TagEssays by Ikeda Sensei

The following excerpts are from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at a ceremony where representatives of Paraguay’s National University of Itapúa presented him with an honorary doctorate. It was held in conjunction with the Student Division and Future Division Joint General Meeting at the Soka International Friendship Hall in Tokyo, on April 29, 2005. Video footage of

Ikeda Sensei joined the Soka Gakkai on Aug. 24, 1947, 75 years ago this month. In the following essay excerpt, Ikeda Sensei describes his first Soka Gakkai meeting and how encountering his mentor, Josei Toda, became the starting point for his lifelong struggle for peace. This essay originally appeared in the Aug. 24, 2011, Seikyo

The Song of Human Victory

The Song of Human Victory

In the summer of 1957, the 29-year-old Ikeda Sensei stood up to the Yubari Coal Miners’ Association and the Osaka City Prosecutors Office. These entities felt their authority threatened by the people’s movement of the Soka Gakkai and took steps to make members abandon their faith and dismantle the organization. Recalling these events, Sensei wrote:

65 Years of the Student Division

The Light of the Century of Humanity

This is an essay by Ikeda Sensei originally published in the May 29, 2000, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. In 1937, I was 9 years old. My father was finally beginning to recover from a long, severe bout of rheumatism. It was at just that time that my eldest brother was

Songs of Light

Ikeda Sensei's Essay

On April 2, 1958, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda died at the age of 58. The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was originally published in the April 8, 2009, Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper. My mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, once said to me: “Buddhism teaches that ‘all phenomena are

The following op-ed by Ikeda Sensei was published in The Times of India on Feb. 4, which marked the 60th anniversary of his first visit to India. The text can also be accessed at daisakuikeda.org. Our world today is facing a crisis unlike any other as the coronavirus pandemic shakes the foundations of our global

On March 16, 1958, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda entrusted the mission of kosen-rufu to the youth. The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was published in the March 16, 2000, Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper. My eyes were focused unwaveringly on the future. Yet, seeing the frail condition of my mentor in

Let’s bring forth a strong life force and together make this a historic year.

“To have faith in the promise of dialogue is to believe in the promise of humanity.”

It is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to speak at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an institution that carries on the finest traditions of higher learning. For this privilege, I thank President Charles E. Young, Vice President Norman Miller, the faculty, and students, men and women who will guide your country

Nothing could please me more than to be back at Harvard University, to speak with faculty and students at this time-honored institution of unexcelled academic endeavor. To Professor Nur Yalman, Professor Harvey Cox, Professor John Kenneth Galbraith and all the others who have made my visit possible, I extend grateful thanks. The Continuity of Life

Our Brilliant Path to Victory

The following essay from Ikeda Sensei is adapted from David Krieger’s book Hope in a Dark Time–Reflections on Humanity’s Future, which was published in 2003. Mr. Krieger, with whom Sensei has held dialogues, is the founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The text can be found at daisakuikeda.org >> “Resources” >> “Written

SGI President Ikeda writes about the Bahamas in his ongoing essay series “Unforgettable Encounters—Friends With Hearts Like the Sun,” which is being serialized in the Japanese publication Pumpkin. This essay was published in the October 2019 issue of the magazine. The hometown, the sea and the earth all hold the power to nurture life and