Redigerer Sōka Gakkai (avsnitt)

===Humanitært arbeide===

The Soka Gakkai also conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster stricken regions. As an organization it is not only dedicated to personal spiritual development but also to engaged community service. After the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Soka Gakkai facilities became shelters for the displaced and storage centers for food and supplies for the victims. The relief effort also included community support by youth groups, global fundraising for the victims, and spiritual support.[262] SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to a relief center after the country's 2014 earthquake.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yes, Religion Can still be a force for good in the world: Here are 100 examples how|website=Huffington Post|accessdate=27. februar 2015}}</ref>

American Civil Rights pioneer [[Rosa Parks]] chose as her favorite photograph an image from her first meeting with Ikeda in 1993. She explained:
<blockquote>I can’t think of a more important moment in my life... [Ikeda] said this meeting, between the two of us, was very special for him. It was for me, too. In his concern for human rights, Dr. Ikeda is ahead of many people in this century.  He is a calm spirit, a humble man, a man of great spiritual enlightenment. We met for about an hour and talked about my life and challenges concerning the youth in our countries... Our meeting can serve as a model for anyone. So the photograph of our first meeting is very important because it is history in the making.<ref>Kismaric, Carole and Heiferman, Marvin. ''Talking Pictures: People Speak about the Photographs that Speak to Them.'' San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994. ISBN 978-0-8118-0382-3. Pp.&nbsp;198–199</ref></blockquote>

Ikeda is considered by many scholars to be “the natural successor to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as a global spiritual leader."<ref name = theguardian2>{{cite web | url = http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/08/who-should-win-the-nobel-peace-prize-guardian-readers-nominate | publisher = The Guardian | title = Who Should Win the Nobel Peace Prize?| accessdate = 22. januar 2016}}</ref><ref name = dna>{{cite web | url = http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-daisaku-ikeda-and-a-global-buddhist-movement-2092074 | publisher = DNA India | title = Daisaku Ikeda and a global Buddhist movement| accessdate = 22. januar 2016}}</ref> The Chairman of India’s Council of Gandhian Studies, Professor N. Radhakrishnan, has hailed Ikeda as “one of the most profound thinkers of our time.”<ref name = mkgandhi>{{cite web | url = http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/nrk.htm | publisher = MK Gandhi Foundation| title = Towards a Peaceful World: Lessons from Gandhi | accessdate = 29. januar 2016}}</ref>

In 1996, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' writer Teresa Watanabe described Ikeda as a "puzzle of conflicting perceptions," with her interview subjects expressing vastly differing opinions of him.  Watanabe reported that "Japanese tabloid coverage has affected his public image and blurred the lines between suspicion and fact, imagination and reality..." concluding that "Nevertheless, there is no question that Ikeda spreads goodwill – and transforms stereotypes."<ref name=crusadercorrupter>{{cite news|last=Watanabe|first=Teresa|title=Japan's Crusader or Corrupter?|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-15/news/mn-47383_1_soka-gakkai|accessdate=3. desember 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=15. mars 1996}}</ref>

In 2003, Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at [[Morehouse College]], praised Ikeda as a Japanese social reformer, stating: ''Controversy'' is an inevitable partner of greatness. No one who challenges the established order is free of it. Gandhi had his detractors, as did Dr. King, and Dr. Ikeda is no exception. Controversy camouflages the intense resistance of entrenched authority to conceding their special status and privilege. ''Insults'' are the weapons of the morally weak; ''slander'' is the tool of the spiritually bereft. Controversy is testament to the noble work of these three individuals (Gandhi, King and Ikeda) in their respective societies."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rautenstraus|first1=Kent|title=Dean Lawrence Carter Communes with Mystics: from Gandhi to King to Ikeda to Holmes|journal=Science of Mind|issue=June 2013|page=20|url=http://www.kentrautenstraus.com/articles/Meet_Dean_Lawrence_Carter.pdf|accessdate=30. juli 2014}}</ref><ref name=gamble>{{cite book|last=Gamble|first=Adam|title=A Public Betrayed: An Inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West|year=1994|publisher=Regnery Publishing|location=NY, NY|isbn=978-0895260468}}</ref>

