"...the Buddha's enlightenment is to be found in human life, thus showing that common mortals can attain Buddhahood and that the sufferings of birth and death can be transformed into nirvana."

Shakyamuni, the historical founder of Buddhism, was born as a prince of the Shakya tribe in northern India. The date of his birth is unknown, but it is generally believed to have been sometime between the fourth and fifth century BC. It seems he was a sensitive and philosophical young man who, even though he was surrounded by luxury, could not reconcile himself to living a purely secular life. The young prince was shielded from reality within the confines of the palace. Historical records about his life are scanty, but it is said that occasionally he managed to venture forth from this protective environment. One day he left by the eastern gate and was moved by the appearance of an old man. On another occasion he emerged from the south gate where he saw a sick man and leaving by the west gate, he witnessed a corpse. Finally he went out of the north gate and was deeply impressed by a religious man who was passing by. It is believed that these events led Shakyamuni to renounce his throne and take up the religious life himself in order to find the solution to the four kind of suffering: birth, old age, sickness and death.

While this story is no doubt symbolic, it focuses on the reason for the birth of Buddhism: the search for a solution to the problem of human suffering. Of course, this search is not limited to Buddhism alone; all religions and philosophies aim to solve this question. Indeed, Plato said that philosophy is an exercise in understanding death.

Death is inescapable, yet many people concentrate their lives on amassing wealth and fortune, ignoring this most fundamental of human dilemmas. We are able to feel completely secure only when we have reached an understanding of the true nature of life and death. Without such an understanding, ultimately our lives seem empty and futile and we are prone to fear. Finding the solution to the four sufferings is crucial to our well-being.

Early Buddhist teachings, recognizing that suffering is inherent in life, arrived at the conclusion that the way to overcome suffering was to reach a state whereby one could escape the cycle of birth and death. This is the original meaning of the word nirvana, literally 'blown out'. Many people still have the impression that all Buddhists are attempting to achieve this state. There are also many other religions in existence which teach that true happiness or fulfillment lies after death.

Nichiren Daishonin however, asserted that happiness does not lie in some far away place. Rather, enlightenment can be achieved in the midst of the reality of daily life. Nirvana, in terms of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, therefore means to attain enlightenment while undergoing the cycle of birth and death and living in ordinary society.

Buddhism teaches that suffering is caused by illusions, instinctive desires and negative impulses which are inherent in human life. There are many definitions of these to the extent of 'illusions as innumerable as particles of dust and sand'. They are usually collectively referred to in English as 'earthly desires'. However, this translation can be misleading, since they include hatred, arrogance, inherent distrust and fear as well as insatiable desire and short-term gratification. In short, they consist of anything which causes us to suffer physically or spiritually and obstructs our attainment of enlightenment. 'Deluded impulses' is perhaps a better way to describe such illusions, which motivate us to take actions which result in suffering.

Fundamentally, anger, greed and ignorance are at the root of all suffering. They are known collectively as the 'three poisons'. For example, anger is the cause of physical violence and war. Greed is behind the wastage of natural resources and pollution of the environment, ultimately leading to starvation and poverty. Ignorance, which means being blind to the consequences of our actions, causes disease. It is imperative, therefore, to deal with these 'poisons' if we are to free ourselves from suffering.

As mentioned before, early Buddhist teachings sought to eradicate these 'poisons'. This is why many people have the impression that Buddhists live very austere lives. However, the eradication of instinctive behaviour ultimately denies life itself. Instinctive desires for food, sex and sleep are all necessary to preserve life. Indeed, desire is the driving force behind civilization.

Desires are not always a source of suffering. They function in positive ways too: art is created through the desire to express beauty; science has developed in answer to hunger for knowledge. Eating, sleeping and sex are all very enjoyable activities as well as being necessary for survival. We therefore do not seek to get rid of desires, but rather transform them into enlightenment. Or, to put it the other way round, our deluded impulses are transformed by enlightenment.

This process is referred to in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism as bonno soku bodai. Deluded impulses (bonno) equal (soku) enlightenment (bodai). However, 'equal' is only an approximation of the true meaning of soku. Soku means that deluded impulses and Buddhahood are inseperable, that they both exist in everyone, and that the negative aspects of delusion can be transformed into enlightenment. In the same way, 'the sufferings of birth and death are transformed (soku) into nirvana'. We cannot achieve enlightenment outside of the reality of birth and death.

