On June 13, 2026, a commemorative event marking the 30th anniversary of Daisaku Ikeda’s lecture “Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship” took place at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York City. Held in Milbank Chapel, where the original lecture was delivered on June 13, 1996, the event was titled “30 Years of Daisaku Ikeda’s Vision: Wisdom, Courage, and Compassion in Action.” It was organized by Soka University of America (SUA) and explored the role of global citizens in creating a century of peace.
Founded in 1887, Teachers College, Columbia
University, is the oldest and largest graduate school of education in the
United States. It is also closely associated with educational philosopher John
Dewey, who taught there and whose ideas were admired by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi,
the first president of Soka Gakkai and the father of Soka education.
In his 1996 lecture, Mr. Ikeda identified
three essential qualities of a global citizen:
The wisdom to perceive the interconnectedness of all life and living.
The courage not to fear or deny difference; but to respect and strive to understand people of different cultures, and to grow from encounters with them.
The compassion to maintain an imaginative empathy that reaches beyond one’s immediate surroundings and extends to those suffering in distant places.
Mr. Ikeda
noted that both Makiguchi and Dewey envisioned a human society founded on
solidarity among citizens that transcended the boundaries of the nation-state.
Drawing on Buddhist perspectives, he called for an approach to education that
fosters global citizens endowed with wisdom, courage and compassion.
Dr. Andrea Bartoli, president of the
Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue, who had attended the original
lecture, was among the speakers at the anniversary event. He recalled how Mr.
Ikeda wove together the educational thought of John Dewey and Tsunesaburo
Makiguchi, bringing their shared commitment to humanistic education to life as
though they were conversing across time. Dr. Bartoli urged participants to put the
ideals set forth by Mr. Ikeda into practice.
Dr. Isabel Nuñez, dean of the School of
Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne, spoke about how SUA’s small,
internationally diverse learning community encourages students to engage
thoughtfully with people whose backgrounds and perspectives differ from their
own. She noted that close discussion, opportunities to study abroad and the
sharing of personal stories help students learn to disagree respectfully,
deepen their understanding of others and recognize the common humanity that
transcends national and cultural boundaries. She expressed confidence that SUA
would continue to develop as a university that nurtures graduates who embody
the wisdom, courage and compassion essential to global citizenship.
Other panelists were Ruby Nagashima, director of Student Leadership and Service Engagement at SUA, and SUA President Edward M. Feasel. Former UN Under-Secretary-General Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury also delivered remarks, and SUA President Feasel announced the establishment of a scholarship bearing Ambassador Chowdhury’s name.
[Adapted from an article in the June 23, 2026, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
