dies constrained by bonds as heavy as any iron chains. There is only one way to transform such a misdirected cycle of birth and death and bring it into step with the cosmic rhythm, and that is to return to, and start anew from, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

That is a macroscopic view of life, seen in terms of one lifetime within the eternity of past, present and future. We must also look at life microscopically, seeing the births and deaths that occur within each of us at every passing moment. A lifetime is made up of the repetition of this process, for births and deaths of smaller lives combine to ensure the continuation of a greater life.

First, consider birth and death in terms of space. Galaxies wax and wane in size as stars within them are born and perish. In the existence of each star are the births and deaths of myriad living beings, as well as the appearance and disappearance of mountains, rivers and valleys. What about our own lifetime? We do not maintain the same matter we were born with from beginning to end. Most of our body cells continually die, to be replaced by new ones. Their births and deaths --- metabolism --- keep the body constantly provided with fresh life force and enable it to live on.

Life and death coexist in our bodies. Fingernails and hair are "lifeless," insentient things, but they originate from living material. They move from a living to a dead state in a smooth, unruffled change, followed by new fingernails and hair. The births and deaths of these and other parts of the body all combine to form a greater life. Thus life is neither a single-unit entity nor a mere assembly of parts that work independently of each other. It is something that consists of multiple components functioning in perfect unity, smaller lives combining to form a greater life. Tiny streams of births and deaths flow into broader rivers of births and deaths, which in turn pour into the vast ocean of cosmic life. The mystic nature of life is truly incredible in its working.

Now let us look at life in terms of time. We experience life and death at every moment. If our life at the present moment is in Hell, the state of Hell is "alive," and the other nine worlds are "dead." Suppose you are finally cured of a long, drawn-out disease. You dance with joy in the state of Rapture. The agony of Hell you felt a moment ago is gone; it has died. Hell and the other worlds have passed away, replaced by the vigorous life of Rapture. You want to tell other people of the joy of your recovery and attribute it to your Buddhist practice so they can possibly benefit from your experience. Then Rapture vanishes and your life changes to the state of Bodhisattva. Each moment one of the Ten Worlds is alive and the others dead, and the next moment another state takes over. Our lifetime is an accumulation of momentary lives and deaths. Even if Rapture is alive now, the other nine worlds have not in the least ceased to exist; they have merely become dormant. Since they are latent, any one of them can come to life in the next moment.

Since our lifetime is an accumulation of moments, the most important thing is the state of life we assume at each moment. Eternity consists of moments, and each moment has a lifetime condensed in it. Hence our state of life from moment to moment determines the overall course of our life. This, more broadly, is the key to changing one's karma. When we value each moment and live actively, enthusiastically, ready to greet the next moment, we go through a state of life and death free from suffering and directed toward enlightenment. If not, we will have to go through lifetime after lifetime in the six paths (from Hell to Rapture), passing from one dark state to another. That is why we must embrace Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Law which penetrates the ultimate in life and death. Only this Law will enable us to attain the state of life in which it is possible to live eternity in a single moment.

Next, consider ichidaiji. It signifies "ultimate." Shoji ichidaiji, therefore, means that the ultimate in Buddhism lies only in the question of life. What then is the ultimate law of life? Nichiren Daishonin gives a clear answer in the Ongi Kuden, in the section on the purpose of the Buddha's advent. Here let me enlarge on this question, relying on his explanation. Ichi of ichidaiji, as we have seen, indicates "the most fundamental essence." Ichi, literally "one," is not just a number like three, five or seven; it means "the absolute one and only," something that has no equivalent. All human affairs originate from, and return to, the one and only fundamental question --- life and death. This is what ichi signifies. No matter what grand system of thought a scholar may develop, should he overlook or evade the question of life and death, his achievement will be nothing but a castle built on sand.

Dai, literally "great," here is used to mean that the ultimate law of life is the fundamental force which penetrates and pervades not only humanity but all things in the universe. It denotes the universality of life. All phenomena from the tiniest particle of dust to the galaxies move in rhythm to the law of life. There is nothing in the entire universe which is not touched by it.

Ji literally means "fact." That the ultimate law of life is constantly present and working in man and in the universe is not a mere idea; real phenomena are themselves the law. We live from day to day, the seasons come and go --- all of this is part of the law of life and death, and ji expresses this incontrovertible fact.