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==Accomplishments==

===Peace, Culture and Education===
[[Fil:Daisaku Ikeda meeting with international students at Soka University on 16 March 1990.jpg|thumb|250px|Ikeda greets international students at [[Soka University]], March 1990]]
Ikeda has founded many global institutions for the development of peace, culture and education, including [[Sōka University (Japan)|Soka University]] in Tokyo, Japan, and [[Soka University of America]] in Aliso Viejo, California; Soka kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brazil and Singapore; the Victor Hugo House of Literature, in France; the International Committee of Artists for Peace in the United States; the Min-On Concert Association in Japan; the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in Japan; the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Japan with offices in France, Hong Hong, India, Russia and the United Kingdom; the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research in Japan and the United States; and the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in the United States.<ref>Goulah, Jason. 2010. "Daisaku Ikeda's Environmental Ethics of Humanitarian Competition: A Review of His United Nations Peace and Education Proposals." [http://peaceconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Volume-3-Issue-1.pdf Peace Studies Journal 3:1] (April 2010). Central New York Peace Studies Consortium. p3. {{ISSN|2151-0806}}</ref>

Since 1990, Ikeda has partnered with Rabbi Abraham Cooper and the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]], a Jewish human rights organization, to combat anti-Semitism in Japan. In a 2001 interview, Rabbi Cooper stated he was "getting nowhere after reaching out to the Japanese media about anti-Semitism in Japan. The only partners we found to help us bring our concerns to the Japanese public were people from Soka University under the leadership of Daisaku Ikeda. If you ask me who our best friend in Japan is, who 'gets it,' it is Ikeda. He was actually our first visitor to the [[Museum of Tolerance]]." Their friendship led to the joint development of a Japanese-language Holocaust exhibition ''The Courage to Remember,'' which was seen by more than two million people in Japan between 1994 and 2007. In 2015, a new version of the exhibit opened in Tokyo focusing on the bravery of [[Anne Frank]] and [[Chiune Sugihara]].<ref name=seager/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.lzb.lt/en/major-holocaust-exhibit-in-japan-on-righteous-gentile-chiune-sugihara/  | title = Major Holocaust Exhibit in Japan on Righteous Gentile Chiune Sugihara | publisher = Jewish Community of Lithuania | accessdate = 21. oktober 2015}}</ref>

Ikeda was an original proponent of the [[Earth Charter]] Initiative, co-founded by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], and Ikeda has included details of the Charter in many of his annual peace proposals since 1997. The [[Soka Gakkai International|SGI]] has supported the Earth Charter with production of global exhibitions including ''Seeds of Change'' in 2002 that traveled to 27 nations and ''Seeds of Hope'' in 2010, correlating with the Earth Charter-related documentary film, ''A Quiet Revolution,'' which the SGI has donated to schools and educational programs around the world.<ref>Rockefeller, Steven C. [http://www.ikedacenter.org/thinkers-themes/themes/ethics/rockefeller-earth-charter-int "Ethics & the Earth Charter"] Interview. Accessed 29 August 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/images/uploads/ESD%20EC%202014.pdf  | title = The Heart of the Matter: Infusing Sustainability Values in Education | publisher = Earth Charter Center | accessdate = 21. oktober 2015}}</ref>

===Citizen diplomacy===
Ikeda's work has been described by academics as [[citizen diplomacy]] for his contributions to diplomatic as well as intercultural ties between Japan and other countries, and more broadly among all peoples of the world.<ref>Métraux, Daniel A. 1994. The Soka Gakkai Revolution. Lanham/New York/London: University Press of America. p126. ISBN 0819197335</ref><ref>Indangasi, Henry. Preface. In Indangasi, Henry and Odari, Masumi, eds. 2001. Daisaku Ikeda and Africa: Reflections by Kenyan Writers. Nairobi, Kenya: University of Nairobi Press. pxiii. ISBN 9966-846-49-2.</ref><ref>Seager 2006, p119.</ref> Ikeda's dialogues with scholars, politicians, and cultural figures have increased awareness and support of humanitarian and peace activities, have facilitated deeper international relationships, and generated support for SGI-sponsored work on global issues including the environment and nuclear disarmament.<ref>Seager, Richard Hughes. 2006. Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London: University of California Press. p120. ISBN 0520245776</ref><ref>Dobbelaere, Karel. “Toward a Pillar Organization?” In Machacek, David and Wilson, Bryan. 2000. Global Citizens: The Soka Gakkai Buddhist Movement in the World. p252. ISBN 0199240396</ref>[[Fil:Countries Visited by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda.jpg|thumb|left|Countries visited by SGI President Ikeda (in blue) outside of Japan (in red)]]

Academic researchers have suggested the body of literature chronicling Ikeda’s diplomatic efforts and his more than 7,000 international dialogues<ref>Goulah, Jason. “Dialogic Practice in Education.” In Urbain, Olivier. 2013. Daisaku Ikeda and Dialogue for Peace. London/New York: I.B. Tauris. p83. ISBN 9781780765723</ref> provides readers with a personal education and model of citizen diplomacy and, from a scholarly view, represents “a new current in interculturalism and educational philosophy.”<ref>Metraux 1994, p171.</ref><ref>Seager 2006, p121.</ref><ref>Goulah, Jason. 2012. "Daisaku Ikeda and Value-Creative Dialogue: A new current in interculturalism and educational philosophy." Educational Philosophy and Theory 44:9 (November 2013). Publisher: Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia. p997-1009. {{doi| 10.1111/j.1469-5812.2011.00827.x.}} Accessed 15 June 2014.</ref>

In 1970, Ikeda  met several times with Austrian-Japanese politician and philosopher [[Richard Nikolaus von Coudenhove-Kalergi]], an early pioneer of the [[European Union]]. Their discussions included East-West relations and the future of peace work.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Teranashi|first1=Hirotomo|editor1-last=Urbain|editor1-first=Olivier|title=Daisaku Ikeda and Dialogue for Peace|date=2013|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-0857734136}}</ref> Between 1971 and 1974, Ikeda conducted multiple dialogues with [[Arnold J. Toynbee]] in London and Tokyo. The major topics of their meetings were published as the book ''Choose Life''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Toynbee|first1=Arnold|last2=Ikeda|first2=Daisaku|last3=Gage|first3=Richard L. (Ed.)|title=Choose life : a dialogue|date=2007|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=London|isbn=9781845115951}}</ref> In 1974, Ikeda conducted a dialogue with French novelist and Minister of Cultural Affairs [[Andre Malraux]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ningen kakumei to ningen no joken (Changes Within: Human Revolution vs. Human Condition)|isbn= |author=Andre Malraux and Daisaku Ikeda |publisher=Ushio Shuppansha Tokyo |year=2010}}</ref>

In September 1974, Ikeda visited the [[Soviet Union]] and met with Premier [[Aleksei Kosygin]]. During their dialogue, Kosygin agreed with Ikeda, saying "We must abandon the very idea of war. It is meaningless. If we stop preparing for war and prepare instead for peace, we can produce food instead of armaments." He then asked Ikeda, "What is your basic ideology?" Ikeda replied, "I believe in peace, culture and education – the underlying basis of which is [[humanism]]." Kosygin said, "I have a high regard for those values. We need to realize them here in the Soviet Union as well."<ref>http://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/peacebuild/friends/aleksey-n-kosygin.html Aleksey N. Kosygin—Advocate of Peace in the Midst of the Cold War</ref><ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=umep6P6dYLAC&dq=Lebron+common&source=gbs_navlinks_s Searching for Spiritual Unity...Can There Be Common Ground? By Robyn E. Lebron</ref>{{rp|415}}<ref>http://www.sgiquarterly.org/borders2009Apr-1.html Russia—Cultivating the Common Ground of Peace</ref>[[Fil:Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, Harvard Street, Boston USA.jpg|thumb|The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue located in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], USA]]

In January 1975, Ikeda met with [[Henry Kissinger]], the [[United States Secretary of State]], to "urge the de-escalation of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union."<ref name="tricycle_nukes"/> The same month Ikeda met with Secretary-General of the United Nations [[Kurt Waldheim]]. Ikeda presented Waldheim with a petition containing the signatures of 10,000,000 people calling for total nuclear abolition. The petition was organized by youth groups of the Soka Gakkai International and was inspired by Ikeda’s longtime anti-nuclear efforts.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nanda|first1=Ved P.|editor1-last=Krieger|editor1-first=David|title=The Challenge of Abolishing Nuclear Weapons|date=2009|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, N.J.|isbn=978-1412815178}}</ref>

