“A great human revolution in just a single individual will enable a change in destiny of all humankind.” Daisaku Ikeda
On January 26, 2014, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda set forth his annual peace proposal. Rather than attempting to go into even a synopsis of the 2014 proposal, I prefer to note that the need for an effective means to bring peace and understanding to the world continues unabated. Witness the UN report on unspeakable horrors committed by the current and former leaders of North Korea. Syria. Sudan. Countless countries in Africa, Asia, Latin and South America. Armed intervention seems justified in protecting innocent civilians, yet, how often is it successful? Should we then ignore it–feeling it does not concern us directly. No. Diplomatic solutions are often no more successful than wars. Yet they must be pursued. Unfortunately, the world’s ills did not materialize overnight and alleviating them will not happen quickly either. The hope in Buddhism is that a recognition of shared humanity, accompanied by a determination to exert oneself for good rather than evil through elevating one’s life condition will cause the change in the world which we all wish could happen.
Ikeda has been issuing his proposals for creating a more peaceful world on January 26 each year since 1983,. The proposals commemorate the founding of the SGI, an international lay Buddhist association of over 12 million members spread among 192 countries and territories. Its mission is to widely propagate the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, founder of what is now the largest sect of Buddhism in the world. The purpose is enabling peace and absolute happiness throughout all inhabitants of our planet. Ikeda has received 345 honorary degrees from around the world, more than any other individual–illustrative of the high regard in which such institutions hold his efforts at educating the world through over 50 books, essays and dialogues with world political leaders, scholars, philosophers and others. For more on Daisaku Ikeda, go here. For more on the SGI go here.