Faith, Reason, Gender
October 2001
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
Pioneer Peacemakers in Iceland
Eygló (left) and Eyrún
My name is Eygló Jónsdóttir. I am 44 years old and married with three children. I was brought up a Christian (Lutheran Protestant) like 99 percent of the Icelandic population, but when I was a teenager, I realized that the Icelandic church could not fill my spiritual needs. I wanted to practice a religion that had a theory I could prove in my daily life. I didn't know where I could find such a religion, or even if it existed, but I started searching anyway.
I was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism at the age of 21 when I was an au pair in London, and I returned to Iceland a year later with my Gohonzon (Buddhist object of devotion). I was the first person to practice this Buddhism in Iceland, but I wasn't alone for long because two of my sisters started practicing very soon after I did. Gradually more people joined us, and on June 17, 1980, we held our first formal discussion meeting. We look upon that day as the beginning of SGI-Iceland.
Few people in Iceland knew anything about Buddhism at that time. We encountered considerable prejudice--people either thought that we were religious fanatics or, since we were mostly youngsters, that we were "just going through a phase," experimenting with a new religion. As a result, I felt that it was extremely important for us to build our reputations in society as good citizens by applying Buddhist doctrine to every aspect of our lives, by living the theory that Buddhism equals daily life. Many of our members have responded to that challenge by becoming well known and well respected in their careers and by setting a good example in other aspects of their lives as well.
After about 10 years, we felt that the time was right to start introducing the SGI to Icelandic society as a movement for peace, culture and education. We began by visiting the president of Iceland, Ms. Vigdís Finbogadóttir (the first elected female president in the world) together with Richard Causton, the late general director of SGI-UK. We told her about our organization and presented her with a copy of the dialogue between Daisaku Ikeda and Arnold Toynbee.
Visiting President Vigdís Finbogadóttir (front right)
There are a few peace movements in Iceland that we have been working with for many years now. Twice a year these peace movements plan a big event where we remind people of what is happening in the world and the importance of individuals speaking out and taking action for peace and humanity. There is a big peace march down the main shopping street in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, and on August 6 or 9 we have a memorial peace gathering by a lake in the city center where we light candles in memory of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
People from the other peace movements have told us that they are very impressed that each time SGI members are asked to take on some responsibility, as they carry it out so well. In 1998, we were asked to nominate someone to act as moderator for the meeting following the December 23 peace march. We suggested a young actress named Helena Stefansdóttir. She did an excellent job. Then, in 1999, my 18-year-old daughter Eyrún Ósk Jónsdóttir was asked to give a speech. Usually some famous writer or politician is asked to do this, but this time the committee wanted a young person with hope and spirit, so they asked an SGI member. (Please see her experience below.)
We have also worked in the field of education as an organization and as individuals. Many of our members happen to be educators, so gradually we have managed to broaden the horizon of many teachers and have even been able to change some aspects of the educational system. For example, one of our pioneering members, Steinunn Geirdal, is the principal of a preschool, or playschool as we call them, for children from one to six years old, and she has dedicated herself to improving environmental education in Iceland. She has been working on a local initiative to include sustainable practices and the teaching of environmental consciousness in the playschool. The children grow their own vegetables and recycle and reuse everything possible.
At the Icelandic Autumn Course 2000 held in Reykjavík
Ms. Geirdal's local City Council decided to construct a new building for her playschool based on environmental principles, and she is currently on a committee that is making recommendations for environmental education in all playschools in Reykjavík. It is as though a snowball has started down a mountain: the local council has also become interested in building an entire district of ecological housing, and Ms. Geirdal has become a central figure in this project.
At present there are over 100 members practicing Nichiren Buddhism in Iceland, mostly around the Reykjavík area. I believe that SGI-Iceland has a great role to play in Icelandic society. We are striving to make people realize that we are all responsible for the future of this planet--that if someone is suffering, we cannot look the other way; that if the environment is being ruined, we have to take action. I am very proud to have the good fortune to work with SGI President Ikeda and other members of the SGI toward the great goal of peace and happiness for every human being and for the planet.
My name is Eyrún Ósk Jónsdóttir, and I'm 20 years old. Since 1996, the SGI members in Iceland have had a strong determination to introduce the SGI and President Ikeda to our country and to become active in society as individuals. I have been chanting wholeheartedly to be able to do that.
In 1998 I read an article in Iceland's major newspaper written by a member of parliament about the importance of the U.S. army base that has been located in Iceland since the end of the Second World War. In this article she said, "The only way to keep peace in Europe is to have a strong army with powerful weapons, and therefore we must support NATO." I disagreed with every word she wrote, and deep in my heart I knew I had to answer her. I used Buddhist theory and SGI President Ikeda's peace proposals to put forward the idea that peace is something that arises from people's hearts. One week later, the same newspaper printed my article.
In 1999 I received a phone call from a member of the planning committee for the December 23 peace march, saying she would like me to give a speech at the event. She had read the article I had written for the newspaper the year before, and she said that she had total confidence in SGI members since the previous year's moderator, an SGI member, had done the best job ever. I immediately knew that this was an opportunity to show the people of Iceland the true spirit of the SGI.
Almost 6,000 people attended the meeting (a large number for Iceland which has a total population of only 280,000). I was so nervous before the event that I couldn't eat anything for three whole days. But when I stepped up on stage and began to speak, all my anxiety disappeared. I felt incredible strength and confidence. I quoted from SGI President Ikeda's guidance and told the audience about his hopes for the 21st century. I also supported my remarks with the writings of Nichiren. I talked about how much one person can achieve and how important every single person is in the struggle for peace. After I finished the speech, I felt this magnificent happiness and confidence that I was beginning to fulfill my true purpose in life at last.
