September 1, 2022
Condolence Message on the Passing of Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
On August 31, SGI President Ikeda sent a
condolence message on the passing of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev,
who died in Moscow on August 30, 2022, at the age of 91.
The two men first met at the Kremlin in
Moscow in July 1990, when Gorbachev was President of the Soviet Union. They met
again in Tokyo in April the following year, when Gorbachev made the first ever
visit to Japan by a Soviet head of state. Over the years, the two met with each
other a total of 10 times and collaborated on the book-length dialogue, Moral Lessons
of the Twentieth Century: Gorbachev and Ikeda on Buddhism and Communism,
in which they, as members of the generation that had experienced the horrors of
World War II, discussed pathways to peace in the twenty-first century through
respect for the dignity of life and living in harmony with the natural
environment.
Gorbachev is known for his historic
contributions in helping to bring the Cold War to an end. He became General
Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1985 at the age
of 54, and, as head of state, implemented glasnost and perestroika—openness and
reconstruction—policies to reform and reconstruct the Soviet Union. His “new
thinking” approach to foreign policy opened a path toward peaceful coexistence
with the West and led to significant progress in nuclear disarmament. He was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
In his condolence message, the SGI leader
stated that his first encounter with Gorbachev and the many discussions that
followed have been indelibly etched in his heart. He praised the late president
for his achievements, won amidst great hardships, and his spiritual legacy as a
peace maker. President Gorbachev, he said, will continue to live on in the
hearts of many as an eternal source of light illuminating humanity’s future.
[Adapted from an
article in the September 1, 2022, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
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