池田大作：A CIVILISATION PREDICATED ON DIALOGUE

A CIVILISATION PREDICATED ON DIALOGUE
Daisaku Ikeda
[COPYRIGHT IPS] Dialogue is an adventure, an adventure in which anyone can participate. And sometimes its an adventure whose outcome can change history.
More than 2,000 years ago, an Indian Buddhist named Nagasena was summoned to engage in a dialogue with King Milinda, the Hellenic monarch of a kingdom in Northwest India. At the outset, Nagasena faced the king and asked: Highness, when you conduct dialogue, do you speak as a wise
man, or do you speak as a monarch?
Nagasenas words cut to the heart of the kings dogmatic arrogance as a supreme ruler. His question was a way of insisting that they explore the truth together on an equal basis, as two human beings who would learn from each other in a dialogue of the wise.
This encounter opened King Milindas eyes, prompting him to set aside his pride and dedicate himself instead to the development of human wisdom. The frank exchange of ideas between these two resulted in a meeting of East and West, a merging of the finest points of classical Hellenic thought and Indian philosophy, with an enduring impact on the spiritual history of humankind.
This dramatic example of dialogue contains lessons that should be heeded by the leaders of the world today. There has never been a time when it was more important for us to inspire each other by learning from our differences, or when we have had such need for a creative dialogue of the wise.
The G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit held in Japan this July saw a record number of participating countries - twenty-two. The heads of government of the eight original nations were joined at the negotiating table for expanded meetings on climate change and development issues by the heads of government of some of the other countries on the front lines of these issues.
Setting aside the concrete outcome of these meetings, I feel this expansion of the summit process is of great significance. Indeed, I have long called for wider participation in these summits as I believe this is a crucial element in the creation of a civilisation predicated on dialogue. The surest way to benefit humanity – and the entire planet - is to expand a network of dialogue grounded in a wider sense of community and a shared responsibility for the future.
The mark of wisdom lies, more than anything else, in the ability to listen. Specifically, faced as we are with a multitude of pressing global issues, it is essential to make every effort to listen to the opinions of people whose position is different from our own, especially the more vulnerable, the so-called voiceless: to corral the wisdom of all people.
At the same time, it is the mark of the wise to exercise great perseverance. Where progress is not smooth, we need the wisdom to seek out realistic common ground and the determination to continue dialogue, come what may.
I am reminded of the Reykjavik Summit between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in 1986. Effectively, their negotiations ended in stalemate. But at the press conference following the summit, Gorbachev refused to concede that the talks had broken down, stating they had been a first step toward further negotiations. This influenced the Americans to adopt a similar stance, prompting a reappraisal and a more positive, forward-looking approach. History shows that this strong determination to engage in dialogue contributed, in a quiet yet profound way, to the process that ultimately brought the Cold War to an end.
When, some years later, I met with Gorbachev, there were many who questioned whether a meeting between a Buddhist and the leader of a communist superpower could generate any meaningful outcome.
During our meeting, we discussed the memories we both shared of the misery and cruelty of war that we had experienced when young, agreeing that our generation could be defined as the children of war. Having located this common ground, we talked about our shared determination to extract meaningful lessons for the future.
Whatever our ethnicity, whatever our religion, we all have families we love, and there is a future we all want to protect. And no human being can escape the eternal rhythms of life: birth, aging, sickness, death. When we are grounded in this most fundamental perspective of the commonality of our lives, we can rise above any differences and without fail achieve empathy and dialogue.
Common to all of the thinkers and leaders from various fields and nationalities with whom I have engaged in dialogue over the years is an earnest prayer and deep determination to see the 21st century become a century of peace and dialogue, in contrast to the century of war and violence that was the 20th.
Dialogue is not a simplistic assertion of ones own position, nor is it necessarily about bringing others to ones point of view. Dialogue succeeds when it is grounded in respect for the others life, when its propelled by a determination to learn when confronted with differences in personality and perspective.
In the Buddhist scriptures there is a beautiful passage that reads: When we bow to a mirror, the
figure in the mirror bows back to us in reverence.
Whether it is between individuals or between civilisations, if one is too proud and begrudges the act of dialogue, if one ceases to learn, there can be no growth, no progress. A civilisation predicated on dialogue is a civilisation predicated on learning, on growth.
In stark contrast, the failure of dialogue promises only the division of humanity by egoism and mistrust, and an ever-deepening cycle of hatred and violence.
The British historian Arnold Toynbee was convinced that dialogue was the key to finding human responses to the challenges of history. He once declared: Of all human phenomena, the one for which no set pattern in fact exists is the field of encounter and contact between one personality and another. It is from such encounter and contact that truly new creativity arises.
There is absolutely no reason why we cannot rise above the divisive crises that confront our contemporary world. Dialogue is the surest path to peace. And it is a path open to all of us, starting from wherever we are, starting now.
Dialogue is an adventure, a means of discovering the uniqueness, mystery, and familiarity of humanity. It is the wellspring of ceaseless and unimpeded value creation.[
ABOUT DR. DAISAKU IKEDA: He is a Japanese Buddhist philosopher and peace-builder and president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) grassroots Buddhist movement (www.sgi.org). The nongovernmental organization (NGO) SGI has more than 12 million members in 192 countries and territories.
Ikeda is also founder of many institutions, including the Boston Research Centre for the 21st Century, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the comprehensive Soka education system.
Born in Tokyo in 1928, Ikeda experienced firsthand the human loss, anguish and turmoil of a nation at war. In the chaos of post-war Japan, he came to embrace Buddhism through his encounter with educator and ardent pacifist Josei Toda, head of the Buddhist lay organization Soka Gakkai, who had been imprisoned for his beliefs during World War II. These experiences shaped Ikeda’s deep commitment to peace and underlie his efforts toward the creation of a global culture of peace.
