Buddhism on death and dyiing

"....This Hokekyô becomes a ship on the rivers of the Three Paths, the Great White Ox Cart on the Mountain of Going Forth in Death, it becomes a lamp on the paths of the underworld and is a bridge whereby we may go to the Spiritual Mountain -- Nichiren Daishonin, Letter to Lord Hakii.

"Good sons! Thirdly, the inconceivable merit-power of this sutra is as follows: if a living being can hear this sutra but once, or only one verse and phrase, he will penetrate into a hundred thousand myriad kotis of meanings. After that, his delusions, even though existent, will become as if nonexistent; he will not be seized with fear, though he moves between birth and death; and he will raisethe mind of compassion for all the living, and obtain the spirit of bravery to obey all the laws. A powerful wrestler can shoulder and hold any heavy thing. The keeper of this sutra is also like this. He can shoulder the heavy treasure of supreme buddhahood, and carry living beings on his back out of the way of birth and death. He will be able to relieve others, even though he cannot yet relieve himself. Just as a ferry master, though he stays on this shore owing to his serious illness and unsettled body, can be made to cross over by means of a good and solid ship that has the quality of carrying anyone without fail, so also is with the keeper of this sutra. Though he stays on this shore of ignorance old age, and death owing to the hundred and eight kinds of serious illness, with which his body under the existence of all the five states is seized and ever afflicted, he can be delivered from birth and death through practicing this strong Mahayana Sutra of Innumerable Meanings as it is preached, which realizes the deliverance of living beings. Good sons! This is called the third inconceivable merit-power of this sutra." (Sutra of Infinite Meanings, the prologue to the Lotus Sutra).

Juryo-hon: Could one, reflecting on and calculating these worlds, know their number or not?" The Bodhisattvas Maitreya and the others together addressed the Buddha, " World Honored One. These various worlds are immeasurable and limitless; they are not something which numerical reckoning understands; likewise they are not something which the power of the mind can reach. All Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas reflecting with their Wisdom-Without-Outflow cannot know their numerical limit. Though we abide in the stage of Avivartika (Non--backsliding), in this matter it is something we cannot attain to. World Honored One. Worlds such as these are immeasurable and limitless."

At that time the Buddha announced to the assembly of great bodhisattvas, You good sons. Now I am going to proclaim to you with clarity: Of these various worlds, if one took the ones to which atoms adhered as well as thoseto which they did not adhere and completely made atoms of them with one atom as one kalpa, the time since I attained Buddhahood surpasses these by hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions of nayutas of asamkheyas of kalpas. Since then I have been ever in this Saha World preaching the Dharma and converting. Likewise elsewhere in hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions of nayutas of asamkheyas of countries I have guided and benefitted the mass of beings. You good sons. During this intermediate time I have preached as the Buddha Nento and others. And, furthermore, I have also said they have entered Nirvana. All such as these I have distributed by expedients.

You good sons. If there are beings who come to where I am, I contemplate by means of the Buddha Eye the sharpness or dullness of their various faculties of faith and so on and, in accordance with how they should be saved, everywhere I preach my name to be different and my age to be great or little, and, furthermore, I also manifest myself and say 'I am going to enter Nirvana', and, furthermore, by various types of expedients preaching the Subtle Dharma I have been able to cause the mass of beings to give rise to joyful minds. You good sons. When the Tathagata sees that the mass of beings are those who rejoice in the Lesser Dharma, poor in virtues, heavy with defilement, for these people I preach that when I was young I went forth from the household life and obtained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. But the time since I really attained Buddhahood is as long ago and distant as that. It is just in converting the mass of beings by expedients and causing them to the enter the Buddha Way that I create such a preaching as this. You good sons. The Sutra Canons which the Tathagata expounds are all for saving and liberating the mass of beings. I either preach my own body or preach the body of another or show my own body or show the body of another or show my own matter or show the matter of another. The various words I preach are all true and not empty. What is the reason? The Tathagata knows and sees the appearance of the Three Worlds in accordance with reality: there is no Birth and Death, whether backsliding or emerging; likewise there is neither existence in the world nor non-extinction; they are not real; they are not void. they are not thus; they are not different. It is not as the Three Worlds see the Three Worlds. In such a matter as this the Tathagata sees clearly and is without error. Because the various beings have distinctions of various types of natures, various types of desires, various types action, and various types of recollections, I, desiring to cause various good karmic roots to be produced, by means of considerable causalities, parables, and words, preach various kinds of dharmas: (Lotus Sutra Chapter 16)

The Four Solaces of a true disciple of the Buddha from the Kalama Sutra:

"'Suppose there is a hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss.' This is the first solace found by him.

"'Suppose there is no hereafter and there is no fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself.' This is the second solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to no one. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who do no evil deed?' This is the third solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case.' This is the fourth solace found by him.

"Mounting this jeweled vehicle, they directly arrive at the place of enlightenment by Nichiren Daishonin):

The jewels of this jeweled vehicle are the seven precious substances which adorn the great cart. The seven jewels are precisely the seven orifices in one's head, and these seven orifices are precisely the [seven characters] na-mu-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo, the essential Dharma for the Final Dharma Age. For us, living beings, the five characters of the daimoku will become a boat at the river of the three crossings; they will remove the cold in the crimson-lotus hell. In the hell of burning heat, they will become a cool breeze, and on the mountains of death, they will become lotus blossoms. When we are thirsty, they will become water, and when we are hungry, they will become food. When we are naked, they will become a robe. They will become a wife, a child, retainers, a clan benefitting all living beings by conferring their inexhaustible responsive workings. This is the meaning of "directly arriving at the place of enlightenment."

Accordingly, the fact that one dwells nowhere else but in the Land of Tranquil Light is called "directly arriving at the place of enlightenment." You should fix your mind on the word "directly" and ponder it. [STN3:2563-64]

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. (Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, MW-1)

The Lotus Sutra, explaining the world of Humanity, says that "[the Buddhas appear in this world] to open the door of Buddha-wisdom to all beings." The Nirvana Sutra states: "Those who study the Mahayana teachings, though they have the eyes of ordinary mortals, are said to have 'the eyes of a Buddha.'" That common mortals born in the Latter Day of the Law can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the world of Humanity."(The True Object of Worship)

They also form this thought:`I should accept all sufferings for the sake of all sentient beings, and enable them to escape from the abyss of immeasurable woes of birth and death. I should accept all suffering for the sake of all sentient beings in all worlds, in all states of misery, forever and ever, and still always cultivate the foundations of goodness for the sake of all beings. Why? I would rather take all this suffering on myself than to allow sentient beings to fall into hell. I should be a hostage in those perilous places - hells, animal realms, the nether world, etc. - as a ransom to rescue all sentient beings in states of woe and enable them to gain liberation. (Flower Ornament Scripture pp. 534-535)

Yet, even such Bodhisattva deeds as practiced by Bodhisattva Universally Good can not compare to that of a common mortal who embraces and teaches the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha exhorts this Bodhisattva as follows:

³Therefore Universally Good! When you see the keeper of this sutra in the distance, you should rise from your seat, go to him, receive him, and respect him just as you respect me.(Lotus Sutra p. 341)

From Chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra: "Medicine-King Bodhisattva"

"Star-King-Flower! This sutra saves all living beings. This sutra saves them from all sufferings, and gives them great benefits. All living beings will be able to fulfill their wishes by this sutra just as a man who gets fire when he suffers from cold, just as a man who is given a garment when he is naked, just as a party of merchants who find a leader, just as a child who meets its mother, just as a man who gets a ship when he wants to cross a river, just as a patient who finds a physician, just as a man who is given light in the darkness, just as a poor man who gets a treasure, just as the people of a nation who see a new king enthroned, just as a trader who reaches the seacoast. Just as a torch dispels darkness, this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma saves all living beings from all sufferings, from all diseases, and from all the bonds of birth and death."

"It is better to live one day with honor than to live to a hundred and die in disgrace." (Nichiren Daishonin).

"As for the sound of our chanting the daimoku, there is no place in the worlds of the ten directions where it fails to penetrate. Though our own voice represents only a small sound, when we put it into the great sound of the daimoku and chant it, there is no place in the trichiliocosm where it cannot reach. To illustrate, though [one' s own breath produces only] a small sound, when one blows into a conch shell, it resounds at a distance, and though the sound produced by one's hand is slight, when one strikes a drum, it echoes far. This represents the vital doctrine of the single thought-moment that is three thousand realms..."(Oral Lectures of Nichiren Daishonin Recorded by Niko)

Our teacher said: "Differing thoughts" indicates disbelief. When thoughts of disbelief arise in our mind, we should at once dwell in the mind of faith. The point is that one should not make the mind of disbelief one's teacher, but rather, take the mind of faith as one' s teacher. With a pure mind and believing reverence, one should cultivate the practice of the Lotus Satra. Thus in the phrase " is able to uphold this sutra" or "is able to preach this sutra," the Buddha stressed the words: "is able to." Herein lies Vulture Peak. That is the meaning of the passage, "The four kinds of lands exist in the single thought-moment; all are [the Land of] Eternally Tranquil Light."(ibid).

"[They will be] secure and peaceful in their present life and will later be born in a good place." [STN 3:2566-67]

"Our teacher said: Hearing the Sutra of the Lotus Blossom of the Wonderful Dharma is called "security and peace in the present life" and also "later birth in a good place." [This passage] is immediately preceded by the words, "Having heard this Dharma." "Heard" indicates the ordinary worldling at the stage of verbal identity. In hearing the Wonderful Dharma, one hears that one attains Buddhahood in this very body. This is the meaning of the passage, "One who can hold [this sutra] thereby holds the Buddha's body." Because one hears, one holds, and therefore the three kinds of powerful enemies arise; their coming fulfills this passage's prediction of "security and peace in this life." There can then be no doubt that one is a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, [for] we read in the sutra that a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will encounter such grave persecutions. And by encountering grave persecutions, one's attainment of Buddhahood indicated by "later be born in a good place"is assured. So how can one not feel secure and peaceful in the present? "Later birth in a good place" is clearly expounded in the "Devadatta" chapter. 

In the final analysis, "security and peace in the present life" means that those who believe in the Lotus Sutra shall escape the sufferings of the three evil paths and the eight difficulties, and all of them, whether good or evil, high or low, shall attain the fruit of Buddhahood equally with the Lord Sakyamuni, manifesting themselves as the Tathagata of original enlightenment. Because the medicinal plants of Myo-ho-renge-kyo are one's own essence, one is "secure and peaceful in the present life." To open [this reality] is "later birth in a good place." Myo- ho-renge-kyo is the medicinal plant of the Wonderful Dharma. The meaning here is that "security in the present life" indicates the physical dharmas, and "later birth in a good place," the mental dharmas. When one awakens to the body and mind of all [living beings of the] ten realms being the Wonderful Dharma, that is "security and peace in the present life." To propagate the Lotus Sutra is [also] called "security and peace in the present life and later birth in a good place."(ibid).

"The Hearers only succeed in demolishing the afflictions born of the causes and conditions of a self and in detaching from their affection for dharmas. They are overcome with fear of the suffering of aging, sickness, death and theunfortunate destinies of rebirth. They have no further desire to push on forward, seeking out and utterly demolishing all dharmas from root to branch. They reckon that the only thing that matters is making a successful escape. 

The followers of the Great Vehicle demolish the prison of the three realms, conquer and subjugate the demon hoardes, cut off entirely the fetters and extinguish all habitual propensities. They come to know completely all dharmas from their roots to their branches, and without being impeded, break through, demolish, and scatter all dharmas, causing the world to be, like nirvaa.na, entirely still and characterized by extinction. They gain anuttara samyak sambodhi and influence all beings to go forth from the three realms." (Nagarjuna, Two Emptinessess Related to the Greater and Lesser Vehicles).

"When at last they came to the execution ground at Tatsunokuchi Yorimoto wept in spite of himself: "Now we must part." Nichiren Daishonin replied, "Irresolute sir! Smile at a joy such as this!" Fortunately Nichiren's life was spared." (Tetsujo Kubota, The History of the Samurai Shijo Kingo[Yorimoto] ).

Dialogue between a Sage and a Fool:

Now from above the clouds of [the Heaven] of Non-Thought to the bottom of Naraka (the shrieking place: hell) are there those who, having received birth, avoid death? And so even in the lowly teaching of the Outer [Secular] Canon it is said, 'Though in the morning one has a ruddy face and exults upon the world's roads, in the evening one turns to white bones, drying up in town or plain. Though one mixes with clouds, with cloud[-like] round sidelocked face so fresh turning over one's cloudy sleeves, when one thinks of that bliss, it is a dream within a dream. At mountain's foot underneath the mugwort is one's last abode. What use the jade terrace, the curtains of brocade, upon the road of the afterlife? Ono no Komachi's and Lady Sotôri's flowery [beautiful] figures were scattered upon the wind of impermanence and though Fan K'uai and Chang Liang mastered the arts of war, they suffered on jailers' staffs. Therefore an ancient one who had understanding said, 'Alas it is: shall even the ones who send off the evening smoke [from the funeral pyres] of Mount Toribe remain?' and 'The dewdrop on the branch, the droplet at the root: will they become examples of going later or of predeceasing?" The principle of dying before or being extinguished afterwards is never something that should surprise us. In desiring one must desire the Buddha Way; in seeking one must seek the teachings of the sutras. (KHS, p. 562)

If we but chant 'Namu Myôhô renge kyô', is there is a sin that is not extinguished? Is there a good fortune that does not come? It is true; it is most profound: thus one should believe. (KHS, p. 568)

In the Reply to Lady Nichinyo by Nichiren Daishonin we read:

"The woman who makes offering to such an Object of Worship summons good fortune (saiwai) in the present, and this Object of Worship in the afterlife will stand close to her on the left and right, before and behind, and, like a lamp in the darkness, or having strength in peril, surrounding and coming to her, it will stand guard around the Lady Nichinyo. (Kempon Hokke Seiten)

In the Kaimoku Sho ("Opening of the Eyes"), we read:

"... Sakyamuni Buddha is the supreme leader and excellent eyes for all the people. He is the bridge that enables them to cross the river of evil passions; he is the skipper who guides them over the sea of life and death; and he is the fertile field in which they plant the seed of merits. ...' The meaning of these words in the Lotus Sutra is shiningly clear -- brighter than the sun in the blue sky and the full moon at midnight. Look up and put your faith in it. Prostrate yourself before it and think hard about it."

"I have made a vow. Even if someone says that he would make the ruler of Japan on the condition that I give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Amida Sutra for my salvation in the next life, or even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say 'Namu Amida-butsu,' and no matter how many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow that I will become the pillar of Japan, I will become the eyes of Japan, and I will become the great vessel of Japan." -- Kaimoku Sho (Opening the Eyes)

"I, Nichiren, too, by reciting these compilations of texts and making prayers and voes to the Buddha and the devas (gods) every day since the day I began to believe, thought I have encountered all sorts of great hardships, yet because the meritorious power of the Lotus Sutra and the Golden Words of Lord Shakya are profound and serious, up to now I have been saved. With regard to that, if the Practicers of the Lotus Sutra have no backsliding in the mind of faith or false affection in their person, but leave themselves to the Lotus Sutra in all things and practice in accordance with the Golden Words, they will for certain even in this life, not to speak of the afterlife, end disasters and extend the lifespan, obtain the reward of the Superior, Sublime Great Effect and accomplish the Great Vow of "widely proclaiming and diffusing." [kosen rufu] -- Kitokyo sojo (Cover Letter to the Sutra for Prayers)

"By the Great Good of the Venerable Maudgalyayana's believing in the Lotus Sutra, not only did his own person become a Buddha but his father and mother became Buddhas. His father and mother and so on for seven generations up and seven generations down and for immeasurable lives up and imeasureable lives down all became Buddhas. And even children, husbands and wives, subordinates, lay donors and immeasurable beings not only left the Three Evil Ways of Rebirth but all became Buddhas from the First Abode to Sublime Enlightenment. What he worships is the Buddha Shakya; the Dharma he believes is the Lotus Sutra." -- Urabon Gosho (Letter on the Urabon)

"Although Nichiren is not a sage, he is equal to one, for he embraces the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Buddha taught. Furthermore, since he has long understood the ways of the world, all the prophecies he wrote have come true without exception. Therefore you should not doubt what he has told you concerning your future existence." (Letter From Sado) 

"His body is neither existing nor

nonexisting;

Without cause or condition,

Without self or others;

Neither square nor round,

Neither short nor long;

Without appearance or disappearance, 

Without birth or death; 

Neither created nor emanating, 

Neither made nor produced; 

Neither sitting nor lying, 

Neither walking nor stopping; 

Neither moving nor rolling, 

Neither calm nor quiet; 

Without advance or retreat, 

Without safety or danger; 

Without right or wrong, 

Without merit or demerit; 

Neither that nor this, 

Neither going nor coming; 

Neither blue nor yellow, 

Neither red nor white; 

Neither crimson nor purple, 

Without a variety of color."(Sutra of 

Infinite Meanings)

"Namu-myoho-renge-kyo will be your unbreakable staff to take you safely over the mountains of death. Shakyamuni and Taho Buddhas as well as the Four Bodhisattvas headed by Jogyo will lead you by the hand on your journey." (Nichiren Daishonin, the Swords of Good and Evil).

"The idea that life and death are two is the reasoning of dreams, deluded and inverted. If when wide awake we examine our true nature, we will find no beginning that requires our being born and no end that requires our dying. What we will find is the essence of life, which can neither be burned by apocalyptic flames, nor worn away by flood, nor cut down by sword, nor pierced by arrow. It is not too large to enter the seed of a flower without the seed's expanding. It is not too small to fill the universe without the universe's contracting." (Nichiren Daishonin, On the Ultimate Teaching Confirmed by All Buddhas).

Nirvana, not Nihilism:

Once at the time of the historical Buddha, in the fifth century B.C., a bhikku named Yamaka concluded that Nirvana meant annihilation, extinction. "Like a lamp whose fuel is exhausted, are those desireless ones who have realized nirvana." Thus he had heard.

Saripu, peerless in wisdom among the Buddha's disciples, knew aboutYamaka's spiritual development. One day he had the opportunity to discuss things with the other monk.

Sariputra asked Yamaka: "What is the Enlightened One, truly? Is he form? Feelings? Perceptions? Karmic formations and volition? Or consciousness? Is he, perhaps, all of these five skandhas (aggregates) together?"

Yamaka replied: "Venerable one, how could I maintain such an assertion?"

The Saripu said: "Brother, is the Tathagata in the five skandhas, or outside of them? Or is he, perhaps, without form, without feelings, perceptions, formations, or consciousness? Reflect deeply on this, and tell me what you think."

Looking into the matter, Yamaka found that he had to answer to no to each of the foregoing queries.

Sariputra pursued the matter. "Since the Tathagata is untraceable, ungraspable, and insubstantial, would it be meaningful to claim that the Tathagata is annihilated after death?"

Suddenly bhikku Yamaka intuitively experienced profound insight into the unborn and undying nature of all things.

"The Tathagata is not an object," Yamaka exclaimed. "Nirvana is not the extinction of everything, but sublime peace, and nothing more."

"He who sees the Dharma, sees the Buddha," Sariputra chanted, invoking the very words of his own master. "The unconditioned is the Buddha.

"Blessed are those who have found the peace of Nirvana. Nirvana is the only reality."

From the Vinaya Pitaka ii 184-198:

"I committed myself to the point of being beheaded, determined to let Shakyamuni, Taho and all the Buddhas of the Ten Directions consider what they should do about it. This behavior went beyond the contributions to Buddhism of both T'ien t'ai and Dengyo, surpassed Fukyo Bodhisattva's practice of propagation, and equaled the offering of Aryasimha, a level of offering that had been unmatched since his time; thereby my name was added to the Successors of the Law, changing the number from twenty-five to twenty-six." (Letter to Shimoyama) 

"The Vimalakirti Sutra states that, when one seeks the Buddhas’ emancipation in the minds of ordinary beings, one finds that ordinary beings are the entities of enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana"

"Your practice of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life." (On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime)

"One who listens to even a sentence or phrase of the sutra and cherishes it deep in one’s heart may be likened to a ship that crosses the sea of the sufferings of birth and death." 9A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering)

"How long can we expect to live on as we have, from yesterday to today or from last year to this year? We may look back over our past and count the years we have accumulated, but when we look ahead into the future, who can for certain number himself among the living for another day or even for an hour? Yet, though one may know that the moment of one’s death is already at hand, one clings to arrogance and prejudice, to worldly fame and profit, and fails to devote oneself to chanting the Nemu Myoho renge kyo. Such an attitude is futile beyond description! Even though the Lotus Sutra is called the teaching that enables all living beings to attain the Buddha way, how could a person such as this actually attain it? It is said that even the moonlight will not deign to shine on the sleeve of an unfeeling person."(Questions and Answers About Embracing the Lotus Sutra)

"Sometimes we face the contention and strife of the realm of asuras; sometimes we are born as human beings and undergo the eight sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, death, the pain of parting from loved ones, the pain of encountering those whom we hate, the pain of failing to obtain what we desire, and the pain that arises from the five components of body and mind."

How regrettable it would be, then, if we did not take this opportunity to sever the bonds of birth and death, making no attempt to free ourselves from the cage of the threefold world!

If you wish to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment and to quickly free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death, then I know of the finest doctrine that there is for such a purpose.

If you truly fear the sufferings of birth and death and yearn for nirvana, if you carry out your faith and thirst for the way, then the sufferings of change and impermanence will become no more than yesterday’s dream, and the awakening of enlightenment will become today’s reality.

Every single character in this sutra represents the true intention of the Buddhas, and every brushstroke of it is a source of aid to those who repeat the cycle of birth and death." (A Conversation Between a Sage and a Fool).

"Even among priests, those who pray for the repose of their parents and teachers on the anniversaries of their death are rare."(The Origin of the Service for Deceased Ancestors).

"The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “The two phases of life anddeath are the wonderful workings of one mind."

"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." (Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life)

"One who has not conceived a desire for the way can never free oneself from the sufferings of birth and death." (The Opening of the Eyes).

"The most dreadful things in the world are the pain of fire, the flashing of swords, and the shadow of death." (Letter from Sado)

“Extinguishing the cycle of birth and death, one enters the joy of nirvana."(Letter to the Sage Nichimyo}