The Light of Learning - Essays on Education
This new collection of texts on education-many of which were previously published in a volume entitled Soka Education-is the result of a selection of works written by Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist philosopher and founder of the Soka school system, over the course of some five decades.
The texts, which range from educational proposals and university lectures to personal essays, not only delve into the meaning of soka education (education for value creation), but also offer a hope-filled view of the power of education to bring happiness to people and bring about world peace.
As complex as global issues may seem, we must not forget that we are the ones who created them. So it is impossible for their solution to be beyond our capabilities as human beings. We must start again from our humanity, reforming and bringing out the capabilities inherent in our lives-this kind of individual human revolution can lead to effective reform on a global scale.
The light of learning, p. 26
I worked hard to give concrete form to the vision of my Soka University teachers. I wrote tirelessly, contributing financially from royalty income.
The light of learning p. 178
To express the value of diversity, the analogy of flowering fruit trees is used in Buddhism: the cherry tree, the plum tree, the peach tree, and the wild plum tree, each of which blooms and produces its fruit in a unique way. In other words, each living being has a character, individuality and purpose in this world that distinguishes it from others. Consequently, people should develop their unique capacities as they strive to build a cooperative world in which everyone recognizes both their differences and their fundamental equality, a world in which they treasure the rich diversity of cultures and peoples, each of whom enjoys respect and lives in harmony with others.
The light of learning, Esperia, p. 209