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. 5.
• are encouraged to read the assigned material before each meeting.
April Syllabus:
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, pp. 55–85
Part Three: “Benefits of the Teacher of the Law” Chapter
3: “Those Who Spread the Mystic Law Can Purify Their Senses”
Supplementary Material:
• The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, pp. 292–304
• The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, pp. 147–48; p. 150; p. 214
Chapter Overview
‘The Purification of the Six Sense Organs’
The Lotus Sutra’s 18th chapter, “Benefits of the Teacher of the Law,” explains the benefits gained by those who practice and spread its teachings. A “teacher of the Law” simply means anyone who takes the Law as their guide and shares it with others.
Therefore, SGI members, who strive to apply and spread Buddhism, and lead people in their communities on the path of happiness, exemplify this spirit.
At the start of the 18th chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha promises:
If good men or good women accept and uphold this Lotus Sutra, if they read it, recite it, explain and preach it, or transcribe it, such people will obtain eight hundred eye benefits, twelve hundred ear benefits, eight hundred nose benefits, twelve hundred tongue benefits, eight hundred body benefits, and twelve hundred mind benefits. With these benefits they will be able to adorn their six sense organs, making all of them pure. (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 292)
Nichiren Daishonin clarifies that this “purification of the six sense organs” arises through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and spreading Buddhism to awaken those around us to their full potential. Simply put, purifying our six sense organs means engaging in our human revolution.
The six sense organs correspond to our senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch and the mind.[1] In brief, their purification can be described as:
• Eyes (sight): Perceiving the path to happiness; understanding what others are seeking and how to help them break through difficulties
• Ears (hearing): Hearing a person’s voice and sensing their life condition
• Nose (smell): Sensing the unique fragrance of people’s heart or spirit (i.e., a fragrance of tenacity or of decay)
• Tongue (taste; voice): Savoring and enjoying everything you eat; sharing Buddhism in a way that brings joy to listeners
• Body (touch): Perceiving people’s tendencies and underlying intentions
• Mind: Understanding and expounding “infinite and boundless teachings” that accord entirely with universal truth
Ikeda Sensei says, “In short, purifying the sense organs means transforming one’s entire being into a vehicle of kosen-rufu” (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, p. 83). Teaching others about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—especially when we’re met with rejection—helps us strengthen our conviction in everyone’s Buddhahood and is the direct cause for purifying our lives.
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda once said:
You should be filled with appreciation when you are treated badly as a result of your efforts to share Buddhism with others. That’s because being subjected to such behavior enables us to rid our lives of negative karma and its effects and consequently move in the direction of absolute happiness. (WLS-5, 55–56)
Through steadily making efforts to share Buddhism with others, we can become people who are unshaken by others’ opinions and who courageously and compassionately take action for humanity, transforming our “entire being into a vehicle of kosen-rufu!”
—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department
Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance
Purifying Our Senses Means Harmonizing Our Lives With the Mystic Law
Ikeda Sensei: The Soka Gakkai is an organization of utmost sincerity. That is the meaning of faith; it is the way of purifying the six sense organs.
In this society rife with corruption and confusion, faith is the one absolute that will never betray a person of genuine sincerity. Such a person will triumph in the realm of faith. We are infinitely fortunate to have encountered such a wonderful realm.
This is what the Lotus Sutra means by “lotus flower in the water” (LSOC, 263)—though its roots are sunk in muddy water, the lotus itself remains pure. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are the lotus. They exhibit the purification of the six sense organs.
The six sense organs are the interface between the small universe of our life and the cosmos. They are the portal connecting the microcosm and the macrocosm. Purifying the six sense organs means completely harmonizing one’s life with the universe, tuning in to its rhythm.
Through our practice, we harmonize our lives with the rhythm, the wavelength, of the Mystic Law. We are then endowed with the power to advance confidently and without any hindrance, freed to live our lives in sync with the universe. This is what it means to attain Buddhahood in one’s present form, to do one’s human revolution, and to purify the six sense organs. (WLS-5, 68–69)
Digging Deep
April Study Guide
Please use these questions to guide your study of The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, pp. 55–85.
1) The “Benefits of the Teacher of the Law” chapter explains the benefits gained by teachers of the Law. How is the term “teacher of the Law” defined? (WLS-5, 56)
2) What does the purification of the six sense organs mean in modern terms? (WLS-5, 61)
3) What are the “five practices”? What “practice” in Nichiren Buddhism encompasses these five practices and enables us to purify the six sense organs? (WLS-5, 63)
Looking Forward: May Syllabus
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, pp. 89–118
Part Four: “The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging” Chapter
4: “A Struggle Against Arrogance”
From the April 2026 Living Buddhism
References
- In The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, we learned that these six senses correspond to the first six of the nine levels of consciousness (see December 2025 Living Buddhism, pp. 40–41). ↩︎
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