Ikeda's meetings with [[Nelson Mandela]] in the 1990s led to a series of SGI-sponsored [[anti-apartheid]] lectures, a traveling exhibit, and multiple student exchange programs at the university level.<ref name="Seager 2006, p120">Seager 2006, p120.</ref>

===Sino-Japanese relations===
Ikeda made several visits to China and met with Chinese Premier [[Zhou Enlai]] in 1974. The visits led to the establishment of cultural exchanges of art, dance and music between China and Japan and opened academic exchanges between Chinese educational institutions and [[Soka University]].<ref name="Seager 2006, p120"/> Chinese media describe Ikeda as an early proponent of normalizing diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the 1970s, citing his 1968 proposal that drew condemnation by some and the interest of others including Zhou Enlai.<ref>Chong Zi and Qin Jize, [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-05/09/content_6671868.htm "Praise for man that called for friendship"]. China Daily. 9 May 2008. p3.</ref><ref>"Ikeda was strongly criticized and even received death threats from right-wingers. Ikeda saw peace with China as fundamental to the stability of Asia, and considered the reintegration of China into the international community as vital to world peace. His call and behind-the-scenes efforts helped establish the groundwork for a series of political-level exchanges between China and Japan, culminating in the restoration of diplomatic relations in 1972." Excerpted from Cai Hong, [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012btforum/2012-07/04/content_15546761.htm "Books to connect cultures."] China Daily. 4 July 2012.</ref> It was said that Zhou Enlai entrusted Ikeda with ensuring that "Sino-Japanese friendship would continue for generations to come."<ref>南开大学周恩来研究中心 (Zhou Enlai Research Center, Nankai University). 2001. 周恩来与池田大作 (Zhou Enlai and Daisaku Ikeda). 主编王永祥 (Edited by Wang Yongxian). Beijing, China: 中央文献出版社 (Central Literature Publishing House). p2. ISBN 7-5073-0973-8.</ref>

Since 1975, cultural exchanges have continued between the Min-On Concert Association, founded by Ikeda, and institutions including the [[CPAFFC|Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries]].<ref>Gan Xianyi. 2013. [http://en.cpaffc.org.cn/content/details21-22929.html "Min-On Folk Arts Group’s Performance Tour of China."] 7 November. CPAFFC. Accessed 14 June 2014.</ref><ref>Gao Hui. 2012. "Shaanxi Song and Dance Troupe's Performance Tour in Japan." [http://en.cpaffc.org.cn/Upload/File/201212/0bebc1ca081b42009f77dd31a01c71dc.pdf Voice of Friendship, no. 70]. December 2012. p22. {{ISSN|1000-9582}}. Accessed 14 June 2014.</ref> After Ikeda’s 1984 visit to China and meetings with public figures including Chinese Communist Party Leader [[Hu Yaobang]] and [[Deng Yingchao]], academic observers estimated that Ikeda's 1968 proposal moved Japanese public sentiment to support closer diplomatic ties with China and his cultivation of educational and cultural ties helped strengthen state relations.<ref>Métraux, Daniel A. 1984. "Soka Gakkai Diplomacy", parts I and II. 11 and 12 July 1984. Asahi Evening News.</ref>

===International honors===
In 1999, the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at [[Morehouse College]] in Atlanta honored Ikeda with the creation of the Gandhi King Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation. In 2001, a traveling exhibition was created titled ''Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace'' that showcases the peace activism of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Martin Luther King Jr]], and Daisaku Ikeda. Also in 2001, Lawrence Carter, an ordained Baptist minister and a dean at [[Morehouse College]] in Atlanta, initiated the annual ''Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize'' as a way of extolling individuals whose actions for peace transcend cultural, national and philosophical boundaries. The 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda award was bestowed upon Islamic scholar [[Fethullah Gülen]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rautenstraus|first1=Kent|title=Dean Lawrence Carter Communes with Mystics: from Gandhi to King to Ikeda to Holmes|journal=Science of Mind|issue=June 2013|page=20|url=http://www.kentrautenstraus.com/articles/Meet_Dean_Lawrence_Carter.pdf|accessdate=30. juli 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel: Dean of the Chapel|url=http://www.morehouse.edu/mlkchapel/about-us/dean-of-the-chapel/|website=Morehouse College|accessdate=30. juli 2014}}</ref>[[Fil:Reflecting pool and visitor center at the Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Park in Londrina Brazil.jpg|thumb|[[Reflecting pool]] at the Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park visitor center in Londrina, Brazil]]

