For the Sake of Peace - Daisaku Ikeda - in English (Hard Cover)

For the Sake of Peace - Daisaku Ikeda - in English (Hard Cover)
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Passionate and practical advice for achieving peace “Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai International have been articulate spokespeople for peace throughout the world. For the Sake of Peace is a passionate, intelligent plea for mindfulness in both individual and societal action.” —ForeWord magazine Based on 20 years of university lectures and proposals to the United Nations, this book addresses the issue of peace from the Buddhist perspective of compassion, interconnectedness of all life, and absolute respect for human life. Informed by the teachings of Nichiren, the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist teacher and reformer, this book considers peace from various angles, including economics, the environment, disarmament, religion, and culture. Ikeda writes that nothing is more precious than peace, and asserts that through self-mastery, dialogue, and belief in the sovereignty of the people, the world may come to know a peaceful existence. Daisaku Ikeda is the author of more than 60 books including Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, Soka Education, The Way of Youth, and The Living Buddha. He is the president of Soka Gakkai International Buddhist renewal movement and has received the United Nations Peace Award, the Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award, and the International Tolerance Award of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Product ID: 102442 ISBN-10: 0967469724

Categories: Religious Studies, Religious Studies > Buddhism > SGI

Supporting language: English

Platforms/media types: Printed Matter

REVIEW:

For the Sake of Peace: Seven Paths to Global Harmony, A Buddhist Perspective By Daisaku Ikeda, Middleway Press

To say that all books promoting world peace have a sameness about them is not exactly a criticism. Ending world poverty, promoting education, encouraging cultural exchange, and substituting rational dialogue for warfare are recommendations that would naturally appear in the table of contents of any volume on the subject, and this book written by Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai international, a Buddhist organization promoting world peace, is no exception.

What most readers search for in such a book are the practical methods by which the author intends to bring about these worthy goals. This is often what is missing and this book is no exception. Mr. Ikeda is quite clear in saying that he has little confidence that political and structural reforms will bring about the goals he desires unless the individuals who sponsor these changes have been made into better people. There is part of an underlying theme that seems to say that people must be made better before institutions can be improved and peace can be achieved. Given the Buddhist practice of encouraging each person to find his/her own inner enlightenment, this is not surprising; but questions arise regarding to how many good people it takes to change the world and can they remain good once they enter into the political process.

The author would probably dismiss my skepticism as a sign of a less than fully developed consciousness or of my being stuck in a wrong-headed view of history. He may be right. However, I think good political institutions created by and for imperfect people are probably the best we are likely to have to work with in the foreseeable future. Any reasonable plan for peace should use these as a starting point and show how tinkering with these might lead to the creation of better people. - Glen Ebisch