November 19th 2023.
Daisaku Ikeda, the leader of Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist organisation, passed away at the age of 95. His organisation included many famous personalities such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Kenwood Dennard, Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth and the late singer Tina Turner.
Ikeda was born in Tokyo, to a family of seaweed farmers, and witnessed the horrors of war as a teenager. This experience is believed to have made him vow to dedicate his life to peace and the revival of Nichiren Buddhism. He became the third president of Soka Gakkai in 1960 and worked towards making the religion more accessible for the modern age.
Ikeda wanted to emphasise a philosophy of goodness, respect for others and being happy and at peace. To him, happiness was about "being true to yourself", which allowed happiness to grow in an infinite way. He founded Soka Gakkai International in 1975 and spread the religion’s teachings abroad.
The basic Buddhist practice for Soka Gakkai members is chanting portions of the sutra, or teachings of Buddha. They are encouraged to share the message with others so that others can meet challenges and overcome problems.
Ikeda is survived by his wife Kaneko and his sons, Hiromasa and Takahiro. A private funeral has already been held with close family, and the date of a public commemorative service will be announced later.
In India, Bharat Soka Gakkai organised a symposium to shape the futures of women leaders. The symposium was held to promote the values of Soka Gakkai, which Ikeda believed to be the key to happiness. The symposium inspired many to take up the teachings of Soka Gakkai and become more aware of the inevitability of death in everyday life.
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