Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth & Death: . . . And Everything in Between, A Buddhist View Life

by Daisaku Ikeda

"This introduction to Nichiren Buddhism explores the philosophical intricacies of life and reveals the wonder inherent in the phases of birth, aging, and death. Core concepts of Nichiren Buddhism, such as the 10 worlds and the nine consciousnesses, illustrate the profundity of human existence. This book provides Buddhists with the tools they need to fully appreciate the connectedness of all beings and to revolutionize their spiritual lives based on this insight. Also explored are how suffering can be transformed to contribute to personal fulfillment and the well-being of others and how modern scientific research accords with ancient Buddhist views. Ultimately, this is both a work of popular philosophy and a book of compelling, compassionate inspiration for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike that fosters a greater understanding of Nichiren Buddhism."

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 1988

About the author

Daisaku Ikeda was a Buddhist philosopher, peacebuilder, educator, author and poet. He was the third president of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organization and the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), which is today one of the world's largest and most diverse lay Buddhist organizations, promoting a philosophy of character development and social engagement for peace.

Ikeda was the founder of the Soka (value-creation) schools, a nondenominational school system based on an ideal of fostering each student's unique creative potential and cultivating an ethic of peace, social contribution and global consciousness. The school system runs from kindergarten through graduate study and includes a university in Tokyo, Japan, and another in California, U.S.A.

Ikeda was a staunch proponent of dialogue as the foundation of peace. Since the 1970s he has pursued dialogue with a wide range of individuals around the world in political, cultural, educational and academic fields. Over 50 of these have been published in book form, with people such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Elise Boulding, Joseph Rotblat and André Malraux. In furtherance of his vision of fostering dialogue and solidarity for peace, Ikeda has founded a number of independent, nonprofit research institutes that develop cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration on diverse issues: the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The Min-On Concert Association and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum promote mutual understanding and friendship between different national cultures through the arts.

Ikeda was a prolific writer who has published more than 100 works, ranging from Buddhist philosophy to biographical essays, poetry, children's stories and photographic collections.

Reviews

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers profound explanations of many aspects of Buddhism. I developed a deeper understanding of both the ninth consciousness and of death.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rewarding/challenging to study a different world view from the one in which you were raised. The intro says it all and I recommend it highly but in chapter three I'm having difficulty buying past lives and some aspects of karma, however the better part of this book is so positive and full of common sense; I'm really enjoying it, especially when Ikeda brings in examples from western culture.

7/2 Our SGI group is reading/discussing this together. We share our experiences and I have to say I've never met such a wonderful group of people in my life. An internet friend in India sent an iCard about god making my day happy and now that I've been introduced to buddhist concepts, it seems so odd. No disrespect to believers in god, as Lennon said 'God is a concept'. It's not up to god to make us happy. At Friday evening sabbbat I was feeling very Jewish sharing the ritual with friends (the last supper, holy communion bread and wine - yummy organic grape juice from Trader Joe's-, 'lavabo lavabo' - the washing of hands, yeah, we stole all that in catholicism) but also very happy to think there is no god. It's us.

[Devika · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a follower of Nichiren's Buddhism, I've come across the basic concepts numerous times but never have I understood their significance as I did after reading this book. "Three thousand realms in a single moment of life"- it's a beautiful and scientific idea. I love how, rather than just praising the Lotus Sutra, Dr. Ikeda substantiates his arguments with actual proof from scientific researches undertaken across the world. Anyone who practices must read this book! For others who don't, it's an idea that shouldn't be missed!

[Misha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great source to learn about Buddhism, and maybe not even Nichiren Buddhism. The author likes to appeal to Western concepts and cherry-pick science with philosophy to try and confirm their ideas, whereas it would work much better without all that.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift from a friend. I was happy to read it as I had heard about Nicherin Buddhism before, but I had no idea what it was about. Buddhism is a very diverse religion with some types of Buddhism being entirely distinct religions from others aside from the name.

