Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra
②
*Nothing Is As Certain As Death*
Suda: That epitaph is really a memento mori, a reminder of mortality. It calls to mind the often cited passage in the Gosho 'Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life' where the Daishonin urges us
to exert ourselves in faith 'with the profound insight that now is the last moment' of our life
(Major Writings, Vol. 1, p.22). It would make more sense to me if he said '...with the
determination that now is the last moment of our life.' What is the significance of the words
'profound insight'?
Ikeda: That's an extremely important point. Everyone knows that they will die 'sometime'. But
the tendency is to always imagine that death is still a long way off; an event that will occur in
the indefinite future. That young people should think this way is only to be expected, but the
same is true of those getting on in years. In fact, people's tendency to ignore death's imminence may actually increase with age.
What is the true aspect of life? The reality is that a person may be alive one moment and dead
the next. The possibility of death - from earthquakes, accidents, sudden illness or other causes
- exists at all times. People simply forget this.
Saito: That's very true. Even if one should flee to the ends of the earth or the furthest reaches
of the universe, death cannot be avoided.
Ikeda: Someone once described the approach of death saying, 'Death is not in front of us,but
comes up on us from behind' Years and years can slip by while you say to yourself, 'I'll start
practicing in earnest.someday,' or 'I'll work harder once I get through my present difficulties.'
Then, finally, it dawns on you that you will have to face death without having accumulated any
real fortune in your life. I don't think this is an uncommon human experience. However, once
you realize what has happened, though you may wish you had done differently, it is too late to
do anything about it.
Suda: Certainly, if you were told that you would be dead in three days, you wouldn't be able to at you would be dead in three days, you wouldn't be able to just sit around idly watching TV.
