Daisaku Ikeda on Interfaith

Question Three : Religious Cooperation

Question : Is cooperation between different religions possible in the effort to build peace? And how can we best foster this cooperation?

Daisaku Ikeda : I believe that such cooperation is possible. But we need to make earnest efforts to foster it.

As a Buddhist, I have engaged in dialogue with leaders and experts with different religious backgrounds from throughout the world for over four decades. My goal has been to foster heart-to-heart connections among people in order to build a peaceful world.

I can conclude from my experience that, despite our differences in faiths, doctrinal interpretations or religious ideologies, we all share a common humanity – the desire for peace, concern over global problems and earnest hope for the future of humankind.

In the discussions we shared, former Indonesian president and leader of the largest Islamic group in Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid (1940-2009) , expressed his hope that young people would not be driven purely by self-interest but be able to act for the benefit of society at large and for a world of peaceful coexistence. People of conscience, regardless of their religious tradition, embrace the same sentiments.

In terms of how best to foster cooperation between different religions, I think that a problem-solving approach is most effective. Different religions can engage in dialogue, discussing specific themes related to such global problems as conflict, environmental destruction, poverty and disaster response. They can clarify what actions need to be taken and what kind of wisdom and spirituality their tradition has to offer the world. They can exchange ideas and explore specific ways to work together.

Throughout history, there have been wars and violence caused by religious conflict. As humankind confronts common challenges – global threats of increasing urgency that afflict people regardless of religious differences – the role and potential contributions of religions are being reevaluated in a more positive light: it is now acknowledged that religion and spirituality can be powerful, benign socio-cultural forces for motivation, inclusiveness, participation and sustainability.

The contribution of religion is drawing more attention today within the international community. As one example of this, a session entitled “Strengthening Humanitarian Protection Efforts: the Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Complex and Insecure Operating Environments” was held at the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs held in Geneva in June 2011, just a few months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and SGI representatives were invited to take part.

We have entered an era where different religious traditions need to work together, with the United Nations serving as a platform for cooperation. They can strive to awaken the goodness in people that seeks construction and solidarity rather than destruction and division, and strive with one another to make their own unique contribution to the solution of global problems. The humanitarian spirit of the world’s religions would be enriched through such efforts, further deepening the cooperation among them.

I am here reminded of these words by Former Czech president Václav Havel: “The only meaningful objective for Europe in the next century is to be its ‘best self,’ that is, to revitalise its best intellectual traditions and thereby contribute creatively to a new form of global community of living.” 

If “Europe” here is replaced with “each religious tradition,” the role of religion in the world in the 21st century can be more clearly understood.

There are many admirable institutions and initiatives promoting interfaith cooperation and dialogue. The three research institutions I founded, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, have also made efforts to promote dialogue among faiths and civilizations.

The larger purpose for such efforts lies in encouraging each faith and civilization to explore, through dialogue, its own “best self,” as well as ways to transcend differences and work together to solve global problems.

Currently, discussions are under way in forums associated with the United Nations on how to formulate a global development agenda beyond 2015 as the successor of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are aimed at alleviating the suffering caused by poverty and hunger.

Viewing this as an unprecedented endeavour for humanity, I urge that full-fledged dialogue and cooperation among religions be initiated through efforts to achieve the new globally-agreed set of common goals that will emerge from this process.