Daisaku Ikeda (池田 大作 Ikeda Daisaku, born 2 January 1928) is a Buddhist philosopher, educator, author, and nuclear disarmament advocate.[2][3][4] He has served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, the largest of Japan's new religious movements.[5] Ikeda is the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the world's largest Buddhist lay organization with approximately 12 million practitioners in 192 countries and territories.[6][7]

Ikeda was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1928, to a family of seaweed farmers. He survived the devastation of World War II as a teenager, which he said left an indelible mark on his life and fueled his quest to solve the fundamental causes of human conflict. At age 19, Ikeda began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined a youth group of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist association, which led to his lifelong work developing the global peace movement of SGI and founding dozens of institutions dedicated to fostering peace, culture and education.[7]:3[8]

Ikeda's vision for the SGI has been described as a "borderless Buddhist humanism that emphasizes free thinking and personal development based on respect for all life."[7]:26 In the 1960s, Ikeda worked to reopen Japan's national relations with China and also to establish the Soka education network of humanistic schools from kindergartens through university level, while beginning to write what would become his multi-volume historical novel, The Human Revolution, about the Soka Gakkai's development during his mentor Josei Toda's tenure. In 1975, he established the Soka Gakkai International, and throughout the 1970s initiated a series of citizen diplomacy efforts through international educational and cultural exchanges for peace. Since the 1980s, he has increasingly called for the elimination of nuclear weapons.[7]:23–25

By 2015, Ikeda had published more than 50 dialogues with scholars, peace activists and leading world figures. In his role as SGI president, Ikeda has visited 55 nations and spoken on subjects including peace, environment, economics, women's rights, interfaith dialogue, nuclear disarmament, and Buddhism and science. Every year on the anniversary of the SGI's founding, 26 January, Ikeda submits a peace proposal to the United Nations.[7]:11[9]


Contents
1 Early life and background
2 Career
2.1 Youth leadership
2.2 Soka Gakkai presidency
2.3 Soka Gakkai International founding
2.4 Resignation from Soka Gakkai presidency
2.5 Legacy
3 Accomplishments
3.1 Institutional engagement
3.2 Citizen diplomacy
3.3 Sino-Japanese relations
4 Accolades
4.1 International awards
4.2 International honors
4.3 Academic honors
5 Personal life
6 Public image
7 Books
7.1 The Human Revolution
7.2 Selected works by Ikeda
8 References
9 External links
10 Soka Gakkai presidency
Early life and background
Ikeda was born in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, on 2 January 1928. Ikeda had four older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His parents later adopted two more children, for a total of 10 children. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Ikeda family had successfully farmed nori, edible seaweed, in Tokyo Bay. By the turn of the twentieth century, the Ikeda family business was the largest producer of nori in Tokyo. However, after the devastation of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the family's enterprise was left in ruins, and by the time Ikeda was born, his family was financially struggling.[7]

In 1937, full-blown war erupted between Japan and China, and Ikeda's eldest brother, Kiichi, was drafted into military service. Within a few years, Ikeda's three other elder brothers were drafted as well.[10] In 1942, while all of his older brothers were overseas in the Asian theatres of World War II, Ikeda's father, Nenokichi, fell ill and was bedridden for two years. To help support his family, at the age of 14, Ikeda began working in the Niigata Steelworks munitions factory as part of Japan's wartime youth labor corps.[11]

In May 1945, Ikeda's home was destroyed by fire during an Allied air raid, and his family was forced to move to the Omori area of Tokyo. In May 1947, after having received no word from his eldest brother, Kiichi, for several years, the Ikeda family — in particular, his mother — was informed by the Japanese government that Kiichi had been killed in action in Burma (now Myanmar).[12][8]

In August 1947, at the age of 19, Ikeda was invited by an old friend to attend a Buddhist discussion meeting. It was there that he met Josei Toda, the second president of Japan's Soka Gakkai Buddhist organization. As a result of this encounter, Ikeda immediately began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined the Soka Gakkai. He regarded Toda as his spiritual mentor, and became a charter member of the group's youth division, later stating that Toda influenced him through "the profound compassion that characterized each of his interactions."[13]

Career

Daisaku Ikeda at age 19
Shortly after the end of World War II, in January 1946, Ikeda gained employment with the Shobundo Printing Company in Tokyo. In March 1948, Ikeda graduated from Toyo Trade School and the following month entered the night school extension of Taisei Gakuin (present-day Tokyo Fuji University) where he majored in political science.[8] During this time, he worked as an editor of the children's magazine Shonen Nihon (Boy's Life Japan), which was published by one of Josei Toda's companies.[11][8] Over the next several years, between 1948 and 1953, Ikeda worked for various Toda-owned enterprises, including the Nihon Shogakkan publishing company, the Tokyo Construction Trust credit association, and the Okura Shoji trading company.[11][8]

Youth leadership
In 1953, at the age of 25, Ikeda was appointed as one of the Soka Gakkai's youth leaders. The following year, he was appointed as director of the Soka Gakkai's public relations bureau, and later became its chief of staff.[14]:85[11]:77

In April 1957, a group of young Soka Gakkai members in Osaka were arrested for allegedly distributing money, cigarettes and candies to support the political campaign of a local electoral candidate (who was also a Soka Gakkai member). Ikeda was later arrested and detained in jail for two weeks, charged with allegedly overseeing these activities. Ikeda's arrest came at a time when Soka Gakkai Buddhist candidates were achieving success at both national and local levels. With the growing influence of this liberal grassroots movement, factions of the conservative political establishment initiated a series of media attacks on the Soka Gakkai, culminating in Ikeda's arrest. After a lengthy court case that lasted until 1962, Ikeda was cleared of all charges.[15] The Soka Gakkai characterized this as a triumph over corrupt tyranny, which galvanized its movement.[3]

Soka Gakkai presidency
In May 1960, two years after Toda's death, Ikeda, then 32 years old, succeeded him as president of the Soka Gakkai. Soon after, Ikeda began to travel overseas to build connections between Soka Gakkai members living abroad and expand the movement globally.[16] The expansion of the Soka Gakkai movement internationally was, in Ikeda's words, "Toda's will for the future."[17] With his assumption of the Soka Gakkai presidency, Ikeda "continued the task begun by [Soka Gakkai founder] Tsunesaburo Makiguchi of fusing the ideas and principles of educational pragmatism with the elements of Buddhist doctrine."[2]

While the Soka Gakkai saw its most dramatic growth after World War II under Toda's leadership, Ikeda led the international growth of the Soka Gakkai and turned it into what is considered the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world.[6][18] He reformed many of the organization's practices, including the aggressive conversion style (known as shakubuku) for which the group had become known in Japan, and improved the organization's public image, though it was sometimes still viewed with suspicion in Japan.[19][20][21][22][23] "By the 1970s, Ikeda's leadership had expanded the Soka Gakkai into an international lay Buddhist movement increasingly active in peace, cultural, and educational activities."[24]

Soka Gakkai International founding
On 26 January 1975, a world peace conference was held in Guam, where Soka Gakkai representatives from 51 countries created an umbrella organization for the growing network of members around the world. This became the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). Ikeda took a leading role in the global organization's development and became the founding president of the SGI. In his address to the assembly, Ikeda encouraged the representatives to dedicate themselves to altruistic action, stating "Please devote yourselves to planting seeds of peace throughout the world."[11]:128

The SGI was created in part as a new international peace movement, and its founding meeting was held in Guam in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.[25]

Resignation from Soka Gakkai presidency
From 1964 to 1990, Ikeda held the title of Sokoto (lay leader) among Nichiren Shōshū adherents. In 1979, Ikeda resigned as president of the Soka Gakkai (in Japan), accepting responsibility for the organization's purported deviation from Nichiren Shōshū doctrines and accompanying conflict with its priesthood.[26] Nichiren Shōshū was the Buddhist denomination with which the Soka Gakkai had been associated since its founding, but the relationship between the two organizations was often strained. Hiroshi Hojo succeeded Ikeda as Soka Gakkai president, and Ikeda remained president of the Soka Gakkai International. Ikeda was also made honorary president of the Soka Gakkai in Japan.[27]

Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai were excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu on 28 November 1991[8][28][29][30] and on 11 August 1992.[31][32] Following the group's excommunication, Soka Gakkai members began to describe their group as Buddhism's first Protestant movement.[33]

Legacy
Ikeda's leadership "globalized the Soka Gakkai and harnessed its energy to goals that suited new generations in different cultures"[34] and subsequently developed the SGI into a broad-based grassroots peace movement around the world. Ikeda is credited with having fostered among SGI members an ethos of social responsibility and a strong spirit of global citizenship.[35] Ikeda's thoughts and work on a "Buddhist-based humanism"[36] are situated within a broader tradition of East-West dialogue in search of humanistic ideals.[37] In his biography of historian Arnold J. Toynbee, William McNeill describes the aim of the Toynbee-Ikeda dialogues as a "convergence of East and West," positing the pragmatic significance of which would be realized by the "flourishing in the Western world" of the Soka Gakkai organization.[38] Goulah's research into transformative world language learning characterizes Ikeda's Buddhist-inspired refinement of Makiguchi's Soka education philosophy as an approach engendering a "world view of dialogic resistance" that responds to the limitations of a neoliberal world view of education.[39]

Accomplishments
Central to Ikeda's activities, whether they be on an institutional level or as a private citizen, is his belief in "Buddhist principles ... rooted in our shared humanity, ... where faith and human dignity intersect to promote positive change in society."[40]:296 His view of a "Buddhist humanism," the fostering of mutual respect and dignity, emphasizes human agency to engage in dialogue.

Institutional engagement

Ikeda greets international students at Soka University, March 1990
Ikeda has founded many global institutions for the development of peace, culture and education, including Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California; Soka kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brazil and Singapore; the Victor Hugo House of Literature, in the Île-de-France region of France; the International Committee of Artists for Peace in the United States; the Min-On Concert Association in Japan; the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in Japan; the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Japan with offices in France, Hong Hong, India, Russia and the United Kingdom; the Toda Peace Institute in Japan and the United States; and the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in the United States.[41]

Since 1990, Ikeda has partnered with Rabbi Abraham Cooper and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, to combat anti-Semitism in Japan. In a 2001 interview, Rabbi Cooper stated he was "getting nowhere after reaching out to the Japanese media about anti-Semitism in Japan. The only partners we found to help us bring our concerns to the Japanese public were people from Soka University under the leadership of Daisaku Ikeda. If you ask me who our best friend in Japan is, who 'gets it,' it is Ikeda. He was actually our first visitor to the Museum of Tolerance." Their friendship led to the joint development of a Japanese-language Holocaust exhibition The Courage to Remember, which was seen by more than two million people in Japan between 1994 and 2007. In 2015, a new version of the exhibit opened in Tokyo focusing on the bravery of Anne Frank and Chiune Sugihara.[11][42]

Ikeda was an original proponent of the Earth Charter Initiative, co-founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ikeda has included details of the Charter in many of his annual peace proposals since 1997. The SGI has supported the Earth Charter with production of global exhibitions including Seeds of Change in 2002 that traveled to 27 nations and Seeds of Hope in 2010, correlating with the Earth Charter-related documentary film, A Quiet Revolution, which the SGI has donated to schools and educational programs around the world.[43][44]

Since January 26, 1983, Ikeda has submitted annual peace proposals to the United Nations, addressing such areas as building a culture of peace, gender equality in education, empowerment of women, UN reform and universal human rights with a view on global civilization.[45] Ikeda's proposals for nuclear disarmament and abolishing nuclear weapons submitted to the special session of the UN General Assembly in 1978, 1982 and 1988 built on his mentor Josei Toda's 1957 declaration condemning such weapons of mass destruction as "an absolute evil that threatens the people's right of existence."[46]

Citizen diplomacy
Ikeda's work has been described by academics as citizen diplomacy for his contributions to diplomatic as well as intercultural ties between Japan and other countries, and more broadly among all peoples of the world.[47][48][49] Ikeda's dialogues with scholars, politicians, and cultural figures have increased awareness and support of humanitarian and peace activities, have facilitated deeper international relationships, and generated support for SGI-sponsored work on global issues including the environment and nuclear disarmament.[50][51]


Countries visited by SGI President Ikeda (in blue) outside of Japan (in red)
Academic researchers have suggested the body of literature chronicling Ikeda's diplomatic efforts and his more than 7,000 international dialogues[52] provides readers with a personal education and model of citizen diplomacy and, from a scholarly view, represents "a new current in interculturalism and educational philosophy."[53][54][55][56]

In 1970, Ikeda met several times with Austrian-Japanese politician and philosopher Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, an early pioneer of the European Union. Their discussions included East-West relations and the future of peace work.[57] Between 1971 and 1974, Ikeda conducted multiple dialogues with Arnold J. Toynbee in London and Tokyo. The major topics of their meetings were published as the book Choose Life.[58] In 1974, Ikeda conducted a dialogue with French novelist and Minister of Cultural Affairs Andre Malraux.[59]

In September 1974, Ikeda visited the Soviet Union and met with Premier Alexei Kosygin. During their dialogue, Kosygin agreed with Ikeda, saying "We must abandon the very idea of war. It is meaningless. If we stop preparing for war and prepare instead for peace, we can produce food instead of armaments." He then asked Ikeda, "What is your basic ideology?" Ikeda replied, "I believe in peace, culture and education – the underlying basis of which is humanism." Kosygin said, "I have a high regard for those values. We need to realize them here in the Soviet Union as well."[60][61]:415[62]


The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue located in Cambridge, USA
In January 1975, Ikeda met with Henry Kissinger, the United States Secretary of State, to "urge the de-escalation of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union."[4] The same month Ikeda met with Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim. Ikeda presented Waldheim with a petition containing the signatures of 10,000,000 people calling for total nuclear abolition. The petition was organized by youth groups of the Soka Gakkai International and was inspired by Ikeda's longtime anti-nuclear efforts.[63]

Ikeda's meetings with Nelson Mandela in the 1990s led to a series of SGI-sponsored anti-apartheid lectures, a traveling exhibit, and multiple student exchange programs at the university level.[64]

Sino-Japanese relations
Ikeda made several visits to China and met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1974, though Sino-Japanese tensions remained over the brutalities of war waged by the Japanese militarists.[65] The visits led to the establishment of cultural exchanges of art, dance and music between China and Japan and opened academic exchanges between Chinese educational institutions and Soka University.[64] Chinese media describe Ikeda as an early proponent of normalizing diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the 1970s, citing his 1968 proposal that drew condemnation by some and the interest of others including Zhou Enlai.[66][67] It was said that Zhou Enlai entrusted Ikeda with ensuring that "Sino-Japanese friendship would continue for generations to come."[68]

Since 1975, cultural exchanges have continued between the Min-On Concert Association, founded by Ikeda, and institutions including the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.[69][70] After Ikeda's 1984 visit to China and meetings with public figures including Chinese Communist Party Leader Hu Yaobang and Deng Yingchao, academic observers estimated that Ikeda's 1968 proposal moved Japanese public sentiment to support closer diplomatic ties with China and his cultivation of educational and cultural ties helped strengthen state relations.[71]

Accolades
International awards
During a Turin Book Fair-hosted event concluding the 2018 five-day FIRMA-Faiths in Tune festival of religion, music and art, held in 2018 for the first time in Italy, an international jury presented a FIRMA award to Daisaku Ikeda "for his lifelong commitment to interreligious dialogue."[72] Other international awards received by Ikeda include:

Australia: Gold Medal for Peace with Justice from the Sydney Peace Foundation (2009)[73][74]
Australia: Gandhi International Prize for Social Responsibility (2014)[75]
China: International Literary Award for Understanding and Friendship from the China Literature Foundation and Chinese Writersʼ Association (2003)[76]
India: Tagore Peace Award (1997)[77]
India: Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution in Promotion of Gandhian Values Outside India by Individuals other than Indian Citizens (2005)[78]
India: Indology Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Indic Research and Oriental Wisdom (2011)[79]
Macedonia: World Prize for Humanism (Macedonian: НА СВЕТСКАТА НАГРАДА ЗА ХУМАНИЗАМ) from the Ohrid Academy of Humanism (2007)[80]
Philippines: Rizal International Peace Award (1998)[81]
Philippines: Golden Heart Award from the Knights of Rizal (2012) [82]
Philippines: Gusi Peace Prize[83]
Russia: Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation (2008)[84]
Singapore: Wee Kim Wee Gold Award (2017)[85]
United Nations: United Nations Peace Medal (1983)[86][87][88]
United States: Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award (1993)[87]
United States: International Tolerance Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (1993)[87]
United States: Education as Transformation Award from the Education as Transformation Project, Wellesley College (2001)[87]
International honors
In 1999, the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta honored Ikeda with the creation of the Gandhi King Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation. In 2001, a traveling exhibition was created titled Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace that showcases the peace activism of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Daisaku Ikeda. Also in 2001, Lawrence Carter, an ordained Baptist minister and a dean at Morehouse College in Atlanta, initiated the annual Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize as a way of extolling individuals whose actions for peace transcend cultural, national and philosophical boundaries. The 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda award was bestowed upon Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.[89][90][91]


Reflecting pool at the Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park visitor center in Londrina, Brazil
In 2000, the city of Londrina, Brazil honored Ikeda by naming a 300-acre nature reserve in his name. The Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park is open to the public and its land, waterways, fauna and wildlife are protected by Brazil's Federal Conservation Law.[92]

In 2014, the City of Chicago named a section of Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago "Daisaku Ikeda Way," with the Chicago City Council measure passing unanimously, 49 to 0.[93]

The United States House of Representatives and individual states including Georgia, Missouri, and Illinois have passed resolutions honoring the service and dedication of Daisaku Ikeda as one "who has dedicated his entire life to building peace and promoting human rights through education and cultural exchange with deep conviction in the shared humanity of our entire global family." The state of Missouri praised Ikeda and his value of "education and culture as the prerequisites for the creation of true peace in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all people are respected."[94][95][96][97][98]

The Club of Rome has named Ikeda an honorary member,[99] and Ikeda has received more than 760 honorary citizenships from cities and municipalities around the world.[7]

At the International Day for Poets of Peace in February 2016, an initiative launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid World Peace Award, Daisaku Ikeda from Japan along with Kholoud Al Mulla from the UAE, K. Satchidanandan from India and Farouq Gouda from Egypt were named International Poets of Peace.[100] In presenting the honors, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan described the initiative as reinforcing "the idea that poetry, and literature in general, are a universal language that plays an important role in spreading the message of peace in the world," echoing the sentiments of Dr Hamad Al Shaikh Al Shaibani, chair of the World Peace Award's board of trustees, who cited the role of poets in "promoting a culture of hope and solidarity."[101]

Academic honors
In November 2010, the University of Massachusetts Boston bestowed an honorary doctorate upon Ikeda, marking the 300th academic honor he had received since receipt of his first honorary doctorate in 1975 from Moscow State University.[102] In his message of appreciation to the University of Massachusetts Boston, Ikeda said "The academic honors I have accepted have all been on behalf of the members of SGI around the world. This is recognition of their multifaceted contributions. As a private citizen, I will redouble my efforts to promote peace, cultural exchange and education."[103]

Number Country Institution Title conferred Place and date
Personal life
Ikeda lives in Tokyo with his wife, Kaneko Ikeda (née Kaneko Shiraki), whom he married on 3 May 1952. The couple had three sons, Hiromasa (vice president of Soka Gakkai),[157] Shirohisa (died 1984),[158] and Takahiro.[159]

Public image
American Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks chose as her favorite photograph an image from her first meeting with Ikeda in 1993. She explained:

I can't think of a more important moment in my life ... [Ikeda] said this meeting, between the two of us, was very special for him. It was for me, too. In his concern for human rights, Dr. Ikeda is ahead of many people in this century. He is a calm spirit, a humble man, a man of great spiritual enlightenment. We met for about an hour and talked about my life and challenges concerning the youth in our countries ... Our meeting can serve as a model for anyone. So the photograph of our first meeting is very important because it is history in the making.[160]

An article in Daily News and Analysis called him "the natural successor to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as a global spiritual leader."[161] The Chairman of India's Council of Gandhian Studies, Professor N. Radhakrishnan, has hailed Ikeda as "one of the most profound thinkers of our time."[162]

In 1984, British journalist and political commentator Polly Toynbee visited Ikeda at the invitation of the SGI. According to Peter Popham, writing about Tokyo architecture and culture, Ikeda "was hoping to tighten the public connection between himself and Polly Toynbee's famous grandfather, Arnold Toynbee, the prophet of the rise of the East."[163] Polly Toynbeee wrote that she had never met "anyone who exudes such an aura of absolute power as Mr. Ikeda" and others she had talked to “felt they had been drawn into endorsing [Ikeda]."[164][165] In The Guardian in May 1984, she wrote that she wished that her grandfather had not endorsed Choose Life: A Dialogue, his dialogue with Ikeda.[165]

In 1995, Michelle Magee wrote a critical article in the San Francisco Chronicle in which she stated that the Soka Gakkai in Japan had been accused of "heavy-handed fund raising and proselytizing, as well as intimidating its foes and trying to grab political power."[166] The article quoted Takashi Shokei, a professor at Meisei University, who called Ikeda "a power-hungry individual who intends to take control of the government and make Soka Gakkai the national religion."

In 1996, Los Angeles Times writer Teresa Watanabe described Ikeda as a "puzzle of conflicting perceptions," with her interview subjects expressing vastly differing opinions of him, ranging from "a democrat," "a man of deep learning" and "an inspired teacher," to "a despot," "a threat to democracy" and "Japan's most powerful man." Watanabe reported that "Japanese tabloid coverage has affected his public image and blurred the lines between suspicion and fact, imagination and reality ..." concluding that "Nevertheless, there is no question that Ikeda spreads goodwill – and transforms stereotypes."[167]

In 2003, Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College, praised Ikeda as a Japanese social reformer, stating: "Controversy is an inevitable partner of greatness. No one who challenges the established order is free of it. Gandhi had his detractors, as did Dr. King, and Dr. Ikeda is no exception. Controversy camouflages the intense resistance of entrenched authority to conceding their special status and privilege. Insults are the weapons of the morally weak; slander is the tool of the spiritually bereft. Controversy is testament to the noble work of these three individuals (Gandhi, King and Ikeda) in their respective societies."[89][168]

Books
Ikeda is a prolific writer, peace activist and interpreter of Nichiren Buddhism.[169] His interests in photography, art, philosophy, poetry and music are reflected in his published works. In his essay collections and dialogues with political, cultural, and educational figures he discusses, among other topics: the transformative value of religion, the universal sanctity of life,[170] social responsibility, and sustainable progress and development.

The 1976 publication of Choose Life: A Dialogue (in Japanese, Nijusseiki e no taiga) is the published record of dialogues and correspondences that began in 1971 between Ikeda and British historian Arnold J. Toynbee about the "convergence of East and West"[171] on contemporary as well as perennial topics ranging from the human condition to the role of religion and the future of human civilization. Toynbee's 12-volume A Study of History had been translated into Japanese, which along with his lecture tours and periodical articles about social, moral and religious issues gained him popularity in Japan. To an expat's letter critical of Toynbee's association with Ikeda and Soka Gakkai, Toynbee wrote back: "I agree with Soka Gakkai on religion as the most important thing in human life, and on opposition to militarism and war."[172] To another letter critical of Ikeda, Toynbee responded: "Mr. Ikeda's personality is strong and dynamic and such characters are often controversial. My own feeling for Mr. Ikeda is one of great respect and sympathy."[173] As of 2012, the book had been translated and published in twenty-six languages.[174]


In 2003, Japan's largest English-language newspaper, The Japan Times, began carrying periodic essays by Ikeda on global issues including peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, and compassion.[178] As of 2015, The Japan Times had published 26 essays by Ikeda, 15 of which were also published in a bilingual Japanese-English book titled "Embracing the Future."[179]

The Human Revolution
Ikeda's most well-known publication is the novel The Human Revolution (Ningen Kakumei), which was serialized in the Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun. The book's original English-edition foreword was written by British philosopher and historian Arnold J. Toynbee. The Human Revolution has been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Dutch and has sold over seven millions copies worldwide.[180] In the preface to The Human Revolution, the author describes the book as a "novelized biography of my mentor, Josei Toda."[181]:vii The author's official website describes the book as an "historical novel [that] portrays the development of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, from its rebirth in the post-World War II era to the last years of its second president, Josei Toda."[182] In the preface to the 2004 edition, the author stated the narrative was edited to bring it in line with recent developments in the history of Nichiren Buddhism, and that he hoped "such revisions will help readers to better appreciate the original message of the book."[181]:x

Selected works by IkedaArchived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013..
Ikeda, Daisaku (26 January 2006). "A New Era of the People: Forging a Global Network of Robust Individuals (2006 Peace Proposal)". Soka Gakkai International. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
Jupp, James C; Espinosa-Dulanto, Miryam (2017). "Beyond US-Centered Multicultural Foundations on Race". International Journal of Multicultural Education. 19 (2): 33. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
McNeill, William (1989). Arnold J. Toynbee: A Life

❰ له مجموعة من الإنجازات والمؤلفات أبرزها ❞ من أجل السلام (شعر) ❝ ❱

Daisaku Ikeda (池田 大作 Ikeda Daisaku, born 2 January 1928) is a Buddhist philosopher, educator, author, and nuclear disarmamentadvocate.^[2][3][4] He has served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, the largest of Japan's new religious movements.^[5] Ikeda is the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the world's largest Buddhist lay organization with approximately 12 million practitioners in 192 countries and territories.^[6][7]

Ikeda was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1928, to a family of seaweed farmers. He survived the devastation of World War II as a teenager, which he said left an indelible mark on his life and fueled his quest to solve the fundamental causes of human conflict. At age 19, Ikeda began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined a youth group of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist association, which led to his lifelong work developing the global peace movement of SGI and founding dozens of institutions dedicated to fostering peace, culture and education.^[7]:3[8]

Ikeda's vision for the SGI has been described as a "borderless Buddhist humanism that emphasizes free thinking and personal development based on respect for all life."^[7]:26 In the 1960s, Ikeda worked to reopen Japan's national relations with China and also to establish the Soka education network of humanistic schools from kindergartens through university level, while beginning to write what would become his multi-volume historical novel, The Human Revolution, about the Soka Gakkai's development during his mentor Josei Toda's tenure. In 1975, he established the Soka Gakkai International, and throughout the 1970s initiated a series of citizen diplomacy efforts through international educational and cultural exchanges for peace. Since the 1980s, he has increasingly called for the elimination of nuclear weapons.^[7]:23–25

By 2015, Ikeda had published more than 50 dialogues with scholars, peace activists and leading world figures. In his role as SGI president, Ikeda has visited 55 nations and spoken on subjects including peace, environment, economics, women's rights, interfaith dialogue, nuclear disarmament, and Buddhism and science. Every year on the anniversary of the SGI's founding, 26 January, Ikeda submits a peace proposal to the United Nations.^[7]:11[9]

 

Contents

• 1Early life and background
• 2Career
  • 2.1Youth leadership
  • 2.2Soka Gakkai presidency
  • 2.3Soka Gakkai International founding
  • 2.4Resignation from Soka Gakkai presidency
  • 2.5Legacy
• 3Accomplishments
  • 3.1Institutional engagement
  • 3.2Citizen diplomacy
  • 3.3Sino-Japanese relations
• 4Accolades
  • 4.1International awards
  • 4.2International honors
  • 4.3Academic honors
• 5Personal life
• 6Public image
• 7Books
  • 7.1The Human Revolution
  • 7.2Selected works by Ikeda
• 8References
• 9External links
• 10Soka Gakkai presidency

Early life and background[edit]

Ikeda was born in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, on 2 January 1928. Ikeda had four older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His parents later adopted two more children, for a total of 10 children. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Ikeda family had successfully farmed nori, edible seaweed, in Tokyo Bay. By the turn of the twentieth century, the Ikeda family business was the largest producer of nori in Tokyo. However, after the devastation of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the family's enterprise was left in ruins, and by the time Ikeda was born, his family was financially struggling.^[7]

In 1937, full-blown war erupted between Japan and China, and Ikeda's eldest brother, Kiichi, was drafted into military service. Within a few years, Ikeda's three other elder brothers were drafted as well.^[10] In 1942, while all of his older brothers were overseas in the Asian theatres of World War II, Ikeda's father, Nenokichi, fell ill and was bedridden for two years. To help support his family, at the age of 14, Ikeda began working in the Niigata Steelworks munitions factory as part of Japan's wartime youth labor corps.^[11]

In May 1945, Ikeda's home was destroyed by fire during an Allied air raid, and his family was forced to move to the Omori area of Tokyo. In May 1947, after having received no word from his eldest brother, Kiichi, for several years, the Ikeda family — in particular, his mother — was informed by the Japanese government that Kiichi had been killed in action in Burma (now Myanmar).^[12][8]

In August 1947, at the age of 19, Ikeda was invited by an old friend to attend a Buddhist discussion meeting. It was there that he met Josei Toda, the second president of Japan's Soka Gakkai Buddhist organization. As a result of this encounter, Ikeda immediately began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined the Soka Gakkai. He regarded Toda as his spiritual mentor, and became a charter member of the group's youth division, later stating that Toda influenced him through "the profound compassion that characterized each of his interactions."^[13]

Career[edit]

Daisaku Ikeda at age 19

Shortly after the end of World War II, in January 1946, Ikeda gained employment with the Shobundo Printing Company in Tokyo. In March 1948, Ikeda graduated from Toyo Trade School and the following month entered the night school extension of Taisei Gakuin (present-day Tokyo Fuji University) where he majored in political science.^[8] During this time, he worked as an editor of the children's magazine Shonen Nihon (Boy's Life Japan), which was published by one of Josei Toda's companies.^[11][8] Over the next several years, between 1948 and 1953, Ikeda worked for various Toda-owned enterprises, including the Nihon Shogakkan publishing company, the Tokyo Construction Trust credit association, and the Okura Shoji trading company.^[11][8]

Youth leadership[edit]

In 1953, at the age of 25, Ikeda was appointed as one of the Soka Gakkai's youth leaders. The following year, he was appointed as director of the Soka Gakkai's public relations bureau, and later became its chief of staff.^{[14]:85[11]:77}

In April 1957, a group of young Soka Gakkai members in Osaka were arrested for allegedly distributing money, cigarettes and candies to support the political campaign of a local electoral candidate (who was also a Soka Gakkai member). Ikeda was later arrested and detained in jail for two weeks, charged with allegedly overseeing these activities. Ikeda's arrest came at a time when Soka Gakkai Buddhist candidates were achieving success at both national and local levels. With the growing influence of this liberal grassroots movement, factions of the conservative political establishment initiated a series of media attacks on the Soka Gakkai, culminating in Ikeda's arrest. After a lengthy court case that lasted until 1962, Ikeda was cleared of all charges.^[15] The Soka Gakkai characterized this as a triumph over corrupt tyranny, which galvanized its movement.^[3]

Soka Gakkai presidency[edit]

In May 1960, two years after Toda's death, Ikeda, then 32 years old, succeeded him as president of the Soka Gakkai. Soon after, Ikeda began to travel overseas to build connections between Soka Gakkai members living abroad and expand the movement globally.^[16] The expansion of the Soka Gakkai movement internationally was, in Ikeda's words, "Toda's will for the future."^[17] With his assumption of the Soka Gakkai presidency, Ikeda "continued the task begun by [Soka Gakkai founder] Tsunesaburo Makiguchi of fusing the ideas and principles of educational pragmatism with the elements of Buddhist doctrine."^[2]

While the Soka Gakkai saw its most dramatic growth after World War II under Toda's leadership, Ikeda led the international growth of the Soka Gakkai and turned it into what is considered the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world.^[6][18] He reformed many of the organization's practices, including the aggressive conversion style (known as shakubuku) for which the group had become known in Japan, and improved the organization's public image, though it was sometimes still viewed with suspicion in Japan.^{[19][20][21][22][23]} "By the 1970s, Ikeda's leadership had expanded the Soka Gakkai into an international lay Buddhist movement increasingly active in peace, cultural, and educational activities."^[24]

Soka Gakkai International founding[edit]

On 26 January 1975, a world peace conference was held in Guam, where Soka Gakkai representatives from 51 countries created an umbrella organization for the growing network of members around the world. This became the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). Ikeda took a leading role in the global organization's development and became the founding president of the SGI. In his address to the assembly, Ikeda encouraged the representatives to dedicate themselves to altruistic action, stating "Please devote yourselves to planting seeds of peace throughout the world."^[11]:128

The SGI was created in part as a new international peace movement, and its founding meeting was held in Guam in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.^[25]

Resignation from Soka Gakkai presidency[edit]

From 1964 to 1990, Ikeda held the title of Sokoto (lay leader) among Nichiren Shōshū adherents. In 1979, Ikeda resigned as president of the Soka Gakkai (in Japan), accepting responsibility for the organization's purported deviation from Nichiren Shōshū doctrines and accompanying conflict with its priesthood.^[26] Nichiren Shōshū was the Buddhist denomination with which the Soka Gakkai had been associated since its founding, but the relationship between the two organizations was often strained. Hiroshi Hojo succeeded Ikeda as Soka Gakkai president, and Ikeda remained president of the Soka Gakkai International. Ikeda was also made honorary president of the Soka Gakkai in Japan.^[27]

Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai were excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu on 28 November 1991^{[8][28][29][30]} and on 11 August 1992.^[31][32] Following the group's excommunication, Soka Gakkai members began to describe their group as Buddhism's first Protestant movement.^[33]

Legacy[edit]

Ikeda's leadership "globalized the Soka Gakkai and harnessed its energy to goals that suited new generations in different cultures"^[34] and subsequently developed the SGI into a broad-based grassroots peace movement around the world. Ikeda is credited with having fostered among SGI members an ethos of social responsibility and a strong spirit of global citizenship.^[35] Ikeda's thoughts and work on a "Buddhist-based humanism"^[36] are situated within a broader tradition of East-West dialogue in search of humanistic ideals.^[37] In his biography of historian Arnold J. Toynbee, William McNeill describes the aim of the Toynbee-Ikeda dialogues as a "convergence of East and West," positing the pragmatic significance of which would be realized by the "flourishing in the Western world" of the Soka Gakkai organization.^[38] Goulah's research into transformative world language learning characterizes Ikeda's Buddhist-inspired refinement of Makiguchi's Soka education philosophy as an approach engendering a "world view of dialogic resistance" that responds to the limitations of a neoliberal world view of education.^[39]

Accomplishments[edit]

Central to Ikeda's activities, whether they be on an institutional level or as a private citizen, is his belief in "Buddhist principles ... rooted in our shared humanity, ... where faith and human dignity intersect to promote positive change in society."^[40]:296 His view of a "Buddhist humanism," the fostering of mutual respect and dignity, emphasizes human agency to engage in dialogue.

Institutional engagement[edit]

Ikeda greets international students at Soka University, March 1990

Ikeda has founded many global institutions for the development of peace, culture and education, including Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California; Soka kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brazil and Singapore; the Victor Hugo House of Literature, in the Île-de-France region of France; the International Committee of Artists for Peace in the United States; the Min-On Concert Association in Japan; the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in Japan; the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Japan with offices in France, Hong Hong, India, Russia and the United Kingdom; the Toda Peace Institute in Japan and the United States; and the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in the United States.^[41]

Since 1990, Ikeda has partnered with Rabbi Abraham Cooper and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, to combat anti-Semitism in Japan. In a 2001 interview, Rabbi Cooper stated he was "getting nowhere after reaching out to the Japanese media about anti-Semitism in Japan. The only partners we found to help us bring our concerns to the Japanese public were people from Soka University under the leadership of Daisaku Ikeda. If you ask me who our best friend in Japan is, who 'gets it,' it is Ikeda. He was actually our first visitor to the Museum of Tolerance." Their friendship led to the joint development of a Japanese-language Holocaust exhibition The Courage to Remember, which was seen by more than two million people in Japan between 1994 and 2007. In 2015, a new version of the exhibit opened in Tokyo focusing on the bravery of Anne Frank and Chiune Sugihara.^[11][42]

Ikeda was an original proponent of the Earth Charter Initiative, co-founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ikeda has included details of the Charter in many of his annual peace proposals since 1997. The SGI has supported the Earth Charter with production of global exhibitions including Seeds of Change in 2002 that traveled to 27 nations and Seeds of Hope in 2010, correlating with the Earth Charter-related documentary film, A Quiet Revolution, which the SGI has donated to schools and educational programs around the world.^[43][44]

Since January 26, 1983, Ikeda has submitted annual peace proposals to the United Nations, addressing such areas as building a culture of peace, gender equality in education, empowerment of women, UN reform and universal human rights with a view on global civilization.^[45] Ikeda's proposals for nuclear disarmament and abolishing nuclear weapons submitted to the special session of the UN General Assembly in 1978, 1982 and 1988 built on his mentor Josei Toda's 1957 declaration condemning such weapons of mass destruction as "an absolute evil that threatens the people's right of existence."^[46]

Citizen diplomacy[edit]

Ikeda's work has been described by academics as citizen diplomacy for his contributions to diplomatic as well as intercultural ties between Japan and other countries, and more broadly among all peoples of the world.^[47][48][49] Ikeda's dialogues with scholars, politicians, and cultural figures have increased awareness and support of humanitarian and peace activities, have facilitated deeper international relationships, and generated support for SGI-sponsored work on global issues including the environment and nuclear disarmament.^[50][51]

Countries visited by SGI President Ikeda (in blue) outside of Japan (in red)

Academic researchers have suggested the body of literature chronicling Ikeda's diplomatic efforts and his more than 7,000 international dialogues^[52] provides readers with a personal education and model of citizen diplomacy and, from a scholarly view, represents "a new current in interculturalism and educational philosophy."^{[53][54][55][56]}

In 1970, Ikeda met several times with Austrian-Japanese politician and philosopher Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, an early pioneer of the European Union. Their discussions included East-West relations and the future of peace work.^[57] Between 1971 and 1974, Ikeda conducted multiple dialogues with Arnold J. Toynbee in London and Tokyo. The major topics of their meetings were published as the book Choose Life.^[58] In 1974, Ikeda conducted a dialogue with French novelist and Minister of Cultural Affairs Andre Malraux.^[59]

In September 1974, Ikeda visited the Soviet Union and met with Premier Alexei Kosygin. During their dialogue, Kosygin agreed with Ikeda, saying "We must abandon the very idea of war. It is meaningless. If we stop preparing for war and prepare instead for peace, we can produce food instead of armaments." He then asked Ikeda, "What is your basic ideology?" Ikeda replied, "I believe in peace, culture and education – the underlying basis of which is humanism." Kosygin said, "I have a high regard for those values. We need to realize them here in the Soviet Union as well."^{[60][61]:415[62]}

The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue located in Cambridge, USA

In January 1975, Ikeda met with Henry Kissinger, the United States Secretary of State, to "urge the de-escalation of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union."^[4] The same month Ikeda met with Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim. Ikeda presented Waldheim with a petition containing the signatures of 10,000,000 people calling for total nuclear abolition. The petition was organized by youth groups of the Soka Gakkai International and was inspired by Ikeda's longtime anti-nuclear efforts.^[63]

Ikeda's meetings with Nelson Mandela in the 1990s led to a series of SGI-sponsored anti-apartheid lectures, a traveling exhibit, and multiple student exchange programs at the university level.^[64]

Sino-Japanese relations[edit]

Ikeda made several visits to China and met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1974, though Sino-Japanese tensions remained over the brutalities of war waged by the Japanese militarists.^[65] The visits led to the establishment of cultural exchanges of art, dance and music between China and Japan and opened academic exchanges between Chinese educational institutions and Soka University.^[64] Chinese media describe Ikeda as an early proponent of normalizing diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the 1970s, citing his 1968 proposal that drew condemnation by some and the interest of others including Zhou Enlai.^[66][67] It was said that Zhou Enlai entrusted Ikeda with ensuring that "Sino-Japanese friendship would continue for generations to come."^[68]

Since 1975, cultural exchanges have continued between the Min-On Concert Association, founded by Ikeda, and institutions including the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.^[69][70] After Ikeda's 1984 visit to China and meetings with public figures including Chinese Communist Party Leader Hu Yaobang and Deng Yingchao, academic observers estimated that Ikeda's 1968 proposal moved Japanese public sentiment to support closer diplomatic ties with China and his cultivation of educational and cultural ties helped strengthen state relations.^[71]

Accolades[edit]

International awards[edit]

During a Turin Book Fair-hosted event concluding the 2018 five-day FIRMA-Faiths in Tune festival of religion, music and art, held in 2018 for the first time in Italy, an international jury presented a FIRMA award to Daisaku Ikeda "for his lifelong commitment to interreligious dialogue."^[72] Other international awards received by Ikeda include:

•  Australia: Gold Medal for Peace with Justice from the Sydney Peace Foundation (2009)^[73][74]
•  Australia: Gandhi International Prize for Social Responsibility (2014)^[75]
•  China: International Literary Award for Understanding and Friendship from the China Literature Foundation and Chinese Writersʼ Association (2003)^[76]
•  India: Tagore Peace Award (1997)^[77]
•  India: Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution in Promotion of Gandhian Values Outside India by Individuals other than Indian Citizens (2005)^[78]
•  India: Indology Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Indic Research and Oriental Wisdom (2011)^[79]
•  Macedonia: World Prize for Humanism (Macedonian: НА СВЕТСКАТА НАГРАДА ЗА ХУМАНИЗАМ) from the Ohrid Academy of Humanism (2007)^[80]
•  Philippines: Rizal International Peace Award (1998)^[81]
•  Philippines: Golden Heart Award from the Knights of Rizal (2012) ^[82]
•  Philippines: Gusi Peace Prize^[83]
•  Russia: Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation (2008)^[84]
•  Singapore: Wee Kim Wee Gold Award (2017)^[85]
•  United Nations: United Nations Peace Medal (1983)^[86][87][88]
•  United States: Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award (1993)^[87]
•  United States: International Tolerance Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (1993)^[87]
•  United States: Education as Transformation Award from the Education as Transformation Project, Wellesley College (2001)^[87]

International honors[edit]

In 1999, the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta honored Ikeda with the creation of the Gandhi King Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation. In 2001, a traveling exhibition was created titled Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace that showcases the peace activism of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Daisaku Ikeda. Also in 2001, Lawrence Carter, an ordained Baptist minister and a dean at Morehouse College in Atlanta, initiated the annual Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize as a way of extolling individuals whose actions for peace transcend cultural, national and philosophical boundaries. The 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda award was bestowed upon Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.^[89][90][91]

Reflecting pool at the Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park visitor center in Londrina, Brazil

In 2000, the city of Londrina, Brazil honored Ikeda by naming a 300-acre nature reserve in his name. The Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park is open to the public and its land, waterways, fauna and wildlife are protected by Brazil's Federal Conservation Law.^[92]

In 2014, the City of Chicago named a section of Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago "Daisaku Ikeda Way," with the Chicago City Council measure passing unanimously, 49 to 0.^[93]

The United States House of Representatives and individual states including Georgia, Missouri, and Illinois have passed resolutions honoring the service and dedication of Daisaku Ikeda as one "who has dedicated his entire life to building peace and promoting human rights through education and cultural exchange with deep conviction in the shared humanity of our entire global family." The state of Missouri praised Ikeda and his value of "education and culture as the prerequisites for the creation of true peace in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all people are respected."^{[94][95][96][97][98]}

The Club of Rome has named Ikeda an honorary member,^[99] and Ikeda has received more than 760 honorary citizenships from cities and municipalities around the world.^[7]

At the International Day for Poets of Peace in February 2016, an initiative launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid World Peace Award, Daisaku Ikeda from Japan along with Kholoud Al Mulla from the UAE, K. Satchidanandan from India and Farouq Gouda from Egypt were named International Poets of Peace.^[100] In presenting the honors, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan described the initiative as reinforcing "the idea that poetry, and literature in general, are a universal language that plays an important role in spreading the message of peace in the world," echoing the sentiments of Dr Hamad Al Shaikh Al Shaibani, chair of the World Peace Award's board of trustees, who cited the role of poets in "promoting a culture of hope and solidarity."^[101]

Academic honors[edit]

In November 2010, the University of Massachusetts Boston bestowed an honorary doctorate upon Ikeda, marking the 300th academic honor he had received since receipt of his first honorary doctorate in 1975 from Moscow State University.^[102] In his message of appreciation to the University of Massachusetts Boston, Ikeda said "The academic honors I have accepted have all been on behalf of the members of SGI around the world. This is recognition of their multifaceted contributions. As a private citizen, I will redouble my efforts to promote peace, cultural exchange and education."^[103]

showNumber	Country	Institution	Title conferred	Place and date

Personal life[edit]

Ikeda lives in Tokyo with his wife, Kaneko Ikeda (née Kaneko Shiraki), whom he married on 3 May 1952. The couple had three sons, Hiromasa (vice president of Soka Gakkai),^[157]Shirohisa (died 1984),^[158] and Takahiro.^[159]

Public image[edit]

American Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks chose as her favorite photograph an image from her first meeting with Ikeda in 1993. She explained:

I can't think of a more important moment in my life ... [Ikeda] said this meeting, between the two of us, was very special for him. It was for me, too. In his concern for human rights, Dr. Ikeda is ahead of many people in this century. He is a calm spirit, a humble man, a man of great spiritual enlightenment. We met for about an hour and talked about my life and challenges concerning the youth in our countries ... Our meeting can serve as a model for anyone. So the photograph of our first meeting is very important because it is history in the making.^[160]

An article in Daily News and Analysis called him "the natural successor to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as a global spiritual leader."^[161] The Chairman of India's Council of Gandhian Studies, Professor N. Radhakrishnan, has hailed Ikeda as "one of the most profound thinkers of our time."^[162]

In 1984, British journalist and political commentator Polly Toynbee visited Ikeda at the invitation of the SGI. According to Peter Popham, writing about Tokyo architecture and culture, Ikeda "was hoping to tighten the public connection between himself and Polly Toynbee's famous grandfather, Arnold Toynbee, the prophet of the rise of the East."^[163] Polly Toynbeee wrote that she had never met "anyone who exudes such an aura of absolute power as Mr. Ikeda" and others she had talked to “felt they had been drawn into endorsing [Ikeda]."^[164][165] In The Guardian in May 1984, she wrote that she wished that her grandfather had not endorsed Choose Life: A Dialogue, his dialogue with Ikeda.^[165]

In 1995, Michelle Magee wrote a critical article in the San Francisco Chronicle in which she stated that the Soka Gakkai in Japan had been accused of "heavy-handed fund raising and proselytizing, as well as intimidating its foes and trying to grab political power."^[166] The article quoted Takashi Shokei, a professor at Meisei University, who called Ikeda "a power-hungry individual who intends to take control of the government and make Soka Gakkai the national religion."