In 2000, the city of [[Londrina]], [[Brazil]] honored Ikeda by naming a 300-acre [[nature reserve]] in his name. The Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Ecological Park is open to the public and its land, waterways, fauna and wildlife are protected by Brazil’s [[Conservation in Brazil|Federal Conservation Law]].<ref name = londrina>{{cite web | url = http://www.londrina.pr.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=243&Itemid=193 | title = Parque Ecológico Dr. Daisaku Ikeda  | publisher = Prefeitura de Londrina | accessdate = 3. februar 2016}}</ref>

In 2014, the City of Chicago named a section of Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago "Daisaku Ikeda Way," with the Chicago City Council measure passing unanimously, 49 to 0.<ref name = chicago>{{cite web | url = https://chicago.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2070235&GUID=4C8A72D3-AC5B-427A-B294-D84C05245CE8&Options=&Search= | title = Office of the City Clerk: Legislative Information Center  | publisher = Chicago Legistar | accessdate = 10. august 2015}}</ref>

The [[United States House of Representatives]] and individual states including Georgia, Missouri,and Illinois have passed resolutions honoring the service and dedication of Daisaku Ikeda as one "who has dedicated his entire life to building peace and promoting human rights through education and cultural exchange with deep conviction in the shared humanity of our entire global family." The state of Missouri praised Ikeda and his value of "education and culture as the prerequisites for the creation of true peace in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all people are respected."<ref name="Congress">[http://beta.congress.gov/110/bills/hres844/110hres844ih.pdf CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 844, Recognizing the service and dedication of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda and celebrating his 80th birthday, 110TH, the House of Representatives, State of Illinois, December 5, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2009-01-15/pdf/CREC-2009-01-15-pt1-PgE103.pdf E103 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, the House of Representatives, State of Georgia; January 15, 2009]</ref><ref name="house.mo.gov">[http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills041/hlrbillspdf/0620C.01.pdf House Resolution No. 0620C.01, the state of Missouri grant an exceptional honor, the House of Representatives, State of Missouri, 2004]</ref><ref>[http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=51&GA=95&DocTypeId=HR&DocNum=0791&GAID=9&LegID=34391&SpecSess=&Session= Bill Status of HR0791, Illinois General Assembly, State of Illinois, October 24, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=76&GA=96&DocTypeId=HR&DocNum=0797&GAID=10&LegID=&SpecSess=&Session= Bill Status of HR0797, Illinois General Assembly, State of Illinois, December 23, 2009]</ref>

The [[Club of Rome]] has named Ikeda an honorary member,<ref>[http://www.clubofrome.org/eng/people/honorary_members2.asp List of Honorary Members], Club of Rome.</ref> and Ikeda has received more than 760 honorary citizenships from cities and municipalities around the world.<ref name="Olivier Urbain 2010"/>
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==Books==
Ikeda is a prolific writer, peace activist and interpreter of Nichiren Buddhism.<ref>Chilson, Clark. 2014. [http://www.globalbuddhism.org/15/chilson14.pdf "Cultivating Charisma: Ikeda Daisaku’s Self Presentations and Transformational Leadership."] {{Wayback|url=http://www.globalbuddhism.org/15/chilson14.pdf |date=20141230043200 }} [http://www.globalbuddhism.org Journal of Global Buddhism] vol 15 (2014):65–78. p67. {{ISSN|1527-6457}} (online)</ref>  His interests in photography, art, philosophy, poetry and music are reflected in his published works. In his essay collections and dialogues with political, cultural, and educational figures he discusses, among other topics: the transformative value of religion, the universal sanctity of life,<ref>"[http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/essays/peace-essays/p-stopkill.html Stop the Killing]", The World is Yours to Change, [by Daisaku Ikeda, Asahi Press, Tokyo, 2002]. Accessed 29. april 2013.</ref> social responsibility, and sustainable progress and development.