Nicherin Buddhism is named after the 12tch century Japanese monk who created it. The author of the book is one of the founders of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). SGI is a particular "church" of Nicherin Buddhism that was created in Japan at the end of World War 2 and as the name it implies, they have congregations all over the world. If a stranger has ever handed you a card telling you that chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" ( the title to the Lotus Sutra in Japanese ) it might have been someone from this group.

I wasn't thrilled with the ideas in the book, but to be fair I think it is too early for me to form a conclusive opinion of Nicherin Buddhism or SGI. It took me many years to have the imperfect understanding I have of Theravada Buddhism. I did find the idea of "the ten worlds" interesting. Those worlds being states of human existence where different people perceive the same environment in different ways and have different lives as a result. I was also interested to read that Nicherin when he rolled his own type of Buddhism created rules that he had hoped would help Nicherin Buddhism avoid the faults with organized religion.

I wasn't completely thrilled that the author used "Buddhism" to refer to his particular type of Buddhism, given how extremely diverse the different types are. To be fair, most authors on Buddhism do that. I also don't think he described other types of Buddhism as flatteringly as they deserved. Again, to be fair, if he thought well of those other types he would probably be a member of one of them. The author kept using the phrase that life has unlimited potential, unlimited ____, shortly before restating that the Buddhist idea that life is finite, that people can't have everything they want, etc.

I found the descriptions of "The Ten Worlds" and all of the factors,subfactors, etc to be a bit too long for my tastes. It felt a bit like a Power Point presentation in a meeting. A lot of lists and sublists of items that were to me abstract as a beginner. That made the middle of the book very dull, and harder to get through. If that section was shorter I would write that this book would have been an excellent beginner's guide to the SGI brand of Nicherin Buddhism.

Overall, the book was exceptionally clearly written.

[Tarun · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is no separate "you" to get something out of the universe...As the
ocean "waves" so the universe "peoples"...What we therefore see as "death",
empty space or nothingness is only the trough between the crests of this
endless waving ocean of life" -- Alan Watts (British Philosopher)

What better way to explain this expanse portrait of life or in other words
the mystic law of the Buddha than the way it is explained in this book.

This book gives an insight into the broader perspective of life and death
understanding which can change our view of our present life state and
circumstances.

Faith in this philosophy of life can make one handle the suffereings that
coexist with life in a much better way by tapping the inherent life force
to it full potential.And ofcourse leading such a life is a Buddha life.
A great read.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

touches interesting questions. and also shows the buddhist view of life which is very interesting. It's an engaging book I think because Buddhism is also an engaging faith. The explanation of the Ten worlds is a very interesting theory developed by the sages of Buddhism, the "theorizers" of life on ancient china and japan, and is a structural theory that can easily be seen in action in daily-life examples and also and better yet it can be used by us to see our actions and moods from a sober view of human being life - we can use the ten worlds explanation as a basic structure of the moods of human beings and therefore understand better what life is...according to the buddhist view of life. :)

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a great book that explained a lot of the inner workings of the sokka gakkai international brand of buddhism. i have been an admirer of ikeda's work and found this piece to be of similar quality. the only complaint that i have is that i feel like although i understood it, i still need to read it again to fully understand the intricate layers of the religion's interpretation of birth, aging, sickness, and death. after reading this book, i feel more comfortable with death and its role in the universe.

[Shivangi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! I am a follower of Buddhism and this booked helped me a lot in understanding the Buddhist fundamentals from core. I haven't finished reading all of it but so far have loved the 9 level of consciousness explained so beautifully! There's a lot more in the book. Definitely an interesting read!.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I recommend it as "good reads". It is a book full of insight and it changed my views on life and death. Dr. Ikeda is inspiring, encouraging and educating and uplifting. He certainly dedicated a great deal of time in researching facts when writing this book.

[Ravneet Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding!

[Glister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read with deep thoughts. One can get a lot from this book

[Jennifer Groninga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this to anyone interested in Buddhism.

[Dana Burda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cartea invatatului japonez Daisaku Ikeda a fost tradusa in limba romana cu titlul " Dezlegand misterele nașterii si mortii...si ale fenomenelor intermediare" de catre Ilinca si Andrei Vartic si a aparut in acest an, 2016, la editura Adenium in colectia Equilibrium. Este o foarte interesanta punere in tema cu budismul Nichiren care are in momentul de fata milioane de aderenti in lumea intreaga. Recenzia cartii se gaseste pe situl Literatura pe tocuri.

[Luana Milella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo libro mi è stato regalato. Non sono buddista ma mi piace la filosofia del buddismo e trovo sempre interessante leggere qualcosa sull’argomento. Questo libro è tutto incentrato sulla visione buddista della vita.
Molti concetti sono davvero interessanti e andrebbero approfonditi, soprattutto quelli relativi alla cattiveria e alla rabbia.
La parte dedicata al loto è sempre suggestiva e affascinante, un fiore che amo tanto da sempre per il suo significato spirituale.

[Patricia Coloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I read this wonderful book. It provides great inside about Nichiren Buddhism. I love the way in which Ikeda expresses complex ideas in a simple way. I want to inscribe all these teachings in my soul. NMRK

[Rakshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The analogies in the book are so simple yet put forth the profundity if the topic of Life and Death. Very difficult to actualise but a great book on understanding that we ourselves have a choice to not suffer rather go about life overcoming every challenge

[Sugoi10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book by Ikeda-sensei that provides lots of insights.

[Stefanie Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful in depth look at fundamental Buddhist concepts as they relate to human fears of living, dying and everything in between!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very beautiful and affirming read when faced with a loved one’s terminal illness or one’s own. Also incredibly perfect aside from that context.

[Buddha Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books covers wide range and yet still is simple and poetic enough to comprehend. Great resources and resourceful.

[A. Czepyha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favorite book by Daisaku Ikeda. I have read it several times and reference it often. Everyone should read this once.

[Yusuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Where to begin. This book was given to me shortly after I received my Gohonzon. A year or so later, I was inspired to engage it and was amazed at the Truth and Wisdom of the offerings. I say Truth because it resonated with me beyond a conscious plane. It resonated with me so that my Spirit recognized it as I read and exuded Familiarity in my body. The book offers a very unique perspective on the notions of life, death, and karma. This was my first book read by Daisaku Ikeda and I'm looking forward to reading as much as I can. One of the Best aspects about this book was it came to me and left me in Mystic Flow. While I was reading the book, I just so happened to meet with the person who gave it to me and shared with him that I was reading it, albeit a year later. He was pleased and I thanked him for the offering as it was such an incredible read. I mentioned to him that I rarely re-read books so I hoped to one day give it to someone who would appreciate it as I did. The day I finished the book, an SGI member came over to chant and I passed it on. He was very Grateful . . . Actual Proof. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who has a seeking spirit and an open heart. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

[Shan Serafin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Buddhist book I've ever read about the inner workings of death. And, of course, in striving to understand even the silhouette of the shadow death, we come to a deeper understanding of life itself. Biologically. Spiritually. Practically. Every detail leading a carpe-diem type attitude. It's not exactly a light read but of all the Buddhist works available, this is by far the one I recommend the most often. For virtually angle of interest. If anything, the first chapter--the intro to the overall basics of Buddhism--makes the whole book worth putting on your shelf.

[Karen Cowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daisaku Ikeda has helped change my mind on the challenge of death, and birth. I went through a loss of two family members, last year and garnered some valuable skills through reading this book. Also, it opened my eyes to the joy of birth and I am now considering adoption or in vitro.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read. I practice Nichiren Buddhism found it to be a great read for deepening my practice. However, you do not need to be Buddhist to absorb this understanding and insight. This book totally frees one of the chains of life and death...highly recommended

[Fenixbird SandS]

THIS BOOK WAS JUST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ME BY MY BUDDHIST FRIENDS

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible work.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Buddhist view of life...very informative. It was a bit deep at times, but super interesting. I will have to read it ten more times to dig into this iceberg...deep, deep.

[Kylie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book to read, still a bit unsure on past life karma.
its a great book to read if you have just suffered a loss too, can really help soothe your mind