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Dr Radhakrishnan’s lecture -- ‘The Satyagraha of Gandhi and Human Revolution of Ikeda: Some Reflections’ -- focused on the common features between Gandhi’s satyagraha movement for India’s independence and Toda’s appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons. He observed that
satyagraha, meaning “pursuit of truth”, resonates with Toda's philosophy of human revolution – an inner transformation that is reflected in one’s environment.
The Soka Gakkai International President, Dr Daisaku Ikeda, who actualises the philosophy of human revolution inherited from his mentor Toda, is similar to Gandhi because their activism continues to set an example for humanity.
He said that a day earlier, on April 2, he was at the entrance ceremony of the Soka University. He has been associated with Dr Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai for the last 23 years, but during this visit, he said, he was “witness to something very remarkable”.
The Gandhian scholar was struck by the beauty of cherry blossoms radiating joy all over the campus. “This joy has a multiplier effect,” he said. “It is not necessary that such a radiating wave of beauty and happiness come from the beauty outside. In fact, the springboard of happiness is always the interior landscape of each of us. .. As I sat through the entrance ceremony at the Soka University, I was overtaken by an emotion which was difficult to explain. It was a unique experience for my entire family. I almost wept from beginning to end.”
Mentor’s rapport with youth
Dr Radhakrishnan declared that though humanity has taken great technological strides in communication, communicating with the younger generation is the major problem of the 21st century. This is why, he said, he was spellbound, as was “almost everybody around me”, by the remarkable manner in which Dr Ikeda communicated with each person in the packed hall.
He said: “He radiated a rare brilliance. It appeared as if he was addressing each one of us. He looked at us straight in our faces, communicating with us directly. At no stage did he appear to be pontificating or advising. The manner in which he took the [5,000 or more] youth, students particularly, into confidence and built a kind of rapport with them … revealed what a great communicator and leader he is. In conversational style, he was building on relationships, which are the priority of life, and emphasising that conversations are a crucial element in caring relationships.
“Like a thief, I take back a lot of nourishment from here every time I come. This spiritual nourishment and the intellectual satisfaction I derive from here are tremendous. As a human dynamo I get myself recharged. This time I came with my family. My second son, who is with me, is an officer in the Indian Air Force. He is trying to be a non-violent officer, to demonstrate to colleagues and trainees how one person can make a difference in life. This is human revolution at the micro level and satyagraha at the individual level.
“Satyagraha, Gandhi’s gift to humanity, is based on the assertion that you don’t need a group or many people to effect changes in society or in life. This is also the basis of human revolution propagated by Dr Ikeda, as I have understood it from the manner in which he has been practising it over the years.”
Individual as agent of change
Dr Radhakrishnan said we must recognise the worth of every individual: “Each one of us can make a difference. What we require is courage, conviction, determination and faith. These are the four pillars of change. At the individual level, faith begins with cultivating faith in oneself, in our own capabilities and in the confidence that we can surmount any obstacles. This should be followed by faith in a philosophy, then faith in a mentor, and determination to follow the mentor. Faith in a mentor is one of the cornerstones of human revolution.”
The concept and practise of satyagraha as visualised and developed by Gandhi is better understood when examined in the context of the concept and practise of human revolution. Gandhi coined the term “satyagraha” by combining two words: sat which means truth and agraha which means “holding on”.
“Thus, satyagraha means holding on to truth, to hold on to truth like a baby clings to his mother. A baby holds on to its mother in such a way that it is not easy to separate the baby from the mother. Gandhi meant it as ‘love force’ or ‘soul force’ or ‘truth force’. And a satyagrahi is one who commits oneself to the highest ideals of life. There is a remarkable similarity in Gandhi’s satyagraha and Dr Ikeda’s human revolution. Both call for action, and emphasise individual transformation, empowerment and non-violent social change.”
Einstein, Gandhi and Ikeda
Dr Radhakrishnan said that 50 years ago, when even the United Nations had not yet called for abolishing nuclear arms, President Toda was among the first modern leaders to identify nuclear weapons as an evil.
He went on: “This year also marks the 50th anniversary of President Toda’s historic declaration that unless humanity abolishes demonic weapons of mass destruction, humanity’s future is at stake. This is historic. His declaration reveals the visionary nature of Toda’s perceptions and commitment to world peace.
“I am reminded of what Albert Einstein said about Gandhi in 1939: ‘Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked on this earth.’ Gandhi’s life was such that it was difficult for anybody who did not know Gandhi, or come into day-to-day contact with him, to believe all what was written or said about Gandhi. I would use the same words to describe Dr Ikeda’s amazing personality, leadership and work. It will be very difficult for humanity to believe that over 76 years of the Soka
Gakkai, this movement would influence human history in such a big way. I salute Dr Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai leadership. I salute everybody who is privileged to be part of this movement which is moving the world as a creative force. You are value creators, peace promoters and trendsetters.
“Leaders who identify with the aspirations, frustrations, hopes, perceptions and dreams of people everywhere, irrespective of caste, community and nationality, colour of the skin or upbringing, are bound to influence peoples. They break the narrow local and national frames and grow as universal preceptors or leaders. They become lighthouses, shedding light across the seas. They become a Mahatma (great soul) or a Sensei (great teacher and seer). Gandhi and Dr Ikeda are examples.
“If the Soka Gakkai now has membership in more than 190 countries, if millions and millions of people chant daimoku every day with great commitment and passion, are these not eloquent testimonials to the impact of chanting
Nam-myoho-rengo-kyo on the collective psyche, and of the success of the unique leadership of Dr Ikeda? Human revolution and kosen-rufu are definite keys to a new, braver, better, happier 21st century. It will be a century of happiness, a Soka Century.”
Daisaku Ikeda is a ‘Gandhi in action’
Dr Radhakrishnan said he was only four years old when Gandhi was killed, so he never got to meet Gandhi, but “since I met Dr Ikeda in 1984 I thought he is a living Gandhi, the Gandhi ‘in action’, striving to complete the unfinished agenda of Gandhi for world peace, social order, individual transformation and human revolution.”
In conclusion, Dr Radhakrishnan said that the books he has written on Dr Ikeda are expressions of his profound conviction that “for a warless world, he is our leader. Dr Ikeda is the future of humanity.”
IOP senior research fellow Yoshie Kurihara also spoke on ‘The Struggles of Women — India and Japan’. He said, “Women took the central role in Gandhi’s satyagraha movement, and have been at the forefront of the SGI movement. Underlying the two movements is an unflinching belief in the equality of men and women, and indeed of all people. Both movements place tremendous expectations upon women in fulfilling their roles as peace builders.”
Mr Kurihara quoted Dr Ikeda who says: “If women who yearn for peace unite and work together, world peace can be achieved. Women are endowed with a wonderful power to lead all humanity in the right direction.”
In her speech on ‘Commonalities Linking Mahatma Gandhi and Josei Toda’, IOP Research Fellow Mikio Matsuoka said that although Gandhi and Toda never met, they were both staunch, non-violent activists brimming with religious passion, and in complete accord in their belief that the vehicle of social reform is each and every ordinary individual who undergoes gradual ethical improvement, or “human revolution”, a term conceived by Toda.
Ms Mitsuoka said, “Under the looming clouds of atomic bombs, Gandhi implemented an experiment of non-violence on a national scale, while Toda challenged to build a nation free of war through the propagation of Nichiren Buddhism.”
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