“I had long cherished the dream of becoming a journalist and writing a great novel myself, and I wanted to work in a field related to writing, which led me to my job at Mr. It was through this group that he encountered Toda in 1947 and through him, the humanistic life philosophy of Soka. He joined a reading circle comprised of some 20 other youths on a similar quest for truth. It was through poetry that he began to express his quest and to give voice to his emotions. The World Poetry Society Intercontinental awarded him the title, “World People’s Poet” in October 2007.Īs a young teenager amidst the turmoil following Japan’s defeat in 1945, President Ikeda read voraciously, searching for answers to the spiritual void rent by the war. One collection of poetry translated into English, Fighting for Peace, was also a finalist in the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Awards’ Poetry and Literary Criticism category. In 1981, he was awarded the title of “Poet Laureate” by the World Academy of Arts and Culture. President Ikeda has also earned recognition for his poetry. Several have been made into animated films and applauded for their positive influence on young viewers. President Ikeda’s children’s stories have been translated into numerous languages, having been introduced to the world outside Japan through the talents of acclaimed artists such as British illustrator of children’s literature Brian Wildsmith. Choose Life has since been translated into 28 languages.Īnother of President Ikeda’s literary focuses has been literature for young children–a genre in which he first honed his writing talents as editor of a children’s magazine while in his early twenties. In it, the authors not only explore the ageless questions of life but also the most pressing issues of the modern era. One of President Ikeda’s first extensive dialogues of this sort was with the late British historian Arnold Toynbee and was first published as Choose Life, in 1979. “That is why I have met, as one human being to another, with all kinds of people, transcending differences of nationality, ethnicity, religion, ideology, generation, gender and social position.”
“Choosing dialogue is itself the triumph of peace and humanity,” he writes. President Ikeda has also engaged in dialogues on the pressing issues facing the modern world with leading thinkers, activists and leaders in a variety of fields, including Linus Pauling, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ba Jin, and Hazel Henderson, among others. A novelized account of the founding and development of the Soka Gakkai association in Japan, it contains this passage that describes the core of President Ikeda’s philosophy: “A great revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a society, and further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind.”
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In 1965, President Ikeda published the first volume of The Human Revolution, which is regarded as his magnum opus (released in Japan as a 12-volume series and in six volumes in the English edition). “My only wish is to provide a glimmer of hope, to light the torch of courage, for as many readers as possible.” “Writing is as precious to me as life itself,” he says. President Ikeda’s body of work–he has in some years composed over a thousand poems alone–includes dialogues, essays, peace proposals, university lectures, poetry, children’s literature and articles. These are roles which President Ikeda has pursued amidst his responsibilities as founding president and leader of the Soka Gakkai International, one of the largest, most engaged and diverse humanistic movements in the world today. As considerable as his literary achievements are on their own terms, they are, in a broader sense, a reflection of his energetic engagement and accomplishment as a philosopher, an active proponent of peace and an educator. Daisaku Ikeda has authored or co-authored over 100 books.