The 1976 publication of ''Choose Life: A Dialogue'' (in Japanese, ''Nijusseiki e no taiga'') is the published record of dialogues and correspondences that began in 1971 between Ikeda and British historian [[Arnold J. Toynbee]] about the "convergence of East and West"<ref>McNeill, William H.  1989. Arnold J. Toynbee: A Life. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. p273. ISBN 0195058631</ref> on contemporary as well as perennial topics ranging from the human condition to the role of religion and the future of human civilization. Toynbee’s 12-volume ''[[A Study of History]]'' had been translated into Japanese, which along with his lecture tours and periodical articles about social, moral and religious issues gained him popularity in Japan. To an [[expatriate|expat's]] letter critical of Toynbee's association with Ikeda and Soka Gakkai, Toynbee wrote back: “I agree with Soka Gakkai on religion as the most important thing in human life, and on opposition to militarism and war."<ref>Qtd. in McNeill 1989, pp272-273.</ref> To another letter critical of Ikeda, Toynbee responded: “Mr. Ikeda’s personality is strong and dynamic and such characters are often controversial. My own feeling for Mr. Ikeda is one of great respect and sympathy.”<ref>Qtd. in McNeill 1989, p273.</ref> As of 2012, the book had been translated and published in twenty-six languages.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Goulah Jason, Ito Takao | year = 2012 | title = Daisaku Ikeda's Curriculum of Soka Education: Creating Value Through Dialogue, Global Citizenship, and 'Human Education' in the Mentor-Disciple Relationship | url = | journal = Curriculum Inquiry | volume = 42 | issue = 1| page = 65 | doi = 10.1111/j.1467-873X.2011.00572.x }}</ref>

Ikeda’s children’s stories are “widely read and acclaimed,” according to ''[[The Hindu]]'', which reported that an [[anime]] series of 14 of the stories was to be shown on the National Geographic Channel.<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/27/stories/2007012712570200.htm Educating kids through animated films], ''The Hindu''</ref><ref>{{Kilde www |url=http://www.malaysiaexhibition.com/community/videos/32-Chinese+Part+1+Dr+Daisaku+Ikedas+animation+stories+Malaysia+ntv7.html?userid=75 |tittel=Chinese Part 1 – Dr. Daisaku Ikeda's animation stories – Malaysia ntv7 |besøksdato=2016-07-28 |arkiv-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117152650/http://www.malaysiaexhibition.com/community/videos/32-Chinese+Part+1+Dr+Daisaku+Ikedas+animation+stories+Malaysia+ntv7.html?userid=75 |arkivdato=2012-01-17 |url-status=død }}</ref> In the Philippines, DVD sets of 17 of the animated stories were donated by Anak TV to a large school, as part of a nationwide literacy effort.<ref>{{cite news |last= Riain|first= Alfonso|date= 24. september 2015|title= Values education through animé|url= http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/lifestyle/2015/09/24/values-education-through-anime-432206 |newspaper= SunStar|location= Philippines|access-date= 25 September 2015}}</ref>

In 2003, Japan's largest English-language newspaper, [[The Japan Times]], began carrying periodic essays by Ikeda on global issues including [[peacebuilding]], [[nuclear disarmament]], and [[compassion]]. As of 2015, The Japan Times had published 26 essays by Ikeda, 15 of which were also published in a bilingual Japanese-English book titled "Embracing the Future."<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-daisaku_ikeda/   | title= Author Daisaku Ikeda | publisher = The Japan Times | accessdate = 29. oktober 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web    | url= http://www.cmslib.uum.edu.my/find/Record/0000807413    | title= Embracing the Future    | publisher= The Japan Times    | accessdate= 29. oktober 2015    }}{{Død lenke|dato=april 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>

