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The Concept of
Birth and Death
by Reverend Jisei Nagasaka
Chief Priest, Myosetsuji Temple

Death is something we all must face at one time or another. The
question of "what happens to us after we die" is something that
everyone has thought about at some time. In the Analects of
Confucius, from ancient China, it was written, "Why do you try to
understand death when you still don't know what it is to live?" This
was written at a time before Buddhism was propagated in China, and
we can deduce from this quote that the concept of death was not
understood.
As followers of the True Law, it is very important for us to
understand the concepts of birth and death correctly in accordance
with the Daishonin's Buddhism. We must not live out our lives with
any uncertainty or misunderstanding of these two vital concepts of
birth and death. So, I would like to explain to you about what
happens to us after we die.
In Buddhism we recognize that there is a basic distorted viewpoint
which is called "Henken". It has two primary components, "Danken"
and "Joken" which we will also consider.
In regarding death, people who are all caught up in only a
materialistic outlook conclude that there is no world after death, no
life or rebirth. They say that when your physical body disintegrates
then everything disappears into nothingness. In Buddhism we call
this kind of outlook "Danken" (nihilism).
In contrast with this view, we can all sympathize with the
sentimentalist view which believes that it is too bleak an outlook to
conclude that there is no life or rebirth after death, and claims that
the lives of the deceased continue through their influence and
impressions of other people. An artist, for example, continues to live
through his work or art, they say. But when you really think about
this, it fails to apply consistently to average people or animals. As a
result we can see that this view lacks universal validity and we
cannot rely on it.
Then again, there are people whose viewpoint is directly opposed to
the nihilist point of view. Their view of life is called "Joken" (anti-
nihilism). These are people who believe that after death the spirits or
ghosts of the deceased still exist in this world. They believe in a
spirit world and try to make plausible interpretations for
correspondence with the dead, explaining that it is possible to
appease souls by communicating with the deceased. This debate on
the existence of an afterlife is not something new. It has its origins
before the dawn of recorded history. When you really think about it,
these opposing views have one thing in common. They both start out
from a subjective awareness of the "self" and they both use this "self"
as their standard of judgment.
In summary both "Danken" and "Joken" are based on this recognition
of self: some will say there is nothing before birth or after death,
there is only the present, while others will insist that everyone
continues to exist as a soul after death. The "I" which Descartes
speaks of in his famous, "I think, therefore I am" is the common
point of consideration of these two theories of existence and non-
existence. However, in Shakyamuni's Buddhism, this concept of "I"
which underlines all these judgments and theoretical arguments is
stripped of its pretension and is refuted.
Shakyamuni denounced other religions of Ancient India, denying
that there was a single lord of the universe and asserting that on the
individual level as well, there is no "I", or "self". This was the essence
of his arguments. For example, suppose you were to examine each
and every cell in your body to see if your self really existed. After
you have examined every one, and are totally unable to discover this
self anywhere among them, then the futility of the entire debate
about existence and non-existence becomes clear when the self is
used as a standard for judgment.
In Buddhism, the principle of selflessness, or that the "self" or "I"
does not exist is called "ku". In short, it is a great error to even
discuss the idea of an after-life from the point of view of the "self" or
"I." However, one must be careful not to conclude mistakenly that
because the soul or the self does not exist, that there can be no life
before or after the present one.
In Hinayana teachings, the truth of non-existence and selflessness
(ku) was a crucially important assumption in demonstrating that
there can be no such thing as an eternal self. However, this was only
a partial truth. In the Daishonin's Buddhism, it is taught that the
"self" and the universe do not exist independently of each other. In
other words, all phenomena exist only in relation to each other. This
is called the doctrine of Dependent Co-Arising. Because this idea of
dependence is seldom encountered in Western thought, I believe it
may be difficult for you to understand it. However, let me give you
an example.
We believed for a long time that time and space existed
independently of one another, but scientists in the modern era have
theorized that this is impossible, and one scientist has stated that
they actually bear an intimate relationship to one another. He is in
fact saying that they are in a state of Dependent Co-Arising.
The ultimate fact is that our lives too, have this same intimate
relationship to the universe as they pass through it, sometimes being
born, sometimes dying. Accordingly, it is an error to think of an
individual or an independent soul as existing after death. Rather,
through this relationship with the universe, our life continues its
existence eternally through the continuance of individual karma in
an alternating cycle;  wandering about the universe in a latent form,
and at times manifesting itself in the world of substance.
From this viewpoint of life as part of a continuing co-existence with
the universe, death may be thought of as period of temporary rest,
while life is a manifestation of activity. However, among these many
different life forces which move back and forth between life and
death, there are those fortunate ones who have the innate ability to
be free and to determine their own destinies; others lack this ability
and so are most unfortunate. There is a great difference between the
two.
A life which has attained enlightenment through the power of the
Lotus Sutra, fulfills all wishes, and can lead others to attain
Buddhahood. People of this life condition realize their mission is to
save mankind, and can move freely throughout the Ten Directions to
spread the benefits of the Mystic Law. Since they never forget that
they, themselves, are entities of this Law, they are continuously
born, in this world to spread benefit to the masses.
In contrast, those unfortunate people who are unable to attain
enlightenment possess none of this power of Buddhahood. After
death, they must repay the karmic debts they have accumulated in
this life. They therefore cannot go where they want to, but are bound
up and restrained by their environment, and must undergo all kinds
of suffering.
This world is a place within the vast and boundless universe where
lives of freedom and good karma co-exist and merge with
unfortunate ones whose lives are stained by evil karma.

Inseparability of Body and Mind (Shiki Shin Funi)

The fact is that we can understand the meaning of life only after we
have grasped the meaning of death. According to the principle of
shiki shin funi (inseparability of body and mind), when our physical
body vanishes, our mind vanishes as well. This can only mean that
the existence of our individual "self" is limited to this life only.
Therefore, when we have died, we return to the universe, the "self"
vanishes, and all that remains is our individual karma. For this
reason, whatever characteristics your present "self" may possess,
they are limited to this lifetime only; in your next lifetime, your
"self" will be completely different. The respectworthy "self" which is
how you are right now will not endure after death. The same holds
true for your natural self, or your body. Based on this, let's develop
the awareness that there is only one precious "you" in the entire
world. Actually, this is the main point. The absolute respect for
humanity which Buddhism teaches is based on this philosophy. At
the present time, on this planet Earth, there is only one identifiable
and unique manifestation of your karma, which continually changes
as it progresses through its endless cycles. It is always the sacred
entity of Myoho Renge Kyo.
Through sincere faith and practice directed towards the Gohonzon,
our efforts to bring forth the precious treasure of Buddhahood latent
within our lives will cause us to shine more and more brilliantly. At
the same time, we can extinguish our negative karma from past lives
by teaching others of Buddhist faith, and advancing together with
them. We can transform lives of suffering and anguish into ones of
unshakable happiness. I deeply believe that this is the true
significance of the practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism.


⌐1995 Nichiren Shoshu Monthly. All rights reserved