Ikeda Sensei’s serialized novel The New Human Revolution chronicles the history of the Soka Gakkai following his inauguration in 1960 as its third president. It carries practical guidance on how to expand our movement for kosen-rufu and hundreds of experiences of inner transformation. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. The following takes place in 1978.
Installment 1
The ability to engage in dialogue is one of the most outstanding human attributes. Dialogue expresses our humanity.
Through talking with one another, hearts open, mutual understanding develops and friendship spreads.
True dialogue is not putting on a facade and spouting empty, flowery rhetoric. Dialogue is interacting life to life, just as we are, as fellow human beings, with sincerity, conviction and patience.
A Buddhist sage[1] once said: “The voice carries out the work of the Buddha” (“The Sacred Teachings of the Buddha’s Lifetime,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 57). The Lotus Sutra—extolled as “the king of sutras”—is a dialogue among Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples. Nichiren Daishonin wrote his treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” as a dialogue between a host and a guest.
Dialogue has the power to encourage and engender hope. It is a wellspring of courage and a fresh breeze of revitalization. It is a bridge connecting people’s hearts.
On the afternoon of October 10, 1978, Shin’ichi Yamamoto and his wife, Mineko, met with the eminent U.S. economist John Kenneth Galbraith, his wife, Catherine, and others accompanying them at the Seikyo Shimbun Building. Dr. Galbraith, professor emeritus at Harvard University, had written many renowned works, including The Age of Uncertainty.
Installment 2
Young women’s division representatives applauded the tall, silver-haired economist as he stepped from the car at the building’s entrance.
Born in 1908 and now almost 70, he still had a fire in his eyes and exuded youthful vitality.
People with a passion for fresh challenges remain ever young.
Reaching out to shake his hand, Shin’ichi said: “You must be very tired from your long journey. Welcome. I am honored to meet you.”
Dr. Galbraith had left the United States on September 10 for a trip to Italy, France, Denmark, Belgium, India, Thailand and now finally Japan, meeting with dignitaries and lecturing along the way. He showed no signs of fatigue, however, and said with a bright smile: “I have been looking forward to meeting you too. This warm welcome has revived me.”
Holding a bouquet of flowers from Mineko, Catherine Galbraith said: “With these flowers from Mrs. Ikeda and the bouquet of beautiful smiles filling the courtyard, how could anyone fail to be energized!”
Everyone smiled even brighter.
“Let’s have a wonderful dialogue for the sake of humanity’s future!” Shin’ichi said as he led the delegation into the building.
After graduating from a Canadian university, Dr. Galbraith earned his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, later becoming a professor at Harvard. He went on to serve as the U.S. ambassador to India, the president of the American Economic Association and as an economic advisor to U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
He wrote numerous books, including The Affluent Society, The New Industrial State and Economics and the Public Purpose. His Age of Uncertainty had just been published in Japanese that February and had become a bestseller, so his name was well known in Japan.
Installment 3
Dr. Galbraith was over 6 1/2 feet tall. Shin’ichi barely came up to his shoulder as he escorted him through the building. When they arrived at the meeting room, they exchanged greetings again.
Looking up at his guest, Shin’ichi stretched his hand toward his head and said with humor: “I’m sure you’ve already seen Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain. I welcome you Dr. Galbraith, a true master of economics, and will engage in our dialogue as if gazing up at Mount Fuji.”
The professor smiled. “I am not nearly as dangerous as my size suggests!”
Everyone laughed. Shin’ichi then quipped: “Tall people have a good overview of their surroundings, but short people can see the ground more clearly. So perhaps by combining these two perspectives, they can find some overall ‘certainty.’”
Several businesses had invited Dr. Galbraith to Japan, and the representatives of one publishing company, including its president, accompanied him. They smiled as they listened to the friendly banter.
During the dialogue, Shin’ichi and Dr. Galbraith each brought up various topics and shared their thoughts on them.
Kicking things off, Shin’ichi said: “In modern times, people seem to focus solely on life and view death as something separate. But if we ponder the meaning of life, seek happiness and think about the state of our society and civilization, it is extremely important to look at death, explore it and come to a sound understanding of both life and death.
“Buddhism teaches that life is eternal. In other words, when we die, our lives merge with the universe and continue in a latent form to reemerge into an active state under the right causes and conditions. Our deeds, words and thoughts are carried on as our accumulated karma.
“So, my question to you is, what do you think happens after death?”
If we don’t understand death, we cannot understand life.
References
- Chang-an (561–632), a disciple of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai. These words appear in the commentary accompanying The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, lectures of T’ien-t’ai that Chang-an recorded and compiled. ↩︎
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles