2012 FOCUS
Interdependence

January 17, 2012: During 2012 we will explore the central Buddhist concept of interdependence. As always, our investigation will culminate in the fall with our annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue. Check back soon for more information and introductory resources. In the meantime, you can read a brief introduction to the topic in our Core Convictions section.

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2011 FOCUS
Cultivating the Greater Self

Our vision for this year’s theme is inspired by the Buddhist concept of "the greater self." During our investigation we will build on the concept's Buddhist roots to explore its personal, social, spiritual, civic, and cross-cultural implications for contemporary life.

In his message on the occasion of the publishing of Creating Waldens: An East-West Dialogue on the American Renaissance (Dialogue Path Press, September 2009), Daisaku Ikeda offered insight into how and why the cultivation of the greater self is critical to the Center's work.

Our objective must be the realization of peace for all people and to support the harmony and progress of global civil society. The way to achieve this, I believe, is, again, through the dialogue of spiritual openness. The key to such dialogue is devoting our very lives to listening and learning from those different from us. This humble willingness to learn is profoundly meaningful, invariably fostering deep, empathetic connections. Not only does this resonance enable us to understand others on a deeper level, it acts as a mighty impetus for our true self — our greater self — to flower within us.

In the conclusion of that message he offered this vision for the Center.

My hope is that the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue will lead the effort to create ... spiritual sanctuaries of life-affirming dialogue, where we can heal the wounds of the alienated lesser self and open pathways to our true self, the greater self, with its unlimited capacity for empathy. (Read the entire message here.)

As always, our investigation will culminate in the fall with the Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue. This year's Forum, also called Cultivating the Greater Self, will take place on Saturday, October 22. Featured speakers include Virginia Benson, Lou Marinoff, Ann Diller, and Bernice Lerner. As always there will be time for whole-group dialogue. Learn more about the 2011 Ikeda Forum here!

Please join us this year on a journey of ever-increasing understanding and awareness of the greater self.

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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