Gongyo—which includes reciting portions of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters of the Lotus Sutra—is part of daily practice for Nichiren Buddhists. This series carries Ikeda Sensei’s explanations of gongyo. This section, part of the prose section of the “Life Span” chapter, is no longer recited during our morning and evening prayers. However, we have included it here for its invaluable content. The full text can be found in The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, pp. 207–20.
Sho-i sha ga. Nyorai nyojitchi-ken. Sangai shi so. Mu u shoji. Nyaku tai nyaku shutsu. Yaku mu zai-se. Gyu metsu-do sha. Hi jitsu hi ko. Hi nyo hi i. Fu nyo san-gai. Ken no sangai.
Nyo shi shi ji. Nyorai myo ken. Mu u shaku-myo.
Literal translation: “Why do I do this? The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is. There is no ebb or flow of birth and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction. It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive it to be. All such things the Thus Come One sees clearly and without error.” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 267)
Ikeda Sensei:
Our lives in their original state exist eternally together with the life of the universe; they are without beginning or end. When certain conditions are attained, we manifest birth. And, in time, we recede again into the universe, entering a state of rest. This is the nature of death. It is not the case that our lives are terminated through death. Rather, it could be said that death is an expedient means necessary for us to lead a fresh and vigorous existence in the future.
Fundamentally, there is no ebb or flow of birth and death; life, as thus conceived, embodies the oneness of birth and death. Our lives exist eternally and are inextinguishable. Those who thoroughly grasp this truth will neither take birth lightly nor needlessly fear death. …
What matters is the “depth at which we live,” the “power of thought” we manifest. A person who leads such a truly profound life can make each day worth 10 days or even a month. In a year, he or she can create the value of 10 or even a hundred years. This is the true measure of one’s life span; it is not decided simply on the superficial basis of length of time.
I have lived my life and worked hard with this awareness, and I am determined to continue to do so. Therefore, no matter what happens, I have no fear. I can overcome anything with composure, with the spirit of a lion king.
When we base ourselves on the view that life spans past, present and future, we can overcome the sufferings of birth and death. We can manifest a state imbued with great peace of mind like that of the Buddha. Then we need fear nothing. We can wholeheartedly devote ourselves to the happiness of all people and the realization of world peace—to the eternal struggle to create value, which is the Buddha’s will. Each of us is a child of the Buddha who can lead a dignified and noble existence.
• • •
The Ultimate Buddha Body
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda used to say that life and phenomena at each moment are the Thus Come One. Also, he discerned that the function to produce and nurture life is the work of compassion with which the universe is inherently endowed.
He taught that the universe, which continually seeks to carry forward this work of compassion, causes the latent world of Buddhahood to become manifest in response to the time. This is the mechanism whereby a Buddha appears.
What, then, can we do to perceive in our own lives the three bodies with which we are originally endowed? Nichiren says: “The eternally endowed three bodies mentioned here are gained through a single word. And that single word is ‘faith’ or ‘to believe’” (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 125). And, “If in a single moment of life we exhaust the pains and trials of millions of kalpas, then instant after instant there will arise in us the three Buddha bodies with which we are eternally endowed” (OTT, 214).
The three Buddha bodies with which our lives are inherently endowed become manifest through faith. The supremely noble Mystic Law, the Buddha’s immeasurable wisdom and the function of compassion to lead all people to enlightenment are all contained in faith. Therefore, wisdom cannot fail to manifest in the lives of those who exert themselves in faith.
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles