In a spontaneously wide-ranging conversation one winter evening in Japan, sociologist of
religion Bryan Wilson and Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda recognized the importance of
explaining and learning about their respective worldviews. They also realized that their rich
and vigorous dialogue could not stop with a single encounter. Human Values in a Changing
World records their further exchanges on how they each view the religious response to the
human condition. The two thinkers’ contrasting approaches – one, as an academic, and the
other, as a lay Buddhist – allow for a constructive critique of preconceptions otherwise
unexamined in their own cultural contexts. “There is an intimate connection between faith
and the fruits of commitment,” Wilson say...

Global Solutions from East and West
The seas do not separate us; rather, they bring us closer together.
Daisaku Ikeda's opening words to this consistently wide ranging
dialogue set the scene for what follows. For the theme of the book is
that of the meeting of minds that follows interaction between peoples
who might be geographically distant but who share much in common.

Prof. Lokesh Chandra and Dr. Daisaku Ikeda discuss the genesis of Buddhism, from Sakyamuni’s enlightenment to Asoka’s rule based on Dharma and his role in propagating it beyond India’s boundaries, to Buddhism’s transmission along the Silk Road, and its influence on emerging Western philosophies.

This dialogue between two renowned Buddhist scholars of our times highlights the significance of Lotus Sutra, its impact on Mahatma Gandhi and the founding of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. It examines the Bodhisattva way of life and the pursuit of happiness in the 21st century and into the eternal future.

The Lotus Sutra clearly and definitively reveals the Buddha nature that is an integral part of the lives of all people. And it makes clear that the Buddha desires and acts so that all people, by opening up this Buddha nature inherent within themselves, may attain the state of Buddhahood for themselves. The sutra further stresses that the continued observance of such action is the true mission of the bodhisattva, and never ceases to praise the observance of this practice.

Breaking through darkness towards a glorious hope-filled vista of a new era,
Shin’ichi Yamamoto (Daisaku Ikeda’s pen name) set off for Brazil in 1966.
This visit took place under the dark shadow of suspicion and mistrust towards
Soka Gakkai which grew to such an extent that he was not allowed to enter the
country again in 1974.
But the members there worked tirelessly to establish a network of friends
and a climate of trust. Eighteen years later, Brazil's president personally
invited him…the path had opened…