To commemorate milestones in the Center’s history, founder Daisaku Ikeda, who died on Nov. 15, 2023, often sent messages that explore key aspects of each occasion, with special emphasis on the core ideas and values that should guide our work. Those messages are collected here and provide an indispensable introduction to Mr. Ikeda’s peacebuilding ethos.
1995: Message to the Opening Ceremony
On May 12, 1995, the Center hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony with special remarks at its new building on Harvard Street in Cambridge. Mr. Ikeda composed these thoughts for the occasion.
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2003: Message on the Occasion of the 10th Anniversary
Daisaku Ikeda composed this message to celebrate the Center’s 10th anniversary. In it, he offers his essential view of dialogue, which he says has a unique capacity both to connect people heart-to-heart and to pool their wisdom.
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2004: Message on the Occasion of the First Ikeda Forum
Mr. Ikeda wrote this message to launch and commemorate the 1st Annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, held October 1, 2004. The piece explores connections between Buddhism and Transcendentalism.
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2009: Message on the Publication of Creating Waldens
Mr. Ikeda composed this message to be shared at the September 2009 book release event for Creating Waldens: An East-West Conversation on the American Renaissance. The message focuses on the theme of the greater self.
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2013: Message on the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary
Scores of friends of the Ikeda Center gathered in 2013 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Center’s founding. In this message, Mr. Ikeda reflected on how figures such as Arnold Toynbee and John Kenneth Galbraith inspired his commitment to dialogue.
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2023: Message on the Occasion of the 30th Anniversary and the 19th Ikeda Forum
Mr. Ikeda composed this message to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Center’s founding and the 19th Annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue. In this message, Mr. Ikeda extolled the power of literature to foster inner transformation and peace.
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Dialogue is the foundation for all of the Center’s activities, but more than that, in the view of our founder, Daisaku Ikeda, it is also the mode of engagement with others and the world that holds the greatest potential for enabling us to realize a more peaceful, flourishing world. This is because dialogue, as Mr. Ikeda conceives of it and we pursue it, is a forward looking and unifying pursuit.