Ichidaiji also symbolizes en'yu-santai or the perfect union of the three truths: kutai (potential), ketai (form) and chutai (entity or source). In the Ongi Kuden we read, "Ichi refers to chutai, dai to kutai, and ji to ketai. What is meant by the 'perfect union of the three truths'? It is that which is called Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." Ichi here is the ultimate entity that embraces everything; it therefore corresponds to chutai, or the Middle Road. Dai tells us that the ultimate law of life and the universe is as extensive and all-inclusive as space; it therefore corresponds to kutai. Ji implies that this law manifests itself in the kaleidoscopic changes of all actual phenomena; it therefore corresponds to ketai. In the final analysis, ichidaiji is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Law which perfectly incorporates the three truths. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the ultimate law of life and the universe. At the same time it contains all things in the entire cosmos. It is not just an idea or something abstract and vague; it manifests itself in actual phenomena. The true entity of life completely free and unobstructed --- this is ichidaiji.

In the Ongi Kuden, Nichiren Daishonin also says: "Ichi represents the life-moment (ichinen), and dai indicates conditions of life (sanzen). What creates the conditions of life are the internal and external causes of reality (ji)." "Reality" is the fundamental power that makes each life-moment actually work within all phenomena in the universe. Ichidaiji therefore means the same thing as manifestation of ichinen sanzen. In the final analysis, Nichiren Daishonin is saying that ichidaiji is the Gohonzon, the power house of the Mystic Law.

The Eternal Heritage

I have just carefully read your letter.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this Gosho during his exile on Sado Island. In an environment filled with almost indescribable hardships, he carefully read every letter from his disciples and devoted himself heart and soul to giving them guidance. For him, even that desolate island was a field for his battle, a field of his Buddhist practice. His simple statement, "I have just carefully read your letter," makes me realize that nothing could destroy or obstruct the sublime state of life of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin.

To reply, the ultimate law of life and death as transmitted from the Buddha to all living beings is Myoho-renge-kyo.

He gives his conclusion first: shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku --- the ultimate law of life and death as transmitted from the Buddha to the people --- is Myoho-renge-kyo, which is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo itself. The doctrine of shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku was originally developed by the Tendai school. Sairenbo, formerly of that school, apparently asked in his letter what this doctrine was all about. The Daishonin's words, "I have just carefully read your letter," suggest that Sairenbo's letter described in detail what he, as a priest of the Tendai sect, had learned about that teaching and how in the end he had become confused as to its true meaning. In his reply to the lengthy and complicated inquiry, Nichiren Daishonin revealed the ultimate law in a single sentence, and dispelled the priest's delusion completely. The conclusion seems to be simple enough, but a profound philosophical process took place before it would be reached, as we will see by studying the sentences which follow.

The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo were transferred from the two Buddhas inside the Treasure Tower, Shakyamuni and Taho, to Bodhisattva Jogyo, carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past.

Why does the Daishonin regard Myoho-renge-kyo as the entity of shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku, the heritage of the ultimate law of life? His first reason is as follows. Myoho-renge-kyo was expounded during the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra as the law to be propagated in the Latter Day. Bodhisattva Jogyo was entrusted with that task because, the Daishonin states, the true entity of his life, which has continued on since the infinite past, is Myoho-renge-kyo. It follows, therefore, that the above sentence is written from a double viewpoint. The statement, "The five characters . . . to Bodhisattva Jogyo," is made from the standpoint of Shakyamuni Buddha's Lotus Sutra, while the phrase, "carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past," is stated from Nichiren Daishonin's position.

According to Shakyamuni's teaching, Bodhisattva Jogyo inherited Myoho-renge-kyo from Shakyamuni and Taho during the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra in the air. From the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, however, his true identity is jijuyushin nyorai of kuon ganjo --- the original Buddha who simultaneously embodies the Person and the Law, and who has dwelt in the world of the Mystic Law since the infinite past. Therefore he "carries on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past." The powerful life in the original Buddha since the infinite past is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo itself.

Life Itself Is the Mystic Law

Myo represents death, and ho represents life. Life and death are the two phases passed through by the entities of the Ten Worlds, the entities of all sentient beings which embody the law of cause and effect (renge).

