2012 FOCUS
Interdependence

During 2012 we will explore the central Buddhist concept of interdependence, formally known as dependent origination. As always, our investigation will culminate in the fall with our annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue. Here's what Daisaku Ikeda said about interdependence in his 1993 Harvard lecture (which serves as an informal founding lecture for the Center):

Each living thing manifests the enlightenment of which it is capable; each contributes to the grand concert of symbiosis. In Buddhist terminology, 'dependent origination' (engi) describes these relationships. Nothing and nobody exists in isolation. Each individual being functions to create the environment that sustains all other existences. All things are mutually supporting and interrelated, forming a living cosmos.

For more, see this brief introduction to the topic in our Core Convictions section.

We have also created a compilation of quotations from Daisaku Ikeda that illuminate the various dimensions of interdependence. The first section of the compilation focuses on the need to create a proper world view based on the truth of interdependence and interconnection. The second section looks at global ethics and the ethos of symbiosis. >> Read

We will be adding articles, videos, and other resources as the year continues, so please check back.

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Read articles and essays from the 2011 focus,
"Cultivating the Greater Self."

Read articles and essays from the 2010 focus,
"The Democratic Spirit."

Read articles and essays from the 2009 focus, "Humanizing Our Lives, Humanizing Our World."

Read articles and essays from the 2008 focus, "Understanding Death, Appreciating Life."

Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue
396 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Phone: (617) 491.1090 Fax: (617) 491.1169