|
Ground Zero Peace Pledge
 |
|
At New York's Lincoln Center |
On July 10, 100 SGI-USA representatives held a memorial service at Ground Zero in New York. The representatives prayed for victims of the September 11, 2001, tragedy and all victims of war throughout the world. A marble plaque with the following words from SGI President Ikeda was presented, to be part of a permanent exhibition: "To transform days of tragedy into days of happiness, days of anguish into days of peace."
Those present also pledged to dedicate themselves to creating a peaceful society based on the spirit of nonviolence, and SGI-USA proclaimed the months leading up to the anniversary of September 11 as the "Summer of Peace." On the same day as the memorial, some 3,000 SGI-USA members gathered at New York's Lincoln Center for a rally to affirm their resolve to work for peace.
Events held under the "Summer of Peace" banner included an August 4 public lecture at the New York SGI-USA center by Majid Tehranian, director of the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, on his dialogue with Mr. Ikeda entitled "Global Civilization: A Buddhist-Islamic Dialogue," and a series of events at Columbia University's Lerner Hall including an exhibition "Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World"; an August 12 concert sponsored by the International Committee of Artists for Peace featuring flutist Nestor Torres, guitarist Larry Coryell and bassist Buster Williams; and a peace forum on August 13 where Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Betty Williams was the keynote speaker.
Meanwhile, "Images of Courage," a photographic exhibit by Danny C. Sze honoring those who lost their lives while saving others on September 11, 2001, opened at Soka University of America at Aliso Viejo on September 11. The exhibition featured 80 photographs covering "Ground Zero" from the day after the terrorist attacks.
|
