Daisaku Ikeda (1928–2023) was a Buddhist philosopher, peacebuilder, educator, author and poet who dedicated his life to fostering a lasting culture of peace through dialogue. As third president of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist organization, founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and founder of several international institutions promoting peace, culture and education, he championed the power of dialogue as a central means to addressing global challenges.

Ikeda engaged in discussions with leaders, cultural figures and scholars from every region of the world, probing the crucial issues facing humanity. Over 70 of his dialogues with these individuals have been published.

A core focus of Ikeda’s peace activities was nuclear disarmament. As president of the SGI, he inspired global grassroots initiatives for a nuclear-weapons-free world, and from 1983 to 2022, he published annual peace proposals that explore avenues toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and other pressing global problems.

As leader of one of the world’s largest and most diverse community-based Buddhist organizations, he advanced a philosophy of individual empowerment and social engagement for peace. The Soka School system he founded—which includes Soka University in Japan and Soka University of America in the USA—fosters an ethos of global citizenship, encouraging youth to take the lead in establishing a more hopeful and positive direction for global society.

Poems by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda