Rev. Nakai said that this story reveals Jesus' deep understanding of and merging with all of Life. Again, she pointed out that this is the Nembutsu. On Sunday morning Dr. Haneda gave the fifth and final lecture. The topic was the Realization of and Completion of the Goal, which represent the final stages of the lives of Shuichi Maida and Dharmakara. If a person has lived life to the fullest and, like Maida and Dharmakara, has discovered the deepest meaning of life, then, at the moment of death, the person is in no need of another life.
Nothing is left to do.
This desire and attachment to life is known in Buddhism as samsara. Nothing is worse than being attached to your life while lying on your deathbed. Dr. Haneda encouraged us to follow in the footsteps of Maida and Dharmakara and become true students and seekers ourselves. The attitude of the student, of Namu, leads us the fullest and most meaningful life. After the retreat was concluded, we all met at the Maida Center, which is a few blocks away from UC Berkeley, for a farewell barbecue hosted by Dr. Haneda's wife, Tomoko.