Creating Hope
January 2006
Banner photo: Katsuhiro Fujino
Initiatives for Nonviolence
Nonviolence forum at the University of Delhi
[Photo ©Seikyo Shimbun]
"Apostles of Peace: Revisiting Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Daisaku Ikeda," a multifaceted forum addressing nonviolence and Gandhian principles, opened on October 17 at the University of Delhi in India. At the opening ceremony, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit expressed the hope that the forum would spur people to rededicate and recommit themselves to disseminating a message of peace to the world and to standing up against injustice. Quoting the words of Mahatma Gandhi, she said, "The most simple things in life are perhaps the most difficult to do, and it is this that needs to be done."
In the keynote speech, chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University Dr. Karan Singh stressed the need to build a coalition for peace, involving interfaith, human rights and social activists, educators and environmentalists, to counteract terrorism and war. The event, which ended on October 28, was sponsored by Bharat Soka Gakkai, the Gandhi Bhawan of the University of Delhi and the Times Foundation of India, and it also featured the "Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace" exhibition.
Northern Ireland
John Hume and his wife Pat
The Gandhi, King, Ikeda exhibition also opened at Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on October 27. Morehouse College's Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel is the exhibition's creator and sponsor. Queen's University cosponsored the event, which was supported by the Belfast City Council, SGI-UK and other groups.
Queen's University President Peter Gregson expressed his belief that the spirit and dedicated efforts of these three individuals would serve as an important guide for Queen's University faculty and students in fulfilling their mission for peace in Northern Ireland. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, hoped the exhibition would contribute to peace in Northern Ireland. In prompting the practice of a philosophy of nonviolence, he said, President Ikeda is giving form to the ideals and visions of both Gandhi and King.
On October 28, Dr. Carter presented the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award to John Hume, former political leader and Nobel peace prize laureate who has devoted his life to bringing peace to the region.
The exhibition has now been held in 21 countries and seen by more than 350,000 people. Speaking in Tokyo recently, Dr. Carter explained that the exhibition aims to highlight the contributions to humanity of these three figures, who, despite widely different cultural roots, engaged in an unceasing nonviolent struggle for the sake of human rights, justice and peace.
Tokyo Symposium
Dr.G.Ramachandran
[©Seikyo Shimbun]
Ten scholars and researchers from India and Japan spoke on creating an age of peace through nonviolent means from the perspectives of Gandhism and Buddhism at a symposium in Tokyo on September 24. Speakers included Sister Mythili, chair of the Mahatma Gandhi People's Welfare Trust, Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) Director Dr. Yoichi Kawada and Dr. N. Radhakrishnan, renowned Gandhian scholar and chair of the National Committee of Dr. G. Ramachandran's Centennial Anniversary, which cohosted the event along with the SGI-affiliated IOP.
Dr. Radhakrishnan stated that the SGI's vision of peace concurs with those of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) and Dr. G. Ramachandran (1905-1995), a distinguished disciple of Gandhi who strove to free people from all oppression. In this context he specifically highlighted common commitments to emancipating women, encouraging respect for life and enabling religion to serve people. He emphasized that if we are to fulfill our role as liberators, we need first to liberate ourselves; that we are all the victims of our own prejudice, hatred and self-centeredness.
