Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death.
“The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,”
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 216
In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin defines the true meaning of “the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death.” He does so in response to a question from his disciple Sairen-bo, a Tendai school priest who met Nichiren while both were exiled on Sado Island. Sairen-bo seems to have questioned the Tendai school’s exclusivist interpretation of the heritage of faith: that only select individuals in that school were qualified to possess and pass on the heritage.
Nichiren clarifies that the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death refers to the transfer of the Mystic Law from mentor to disciples.
He cites three ways that we can all inherit this ultimate Law: 1) chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith that the Buddha, the Law and living beings all equally embody the Mystic Law; 2) resolve to maintain steadfast faith until the last moment of our lives, never abandoning faith in this or future existences; and 3) strive harmoniously with fellow believers, united in the spirit of many in body, one in mind.
Nichiren rejects the idea of a formal lineage exclusive to select individuals or a religious class, stressing that the “heritage of faith” is open to all people equally.
—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department
Ikeda Sensei’s Encouragement
1. Our Districts Brim With the Heritage of Faith
Nichiren Daishonin clarified three key points in ensuring that the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death continues to flow in the community of practitioners.
First is unshakable conviction in faith that the Buddha, the Mystic Law and we ordinary human beings “are in no way different or separate from one another” (“The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” WND-1, 216).
Second is steadfast faith that never “forsakes the Lotus Sutra in any lifetime whatsoever throughout eternity” (see WND-1, 217).
And third is advancing with united faith toward realizing the great vow for kosen-rufu as fellow practitioners one in purpose, “transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim” (WND-1, 217).
Our Soka Gakkai districts have been built based on these essential points of faith. Therefore, the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death brims vibrantly throughout them. Our districts are absolute safe places imbued with the noble virtues of eternity, joy, true self and purity, where members can encourage and support one another and strive together on their journey across the sea of the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. (November 2020 Living Buddhism, p. 5)
2. Equal in Every Way to the Buddha
Nichiren Daishonin says we must chant Myoho-renge-kyo with the realization that we are in no way different or separate from the Buddha and the Law (see “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” WND-1, 216). Here, realization does not simply mean an intellectual appreciation but rather belief and understanding[1]—that is, an understanding based on belief, or a heartfelt acceptance and conviction in the depths of one’s life. This is essential.
Such profound inner conviction is forged through efforts to lead others to enlightenment with the spirit of not begrudging one’s life. SGI members who have dedicated themselves tirelessly for the sake of kosen-rufu with resolute faith have, in the course of their struggles, gained a strong and vibrant belief and understanding. They are dedicating themselves to the mission of spreading Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and striving to do their very best. As such, they are already manifesting the vast and expansive life state of Buddhahood of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo equal in every way to that revealed by “Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago” and “the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to enlightenment.” Each individual, as an entity of the Mystic Law, is powerfully manifesting the life state of Nichiren Daishonin embodied in the Gohonzon and living out his or her life in harmony with the Mystic Law. (The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life: SGI President Ikeda’s Lecture Series, pp. 46–47)
March 3, 2023, World Tribune, p.10
References
- Nichiren Daishonin discusses the meaning of “belief and understanding” in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, pp. 54–55. ↩︎
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