Over the years, Ikeda has engaged many of the world’s leading thinkers in dialogue, addressed audiences in over fifty countries, inspired the SGI’s support of United Nations activities and written extensively on a range of issues related to peace and the human condition.
A central theme in the author’s works is his probing into the transformative means by which human dignity and peace can be at once accessible and extended to all humanity. His annual proposals for peace issued each year on the anniversary of the founding of the SGI -- January 26, 1975 -- review the state of the world and offer suggestions of practical initiatives as viable responses grounded in Buddhist
池田大作是日本创价学会名誉会长、国际创价学会会长。
池田大作生于1928年1月2日。在日本东京受教育，年青时在第二次世界大战期间度过。在战争中他失去了兄长。1947年夏，池田邂逅创价学会第二代会长户田城圣，成为他的弟子。1960年，池田大作继承户田城圣出任创价学会第三任会长。迄今，池田大作被誉为世界著名的佛教思想家、哲学家、教育家、社会活动家、作家、桂冠诗人、摄影家、世界文化名人、国际人道主义者。1983年获联合国和平奖，1989年获联合国难民专员公署的人道主义奖，1999年获爱因斯坦和平奖。在中国获得的奖项有：中国艺术贡献奖（1959），中日友好“和平使者”称号（1990），“人民友好使者”称号（1992），中国文化交流贡献奖（1997）。
创价学会是一个以佛教的生命尊严思想为根本，使人人幸福，推进世界永久和平的民众团体，也是受到联合国承认的非政府组织。学会在池田会长的领导下，日本各主要城市都开设了幼稚园、小学、高等中学等教育设施，1971年4月，创办了创价大学。2001年，还在美国创办创价大学。1963年，成立民音，通过音乐活动致力于推动文化交流。1983年，成立东京富士美术馆，致力于促进国际美术、文化的广泛交流。1970年代，创价学会发展成为一个国际性的组织。1975年1月，池田大作就任国际创价学会会长，遂在香港和东南亚等世界各国和地区成立国际创价学会，至今会员遍布192个国家和地区，截至2001年底，全世界大约有1200万人信徒。
池田大作先生是日本公明党创始人，也是中国人民的老朋友。他长期致力于增进中日两国人民的友好往来，是中日邦交正常化倡导人之一，为促进中日人民友好作出了巨大贡献。1961年，池田大作初次访问香港。1974年5月，池田大作从香港经深圳入中国：同年12月5日，受到周恩来总理和邓小平副总理的接见：次年6月，再次受到邓小平副总理的接见；1984年6月，受到胡耀邦总书记接见；1990年5月，他四大作“自然与和平的心影集”在北京民族文化宫展出，江泽民总书记亲临展馆参观；其时还受到邓颖超同志接见；1997年11月，受到李鹏总理接见；1998年11月，受到江泽民总书记的接见。迄今，已访问中国10次。
池田大作为推动国际间理解及世界和平，足迹遍及世界各国。他与国际问题、文化、教育界的杰出人物，例如，与汤因比（《展望二十一世纪》）、威尔逊（《社会变迁下的宗教角色》）、金庸（《探求一个灿烂的世纪》）之对话影响巨大。他在哈佛大学、莫斯科大学、北京大学等世界最具权威性的高等学府及科研机构作过演讲，阐述他对人类文化、教育、社会、生态、文明可持续发展的重要思想。至2002年8月，他获得过世界各国高等学府和研究机构授予的名誉博士、名誉教授等荣誉称号130个，其中，在广东先后授聘于广东省社会科学院和中山大学、广东外语外贸大学、华南师范大学、暨南大学、广州大学的名誉教授，广州市荣誉市民。池田大作对亚洲文化、教育和文明可持续发展作出了杰出的贡献，不愧为我们所敬重的一代世界文化名人，摄影艺术大师。
今年是中日邦交正常化30周年，值此机会，广东省社会科学院、广州市对外友好协会、广州市对外文化交流协会、广东省摄影家协会、广州市摄影家协会、广州艺术博物院和国际创价学会、香港国际创价学会联合于2002年10月18日——31日，在广州举办“与自然对话——池田大作摄影展”。这次在广州公开展出的作品，是池田大作国际会长反映人与自然的优秀近作112幅。内容主要是日本四季的风光及世界各地景观，包揽山川，园林，庭园与乎都市及郊野的风光写照，作品充分展露出池田先生丰富的诗情心影。正如香港国学大师饶宗颐教授所言：池田先生的摄影作品，与中国山水画每有殊途同归之处。中国画构图，以三远——高远、平远及深远为主。这一些意境在池田先生作品中，可以说是无一不备。又如广东摄影家协会名誉主席梁惠湘先生所言：池田先生的摄影作品构成不蹈常袭故，以写实、新颖、创意见长，构图以为表我意，为我所用处之，颇具鲜明之个性特点。
中日邦交正常化30年来，中日两国都发生了巨大变化，中日两国摄影艺术的交流相当频繁，大大促进了两国人民的相互理解。作为中日友好大使，为中日两国文化交流竭尽全力的池田大作先生的《与自然对话》，以他开拓性的世界胸怀，探寻人与自然的真谛，反映了中日两国摄影界对人与自然有着共同的关心，更有助于进一步加强中日两国摄影界的艺术文化交流和两国人民之间的相互理解。
这次在广州举办的“与自然对话——池田大作摄影展”是纪念中日邦交正常化30周年的一项重要活动，也是在中国巡回展出的第一站，此后还将在澳门、香港、泉州等地展出。