Ikeda Wisdom Academy members:
• are group through national youth leaders and all student division members.
• should have their own copy of The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4.
• are encouraged to read the assigned material before each meeting.
June Syllabus:
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, pp. 91–118
• Part Two: “The Life Span of the Thus Come One”: The Ten Worlds
4: “The Pursuit of Happiness”
Supplementary Material:
• The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 266
• “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 358
• “Explaining the Causation of the Ten Worlds,” WND-2, 196–97
Chapter Overview
The Ten Worlds: A Fierce StruggleWith Negativity
This month’s material begins the discussion on the Ten Worlds, a classification of 10 distinct states of life that helps form the Buddhist view of life. This section focuses on identifying and winning over the first three of the Ten Worlds: hell, hunger (hungry spirits) and animality (animals). They are also known as the three evil paths.
Today, meditation has become synonymous with a peace and calm that evokes passivity. From its roots, however, Buddhism is anything but passive. Regarding Buddhism’s start with Shakyamuni Buddha’s spiritual struggle to attain enlightenment, Ikeda Sensei says: “Shakyamuni squarely confronted, fought and defeated the ‘destroyer of life,’ a function pervading the universe. In doing so, he conquered the darkness that is called unhappiness” (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, p. 93). Winning this fight, he says, was “the dawn of the sun of joy” for humanity (WLS-4, 95).
A core tenet of Buddhism is winning over the negative functions that exist in our lives. Without doing so, we cannot reveal our Buddha nature, do our human revolution or find genuine joy. Sensei begins this section, saying:
We are following the supreme path in life. Whether we can truly elevate our lives depends totally on whether we realize this solemn fact.
What is the purpose of Buddhism? It is to enable all people to become happy and cultivate lives of supreme joy. (WLS-4, 91)
—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department
Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance
State of Life Is All Important
Through practicing Nichiren Buddhism with the SGI, we learn to identify when we’re experiencing the three lower worlds, or three evil paths. Here are some excerpts from this section where Ikeda Sensei explains some characteristics of these three lower worlds.
The World of Hell
Hell indicates a state in which merely living is painful; where whatever you see makes you miserable. Those in this state have an extremely weak life force and, in fact, approach the condition of death. We could describe this “rage” as the wail of a life that has exhausted every possible avenue. (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, p. 104)
The World of Hunger
Those in the world of hunger are pulled this way and that by desires. Thus they suffer and lack a feeling of inner freedom. They become slaves to their desires. (WLS-4, 109)
• • •
The real issue, therefore, is how we use desire. Those in the world of hunger do not use desire to create value; rather, they become its slave. On account of desire, they suffer themselves and cause injury to others. (WLS-4, 110)
The World of Animality
[Those in this state] lack a sound standard for judging good and evil, a firm moral or ethical foundation. As a result, they act instinctively and without any sense of shame. (WLS-4, 111)
• • •
Even though they imagine that they are moving toward happiness, in the final analysis they are heading in precisely the opposite direction. They only see what is right before their eyes, and they get lost easily and ultimately come to grief (WLS-4, 113).
Put Every Ounce of Strength Into Elevating Our Life State
Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, even the depths of hell can become the impetus for chanting and resolving to transform our situation. Through Buddhist practice, we can turn our desires and sufferings into the energy to grow and advance. Sensei says:
If you truly want to transform your state of life, then you have to put every ounce of strength you’ve got into it. There’s no way you can do so if your practice is half-hearted. Painful though it may be, it is only by struggling to thoroughly polish and temper your life that you can attain a state of great joy. I hope that young people, in particular, will diligently strive to cultivate themselves, with the attitude: “If I don’t develop myself now while I am young, then when will I do so?” (WLS-4, 117)
Digging Deep
June Study Guide
Please use these questions to guide your study of The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, pp. 91–118.
1) Match the following life states with the three poisons. (WLS-4, 104–111)
A. Hell 1. Greed
B. Hunger 2. Anger
C. Animality 3. Foolishness
2) “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind” is considered to be one of Nichiren Daishonin’s most important works. In it, he describes the Ten Worlds and their mutual possession.
What does Nichiren say in this writing about the world of hell? What are some of the main characteristics of this life state? How does Devadatta represent this life state? (WLS-4, 104–109)
3) What are some characteristics of the life state of hungry spirits? Why is this world also sometimes called the path that “leads to both good and evil”? (WLS-4, 108–110)
4) In “Letter from Sado,” Nichiren says, “It is the nature of beasts to __________” (WND-1, 302). What are some other main characteristics of the life state of animality? (WLS-4, 111–14)
Looking Forward: July Syllabus
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, pp. 119–44
Part Two: “The Life Span of the Thus Come One”: The Ten Worlds
5: “Turning a Society of Anger Into a Society of Humanism”
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