In 1996, Los Angeles Times writer Teresa Watanabe described Ikeda as a "puzzle of conflicting perceptions," with her interview subjects expressing vastly differing opinions of him, ranging from "a democrat," "a man of deep learning" and "an inspired teacher," to "a despot," "a threat to democracy" and "Japan's most powerful man." Watanabe reported that "Japanese tabloid coverage has affected his public image and blurred the lines between suspicion and fact, imagination and reality ..." concluding that "Nevertheless, there is no question that Ikeda spreads goodwill – and transforms stereotypes."^[167]

In 2003, Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College, praised Ikeda as a Japanese social reformer, stating: "Controversy is an inevitable partner of greatness. No one who challenges the established order is free of it. Gandhi had his detractors, as did Dr. King, and Dr. Ikeda is no exception. Controversy camouflages the intense resistance of entrenched authority to conceding their special status and privilege. Insults are the weapons of the morally weak; slander is the tool of the spiritually bereft. Controversy is testament to the noble work of these three individuals (Gandhi, King and Ikeda) in their respective societies."^[89][168]

Books[edit]

Ikeda is a prolific writer, peace activist and interpreter of Nichiren Buddhism.^[169] His interests in photography, art, philosophy, poetry and music are reflected in his published works. In his essay collections and dialogues with political, cultural, and educational figures he discusses, among other topics: the transformative value of religion, the universal sanctity of life,^[170] social responsibility, and sustainable progress and development.

The 1976 publication of Choose Life: A Dialogue (in Japanese, Nijusseiki e no taiga) is the published record of dialogues and correspondences that began in 1971 between Ikeda and British historian Arnold J. Toynbee about the "convergence of East and West"^[171] on contemporary as well as perennial topics ranging from the human condition to the role of religion and the future of human civilization. Toynbee's 12-volume A Study of History had been translated into Japanese, which along with his lecture tours and periodical articles about social, moral and religious issues gained him popularity in Japan. To an expat's letter critical of Toynbee's association with Ikeda and Soka Gakkai, Toynbee wrote back: "I agree with Soka Gakkai on religion as the most important thing in human life, and on opposition to militarism and war."^[172] To another letter critical of Ikeda, Toynbee responded: "Mr. Ikeda's personality is strong and dynamic and such characters are often controversial. My own feeling for Mr. Ikeda is one of great respect and sympathy."^[173] As of 2012, the book had been translated and published in twenty-six languages.^[174]

Ikeda's children's stories are "widely read and acclaimed," according to The Hindu, which reported that an anime series of 14 of the stories was to be shown on the National Geographic Channel.^[175][176] In the Philippines, DVD sets of 17 of the animated stories were donated by Anak TV to a large school, as part of a nationwide literacy effort.^[177]

In 2003, Japan's largest English-language newspaper, The Japan Times, began carrying periodic essays by Ikeda on global issues including peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, and compassion.^[178] As of 2015, The Japan Times had published 26 essays by Ikeda, 15 of which were also published in a bilingual Japanese-English book titled "Embracing the Future."^[179]

The Human Revolution[edit]

Ikeda's most well-known publication is the novel The Human Revolution (Ningen Kakumei), which was serialized in the Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun. The book's original English-edition foreword was written by British philosopher and historian Arnold J. Toynbee. The Human Revolution has been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Dutch and has sold over seven millions copies worldwide.^[180] In the preface to The Human Revolution, the author describes the book as a "novelized biography of my mentor, Josei Toda."^[181]:vii The author's official website describes the book as an "historical novel [that] portrays the development of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, from its rebirth in the post-World War II era to the last years of its second president, Josei Toda."^[182] In the preface to the 2004 edition, the author stated the narrative was edited to bring it in line with recent developments in the history of Nichiren Buddhism, and that he hoped "such revisions will help readers to better appreciate the original message of the book."^[181]:x

Selected works by Ikeda[edit]

A Dialogue Between East and West: Looking to a Human Revolution (Echoes and Reflections: The Selected Works of Daisaku Ikeda) with Ricardo Diez-Hochleitner, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-600-2 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1-84511-600-2 (Paperback) A Lifelong Quest for Peace with Linus Pauling (May 2000), Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1st edition, ISBN 978-0-86720-278-6 (Hardback), ISBN 0-86720-277-7(Paperback); London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-889-1 A Passage to Peace: Global Solutions from East and West with Nur Yalman, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1-84511-922-5 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1-84511-923-2 (Paperback) A Quest for Global Peace: Rotblat and Ikeda on War, Ethics, and the Nuclear Threatwith Joseph Rotblat, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2006; ISBN 978-1-84511-279-0 A Youthful Diary: One Man's Journey from the Beginning of Faith to Worldwide Leadership for Peace, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2006; ISBN 978-1-932911-19-0 America Will Be!: Conversations on Hope, Freedom, and Democracy, with Vincent Harding, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2013; ISBN 978-1-887917-10-0 Before It Is Too Late with Aurelio Peccei, (1985), Kodansha America, 1st edition, ISBN 978-0-87011-700-8; London and New York: I. B. Tauris Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-888-4 Buddhism: A Way of Values with Lokesh Chandra, New Delhi: Eternal Ganges Press, 2009; ISBN 978-81-907191-2-4 Buddhism: the First Millennium, (1977), Kodansha International, ISBN 978-0-87011-321-5 (Hardback); Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, Reprint edition, 2009; ISBN 978-0-9779245-3-0 Choose Hope: Your Role in Waging Peace in the Nuclear Age with David Krieger, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2002; ISBN 0-9674697-6-7 Choose Life: A Dialogue with Arnold J. Toynbee, Richard L. Gage (Editor), (1976), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-215258-9; London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-595-1 Choose Peace: A Dialogue Between Johan Galtung and Daisaku Ikeda with Johan Galtung, London: Pluto Press, 1999; ISBN 978-0-7453-1040-4 Compassionate Light in Asia with Jin Yong, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2013; ISBN 978-1-84885-198-6 Courage to Dream: On Rights, Values and Freedom with Vincent Harding, London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2015; ISBN 978-1-78453-475-2 Creating Waldens: An East-West Conversation on the American Renaissance with Ronald A. Bosco and Joel Myerson, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2009; ISBN 978-1-887917-07-0 Dawn After Dark with René Huyghe, (1991), Weatherhill, ISBN 978-0-8348-0238-4; London and New York: I. B. Tauris, Reprint edition, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-596-8 Dialogue of World Citizens with Norman Cousins, (tentative translation from Japanese), Sekai shimin no taiwa, 世界市民の対話, Paperback edition, Tokyo, Japan: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 2000; ISBN 978-4-412-01077-2 Discussions on Youth, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2010; ISBN 978-1-932911-93-0 Embracing the Future, Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2008; ISBN 978-4-7890-1316-1 Fighting for Peace, Berkeley, California: Creative Arts Book Company, 2004; ISBN 0-88739-618-6 For the Sake of Peace: A Buddhist Perspective for the 21st Century, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2001; ISBN 978-0-9674697-2-0 Glass Children and Other Essays, Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1979; ISBN 0-87011-375-5 Global Civilization: A Buddhist-Islamic Dialogue With Majid Tehranian, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1-86064-810-6 Human Rights in the 21st Century with Austregesilo de Athayde, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1-84511-988-1 Human Values in a Changing World: A Dialogue on the Social Role of Religion, with Bryan Wilson. Reprint edition. London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-597-5 Humanity at the Crossroads: An Intercultural Dialogue with Karan Singh, New Delhi: Oxford University Press India, 1988; ISBN 978-0-19-562215-7 Into Full Flower: Making Peace Cultures Happen with Elise Boulding, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2010; ISBN 978-1-887917-08-7 Journey of Life: Selected Poems of Daisaku Ikeda, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2014; ISBN 978-1-78076-969-1 Kanta and the Deer (children's book), New York: Weatherhill, 1997; ISBN 978-0-8348-0406-7 'La fuerza de la Esperanza; Reflexiones sobre la paz y los derechos humanos en el tercer milenio' (dialogue between Argentine Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Daisaku Ikeda), Buenos Aires: Emecé Editores,2011; ISBN 978-950-04-3412-6 Life: An Enigma, a Precious Jewel, 1st edition, New York: Kodansha America, 1982; ISBN 978-0-87011-433-5 Moral Lessons of the Twentieth Century: Gorbachev and Ikeda on Buddhism and Communism with Mikhail Gorbachev, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2005; ISBN 978-1-84511-773-3 My Recollections, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 1980; ISBN 978-0-915678-10-5

New Horizons in Eastern Humanism Buddhism, Confucianism and the Quest for Global Peace with Tu Weiming, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2011; ISBN 978-1-84885-593-9 Ode to the Grand Spirit: A dialogue Ode to the Grand Spirit: A Dialogue (Echoes and Reflections) — with Chingiz Aitmatov, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1-84511-987-4 On Being Human: Where Ethics, Medicine, and Spirituality Converge with René Simard and Guy Bourgeault, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2003; ISBN 0-9723267-1-5 On Peace, Life and Philosophy with Henry Kissinger (tentative translation from Japanese), Heiwa to jinsei to tetsugaku o kataru,「平和」と「人生」と「哲学」を語る, Tokyo, Japan: Ushio Shuppansha, 1987; ISBN 978-4-267-01164-1 One by One: The World is Yours to Change, Sonoma, California: Dunhill Publishing; Paper/DVD edition, 2004; ISBN 978-1-931501-01-9 Over the Deep Blue Sea (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993, ISBN 978-0-679-84184-5 Planetary Citizenship: Your Values, Beliefs and Actions Can Shape A Sustainable World with Hazel Henderson, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2004; ISBN 0-9723267-2-3/ISBN 978-0-9723267-2-8 Rendezvous with nature: songs of peace / photographs by Daisaku Ikeda, Shizen to no taiwa: heiwa no shi, 自然との対話 平和の詩, Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2005; OCLC Number: 73228297 Revolutions to Green the Environment, to Grow the Human Heart: A Dialogue Between M.S. Swaminathan, Leader of the Ever-Green Revolution and Daisaku Ikeda, Proponent of the Human Revolution, Madras, India: East West Books, 2005; ISBN 978-81-88661-34-3 Search for a New Humanity: A Dialogue with Josef Derbolav, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84511-598-2 Soka Education: A Buddhist Vision for Teachers, Students and Parents, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2001; ISBN 0-9674697-4-0 Songs from My Heart, (1978), Weatherhill, ISBN 0-8348-0398-4, New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill, Reprint edition 1997; ISBN 0-8348-0398-4 Space and Eternal Life with Chandra Wickramasinghe, Newburyport, Massachusetts: Journeyman Press, 1998; ISBN 1-85172-060-X The Cherry Tree (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1992; ISBN 978-0-679-82669-9 The Flower of Chinese Buddhism, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2009; ISBN 978-0-9779245-4-7 The Human Revolution (The Human Revolution, #1–12), abridged two-book set, Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2008; ISBN 0-915678-77-2 The Inner Philosopher: Conversations on Philosophy's Transformative Power with Lou Marinoff, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Dialogue Path Press, 2012; ISBN 978-1-887917-09-4 The Living Buddha: An Interpretive Biography, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2008; ISBN 978-0-9779245-2-3 The New Human Revolution (an ongoing series) (30+ Volumes, this is an ongoing series), Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 1995–; partial list of ISBN Vol.1 978-0-915678-33-4, Vol.2 978-0-915678-34-1, Vol.3 978-0-915678-35-8, Vol.4 978-0-915678-36-5, Vol.5 978-0-915678-37-2, Vol.6 978-0-915678-38-9, Vol.7 978-0-915678-39-6, Vol.8 978-0-915678-40-2, Vol.9 978-0-915678-41-9, Vol.10 978-0-915678-42-6, Vol.11 978-0-915678-43-3, Vol.12 978-0-915678-44-0, Vol.13 978-0-915678-45-7, Vol.14 978-0-915678-46-4, Vol.15 978-0-915678-47-1, Vol.16 978-0-915678-48-8, Vol.17 978-0-915678-49-5, Vol.18 978-0-915678-50-1, Vol.19 978-0-915678-51-8, Vol.20 978-0-915678-52-5, Vol.21 978-0-915678-53-2, Vol.22 978-0-915678-54-9, Vol.23 978-0-915678-55-6, Vol.24 978-0-915678-56-3 The Persistence of Religion: Comparative Perspectives on Modern Spirituality with Harvey Cox, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2009; ISBN 978-1-84885-195-5(Paperback), ISBN 978-1-84885-194-8 (Hardback) The Princess and the Moon (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1992; ISBN 978-0-679-83620-9 The Snow Country Prince (children's book), Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator), New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1991; ISBN 978-0-679-91965-0 The Way of Youth: Buddhist Common Sense for Handling Life's Questions (with a foreword by Duncan Sheik), Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-9674697-0-6 The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra (6 volumes), Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2000 (vols 1 & 2), 2001 (vol 3), 2002 (vol 4), 2003 (vols 5 & 6); ISBN 0-915678-69-1 (vol 1), 0-915678-70-5 (vol 2), 0-9-15678-71-3 (vol 3), 0-915678-72-1 (vol 4), 0-915678-73-X (vol 5), 0-915678-74-8 (vol 6) Dialogue for a Greater Century of Humanism with John Kenneth Galbraith (in Japanese: 人間主義の大世紀を―わが人生を飾れ) Tokyo, Japan: Ushio Shuppansha, 2005; ISBN 978-4-267-01730-8 Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death: A Buddhist View of Life, 2nd edition, Santa Monica, California: Middleway Press, 2004; ISBN 978-0-9723267-0-4 "Fireflies Glow" published by Madhuban, India

References[edit]

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2. ^ Jump up to:^a b Dayle Bethel (1974). "The Political Ideology of Ikeda Daisaku, President of Soka Gakkai". International Education. 3 (2).
3. ^ Jump up to:^a b Jason Goulah; Takao Ito (2012). "Daisaku Ikeda's Curriculum of Soka Education: Creating Value Through Dialogue, Global Citizenship, and 'Human Education' in the Mentor-Disciple Relationship". Curriculum Inquiry. 42 (1).
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29. Jump up^ Métraux, Daniel A., "The Dispute Between the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood: A Lay Revolution Against a Conservative Clergy", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1992, 19/4, pp. 328 and 330
30. Jump up^ Wilson, Bryan and Dobbelaere, Kareland, "A Time to Chant: The Soka Gakkai Buddhists in Britain", Clarendon Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-19-827915-0. p. 240
31. Jump up^ Mizoguchi, Atsushi: Ikeda Daisaku: Kenryokusha no Kōzō ("Daisaku Ikeda: The structure behind a man with power"). Tokyo: Kōdansha, 2005. ISBN 4-06-256962-0. p. 396 (in Japanese)
32. Jump up^ Taisekiji: Nichiren Shōshū Nyūmon ("An introduction to Nichiren Shōshū"). Fujinomiya, 2002. p. 332 (chronology) and p. 240 (in Japanese)
33. Jump up^ Howard W. French, "A Sect's Political Rise Creates Uneasiness in Japan", 14 November 1999. Accessed 19 November 2011.
34. Jump up^ Seager, 2006, p205
35. Jump up^ Jacqueline I. Stone, "Nichiren's activist heirs: Sōka Gakkai, Risshō Kōsekai, Nipponzan Myōhōji", in Christopher Queen, et al., eds, Action Dharma: New Studies in Engaged Buddhism (London: Routledge Curzon, 2003). Scan (PDF) available here "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013..
36. Jump up^ Ikeda, Daisaku (26 January 2006). "A New Era of the People: Forging a Global Network of Robust Individuals (2006 Peace Proposal)". Soka Gakkai International. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
37. Jump up^ Jupp, James C; Espinosa-Dulanto, Miryam (2017). "Beyond US-Centered Multicultural Foundations on Race". International Journal of Multicultural Education. 19 (2): 33. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
38. Jump up^ McNeill, William (1989). Arnold J. Toynbee: A Life