Daisaku Ikeda: Introduction to the Man, His Influences, and Educational Thought

Known widely as a Buddhist leader and philosopher, global peacebuilder, and prolific author and poet, Daisaku Ikeda (b. 1928) has also distinguished himself as an important educator on the world stage. This chapter introduces Ikeda’s philosophy of ningen kyōiku, or “human education,” and the interlocking commitments and ideals that constitute it, including life-to-life encouragement, creative coexistence, dialogue, global consciousness, and value-creating approaches to knowledge, society, and power. The chapter also presents three major influences and motivations that shape Ikeda’s life and work, including the Lotus Sutra-centric teachings of thirteenth-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren, the role of transnational literature in the formation of his literary selfhood and conviction in the “poetic spirit,” and his relationship with Jōsei Toda (and thereby Tsunesaburō Makiguchi) that nurtured and developed these. The chapter considers new insights in international research and practice relative to Ikeda studies and the field of value-creating education for global citizenship inspired by Ikeda’s work. It concludes with intellectual legacies from Ikeda’s contributions that warrant greater scholarly and practical attention, including his commitments to nuclear disarmament and institution building as central components of his overall approach to human becoming and global peace.