Natural term of life of one hundred and fifteen years (Hyakujugo sai jomyo)

by Yoshikazu Fukaya

The Ofudesaki tells us:

By this salvation, to fix the natural term of life at one hundred and fifteen years is the single desire of God.

Ofudesaki III:100

This verse makes clear that it is God the Parent's fervent intention to establish the natural lifespan of human beings at one hundred and fifteen years.

When Oyasama wrote this verse, which promises a long life of one hundred and fifteen years, fifty years was considered the typical term of life in Japan. The average life expectancy of people living in developed countries has since surpassed sixty and even seventy years. Currently, the number of people who are over one hundred years old increases each year. But these people only represent a tiny minority who have been exceptionally blessed with superb health, and just because the average life expectancy has risen, this does not mean that there no longer are people who pass away for rebirth (see 5.54) at a young age. God the Parent is not promising such a rise in average life expectancy or the ability to become a local celebrity for living a long life. God the Parent instead wishes to establish the natural term of life at one hundred fifteen years equally for all humans.

Moreover, this long life does not mean being kept alive in a frail and feeble state, for we are told:

After that, you may stay as long as you wish, without illness, death, or weakening.

Further, after the passage of long years, there will be no aging at all.

Ofudesaki IV:37-38

Thus we will be able to savor a long life of one hundred and fifteen years in vigorous health, without becoming ill or experiencing any weakening of the body. Not only that, we are taught we can live as long as we wish beyond one hundred and fifteen years. Needless to say, this does not entail having to endure an eternal existence against our will. We are promised the free and unlimited blessings that enable us to pass away for rebirth so that we can borrow a new body and be reborn in this world.

These blessings of God the Parent will not only be limited to the human body and human life. We are also promised a perfect world filled with joy and this includes rich harvests providing food to sustain life, the prosperity of each and every community, business, and industry, as well as peace on earth (refer to Ofudesaki I:9, 13-15, III:143-144 and others). This truly can be called a world that is filled with happiness and enjoyment.

In the Ofudesaki:

If only the dusts are cleanly swept away, then I shall work marvelous salvation.

By this salvation given in accordance with the mind of sincerity, you shall be freed from illness, death, and weakening.

Ofudesaki III:98-99

If you unite your minds and do this Service correctly, the world will settle.

Ofudesaki XIV:92

So in order to receive the blessings that help realize this world of joyousness, we are told to purify the minds of the people of the world and wash away self-centeredness and dust so that people will be sincerely devoted to helping one another. To accomplish this, we must unite our minds in sincerity to conduct the Service on top of spiritedly engaging in hinokishin each day. No matter how much we surround ourselves with material wealth or achieve advancements in science and technology, a truly happy existence is impossible without the spiritual maturity of humankind. A truly spirited world can only be brought about when God the Parent becomes spirited upon seeing our spiritedness that comes from the truth of the Service. Our replacement of the mind and our spiritual maturity will then be attained, allowing for the completion of the Service and opening the path to actualize a joyous world where the natural term of life is fixed at one hundred fifteen years for all humankind.