DAISAKU IKEDA
Daisaku Ikeda is a peacebuilder, Buddhist philosopher, educator, author and poet. As third president of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organization in Japan, founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and founder of several international institutions promoting peace, culture and education, he has dedicated himself to bolstering the foundations of a lasting culture of peace.
Central to Ikeda's engagement has been his conviction in the power and necessity of dialogue. He has met with key leaders, cultural figures and scholars from every region of the world to discuss ways of resolving the common challenges facing humanity. He has also published dialogues probing the crucial issues of our time with over 80 such individuals. He has devoted particular efforts to building trust and fostering cultural exchange in contexts of historical division and conflict.
A core focus of Ikeda's peace activities has been the goal of nuclear disarmament. As leader of the SGI, he has inspired grassroots efforts for a nuclear-weapons-free world over several decades and has continued to explore viable routes toward nuclear abolition in his peace proposals, published annually since 1983.
As founding president of the SGI, Ikeda has led the development one of the world's largest and most diverse community-based Buddhist associations, promoting a philosophy of empowerment and social engagement for peace. The educational system founded by Ikeda—which includes the Soka Schools system in Japan and Brazil, Soka University in Japan and the USA, and Soka Kindergartens in six countries—promotes an ethos of global citizenship, encouraging youth to take the lead in establishing a more hopeful and positive direction for global society.
This website details Daisaku Ikeda's accomplishments and contributions as a Buddhist philosopher and leader, a peacebuilder, an educator, and a proponent of culture, as well as presenting a selection of his 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, visit the Books section of this site.
https://www.daisakuikeda.org/