Thirtieth Anniversary of Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow Marked
Some 700 people gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the conferral of an honorary doctorate on Daisaku Ikeda by the University of Glasgow.
On June 15, 2024, a commemorative event marking the 30th anniversary of the presentation of an honorary doctorate to Daisaku Ikeda by the University of Glasgow in Scotland was held in the university’s Bute Hall, where the conferral took place on the same day in 1994. The event, organized by SGI-UK, was attended by over 700 guests, including Professor Emeritus J. Forbes Munro, who had nominated Mr. Ikeda for the honorary doctorate, and university alumni.
Established in
1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest in the UK. It has produced
notable figures such as Adam Smith (1723–1790), the father of modern economics,
and James Watt (1736–1819), a key contributor to the development of the steam
engine.
Following a video about Mr. Ikeda’s life and his
contributions to building peace, SGI-UK General Director Justine Marchant
addressed the audience, stating that Mr. Ikeda’s endeavors were based on a
“passionate commitment to people’s empowerment, rooted in an unyielding faith
in the positive potential inherent in the life of every person.” For Mr. Ikeda,
she said, the essential spirit of education was the “concern for the growth and
happiness of others.”
The commemorative event included a panel discussion titled “Leave No One Behind: Humanistic Education for the Flourishing of Each Person.” The panel brought together Professor Sinead Gormally of Glasgow University, alumnus Greg Duncan, deputy head of Perth Grammar School, and astrophysicist Dr. Wanda Díaz Merced, and SGI-UK youth. The panelists exchanged views on what it means to leave no one behind, key components of humanistic education and how to nurture each individual’s potential.
The University of Glasgow
In his speech, Professor Munro recalled his first encounter
with Mr. Ikeda the day before the conferral ceremony, highlighting the warmth
and cheer that Mr. and Mrs. Ikeda brought to their meeting. Although Mr. Ikeda
was a public figure, Professor Munro discovered that day a “private man, one
that had amongst other things a very keen sense of humor.” He also spoke of Mr.
Ikeda’s passing in November 2023, saying, “I mourn Dr. Ikeda and deeply regret
his passing,” stating that Mr. Ikeda “will always live in our collective
memories.”
Professor Munro ended his speech with a reading of
Mr. Ikeda’s poem, “The Waterfall,” remembering that the poem had been warmly
received when he read it at the conferral ceremony in 1994. The poem, he feels,
sums up who Mr. Ikeda was and is a “fitting tribute to him, his life and his
work.”
Like the waterfall fierce
Like the waterfall unflagging
Like the waterfall unfearing
Like the waterfall merrily
Like the waterfall proudly –
A man should have the bearing of a king.
[Adapted from an article in the June 26, 2024, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