Nichiren Daishonin next reveals that the ultimate entity of life in all sentient beings --- in all people --- is also shoji ichidaiji kechimyaku, or Myoho-renge-kyo. "Myo represents death, and ho represents life" is another way to say that the law of life and death is in itself myoho, the Mystic Law. The two phases of life and death, which are manifested in the ultimate entity of life, are together the Mystic Law. The law does not exist outside the realities of living and dying; our life itself is the Mystic Law. Then again, our lives in their repetition of the cycle of birth and death are also the entities of the Ten Worlds. Earlier I explained how birth and death occur in a moment of life by referring to the Ten Worlds. They do not mean types of environments or surrounding situations; the Ten Worlds are to be found in the life of everyone --- in its rise and fall, ebb and flow.

Some people are harassed by bill collectors. Some students go through agony as they cram for examinations. There are many more examples of life in the state of Hell, but basically the tortures of Hell always come back to the question of life and death. The intense desire to live on and the desperate attempt to escape death give rise to the anguish and agonies of Hell, which are, then, nothing but the results of such desires. The state of Hunger revolves around greed, and so that, too, is related to life and death. In this way everyday life, in its depths, always involves life and death. Patients groan with and fear the pain of illness because they do not want to die. Some seek fame and status; others set their minds on learning. All derive from their attitudes toward life.

As long as we take the occurrences of every day lightly, we will not understand life's true meaning. Joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure may seem trivial, but they are ultimately related to the question of life and death. Because we are human, we may consciously or unconsciously evade relating our feelings and activities to life and death, but in the depths of the changing phenomena of the Ten Worlds, this problem of life and death is the most serious question of all. Only when we squarely confront it, recognize it, and reflect our recognition in the way we live, can we improve the state of our life. The human revolution is the process of transition from the six paths to the four noble worlds, from the two vehicles (Learning and Realization) to Bodhisattva to Buddhahood. It is a revolution that can only take place when we seek the ultimate law and root our attitude toward life and death firmly within it.

Let us next consider why the Daishonin says, "Myo represents death, and ho represents life." It is impossible to imagine anything about the state of death. Where does it exist, and how? Even if told that it continues to exist as part of universal life, we remain unconvinced. Death, therefore, is myo, a mystic phenomenon. In contrast to death, manifest life appears in many ways, shapes and forms. Like a law, it manifests one or another of the Ten Worlds in accordance with the workings of the Ten Factors of Life. [The True Entity of Life, section "Buddha is Not and Abstract Being] When you do not eat for a long time, you crave food --- the state of Hunger. When ridiculed, you are upset or angry --- the world of Anger. This is the natural law of life. Life, therefore, is ho, or law.

The Chinese character for ho consists of the ideographs for "water" and "passing away" combined. Together they mean "flow of water." Water represents the even, eternal and impartial, that which pervades the universe. "Passing away" symbolizes the flow of time from the infinite past to the infinite future. In some ancient literature we read that the radical "passing away" also indicates "an existence that banishes evils." All streams, be they rapids rushing down mountainsides or large rivers meandering through plains, flow on and on, never stopping, until they finally empty their waters into the ocean. The Buddhist sees the rise and fall of all phenomena, sometimes manifest and at other times latent, in terms of causality. He observes law within the movements of everything, not in a still, abstract form. It is probably for this reason that Buddhism regards the flow of water as symbolic of law. Buddhist law exists in the realities of everyday life, in the actual feelings of being alive. Hence shoho (literally, all laws) of shoho jisso is translated as "all phenomena."

The usual concept of a law or laws is much closer to death than it is to life. The law of gravitation, the theory of relativity and the principles of political economy are but rules of relationships among real phenomena; laws, theories or principles themselves do not appear in any concrete form. In contrast, one of the special qualities of Buddhism is that it makes it possible to see the law within each phenomenon that occurs. It is not an abstract concept one step removed from the realities of life, but the living relationships that real people experience and express from moment to moment. Thus it becomes clear why Nichiren Daishonin states, "Ho represents life."

If Buddhism were limited only to the observation of phenomena, it would be no different from scientific research. The study of the flow of a river belongs to the realm of science. To understand the fundamental force that creates the flow-this is the true object of religion. That fundamental force is never divorced from real phenomena, but neither can it be grasped as a form or a shape. Hence it is described as myo, mystic.

Earlier I explained the sentence, "Myo represents death, and ho represents life," in terms of the life and death of people, but it also applies to all other phenomena as well. Suppose we see an angry man. He may be furious over an argument he had, or he may be angry with himself for something he did. No matter what the cause, his countenance and attitude are ho, and since they are visible, they represent "life." On the other hand, his psychological state --- the causes and circumstances which have brought about his anger --- is impossible to see or fathom. This is exactly what the phrase, "Myo represents death," is talking about.

The movement of the universe is ho and therefore "life." The fundamental force that causes this movement is myo and therefore "death." But what is this fundamental force? The three meanings of myo given in On the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra should be helpful. They are: "to open," "to be endowed and perfect" and "to revive." Concerning the first, Miao-lo stated that "to reveal is to open." "To open" indicates the quality or force which activates a life, like opening a secret repository, and causes it to pervade the entire universe. "To be endowed and perfect" means, for instance, that each drop in the ocean contains the same elements and properties as the ocean itself. "To revive" is, in other words, to create value. Insentient or inorganic matter such as wood and stone is transformed into a building, a place of bustling activity --- that is revival. So, too, is the human act of reforming oneself so that a person can change his or her karma and be able to contribute to society.

The fundamental force is invisible. Suppose a star is born. Physicists see it as the result of a recombination of matter. But something definitely activated that process, some force on which universal life depends for its growth. This is the meaning of "to open." All things in the universe contain each other --- they do not exist separately --- and together they form the greater life of the macrocosm. This is what "to be endowed and perfect" means. The meeting and parting of various forms of life creates new values and new lives. This is "to revive."

All these workings can be traced back to the fundamental force of the universe. Without this force the universe would only be a lifeless chunk of matter. I suspect that the late Dr. Toynbee had such a force in mind when he said that he believed in the existence of "the ultimate spiritual reality behind the universe." Since the fundamental force is beyond the imagination, it is myo (mystic), and since we cannot see it, it is "death." But the force does exist, unseen but definitely underlying all phenomena (ho).

The entities of the Ten Worlds which pass through the phases of life and death can be called renge, because they embody the law of cause and effect. The Mystic Law or myoho means life and death, and renge means the entities that manifest this law. Therefore, all forms of life in the Ten Worlds are in themselves myoho-renge.

T'ien-t'ai said, "You must realize that the interrelated actions and reactions of sentient beings and their environments all manifest the law of the simultaneity of cause and effect." "Sentient beings and their environments' here means the reality of life and death. The law of simultaneity of cause and effect is clearly at work in everything that lives and dies.

Here Nichiren Daishonin backs up his previous statement by quoting from T'ien-t'ai's Hokke Gengi (Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra). "The interrelated actions and reactions of sentient beings and their environments" refers to the law of causality manifested in life. It signifies life as it actually exists --- in other words, people in the Ten Worlds. In terms of time, we see that all life is invariably destined to be born and to die --- the reality of life and death. In terms of space, we discover the relationships between sentient beings and their environments. Nichiren Daishonin shows how the spatial relationship that T'ien-t'ai grasped as the law of cause and effect between sentient beings and their environments is in perfect agreement with the law of life and death. From this derived his statement that " 'sentient beings and their environments' here means the reality of life and death."

Life as it actually exists --- the interrelation of sentient beings and their environments within the reality of life and death --- manifests the law of cause and effect. In this law of life, the cause and its effect always take place simultaneously; it is therefore called "the Law of the Lotus." Let me say a few words about the Law of the Lotus and simultaneous cause and effect. As we know, the lotus plant puts forth flower and seed at the same time, which is why it is such an eminent symbol of the principle of simultaneous cause and effect. However, it is important to understand what this principle means in relation to our actual lives.

In the physical and chemical sciences as well as in the affairs of society, the cause and effect are invariably observed at different times. Simultaneous cause and effect is only found in vital phenomena --- more specifically, in the law of life which Buddhism was the first to elucidate. The True Object of Worship contains a passage which explains the Ten Worlds. It reads, "Rage is the world of Hell, greed is that of Hunger, foolishness is that of Animality, perversity is that of Anger, joy is that of Rapture, and calmness is that of Humanity." Rage, part of the workings of life, is the cause, and Hell is its effect. You don't become angry now and reach the state of Hell some time later. You are angry (cause) and experience the state of Hell (effect) at the same time. This is simultaneous cause and effect. Rage is one way the sentient being expresses himself. In this case his environment will reflect the state of Hell. The sentient being is the cause and his environment the result. Hence T'ien-t'ai's expression, "the interrelated actions and reactions of sentient beings and their environments." Likewise, precisely when we believe in the Mystic Law (cause), we are in the state of Buddhahood (effect), which means that the law of simultaneous cause and effect is the principle which enables us to attain enlightenment.

Life's Mysterious Workings

The Great Teacher Dengyo said, "Birth and death are the mysterious workings of the life essence. The ultimate reality of life lies in existence and nonexistence." No phenomena --- heaven or earth, Yin or Yang, the sun or the moon, the five planets, or any life-condition from Hell to Buddhahood --- are free from birth and death. Thus the life and death of all phenomena are simply the two phases of Myoho-renge-kyo. In his Maka Shikan, T'ien-t'ai says, "The emergence of all things is the manifestation of their intrinsic nature, and their extinction, the withdrawal of that nature into the state of latency." Shakyamuni and Taho Buddhas, too, are the two phases of life and death.

"The life essence" in Dengyo's statement is Myoho-renge-kyo, and "the ultimate reality of life" describes the state of life of the Buddha who has realized this Mystic Law. "Birth and death" signifies life's workings, the transition from death to life and from life to death. In contrast, "existence and nonexistence" concerns whether or not that life appears in this world. We might say that life comes into existence with birth and recedes into nonexistence with death. Nonetheless, nonexistence here does not mean absolute nothingness, but the potential state which in Buddhism is called ku. In any event, both "birth and death" and "existence and nonexistence" are the workings of Myoho-renge-kyo, the two phases of Myoho-renge-kyo. Conversely, while all things are born and die, come into existence and recede into nonexistence, their entities are the eternally unchanging law of Myoho-renge-kyo.

With this basic understanding of the above passage, I will now discuss Dengyo's statement from the standpoint of faith and daily life. "The life essence" refers to our state of mind toward faith, our determination to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in perfect harmony with the Gohonzon. To be resolved to believe in and chant to the Gohonzon is to be endowed with the power to fully utilize the law of life and death. Our lives are adrift in the sea of suffering of life and death, but when we base both our life and death on the Mystic Law, we will be able to cross that sea without fear. The same is true with the phenomenal world of existence and nonexistence. By fixing our minds on the Mystic Law, we are able to move throughout that world in any way we please. In the final analysis, neither happiness nor good fortune comes to us of itself; we are the ones who must build it.

We can make the law of life and death work for us by harnessing the mystic functions of the life essence. This is still not the same as saying that birth and death will cease, or that we will become immortal, a legendary sage. We will live on as ordinary people, but we will no longer have to repeat a continually more painful cycle of suffering as we go through birth and death. Making the law of life and death work for us means that we can instead find joy, by discovering the essential reality of life and death themselves. Then we can live freely and as happily as a butterfly floating from flower to flower.

The Ongi Kuden states, "We repeat the cycle of birth and death secure upon the earth of our intrinsic enlightened nature." Our life from past to present to future is like going for a drive. From birth to death, in lifetime after lifetime, we travel upon the great earth of life. But even though birth and death are repeated by everyone, there is a great difference between struggling across a dangerous swamp in an old rattletrap and speeding along a freeway in one of the latest models. The former is the result of living your life with the idea that everything ends with death, and the latter the result of a life lived with a knowledge of the essential reality of birth and death. By harnessing the mysterious functions of the life essence, we are able to enjoy the enlightened cycle, but we can only do so by continual practice of gongyo.

