Education | Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda

Education is not simply the transmission of knowledge. It is not simply the development of talent. Education is the great enterprise of steadily and surely passing on the fullness of humanity from the past to the future.

There is no genuine education without earnest life-to-life interaction and inspiration. People grow through their interaction with people.

The genuine goal of education must be the life-long happiness of those who learn. Education should never be subordinated to the demands of national ego, or of corporations searching for profit-generating employees. Human beings, human happiness, must always be the goal and objective.

The relationship between teacher and pupil can be a vital link through which new horizons are opened up and life develops. To me, the essence of education is this process whereby one person’s character inspires another.

Education at its best is a process of liberation from prejudice which frees the human heart from its violent passions. Through education people can be delivered from powerlessness, from the burden of mistrust directed against themselves. And those who have learned to trust in themselves are then naturally able to believe in the latent capacities of others.

Universities exist to benefit those who are unable to attend them.

The more knowledge one gains, the more important becomes the question of what that knowledge will be used for. Knowledge without wisdom and philosophy produces nothing more than talented beasts.

Stories of Hope

Raising Children

What is the greatest gift a parent can bequeath to a child? Ikeda believes the ultimate goal of child-rearing lies in nurturing in children the fortitude to prevail over the tests of life and belief in their limitless potential. Read here ...

Stories of Hope

The Teachers of My Childhood

Even as the storms of war darkened his childhood, Ikeda recalls those who helped brighten his life by planting the seeds of hope and courage.

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Stories of Hope by Daisaku Ikeda

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