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The Inescapable Inferno

 "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God

through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
 
but with the flesh the law of sin.( Romans 7:24-25)"

   I read a novel "The Inescapable Inferno where I am destined to go to live \\the 

story of Haya Akegarasu",which was written by Taka Isowa. In the story a man tries 

look into the life of a priest of Jodoshinshu sect ,Haya Akegarasu (1877-1954).   He 

was‚leader of a Buddhism modernization movement, trying to make the Jodoshinshu sect 

( Otani sub-sect) return to the mind of the founder Shinran. and later in his life 

Akegarasu was promoted to Secretary General of the sect.  At the same time, however, 

he was criticized as a heretic, a robbery of religious world,  a sexual maniac.  

He realized himself to be such a person that was destined to go to live in the 

inescapable inferno.   He also realized that he couldn't be saved by any other way 

than NENBUTSU (Reciting Amitabha's name) which had been advocated by Shinran and some 

other priests.    Thus the words"The Inescapable Inferno"indicate his own awareness 

of himself, and originally Shinran's words in"Tannisho"(Shinran's  Memoir) written 

by his disciple, Yuien:   
 
  "No matter how much I may try to avoid, I am destined to go to live in The Inferno.

However hard I may practice asceticism, it is in vain.  I have done the worse the 

harder I intend to do good.  Therefore, I have no other choice but to be saved by 

believing in Amitabha who offers to save us freely." 

   Shinran established Buddhism of "faith only" together with his teacher Honen against 

conventional Buddhism, as Martin Luther, the reformer, established Protestant.  

   Luther's idea "faith only" was actually the idea of Paul, the Apostle. In fact Paul 

said almost the same thing as Shinran said:

 "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

   Paul asserts that he will never be justified by observing the law of God, neither 

saved in the method of being righteous in presence of God, like the religion of the 

Jew.   Paul was more enthusiastic to observe the law of God than anyone else.  He was 

serious and tried to live virtuously before God.  He became aware that he was not able 

to be righteous for all his efforts.  Consequently, he had to say that he was "the 

foremost of sinners" (‡TTimothy 1:15).   It is a "wretched man"shut up in "a body 

of death," he said.

   These words "a body of death" have a double  meaning.    Needless to say, one is 

that everyone must die a "biological death."    It is a problem, too.     Everybody 

dislikes to die.   It is fearful.    But the other is a more fearful thing.    In 

comparison with the 2nd, the 1st death is really not fearful.  Because there is the 

2nd death, the 1st death is fearful, too.  

  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who

overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.( Revelation 2:11 )" '

   This 2nd death is the one that Paul mentioned as "the wages of sin." 

  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ 

Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)"

   What is  the 2nd death that we must fear?   It is to die without his sin being 

forgiven.  Except for wild animals, plants and little infants, none of us can escape 

the 2nd death .   We die with our sin on our shoulder, and we must accept judgments at

the same time as we die or soon after our death.  The last judgment  is the one that 

the whole human society should receive.   It is proper to think that each person 

should receive a judgment soon after he or she dies. 

  "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 

(Hebrews 9:27)" 

   As is well-known, in Buddhism (in common belief) it is said that people are drawn 

before Yama (the Judge of Hades), and judged for their conducts they have done in 

their lives.   And many of them are driven to the hell.  The words that Shinran  spat 

out with a deep sigh looking back at his life were that "The Inferno is the very 

place where I am destined to go to live." 

   The words of Paul,"this body doomed to death( Romans 7:24)" have the same meaning 

as those of Shinran who thought himself to be"destined to go to live in the Inferno."

   Dear readers,please reflect upon yourselves.  

   Is there anyone who can say, "I am never related with the Inferno?"  Probably you 

may think that "Judgment after death" is a superstition.

   But we cannot ignore the fact that the ideas like "Judgment after death" exist 

throughout the world.  It is probably related with  "panoramic life recollection",

one of Near Death Experience (NDE) that is an experience common to mankind.   

   According to this idea that, people are said to recall the whole life within a 

moment when they are about to die.  According to many testimonies, people are said to 

see their whole life as if they were seeing a panoramic photograph.

   According to the Gallup poll in 1982, 32% of the people who had NDE experienced 

this "panoramic life recollection." 

   Let's see " panoramic life recollection" introduced in the book "Near Death

Experience Vol.1" written by Takashi Tachibana. 

   An American woman Barbara Harris fell into a critical condition after the operation

of her spine, because of the sharp decrease of her blood pressure.   She had been an 

atheist till then.   Once she experienced secession out of the body, one of NDE, then

she saw "panoramic life recollection,"

   The interviewer is Takashi Tachibana:  

  "One week after that, the 2nd experience occurred to me.  I got out of my body 

again, and entered into darkness.  Looking down, I found myself lying in bed. But

this time I was in a foam"   

  "What's a foam?"

  "It looked like a big soap bubble. (Omission) I noticed that thousands of foams were 

floating here and there.  There were various "Barbara"s in foams.   My whole life was 

in the innumerable bubbles."

  "Did you yourself in bubbles look like still pictures or animating pictures?" 

  "They were moving.  And when ‚hentered a bubble, I could experience myself of the 

time again.  I felt the presence of God beside me in front of the numerous foams. 

(Omission)   I experienced my life with the help of God.  And then‚hrealized the 

meaning of each scene of my life, and I could consent to all of them. (Omission)  So 

I became able to forgive everyone and myself, too. (Omission)  After I saw myself in 

those bubbles and re-experienced my 32-year life again, I was completely changed.  

(Omission) I realized why I was born.  I was filled with joy to live." 

