The Power of Hope: Thoughts on Peace and Human Rights in the Third Millennium

201 Pages·2021·1.361 MB·English

by  Daisaku Ikeda, Adolfo Perez Esquivel

THE POWER OF HOPE
i
ii
THE POWER OF HOPE
Thoughts on Peace and Human
Rights in the Third Millennium
D AISAKU IK EDA
and
A DOLFO P É REZ ES QUIVEL
iii
I.B. TAURIS
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First published in Great Britain 2021

Copyright © Adolfo P é rez Esquivel and Soka Gakkai, 2021

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iv
Contents
Foreword by Daisak u Ikeda vi
Foreword by Adolfo Pérez Esquivel x
A Joint Appeal by Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Daisaku Ikeda xiii
1 The Struggle for Human Rights—A Story of
Glorious Triumph 1
2 A World United by the Power of the People 35
3 Transmitting the Legacy of Nonviolence 75
4 Women: The Driving Force of a Century of Life 99
5 Youth—The Key to Building a Culture of Peace 131
Notes 161
Index 171
v
Foreword
The heart is free and unfettered; it can reach out and commune with
another, regardless of what geographic distance may separate the two.
Viewed from Argentina, Japan literally lies on the opposite side of the
Earth. Yet, though I may live in Japan, no country is closer to my heart
than Argentina. This is because her sheer natural beauty, her dynamic
culture, shine in my heart in all their glorious splendor. But most important
of all, I feel this way because a kindred spirit of mine resides there.
My fi rst encounter with Dr. Adolfo P é rez Esquivel and his beloved
wife, Amanda, two dear friends for whom my admiration knows no
bounds, took place in Tokyo on December 8, 1995. Genuine friendship
never wanes with the passage of time; indeed, its candescence only
grows stronger. That has been the case with my friendship with
Dr. Esquivel.
When the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck in March 2011,
Dr. Esquivel was among the very fi rst to send a message to me, sharing
his deeply felt solidarity:
If there is anything we can do, please do not hesitate to let us
know. I offer my heartfelt prayers that all of you will face
your plight with hope and stout hearts.
Dr. Esquivel pays no heed to borders that divide nations. Neither
geographical distance, cultural barriers, nor ethnic differences can
vi
Foreword by Daisaku Ikeda · vii
prevent him from reaching out to the suffering. He always sides with
young people who are battling adversity. Whatever hardship they are
facing—disasters, wars, violence, famine, inequality, oppression,
poverty—he is there fi ghting alongside the ordinary citizens, taking
that fi rst step in breaking through any impasse toward hope.
With his conscience as his compass, he refuses to turn away from
people in distress. Holding an abiding faith in the capacity of ordinary
people to prevail over diffi culty, he stands at the forefront of their
struggle, showing them the way to draw forth that capacity. This is a
path that only the most intrepid and pertinacious dare walk.
In the battle against iniquity, to speak out for the sake of a public in
distress means to invite perilous reprisal. It was precisely because of
Dr. Esquivel’s steadfast commitment to the cause of peace and justice
that a tyrannical regime baselessly accused him of crimes and imprisoned
him. And yet, though it nearly cost him his life, he would not bow to
his oppressors, prevailing in the end and ultimately being awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize, earning the acclaim of millions.
His words are therefore ones uttered by an individual who has walked
the harsh, unforgiving path of experience. They are eloquent truths
that can only be spoken by a champion who has risked his own life.
That is why I have shared them with others on every possible occasion.
He is of the conviction that everyone should have someone to look to
as a spiritual bulwark and role model in life. However, rather than
citing some prominent historical personage, Dr. Esquivel points to his
grandmother as the person whom he fi nds the most heroic, a woman of
goodness whose name history will never chronicle. Many of my friends
in Japan and around the world have been profoundly moved to hear
this.
So, may I proudly declare: There is no greater champion of the people
than Dr. Esquivel himself.
Dr. Esquivel and his wife are artists who relish engaging in creative
endeavors. I consider my frank and broad discourses with him on the
cultures of Latin America, Asia, and the world to be among the most
enjoyable I have ever experienced.
viii · Power of Hope
Culture is the struggle of humanity against barbarity. This is why I
hold that the communion of cultures is foundational to genuine peace.
I am determined to strive ever harder to deepen understanding among
all cultures and to facilitate exchange among them, taking the
friendship between Argentina and Japan, which dates back more than
a century, as a point from which to begin. I do so in an effort to
establish even stronger bonds that can bring the hearts and minds of
people everywhere closer together.
Dr. Esquivel and I have both reached an age where we must convey
our efforts to advance peace, our struggles for human rights and to
build solidarity among cultures—causes to which we have committed
our entire lives—so that younger generations may carry our legacies
forward.
It is not in order that I myself may fl ower that I till the soil of self-
actualization. Instead, I am resolved to lay down my life as the earth
and foundation from which the young people who are to succeed me
may fl ourish.
Dr. Esquivel’s heart has been equally fi rm, striking out to this day to
forge a path where none existed before. He has stated that he did so
with the resolve to leave behind a testimony of his struggle and
resistance against oppression and to set an example for those to follow.
Every youth, wherever you may be, that is where you must make a
stand and fulfi ll your purpose in life—for your own self-development,
for the sake of others, and for justice and peace. This may at times
demand something as valiant as to stake your very life; or it may demand
the kind of unrelenting effort that uses up every ounce of your energy.
Still, I believe young people, when introduced to Dr. Esquivel’s life
of struggle and triumph, will draw boundless encouragement from the
existence of a man who continues to lead so many others by fearlessly
dedicating his entire being to his struggle. I am confi dent that the
reader will be able to fi nd unlimited courage and hope in the words of
conviction that he shares in this work.
In the Lotus Sutra, which many hold to be the heart of the Mahayana
teachings of Buddhism, the bodhisattvas entrusted to guide people to
Foreword by Daisaku Ikeda · ix
enlightenment are described as emerging from the earth in procession,
dancing with joy.
It is my undying hope that the youth who follow in the footsteps of
the always spirited Dr. Esquivel will rise joyously from the Mother
Earth of South America, the Mother Earth of the world. May they
all stand someday like the Andes, a mighty procession of capable
individuals who tower majestically as a bulwark of peace.
In closing, I offer my heartfelt prayers for the continued good health
of Dr. Esquivel and Mrs. Amanda Esquivel, and that the esteemed
Argentine Republic will shine evermore in peerless glory.
Daisaku Ikeda