SGI-USA Men’s Division Monthly Meetings
Suggested study material for May 2008
We continue this month with material drawn from the conclusion of President Ikeda’s lecture series on “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law” in the May/June issue (Volume 12, no. 3). We want to encourage all Men’s Division members to subscribe to Living Buddhism and read the complete material there, as well as to attend and participate actively in the 4-divisional study meetings in your local organization.
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Lecture on “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and Death,” Part XIII
by SGI President Ikeda
The Heritage for Attaining Buddhahood Flows in the Lives of Disciples Who Strive Selflessly For Others’ Happiness in the Same Spirit As the Mentor
GOSHO PASSAGE
Be resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life. Only then will you realize that earthly desires are enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith. (WND, vol.1, p.218)
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EXCERPTS FROM THE LECTURE
The Heritage of Faith in All Its Aspects
(LB 12/3. p.46)
The final passage concludes by stating that the heritage of faith is the only true means by which people can inherit the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate Law of life and death (see The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p.218).
This conclusion addresses the very heart of Buddhism. The question of life and death is a fundamental source of human suffering, and the transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death is a means for resolving that suffering. No matter how wonderful a teaching may seem, unless it explains to individuals the key to surmounting the sufferings of birth and death, it has no real substance.
The best and surest way to convey the supreme Law to others is through faith. The Law cannot be transmitted by such transitory and illusory phenomena as priestly authority or religious rituals and ceremonies. Faith is of foremost importance in transmitting the true, supreme Law.
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The View of Life and Death in Nichiren Buddhism: A Wellspring of Hope for Humankind
(LB 12/3, p.50)
In his work The System of Value-Creating Education, first Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi makes the following observation: “With reference to our life activities as they relate to the universe as a whole, when we directly confront the problem of life and death—even if we are a person of great wisdom or scholarship, or a person of great heroism or enterprise—we realize how miniscule our own power is in comparison. At that time, we have to face up to the power of the universe itself, which is truly awesome in its immensity. Our activities on a religious or spiritual sphere arise from this recognition. Our life activities as they relate to society, too, can in fact be regarded as part of such activities.”
He is saying that if we wish to resolve the problem of birth and death, we must acknowledge the immense power of the universe and open up our lives to the spiritual or religious impulse within. His point that our activities in society are part of our spiritual or religious activities also bears close consideration.
As practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, the powerful life force we develop through our activities in the spiritual realm serves as the engine that enables us to lead positive and valuable lives in society. Here, the heritage of faith is the key to a spiritual life in which we are in tune with the vast power of the universe that encompasses both life and death.
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Sharing the Same Commitment As the Teacher is the Key
(LB 12/3, p. 56)
When disciples strive in a spirit of oneness with the mentor, sharing the same commitment to kosen-rufu, they can summon infinite strength. The mentor, based on a profound understanding of the fundamental question of life and death, ponders deeply and takes action to help all people manifest their innate potential and lead happy and successful lives.
I learned the way of faith in Nichiren Buddhism, the key to absolute victory, from Mr. Toda. Mr. Toda learned it from Mr. Makiguchi. And Mr. Makiguchi learned it from Nichiren and from chanting to the Gohonzon. This is the heritage of mentor and disciple in the Soka Gakkai.
When disciples unite in spirit with the mentor, they can overcome the sufferings of birth and death and, in this lifetime, attain a state in which they savor the boundless joy of the Law that continues eternally throughout past, present and future. That is the purpose of Buddhism.
Accordingly, the key to inheriting the ultimate Law of life and death lies in faith that embodies the spirit of not begrudging one’s life in striving for kosen-rufu and the happiness of others, united in spirit with the mentor.
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Suggested Discussion Questions
- Based on this Gosho passage, what is the heritage of faith in Nichiren Buddhism? How is it different from the “priestly authority” and “religious rituals and ceremonies” of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, who claim the high priest alone embodies the heritage of faith by virtue of his title and position?
- Referring to Mr. Makiguchi’s writing about the importance of directly confronting the problem of life and death, President Ikeda asserts that doing so requires that we open our lives through spiritual or religious activities, and that this in turns enables us to bring forth “the immense power of the universe” in our daily lives, to “lead powerful and valuable lives in society.” Describe your own daily-life experiences with this process.
- President Ikeda explains that the heritage of the Law flows within our lives when we strive with the same spirit for kosen-rufu as our mentor in faith. What does this mean to you? How can we each realize this more fully in our own lives?
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