Fire is a good example of this transformation process. We use the logs of desire or suffering to build a fire of enlightened wisdom. Without the wood, light and heat cannot be generated. Wood is not the same as light, but through the cleansing and purifying action of fire, it becomes so. In a similar way, deluded impulses are transformed into enlightenment. This transformation process is soku. Nichiren Daishonin defined soku as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Illusions, instinctive desires and negative impulses motivate us to take actions which causes us to suffer. This suffering, which we want to avoid, is the fuel which spurs us on to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This activates our Buddhahood from which arise such qualities as hope and courage, which allow us to deal with our suffering. At that moment, illusion is transformed into enlightenment, manifesting itself as wisdom, compassion and life-force.

Another way of looking at it is that human life, full of suffering, is shrouded in darkness, like being in a dark room. In order to see clearly, all that is required is to turn on the light. The room is the same place, whether dark or light. Similarly, our lives are essentially the same whether deluded or enlightened. Also, no matter how long the room has been dark, it still contains the potential to be light. However, we need a way to generate light and we can do it by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Using this analogy, Nichiren Daishonin said:

All the people of the ten worlds can attain Buddhahood. We can comprehend this when we remember that fire can be produced by a stone taken from the bottom of a river, and a candle can light up a place that has been dark for billions of years. If even the most ordinary things of this world are such wonders, then how much more wondrous is the power of the Mystic Law.(1)

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, therefore, we do not deny desire. In fact, when starting to practise we are advised to chant for what we most want. This is because desire is such a great driving force that it makes our practise very strong. Also, our physical needs are important to our well-being. So if one's greatest desire is to get a job, that is naturally what will be at the forefront of one's mind whilst chanting. Through chanting, we generate hope and the wisdom to take the right action. The result is two-fold. Through this increase of wisdom and energy, we see a positive and tangible result: progress on the work front. However, the experience of the qualities of Buddhahood, welling up from within us, is far greater in the long term, than the tangible result.

Clearly our desires are many and varied. The ultimate aim of our practice is to realize Buddhahood and in so doing, achieve world peace. For many, it is natural to feel that world peace is their most cherished desire and to chant single-mindedly for this. Others are troubled by sickness in the family and focus their practice mainly on this. Some desires are more self-orientated, such as the desire for a mate or wanting to have a drink.

Whatever our desires may be, there is no need to feel guilty or to deny them. If we do this we are separating the idea of Buddhahood into some superhuman state of being, unattainable and removed from human life. Rather, we must use these desires as fuel to transform our lives and manifest enlightenment.

There are no rules in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Since we can reveal boundless wisdom through our practice, we can see any situation clearly and decide for ourselves what is the best way to act. If, for instance, we have a drink problem which causes ourselves and others to suffer, then we will gain the clarity to reckognise this. Drinking is not wrong in itself. Only when the desire to drink controls our lives does it cause suffering. So we chant about our desires and gain the wisdom and determination necessary to put them into perspective.

Anything and everything which makes us a human being is potentially a great quality when transformed into Buddhahood. For example, someone who has a terrible temper can transform it into passion for world peace and a fulfilled life through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. As we continue to chant, the 'three poisons' of greed, anger and ignorance become great qualities of the Buddha, known as the three properties: compassion, wisdom and life-force.

Fundamentally, our greatest desire is to grow as human beings, achieve clarity and live creatively. As Daisaku Ikeda says:

I believe in the existence of another kind of human desire: I call it the basic desire, and I believe that it is the force that actively propels all other human desires in the direction of creativity. It is the source of all impelling energy inherent in life; it is also the longing to unite one's life with the life of the universe and to draw vital energy from the universe. This basic desire transmits the pulsation of universal life to all human emotions and thus elevates their natures. Consequently, the various human desires generated by human life stimulate creativity while maintaining contact with the basic desire.(2)

1 The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, p. 223.
2 Arnold Toynbee & Daisaku Ikeda, Choose Life: A Dialogue, p. 332.

This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.