The Daisaku Ikeda Library

Books

A New Humanism
Pub. Year1996
PublisherWeatherhill, Inc.
ISBN0-8348-0334-8 (hardcover)
0-8348-0367-4 (paperback)

A New Humanism: The University Addresses of Daisaku Ikeda

Addressing students, educators, and intellectuals, Daisaku Ikeda has engaged scholarly communities East and West in exploring humanism from a Buddhist perspective. This volume brings together for the general reader Ikeda’s lectures and papers, delivered between 1974 and 1994, on the many dimensions of this timeless theme.

In those 20 years, the author spoke at more than 20 academic and cultural institutions, among them:

• the Brazilian Academy of Letters
• Harvard University
• the Institut de France
• Moscow State University
• the National Museum of India
• Peking University
• the University of Bologna
• the University of California at Los Angeles

As a Buddhist and ardent advocate of peace, Ikeda offers fresh insights that connect the philosophy and values of the Buddhist tradition with the legacy and future of the humanist tradition largely associated with the West.

In each piece, the author examines cultural and philosophical themes relevant to his particular audience in the light of today’s world and its challenges. From the ages-old inquiries of the humanities to the modern role of culture and religion, Ikeda uses highly accessible language to discuss human nature in all its complexity and the human potential for change and transformation.

The themes in this collection of addresses reflect the larger body of the author’s works on Buddhist humanism and its application in contemporary society.

A New Humanism: The University Addresses of Daisaku Ikeda is also available in Japanese, French, Thai, Spanish, Malay, Chinese (traditional version) and Italian.

CONTENTS

Preface
Editors’ Note

Part I: ART, LITERATURE, AND EDUCATION

  • Creative Life (Institut de France, 1989)
  • The Kemalist Revolution: A Model (Ankara University, 1992)
  • A Matter of the Heart (Peking University, 1990)
  • Beyond the Profit Motive (University of the Philippines, 1994)
  • The Flight of Creativity (University of Bologna, 1994)
  • The Magnificent Cosmos (Moscow State University, 1994)

Part II: DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE

  • A New Road to East-West Cultural Exchange (Moscow State University, 1975)
  • The Mexican Poetic Spirit (University of Guadalajara, 1981)
  • A Harmonious Blend of Cultures (Saint Kliment Ohridsky University of Sofia, 1981)
  • Crossroads of Civilization (University of Bucharest, 1983)
  • A New Global Awareness (University of Macau, 1991)
  • The Making of History (Fudan University, 1984)

Part III: RELIGION AND OUR TIME

  • A Godless Civilization (Peking University, 1980)
  • The Enduring Self (University of California at Los Angeles, 1974)
  • Gandhism and the Modern World (National Museum of India, 1992)
  • An Ethos of Symbiosis (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 1992)
  • Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-first-Century Civilization (Harvard University, 1993)

Part IV: THE IMPERATIVE OF PEACE

  • Radicalism Reconsidered (Claremont McKenna College, 1993)
  • An Infinite Horizon (Shenzhen University, 1994)
  • A Garden of Imagination (Brazilian Academy of Letters, 1993)
  • Globalism and Nationalism (University of Buenos Aires, 1990)
  • The Age of Soft Power (Harvard University, 1991)

REVIEWS

I agree with another reviewer that you certainly don't need to be a university student to gain much from this book - a collection of addresses given by Soka Gakkai International president Daisaku Ikeda at renowned institutions of higher learning throughout the world.

"A New Humanism" has deep insight into our shared humanity and the path to universal respect for life, thereby creating a genuine peace. I found this section of books by Daisaku Ikeda after hearing an interview with Tina Turner, a practitioner of the Buddhist school led by Daisaku Ikeda, author of A New Humanism.

It's obvious from the wisdom expounded in these addresses why so many top universities and institutions around the world have bestowed upon Mr. Ikeda their highest honors. As his writings and addresses demonstrate, he is truly a world-class gentleman and scholar.
—Richard Nelson, posted on Amazon.com

The speeches contained in this volume have been a source of great inspiration and education for me. Dr. Ikedas efforts to reveal the commonalities between Buddhism and modern thought pay off in a big way . The problems faced by modern society require an approach that is flexible in its thinking, yet uncompromising in its insistence on equality. Hooray for humanism !
—Anonymous reader, posted on Amazon.com