National University of Salta in Argentina Confers Honorary Doctorate
Certificate of the honorary doctorate conferred upon Daisaku Ikeda
On June 10, 2023, the National University of Salta (UNSa), Salta Province, Argentina, conferred an honorary doctorate on Daisaku Ikeda for his contributions to education and peace, and in recognition of his humanistic philosophy. The conferral took place at the SGI-Argentina Peace Auditorium in Buenos Aires.
UNSa Rector Daniel Hoyos entrusted the degree
certificate to SGI Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa, who received it on behalf
of Mr. Ikeda. In his acceptance message, Mr. Ikeda expressed his sincere
appreciation for the commendation and remarked on the resonance between the
university’s motto, “My wisdom comes from this land,” and the value-creating
educational philosophy of founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.
Mr. Makiguchi’s pedagogy emphasized the importance of rooting education in
community life and the physical locality of the student as well as establishing
harmony with the natural environment. For Makiguchi, students becoming grounded
in and appreciative of their local community was a necessary step in their
developing a sense of responsibility as a citizen of the global community.
Participants at the conferral held at the SGI-Argentina Peace Auditorium
In this age of instant access to vast amounts
of information and knowledge—which can be used for both good and destructive
ends—it is increasingly vital that we develop wisdom, which enables us to put
knowledge and information to positive use, Mr. Ikeda said. He commended UNSa
for its proud legacy of creatively fostering the “wisdom of harmonious
coexistence” amidst a diverse and culturally rich community.
The proposal to award an honorary doctorate to
Mr. Ikeda was made by the former vice rector of UNSa, Graciela Morales. She
first learned about Mr. Ikeda through an exhibition on the Lotus Sutra hosted
by SGI-Argentina that was shown on the UNSa campus in 2019. She subsequently
explored Mr. Ikeda’s writings and developed a deep empathy with value-creating
education and the Soka Gakkai’s efforts for peace.
UNSa is comprised of a main campus in the
provincial capital of Salta, located at the foot of the Andes Mountains at an
altitude of about 1,200 meters, as well as three other regional campuses. It
has six faculties, enrolling some 50,000 students.
UNSa Rector Hoyos (center right) presents the degree certificate to SGI Vice President Tanigawa (center left); former UNSa Vice Rector Graciela Morales stands 3rd from the right.
[Adapted from an
article in the June 15, 2023, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
