Ikeda Wisdom Academy: August 2019

Chapter 2
The True Heritage—Freeing Humanity From the Sufferings of Birth and Death by Bringing the Wisdom of the Mystic Law to Flow Forth

Nichiren Daishonin wrote “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life” in response to a question from Sairen-bo, a learned priest, formerly of the Tendai school, who had asked him about the “heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death.” Nichiren clarifies the most essential point—that the ultimate Law of life and death that enables all people to fundamentally overcome the sufferings of birth and death is Myoho-renge-kyo.

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 Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas inside the treasure tower, to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 216)

Myoho-renge-kyo Is the Ultimate Law of Life and Death

In response to Sairen-bo’s question, Nichiren Daishonin first clarifies the most essential point—that the ultimate Law of life and death, which is the heritage transmitted by the Buddha, is Myoho-renge-kyo (see WND-1, 216). This is a declaration that the supreme teaching enabling people to fundamentally overcome the sufferings of birth and death is none other than Myoho-renge-kyo (the Mystic Law). As the basis for this claim, Nichiren makes two principal points in this writing.

First, he shows the legitimacy of the heritage of the Lotus Sutra, which is seen in the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures entrusting Myoho-renge-kyo to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. In this installment, I will discuss the significance of this point.

Second, Nichiren considers why Myoho-renge-kyo is the supreme teaching for surmounting the sufferings of birth and death. In the course of that discussion, he indicates that the birth and death of all living beings, the arising and extinction of all phenomena, constitute life and death as functions of Myoho-renge-kyo. In other words, all birth and death, all occurring phenomena, represent transitions or instances of emergence and extinction, which are part of the rhythm of the great Law of the universe itself. We need to reappraise the meaning of birth and death in the context of human beings from this all-encompassing perspective of existence. I will take this up for discussion in the next and subsequent installments. (The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life: SGI President Ikeda’s Lecture Series, p. 12)

The Legitimacy of the Heritage of the Lotus Sutra

In the Ceremony in the Air, Buddhas and bodhi-sattvas from throughout the entire universe—hailing from the ten directions and the three existences of past, present and future—assemble before the two Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures. It is a solemn ceremony conducted on a gigantic scale, centering on the enormous Treasure Tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures, which is suspended in the air . . .

What was the purpose of the Ceremony in the Air? It was to actualize the Buddha’s great wish of universal enlightenment. To realize this goal, it was vital to enable people in the evil age after the Buddha’s passing to attain Buddhahood. The Ceremony in the Air was thus an event in which this mission of universal enlightenment was entrusted to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Since attaining Buddhahood, at the essential level, means overcoming the sufferings of birth and death, the true heritage that is the ultimate Law of life and death is found in the Ceremony in the Air, where this entrustment takes place. (Lecture Series, 12–13)

The Functions of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures and Superior Practices

1) Shakyamuni Buddha: The Correctness and Appropriateness of the Law

The first point in considering the ceremony of entrustment is, who did the entrusting? The fact that the Law for enlightenment is transferred directly from Shakyamuni—the Buddha of the saha world [this world of suffering], also the eternal Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past—means that it is the correct teaching that enables those who dwell in this strife-filled saha world to free themselves from the sufferings of birth and death.

2) Many Treasures Buddha: The Universality of the Law

Second, the function of Many Treasures is to attest to the universality of the principles of the Lotus Sutra. According to the sutra, Many Treasures is a Buddha of eons past, who, even after entering nirvana, appears without fail wherever the Lotus Sutra is expounded in order to attest to its veracity (see The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 217). The ceremony of entrustment takes place with Many Treasures Buddha seated beside Shakyamuni Buddha. The presence of Many Treasures, in a sense, demonstrates the universal truth of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heritage that Shakyamuni Buddha entrusted to Bodhisattva Superior Practices.

3) Bodhisattva Superior Practices: An Active Practitioner Who Possesses, Manifests and Propagates the Law

The third component is the existence of those who will actually propagate Myoho-renge-kyo after Shakyamuni’s passing. Why was it that the Law had to be entrusted to Bodhisattva Superior Practices? Why was that responsibility not given to the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching or the bodhisattvas from other worlds gathered at the Ceremony in the Air? This is an important point regarding who is qualified to propagate the Mystic Law after the Buddha’s passing.

The bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching and the bodhisattvas from other worlds were resplendent in appearance and bearing, justly inspiring awe and reverence in living beings. They were not, however, followers who had received instruction from the Buddha in the remote past, meaning that they were not in possession of the Law originally expounded at that time. They were bodhisattvas who still subscribed to the view that one could first attain enlightenment only after countless eons of arduous Buddhist practice—that one could only achieve Buddhahood by eliminating the earthly desires of the nine worlds. These bodhisattvas were passed over for the entrustment of the Law because they did not embody the principle of “the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.” Simply put, these bodhisattvas may have been endowed with various outstanding physical and spiritual characteristics, and enjoyed widespread veneration, but they could not function as leaders capable of awakening people to their Buddha nature and leading them to enlightenment. In this respect, there is a huge difference between the fundamental view of attaining Buddhahood held by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and that held by the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching or the bodhisattvas from other worlds.

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Thus, in the transmission of the heritage in the Lotus Sutra’s Ceremony in the Air, we have the three components: 1) the Law’s correctness and appropriateness; 2) the Law’s universality; and 3) an active practitioner. The heritage transmitted in this context constitutes the ultimate Law of life and death that can cure the sufferings of all humankind. (Lecture Series, 13–14)

Awakening People to the Mystic Truth Inherent in Their Lives

It is precisely by believing in the fundamental power of our lives and manifesting the mystic truth inherent within us that we can surmount these sufferings. And it is the noble mission of Bodhisattvas of the Earth, with Bodhisattva Superior Practices at the lead, to teach, reveal and unlock the Mystic Law—the Law inherent in life and the fundamental source of all power—for those thus deluded.

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When we take a look at this unbroken heritage from the infinite past on an even profounder and also more practical level, crucial characteristics of Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth come clearly to the fore. First, in terms of the practical significance of this heritage, the fact that Bodhisattva Superior Practices excels in the power of wisdom to manifest the Mystic Law in his life means that he can do so at will at any time. Second, the fact that he excels in the power of practice to propagate the Law means that he can spread it in even the most evil, defiled age. These two points are considered vital in terms of bringing the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death to flow in the people’s lives in this saha world. (Lecture Series, 15)

The Power of the Heart to Manifest the Mystic Law

Nichiren states that the bodhisattvas of the provisional and theoretical teachings were not in possession of the supreme Law, so they could not possibly appear and propagate it in the Latter Day (see WND-1, 372). Of course, in this context, being in possession of the supreme Law does not simply mean inherently possessing the mystic truth in one’s life. Rather, we can interpret it to mean excelling in the power of the heart to break through darkness or ignorance and to manifest the mystic truth. This is a vital requirement for revealing the mystic truth in one’s life and teaching others, no matter how evil the age. And it is only in the efforts of such individuals that the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death flows. (Lecture Series, 16)

The Power of Practice to Spread the Mystic Law

In addition to excelling in the power of the heart to manifest the Mystic Law, another characteristic of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is their excelling in the power of practice to spread the Mystic Law. At the core of this power of practice lies a vow for kosen-rufu, which is the key to propagating the Law in this saha world after the Buddha’s passing.

In the “Supernatural Powers” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, led by Superior Practices, vow to propagate the Law in an age when the Buddha is no longer present. This vow becomes the driving force behind the power of practice directed toward spreading the teaching in such a troubled, defiled age. In a world rife with evil, the darkness or ignorance shrouding people’s lives is deep and pervasive, and those who seek to spread the Mystic Law are sure to encounter great obstacles and persecution. The power to turn back and overcome the polluted current of such an age lies in a solid vow to propagate the Law. (Lecture Series, 17)

The SGI Is a Gathering of Honorable, Courageous Bodhisattvas of the Earth

What can we say unequivocally of the Soka Gakkai’s brilliant history, in light of Buddhism’s history as a whole? First, that kosen-rufu—the widespread propagation of the Law—means calling forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in great numbers throughout the world in the Latter Day and, through their struggle, leading countless people to enlightenment. And second, that this is the ultimate purpose of the transmission of the heritage in the Ceremony in the Air.

The whole purpose of the heritage of the Law is for all people to attain Buddhahood. That is the reason for the Ceremony in the Air and for the entrustment of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo from Shakyamuni to Bodhisattva Superior Practices. In the Latter Day, it was the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, who, in terms of his behavior, performed the role of Bodhisattva Superior Practices in opening the flow of the heritage of the Law to all people.

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The Soka Gakkai is a gathering of Bodhisattvas of the Earth that was founded by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, mentor and disciple, and accords with the Buddha’s decree. Its history is one of spreading the Mystic Law throughout the world based on the heritage of faith. Because of the great struggles of the Soka Gakkai’s first three presidents, Bodhisattvas of the Earth have now appeared all over the globe. This global transmission of the heritage of faith means that the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death has now spread throughout the world. I firmly believe that this is the true purpose of the heritage being transferred from Shakyamuni Buddha to Bodhisattva Superior Practices in the Ceremony in the Air. (Lecture Series, 19)