The following are excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held at the Tokyo Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on July 18, 2000. Video footage of the speech was broadcast during the Eighth Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting Toward Our Centennial, in conjunction with the SGI Youth Training Course, held at the Toda Memorial Auditorium in Sugamo, Tokyo, on Sept. 6, 2025. It was translated from the Sept. 22, 2025, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper.
Today I’d like to talk with you in an informal, relaxed manner.
It is beautiful when people can get along and work well together. Buddhism is a teaching of cooperation and harmony. This spirit is articulated as “many in body, one in mind” and is the Soka Gakkai’s foremost treasure.
An organization pervaded by a spirit of warmth, of sincere faith, of concern for fellow members, of unity and of devotion to kosen-rufu, an organization whose members’ hearts are united in faith—this is the Soka Gakkai. Let us always maintain this tradition.
One of the most respected figures in Okinawan history is the great philosopher-statesman Saion, who, in the 18th century, laid the foundations for the golden age of the Ryukyu Kingdom (present-day Okinawa). A person of remarkable insight into the human condition, Saion told the following story of an elderly man encouraging a young boy:
One day, a young Okinawan boy said proudly to a wise old man: “I have a sword that has been handed down in my family for generations. I polish it every single day without fail!”
The wise old man asked: “Do you have any treasure other than this sword?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That sword is just a small treasure,” the elderly man said quietly. “You actually have the most wonderful treasure of all: It is you, yourself.”
The wise old man was trying to suggest that the boy should polish the treasure that is his own life with the same diligence. The boy was deeply moved by the elderly man’s words and grateful for this important lesson.
This story also resonates with the teachings of Buddhism. The most fundamental point to which we must always return is ourselves. It is life itself. This is what I want to stress.
To live with dignity as human beings and reveal the full shining potential of our humanity—nothing can surpass this. Only in this way can we realize genuine human happiness, peace and coexistence with the natural world. This should be the purpose of all scientific and technological progress as well.
From now on, there will be an ever greater need to develop the wisdom to make full use of available knowledge and information for the sake of peace and the happiness of humanity.
I also took up the subject of the information revolution in one of my discussions with the noted Iranian-born peace scholar Dr. Majid Tehranian.
Our increasingly information-oriented society will need leaders who possess a humanistic philosophy and actively pursue heart-to-heart dialogue imbued with integrity. Dr. Tehranian and I were in complete agreement on this score.
Dr. Tehranian went on to cite the SGI’s promotion of discussion meetings and dialogue as an ideal model for such inspirational communication. He said, “I highly value the role of such voluntary associations as the SGI, which promote small group meetings and discussions among the membership and their associates.”
As the information technology revolution continues to advance, it is only natural that one-to-one dialogue, where genuine heart-to-heart communication takes place, will be increasingly crucial for healthy individual and social development.
Thinkers around the globe are beginning to take note that the Soka Gakkai is at the forefront of such efforts, contributing to the development of a new global civilization.
When we think about it, Shakyamuni Buddha spent his life walking all over the land that today is India, engaging in one-to-one dialogue with all kinds of people. Also, Nichiren Daishonin’s treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” is written in the form of a dialogue. Dialogue is the eternal, unchanging spirit of Buddhism.
“The voice carries out the work of the Buddha” (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 4). How important it is that we talk with others, that we engage in dialogue. Armed with perseverance and wearing the “robe of gentleness and patience” (“Cloth for a Robe and an Unlined Robe,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 602), let us make a point of always speaking to others with bright and vibrant voices. Let us hold warm dialogues, happy dialogues. Let us hold dialogues that inspire and encourage. Let us hold dialogues brimming with philosophy. Such dialogues will pave the way to a truly human and humane world.
I pray for your health and long life and for your success in all endeavors. I am sending you daimoku.
Pray that Brahma, Shakra and the gods of the sun and the moon—positive, protective forces of the universe—will enter your life! Pray that they will enter the lives of all members in your region and the entire membership of the Soka Gakkai, as well. If you do this, your strength will multiply a hundredfold, a thousandfold. With such prayer, with such faith, you will be able to realize a fundamental transformation in the very depths of your life. It is the secret to achieving your human revolution. Thank you for being here today!
October 17, 2025 World Tribune, pp. 2–3
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