Do you know him, if you are for peace you should

Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist leader, peacebuilder, a prolific writer, poet, educator and founder of a number of cultural, educational and peace research institutions around the world.

As third president of the Soka Gakkai (value-creating society) and founder of the Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda has developed and inspired what may be the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world today. Based on the 700-year-old tradition of Nichiren Buddhism, the movement is characterized by its emphasis on individual empowerment and social engagement to advance peace, culture and education.

This website details Ikeda's accomplishments and contributions as a Buddhist philosopher and leader, a peacebuilder, and an educator, as well as presenting a selection of Ikeda's own writings relevant to these themes. The Profile section presents a biography of his life and a selection of short autobiographical essays. For more on Ikeda's writings and his thoughts on writing.

www.daisakuikeda.org



"World peace is not something that can be realized simply by politicians signing treaties, or by business leaders creating economic cooperation. True and lasting peace will be realized only by forging bonds of trust between people at the deepest level, in the depths of their very lives."--Daisaku Ikeda


Beijing, 1980
In the nearly 50 years since becoming president of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist association at the age of 32 Daisaku Ikeda has pursued a diverse range of activities in the pursuit of global peace. His energetic efforts include personal diplomacy during the Cold War, ongoing dialogues with a broad range of individuals from around the world, numerous publications and proposals and the founding of various peace-related institutions. He has also been a continuing source of inspiration for the SGI's global grassroots activities in such areas as human rights protection, nuclear abolition, disarmament, sustainable development and cultural exchange.

Ikeda's commitment to peace grows from his experience as a young teenager of World War II. His interactions with second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda in the aftermath of the war helped shape Ikeda's antiwar sentiments into a philosophy that supports a multifaceted peace movement. What sustains Ikeda's energetic engagement is his Buddhist belief in the sanctity of life and the creative potential of individual human beings, and his faith in the power of dialogue to bridge the distances between people.

For Ikeda, peace is far more than the mere absence of war. Rather, it points to a set of conditions in which cultural differences are embraced and appreciated and in which dialogue is firmly established as the means of choice for resolving conflict. In recent years, the idea of a "culture of peace" has gained widespread currency in the world. From his writings and actions it is clear that Ikeda has been a pioneering practitioner of this concept.







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