Peace & Disarmament | Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda

One person inspiring another, transcending all differences—this is the basis of changing society at the most fundamental level.

Our world continues to be threatened by more than 20,000 nuclear warheads–the capacity to kill or grievously injure all people living on Earth, and to destroy the global ecosystem many times over. We are impelled to ask what it is, exactly, that is being protected by this unimaginable destructive capacity.

Sincerity is the key to transforming distrust into trust, hostility into understanding, and hatred into compassion. Friendship and trust are indispensible to true peace, and they cannot be cultivated strategically.

Nuclear weapons, which jeopardize the very existence of humanity, epitomize the tragic truth that our development as human beings has not kept pace with our scientific advances.

All human endeavors must have as their point of origin a concern for people’s welfare and a desire to contribute to human happiness. Otherwise, the human race will ultimately just continue to stumble aimlessly, from darkness into darkness.

Peace is not simply the absence of war; it is a state in which people come together in mutual trust and live with joy, energy, and hope. This is the polar opposite of war—where people live plagued by hatred and the fear of death.

For both victor and vanquished, war leaves only a sense of endless futility.

Stories of Hope

Refusing to Hate

Jose Abueva

Jose Abueva’s family was brutally murdered by Japanese soldiers. Yet the Filipino educator’s story is not one of hatred, but of forgiveness and hope for a harmonious future.

Stories of Hope

A Piece of Mirror: Wartime Memories

Ikeda’s personal account of the suffering and sorrows of war experienced by his family that fueled his lifelong opposition to war and commitment to dialogue as a path to peace. Read here ...

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Stories of Hope by Daisaku Ikeda

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