Positive Human Potential for Hope, Courage (NAPSA)—A peace proposal by noted educator and Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda is getting a lot of attention. A recipient of the ow? United Nation’s Peace Medal, Ikeda is president of Soka Gakkai International (SGD, a Buddhist association active in the areas of peace education, cultural exchange, environmental awareness and humanitarian relief. Here are some highlights from this year’s proposal. Material Progress, Spiritual Regression Humanity’s spiritual life seems to have become trapped in what Buddhism calls the “lesser self”’— a state of isolation that results when the ties among people and between people and the cosmos are severed. How can this be reversed to bring about a true cen- tury of life? Life, Heart, Spirit Buddhism regards life in its most profound sense not as something simply conferred upon us without effort, but as a luminous and fertile realm that can be entered and experienced fully only through the most strenuousspiri- tualeffort. Family in Crisis Parent-child relations and family ties differ from other human relations in that they are essentially not of our choosing. They should be recognized as something PEACE OF MIND—A peace proposal explores Buddhist concepts and the challenges faced by global society in an effort to reach peace and human security. that issucs from the depths of our being, and as such they represent the most real and vital connections. WomenAgainst War The values, principles and ideologies that are presently being called into question are all products of male-dominated societies. I am certain that the emergence of women in the twenty-first century has a significance that goes to the very core of humancivilization. Dialogue Dialogue has the power to restore and revitalize our shared humanity by setting free our innate capacity for good. It is an indispensable lodestone around which people are united and trust is fostered. For a free copy of Daisaku Ikeda’s peace proposal, send an email to: peace@sgi-usa.org or visit the Web site at www.sgi-usa.org.
