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Gathering for Peace
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Dr. Leon Wecke
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SGI-Netherlands youth gathered on March 12 at Leiden University. Some 260 people came from throughout the country to discuss the role of youth in building peace. Dr. Leon Wecke, former director of the University of Nijmegen Peace Institute, stated that education means teaching young people about the importance of contributing to others and having a global vision. He stressed the need to transform society from one steeped in egotism to one in which people share the suffering of others.
On March 27, Soka Gakkai Malaysia hosted "Lessons from My Grandfather," a lecture by Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, at the SGM culture center in Cheras. Attended by 1,300 participants from Singapore, South Africa and various states of Malaysia, including representatives from numerous civic and religious associations, the event was chaired by University of Malaya history professor Dr. Khoo Kay Kim.
On March 29, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) hosted a special lecture in Tokyo by Dr. Karel Dobbelaere, former president of the International Society for the Sociology of Religions and emeritus professor of the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium). In his talk, titled "Soka Gakkai in a Globalized World," Dr. Dobbelaere spoke about the global character of the SGI and the relationship between religion and society.
Dr. Dobbelaere said that the SGI has undergone growing pains arising from differences in culture and customs as it has expanded from Japan to countries throughout the world. His advice is to aim for "glocalization," combining global thinking with a local expression.
He believes the principle of causality, which is at the heart of the philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism and which emphasizes human responsibility and empowerment, is ideally suited to contemporary society.
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