Joy as Sustenance: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda and the Lotus Sutra to Nourish Vocation

• In Event: Hope and Joy in Curriculum Studies: Engaging With Daisaku Ikeda's Thought

Abstract

This is a troubling time in the history of education. Our society’s weakening commitment to equality of educational opportunity, to democratically governed public schooling, and to the profession of teaching is a threat to joy in anyone who cares about students, teachers, and communities. It is at these times that the work of Daisaku Ikeda, particularly that on the nurturing of happiness, or joy, in both self and others (Ikeda, Saito, Endo, & Suda, 2000), is so vital to sustaining hope and joy in vocation.

This paper explores Ikeda’s teachings on the role of happiness and joy in life and learning, focusing on his discussions about the Lotus Sutra with Saito, Endo, and Suda. It reflects on where these lessons intersect with the author’s experience as a teacher and teacher educator, as well as with life outside the classroom. It also considers what these perspectives have to offer current and future teachers, as well as others who seek to create value through their engagement with the world.

Author

• Isabel Nunez, Purdue University Fort Wayne