Ponder the practical implications for a moment. Which law will we manifest in life and death, and which path will we travel through existence and nonexistence? The deciding factor will be the attitude and feelings we have toward the Mystic Law innate within us, the strength of our faith in the Gohonzon. The phenomenal world has its own, natural law of causality. We live our life in the world of phenomena --- the phenomena of birth and death, and existence and nonexistence. Can we transform our entire being into an entity filled with good fortune, or will we have to plunge into an abyss of misery? Steering and directing us is our state of mind which, though invisible, is always at work

Nichiren Daishonin states, "It is because one's entire being is contained in each life-moment that the Buddha preaches of the great benefits in experiencing even a moment of joy when hearing the teachings of Buddhism." The happiness to have encountered the Mystic Law and the joyful, courageous faith and practice as a Soka Gakkai member carrying out an unprecedented Buddhist movement --- from these feelings immeasurable benefits come forth, and they lead to a life of true success and victory as a human being. The difference between an active and a passive attitude may at first seem negligible, but in the long run it grows into a tremendous difference, which no one can help but see.

"No phenomena --- heaven or earth, Yin or Yang, the sun or the moon, the five planets, or any life --- condition from Hell to Buddhahood --- are free from birth and death." Nothing in the ceaselessly changing universe can avoid the law of life and death. The earth on which we live and the limitless expanse of space --- they too repeat the cycles of birth and death. The sun and the moon were formed in the distant past; eventually they, too, will become extinct. The "five planets" indicate five of the earth's fellow planets which, like it, revolve around the sun. Going outward from the sun, they are: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Thanks to the telescope, today we know that there are three more planets in the solar system --- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto --- which were still unknown in the Daishonin's day.

In any event, the entities of all things and all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore, their inevitable birth and death are, in the final analysis, that of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is precisely what T'ien-t'ai means when he says, "The emergence of all things is the manifestation of their intrinsic nature, and their extinction, the withdrawal of that nature into the state of latency." The "intrinsic nature" is the Mystic Law, and the manifestation and extinction of all phenomena in the universe is, therefore, that of Myoho-renge-kyo.

"Shakyamuni and Taho Buddhas, too, are the two phases of life and death." Shakyamuni represents life and Taho death. The two Buddhas, seated side by side in the Treasure Tower during the Lotus Sutra's ceremony in the air, symbolize the two phases of life and death. We can also say that Shakyamuni represents subjective wisdom and Taho, objective truth. Subjective wisdom refers to one who acts, which in turn implies life. Objective truth is that which is proven to exist through wisdom, and implies death. Thus, Shakyamuni symbolizes life, and Taho, death.

Beyond Discrimination

Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment countless aeons ago, the Lotus Sutra which leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from each other. Therefore, to chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate law of life and death. To carry on this heritage is the most important task for Nichiren's disciples, and that is precisely what it means to embrace the Lotus Sutra.

So far, Nichiren Daishonin has revealed the ultimate law of life and death, the ultimate law to which the Buddha was enlightened, and which constitutes our own entities. From this passage onward, he teaches us how, practically, we can manifest the law, limitlessly, within ourselves. The above passage is especially important in that it speaks about the basic posture we should assume toward faith.

The entity of life of "Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment countless aeons ago" is Myoho-renge-kyo." The Lotus Sutra which leads all people to Buddhahood" --- this is the law through which Shakyamuni, as the Buddha who attained enlightenment countless aeons ago, expounded the teaching of his own enlightenment. By believing in and embracing this law, all people in the Ten Worlds can perceive the existence of the Mystic Law inherent within themselves and attain Buddhahood. The entity of the Lotus Sutra as well is Myoho-renge-kyo.

The phrase, "we ordinary human beings," corresponds to that part of the previous passage which reads, "No phenomena . . . are free from birth and death." We are only ordinary people, but we possess the seed of Buddhahood. Here the Daishonin makes it unmistakably clear that we, too, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Taken literally, "Shakyamuni" here is the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the distant past called gohyaku-jintengo, as revealed in the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra; "the Lotus Sutra" denotes the sutra's entire twenty-eight chapters. On a deeper level, however, "Shakyamuni" is intended to mean the original Buddha from the infinite past who appeared in this world as Nichiren Daishonin, and "the Lotus Sutra" signifies the Dai-Gohonzon of true Buddhism. So the above passage tells us we should realize that Nichiren Daishonin, the Dai-Gohonzon and all common people like ourselves are alike entities of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and are in no way different or separate from each other.

