Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue
Sōka-gakkai (also known as Soka Gakkai International or SGI) is a new religious movement that originated in Japan in 1930. For more than a half century, the religion was led by its president Daisaku Ikeda, who played a significant role in its growth from 1960 until his death in 2023. Although SGI is...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| author | Jongman Kim Andrew Eungi Kim |
| author_facet | Jongman Kim Andrew Eungi Kim |
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| description | Sōka-gakkai (also known as Soka Gakkai International or SGI) is a new religious movement that originated in Japan in 1930. For more than a half century, the religion was led by its president Daisaku Ikeda, who played a significant role in its growth from 1960 until his death in 2023. Although SGI is one of the largest new religions in the world—it claims to have over 12 million members in 192 countries—there has to date been very limited scholarly attention paid to the religion and Ikeda’s religious thoughts. The latter is particularly important given the fact that Ikeda has written extensively on the applicability and implications of the doctrines of the SGI in many global issues of the day, including peace, education, environment, and interreligious dialogue. Among a wide variety of issues which can be examined, the paper focuses on the following question: What are Ikeda’s religious thoughts, particularly his stance on religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue? In view of this question, this paper examines how his religious ideas are not immersed in any specific religion, but emphasizes the importance of pursuing interreligious dialogue while acknowledging other religions and cultural traditions. This paper also critically assesses whether Ikeda’s call for interfaith dialogue and collaborations with various religious groups is indeed taking place in the SGI’s commitment to fostering a culture of peace and understanding. It is hoped that the examination of Ikeda’s stance on religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue indirectly allows for the exploration of a religion that is largely unknown and misunderstood. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d91e5aaa0c3493b886bdb9965a7975b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d91e5aaa0c3493b886bdb9965a7975b2025-08-20T02:01:14ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442024-12-011512150110.3390/rel15121501Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious DialogueJongman Kim0Andrew Eungi Kim1Institute for Religion and Civic Culture, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of KoreaCollege of International Studies, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaSōka-gakkai (also known as Soka Gakkai International or SGI) is a new religious movement that originated in Japan in 1930. For more than a half century, the religion was led by its president Daisaku Ikeda, who played a significant role in its growth from 1960 until his death in 2023. Although SGI is one of the largest new religions in the world—it claims to have over 12 million members in 192 countries—there has to date been very limited scholarly attention paid to the religion and Ikeda’s religious thoughts. The latter is particularly important given the fact that Ikeda has written extensively on the applicability and implications of the doctrines of the SGI in many global issues of the day, including peace, education, environment, and interreligious dialogue. Among a wide variety of issues which can be examined, the paper focuses on the following question: What are Ikeda’s religious thoughts, particularly his stance on religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue? In view of this question, this paper examines how his religious ideas are not immersed in any specific religion, but emphasizes the importance of pursuing interreligious dialogue while acknowledging other religions and cultural traditions. This paper also critically assesses whether Ikeda’s call for interfaith dialogue and collaborations with various religious groups is indeed taking place in the SGI’s commitment to fostering a culture of peace and understanding. It is hoped that the examination of Ikeda’s stance on religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue indirectly allows for the exploration of a religion that is largely unknown and misunderstood.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1501South KoreaJapannew religious movementSoka GakkaiSGIDaisaku Ikeda |
| spellingShingle | Jongman Kim Andrew Eungi Kim Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue Religions South Korea Japan new religious movement Soka Gakkai SGI Daisaku Ikeda |
| title | Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue |
| title_full | Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue |
| title_fullStr | Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue |
| title_full_unstemmed | Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue |
| title_short | Religious Pluralism and a Study on Daisaku Ikeda’s Thoughts on Interreligious Dialogue |
| title_sort | religious pluralism and a study on daisaku ikeda s thoughts on interreligious dialogue |
| topic | South Korea Japan new religious movement Soka Gakkai SGI Daisaku Ikeda |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1501 |
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