   This is what I heard directly; a certain woman happened to be on a drying platform 

on the roof at the time of the earthquake in Hachinohe.   When the house collapsed, 

she fell to the ground with a drying platform and recalled her whole life in a second. 

She said that she became not afraid to die after this experience.  There are  many 

examples of "panoramic life recollection."like this. If that is true, we are obliged 

to see our own conducts when we are dying.   

  The Barbara's case is positive and desirable, but I have to say that there are 

many negative cases.  Although we want to forget all disagreeable things, there is

something hateful we cannot forget by any means.   We try to put them out of our 

memory.   Soon after or before our death, however, we are compelled to see the 

conducts we have done or our sins that we have committed during our lives.  The

Mirror "Johari"of Yama, the Judge of Hades' agency is the very reflection of this 

fact, I think.

   It is written this way in the Bible:  

 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may 

receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or 

bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)" 

   It is a serious matter that all our conducts are brought to light when we die. 

No man can bear it, I'm afraid.   All of us will be disqualified.  Since Paul was an 

honest person, he confessed that he himself was such a defective person.  He mentioned 

that he was caught in"the body of death."  Needless to say, this death is "the 2nd 

death."  I would like to say repeatedly that what we should fear is "the 2nd death" 

i.e. Judgment after death.   And by the words"the body of death" you mean you are

judged and driven to the Inferno.  Even if it were not for the world after death,we 

have to recall our whole life when we are about to die.  I'm afraid that we are not 

able to pass away in peace if we realize that we have a lot of things left unforgiven. 

   This might as well be the hell after all. Even for a materialist who doesn't believe 

in that world, it might be regrettable  to leave this world with a heavy, unforgiven 

burden. Yes, for him there's not a world after death, so he has no chance to make up 

for it.  Since it is certain that there is "panoramic life recollection"according to 

the recent studies of NDE, whether there is a world after death or not, it is also 

certain that there is "the 2nd death"i.e."the judgment soon after or before death." 

   I am sure that the death without being forgiven actually exists.  If I can say 

those feelings are the hell, the hell no doubt awaits the materialist.  It is true 

that I am destined to go to live in the inescapable inferno. 

  "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For 

the end of those things is death.( Romans 6:21)"

   As ‚hsay repeatedly, this "death" is "the 2nd death."   And Paul had to scream

  "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" 

   Here, facing the despair, we can find the way of solution.  Right after the scream 

of desperation, Paul said:  

  "Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God -through Jesus Christ 

our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God,but with the flesh the 

law of sin."( Romans 7:24-25)"

   Yes, it is Jesus Christ Himself that will deliver us from this "body of the 2nd 

death."  "It is Christ who died,"in place of me who am destined to fall into the

hell,"and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God,also makes 

intercession for us.( Romans 8:34), " saying to me  "Assuredly, I say to you, today 

you will be with Me in Paradise. (Luke 23:43) "

   Meanwhile we have committed lots of crimes throughout the life,and have to

apologize to numerous people. But it is impossible to meet all of them in order to

apologize, and to be forgiven before we die.  On behalf of us Jesus Christ will

apologize by crucifying himself.   In place of people and in place of God, Jesus 

Christ will forgive us.   Now I can pass away!   Now I can be released from the 

situation that I can not leave this world even if I die.  We all die "the 1st death".  

It is the natural death of creatures.    But "the 2nd death", which is really fearful,

has been overcome.  Death has been deprived of its sting and become something which is

not fearful.

   Paul declared the victory triumphantly:
  
  "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades,where is your victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55)"

   And he announced that Eternal life is promised:

  "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have 

your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)"

   We consider that Paul got this conviction not by his logical reasoning but byhis 

experience.  Paul had a  experience of revelation that we might consider to be the 

same kind experience as NDE.

   We can read it in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4:

  "It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and 

revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the 

body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows-such a one was 

caught up to the third heaven.  And I know such a man-whether in the body or out of 

the body I do not know, God knows-how he was caught up into Paradise and heard 

inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.(2 Corinthians 12:1-4)"

   Well, let's recall Barbara Harris again.   Barbara said:

  "So I became able to forgive everyone and myself, too. (Omission)  After I saw 

myself in those bubbles and re-experienced my 32-year life again, I was completely

changed. (Omission) I realized why I was born.  I was filled with joy to live." 

   As Barbara said, the conviction that we ourselves are forgiven is the same as the 

fact that we can forgive others at the same time.  Please remember the phrase of the 

Lord's Prayer  "And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted 

to us. (Luke 11:4)"

   To be able to die with forgiving others and conviction of being forgiven by others 

is to be able to die after life full of joy.   It is also the life of love and death 

to die while loving.  "The 2nd death" that should be really feared has already been 

overcome.  Love excels death.  

  "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. 

He who does not love his brother abides in death.(1 John 3:14)"

   Today's message is coming near to an end.  Since I began with Shinran's words, I'd 

like to end with the words of the same person.   It is the phrases at the beginning of

  "Tannisho." 

  "When I begin to intend to recite Buddhist invocation (recite Amitabha's name),

believing that I am sure to be saved by Amitabha and to go to Jodo (Buddhist Paradise),

immediately I shall be saved and never deserted."

   In our Christian words, "When I begin to intend to pray in Jesus' name, believing 

that I am sure to be saved by Christ and to go to the Paradise, immediately I am saved 

and assured of entering into the Eternal Life."  It is not due to the achievement on 

my side by any means but due to the grace of God, the gift of God. that I, who am 

destined to go to live in the inescapable Inferno, am saved.

  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ 

Jesus our Lord.(Romans 6:23)" 

[Translated by Hiroshi Takasaki with the kind help of Mr.Yoh-ichi Kakuno]

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