True Buddhism does not differentiate or separate these three from each other. It is a serious misconception to take the Buddha as a unique, superior existence, and to assume that the ordinary people of this world are, in contrast, lowly and ugly, utterly incapable of attaining Buddhahood. It would also run against. the spirit of the above passage to decide that both the ceremony and the teaching of the Lotus Sutra are just the products of someone's imagination, divorced from the people and their daily life in this or any age. That kind of misconception is all the more insupportable when it comes to belief in true Buddhism. To think that there is an unbridgeable gap between Nichiren Daishonin and us, or that the Gohonzon exists somewhere outside of ourselves, would break the heritage of the ultimate law of life and death. Of course it is difficult for us to "realize" subjectively the oneness of the Daishonin, the Gohonzon and ourselves. We should consider "realize" to mean "have profound faith in," for Buddhism teaches that "one enters Buddhahood through faith," and also that one should "rely on faith instead of one's limited understanding."

In any event, the life of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. And the Gohonzon is of course Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as the Daishonin himself states: "I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sum)." Unworthy as we are, the life of each one of us is also Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When we maintain firm faith in this as we chant daimoku, the heritage of the ultimate law of life and death, the great life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, will well forth endlessly in our lives. This is "the most important task for Nichiren's disciples," those who practice his Buddhism. As the Daishonin says, this is "precisely what it means to embrace the Lotus Sutra."

"Now Is the Last Moment"

For one who summons up his faith and chants Nam-myoho-renge kyo with the profound insight that now is the last moment of his life, the sutra proclaims: "After his death, a thousand Buddhas will extend their hands to free him from all fear and keep him from falling into the evil paths."

"The profound insight that now is the last moment of one's life" does not just mean to make up one's mind to accept the end. It means to fill one's life and being to its depths with the knowledge of inevitable death as part of life itself. Nearly everyone assumes there are many more years to live. No one knows exactly when he will die, but the fact is that death may come at any moment. That is the reality of life. Another way to look at the words, "now is the last moment of one's life," is to consider that even if we live twenty, thirty or fifty more years, they are but a moment in comparison with eternity. Such knowledge surely ought to make any thoughtful person keenly aware of the great significance of being able to live and embrace true Buddhism. Glory, fame and fortune in this life are nothing. We must devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the practice of our faith, always focusing on the true purpose of our lives. We must do so in order to accumulate the kind of good fortune which will not vanish after death, but will remain for all eternity.

This is the most important aspect of our attitude toward faith. It does not follow, however, that we, as Buddhists who are also ordinary members of society, must discard everything but Buddhism. As we continue to practice our faith, upholding the goal of kosen-rufu, everything we do and everything we possess will be given new meaning because it is based on the Mystic Law. That is how we can live "with the profound insight that now is the last moment of life." When we live from moment to moment, always maintaining that resolution, "a thousand Buddhas will extend their hands to free us from all fear and keep us from falling into the evil paths." This means that we will live in a state of perfect peace and security, as if carried in the arms of a thousand Buddhas, and that we will never fall into the evil paths of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger. In a literal sense, the phrase means that we will enter a state of perfect peace and security at the last moment of our life, but in a deeper sense, it refers to each moment in this lifetime.

In the final analysis, to have "the profound insight that now is the last moment of our life" is to put our entire being into the present moment. It means to live with all our vigor from day to day, fighting to the last ounce of our energy to achieve kosen-rufu and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. When you engage in religious talks with someone, you must decide that this is the last opportunity to talk to him about Buddhism and that if you miss this chance, he will never be able to change his karma. If you act on that resolution, you are already living with the spirit of knowing that now may be "the last moment" possible for this. It is important to do everything with utmost sincerity, whether you are chanting to the Gohonzon, studying the Gosho, or writing a letter of encouragement.

In this connection, I would like to think about life and death in terms of the last moment and what happens after death. Many scholars have studied this subject, among them, Mrs. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. She was formerly professor on the psychiatric faculty of the University of Chicago. Although a Protestant, she did not really believe in life after death. But after eleven years of working with some one thousand dying patients, she confides that she was forced to change her mind and came to realize that life goes on continuously, even after death. In her study of death, she interviewed patients who had been declared dead but later revived, and asked them if they were able to share any of their impressions or experiences. She reports the results of those interviews as follows, giving us an idea of a sort of out-of-the-body experience.

