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Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life
- Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho -
I have just carefully read your letter. To reply, the ultimate
law of life and death as transmitted from the Buddha to all living beings is Myoho-renge-kyo. 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. 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).
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 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.
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 and 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.
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. 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 evil paths." How can we possibly hold back our tears at the inexpressible
joy of knowing that not just one or two, nor only one hundred or two hundred, but as many as a thousand Buddhas will come
to greet us with open arms!
One who does not have faith in the Lotus Sutra will instead find his hands firmly gripped by the guards of hell, just as
the sutra warns, "...After he dies, he will fall into the hell of incessant suffering." How pitiful! The ten kings of hell
will then pass judgment on him, and the heavenly messengers who have been with him since his birth will berate him for his
evil deeds.
Just imagine that those thousand Buddhas extending their hands to all Nichiren's disciples who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
are like so many melons or moonflowers extending their slender vines. My disciples have been able to receive and embrace the
Lotus Sutra by virtue of the strong ties they formed with this teaching in their past existences. They are certain to attain
Buddhahood in the future. The heritage of the Lotus Sutra flows within the lives of those who never forsake it in any lifetime
whatsoever -- whether in the past, the present or the future. But those who disbelieve and slander the Lotus Sutra will "destroy
the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world." Because they cut themselves off from the potential to attain enlightenment,
they do not share the ultimate heritage of faith.
All disciples and believers of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with one mind (itai doshin), transcending all
differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim.
This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate law of life and death. Herein lies the true
goal of Nichiren's propagation. When you are so united, even the great hope for kosen-rufu can be fulfilled without fail.
But if any of Nichiren's disciples should disrupt the unity of
itai doshin, he will destroy his own castle from within.
Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage
and attain Buddhahood. But instead they attacked me time and again, and finally had me banished to this island. You have followed
Nichiren, however, and met with sufferings as a result. It pains me deeply to think of your anguish. Gold can neither be burned
by fire nor corroded or swept away by water, but iron is vulnerable to both. A wise person is like gold and a fool like iron.
You are like pure gold because you embrace the "gold" of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra reads in part, "Sumeru is the loftiest
of all mountains. The Lotus Sutra is likewise the loftiest of all the sutras." It also states, "The good fortune of the believer
cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water."
It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni
and Taho Buddhas certainly realize this truth. The sutra's statement, "In lifetime after lifetime they were always born together
with their masters in the Buddha's lands throughout the universe," cannot be false in any way.
How admirable that you have asked about the transmission of the ultimate law of life and death! No one has ever asked me
such a question before. I have answered in complete detail in this letter, so I want you to take it deeply to heart. The important point is to carry out your practice confident that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
is the very lifeblood which was transferred from Shakyamuni and Taho to Bodhisattva Jogyo.
The function of fire is to burn and give light. The function of water is to wash away filth. The winds blow away dust and
breathe life into plants, animals and human beings. The earth nourishes the grasses and trees, and heaven provides nourishing
moisture. Myoho-renge-kyo too works in all these ways. It is the cluster of blessings brought by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
The Lotus Sutra says that Bodhisattva Jogyo should now appear to propagate this teaching in the Latter Day of the Law, but
has this actually happened? Whether or not Bodhisattva Jogyo has already appeared in this world, Nichiren has at least made
a start in propagating this teaching.
Be resolved to summon forth the great power of your faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith
will be steadfast and correct at the moment of your death. Never seek any other way to inherit
the ultimate law and manifest it in your life. Only then will you realize that earthly desires are enlightenment and the sufferings
of life and death are nirvana. Without the lifeblood of faith, it would be useless to embrace the Lotus Sutra.
I am always ready to clear up any further questions you may have.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren, the Shramana of Japan
The eleventh day of the second month in the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272)
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