===''The Human Revolution''===
Ikeda's most well-known publication is the novel ''[[The Human Revolution]]'' (''Ningen Kakumei''), which was serialized in the Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper, the ''[[Seikyo Shimbun]]''. The book's original English-edition foreword was written by British philosopher and historian [[Arnold J. Toynbee]]. ''The Human Revolution'' has been translated into English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Dutch and has sold over seven millions copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McLaughlin. PhD dissertation, Princeton University.|first1=Levi|title=Soka Gakkai in Japan|date=2009|publisher=Dissertation|location=Princeton University|page=150}}</ref> In the preface to ''The Human Revolution'', the author describes the book as a "novelized biography of my mentor, Josei Toda."<ref name=humanrevolution>{{cite book|last=Ikeda|first=Daisaku|title=The Human Revolution|year=2004|publisher=World Tribune Press|location=Santa Monica, California|isbn=0-915678-77-2}}</ref>{{rp|vii}} The author's official website, [http://www.daisakuikeda.org daisakuikeda.org], describes the book as an "historical novel [that] portrays the development of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, from its rebirth in the post-World War II era to the last years of its second president, Josei Toda."<ref>Daisaku Ikeda Website Committee, [http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/books/books-by-category/diaries-novels/human_revolution.html "The Human Revolution Vol. 1–6"]</ref> In the preface to the 2004 edition, the author stated the narrative was edited to bring it in line with recent developments in the history of Nichiren Buddhism, and that he hoped "such revisions will help readers to better appreciate the original message of the book."

Part of the lore within the Soka Gakkai is that Ikeda modeled the oneness of mentor and disciple relationship through his efforts to actualize the visions of his mentor, Josei Toda.  Soka Gakkai members perceive the relationship as mutually interdependent and not hierarchical.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chilson|first1=Clark|title=Cultivating Charisma: Ikeda Daisaku's Self Presentations and Transformational Leadership|journal=Journal of Global Buddhism|date=2014|volume=15|page=69|quote=In the Gakkai today, few issues, if any, receive more attention than the mentor-disciple relationship. Ikeda and Gakkai members say the relationship is so close as to be indivisible (shitei funi). The mentor is concerned with improving the lives of his disciples. Or, as the January 2010 Sōka Gakkai International Quarterly puts it, the mentor gives disciples "confidence in their own unrealized possibilities" and "is focused on the empowerment of others" (p. 28). Disciples support their mentor and his vision using their unique abilities. They are not passive followers of the mentor; in fact simple followers are not good disciples because they do not adequately seek ways to use their own individual talents to help realize their mentor's vision. Good disciples protect and promote the mentor's vision, with which they identify. Today Gakkai members both in and outside Japan commonly refer to Ikeda as their mentor. They often speak of the oneness of the mentor-disciple relationship (shitei funi), and some members say the relationship exceeds all others. They describe the relationship not as hierarchical but one in which there is mutual giving. Both the mentor and disciple are ideally selfless in their devotion to each other.}}</ref>

A similar relationship is prominent in [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism and [[Guru-shishya tradition|traditional Vedic culture]].  The role of the mentor is to open a path and protect disciples; the role of disciples is to actualize the mentor's teachings in society, grow into self-reliance, and surpass the mentor's accomplishments.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=B. Alan|last2=Wilhelm|first2=Steven|title=Tibetan Buddhism : from the ground up ; a practical approach for modern life|date=1996|publisher=Wisdom Publ.|location=Boston, Mass.|isbn=9780861710751|pages=88–89|edition=[3. Aufl.].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Seager|first1=Richard Hughes|title=Encountering the Dharma : Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the globalization of Buddhist humanism|url=https://archive.org/details/encounteringdhar0000seag|date=2006|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley |isbn=9780520245778|page=xii|quote=It's really the disciple's choice and decision to follow his mentor's vision. In response, it is the mentor's wish to raise and foster that disciple so that he can become a greater person than the mentor himself. His wish is to pull him up to where he is or even to surpass him. It is the right spirit of the disciple to earnestly absorb as much as possible from the mentor.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lickerman|first1=Alex|title=How and Why to Find a Mentor|journal=Psychology Today|date=2011-12-04|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201112/how-and-why-find-mentor}}</ref>  Strand states that this relationship should be distinguished from uncritical veneration or charismatic religious leadership.<ref>Strand, Clark (2014). Waking the Buddha: how the most dynamic and empowering Buddhist movement in history is changing our concept of religion. Santa Monica, CA: Middleway Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780977924561. pages 127-129, 147, 162-163</ref>
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