With many of these patients we found out that their experience is that, at the moment of physical death, they float out of their physical body and they float a few feet above the hospital bed or the accident scene. They can see themselves lying in the bed and they can distinguish many things. They can describe in minute, very fine detail who came into the which family member, which priest was in the room. They describe the color of their dress, at the time they have no vital signs.

At the first instant of death," Mrs. Ross's report continues, "the moment of physical separation is a good experience. Like getting out of a prison." But the question is what happens the next moment. "What Christians call 'hell,' heaven or hell, the difference between good people and bad people, people who have led very enlightened lives and those who have not, comes afterwards, after separation. What Christians call 'hell' is not as Christians describe it. (Some of these patients were Christians.)

"After they leave, they go through the walls --- they don't need an open door or window --- and then they go toward a light, through a tunnel, over a bridge or river. After they have passed over, then comes what a Christian would call 'hell.' There is no god who condemns you, but you are forced to review your own life.

"It's like watching a television screen and your whole life is passed in front of you, not only deeds but also thoughts. This is going through hell, because you see everything you have ever done and thought." We may safely say, then, that some of the dead go through heaven and some others through hell. "So it is not a god who condemns you, but you condemn yourself."

Based on many years' experience with dying patients, Mrs. Ross emphatically agrees with the Buddhist concept of karma, that all of our acts are ingrained in our lives and will never disappear. She says, "It's a beautiful thing. I really believe that what you plant as seeds is what you will reap.... It's an absolute law. I know that." She believes in karmic debts only because she has verified that it is true. "It's not really a question of just believing," she says. "All these things can be scientifically verified."

Mrs. Ross is very pleased to know that her thought accords with Buddhism. "People will live a very different quality of life," she says, "if they knew this [concept of karma], if they could understand that they alone are responsible for all the good things and bad things that happen to them."

Ernest Hemingway also experienced such out-of-the-body travel. After he had been badly wounded, he wrote to a friend in his unique style: "I died then. I felt my soul or something coming right out of my body, like you'd pull a silk handkerchief out of a pocket by one corner. It flew around and then came back and went in again and I wasn't dead any more." He used this episode in A Farewell to Arms.

There is a collection of essays on death compiled by Dr. Michio Matsuda, a critic. It contains the essay "Shi no Gen'ei" (Death's Illusion) by Masaru Kobayashi. It is quite a lengthy account of his own experience, so I will give you a summary of it. Kobayashi underwent a critical surgical operation, and his account begins when he was lying on the operating table and the anesthesia began to wear off.

At midnight on the tenth, consciousness returned and with it the pain. It was like raging waves. When they engulfed me, everything before my eyes and inside my head became pure crimson, the color of blood.... When the pain became absolutely unbearable, I felt myself coming apart and beginning to fly away. I clearly saw myself, broken to bits, a black burnt-out chunk of matter, flying at tremendous speed through the vast reaches of space.

I left the warm earth, and felt the cooling atmosphere rush by me. Everything, myself included, was cold. As I went deeper into the universe, the space around me gradually changed from light to deep blue and on to a deeper and deeper black. I felt that death lay at the pitch-black extremity of the universe.

As I felt myself getting colder, I had no emotions at all. I had lost all sense of joy or sorrow for my family, even for myself. There was nothing of loneliness, pain or grief, even though I had parted with many relatives and friends. This was something I had never imagined.

But I did sense one thing that seemed inextinguishable --- an indescribable feeling of frustration. It was not mere frustration at having to part with my life. I had once been a human being and had lived a life which I could never live again. My sense of loss was at having to go away without leaving the slightest mark on history --- history which would continue after my death.

This came as quite a shock to me. I thought I had lived as full a life as I could. I had never imagined that such a feeling would come at the last moment....

Perhaps there is no despair more concentrated than that at the last moment when you realize for the first time that your life has been meaningless, and you plunge toward death with indescribable remorse in your heart.

The one feeling which remained when joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure and all other emotions had gone was the feeling of frustration. It must have been what he felt at the core of his being. The meaninglessness he felt at not having contributed a thing to mankind threw him into a trough of despair on the borderline between life and death, a point of no return. Mr. Kobayashi's account is very precious for its description of a feeling which came from the very source of his being.