THEMES: American Renaissance

The legacy of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman is central to the American character. These resources explore that legacy, with special attention to intercultural resonances.

Walden and Beyond

With Thoreau's Walden as a guide, the first Ikeda Forum (2004) explored connections between American Transcendentalism and Eastern wisdom traditions.
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Talking Back to Whitman: Poetry Matters

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Leaves of Grass, scholars and poets from Asia and the Americas gathered to respond to Whitman’s poetic vision.
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Emerson and the Power of Imagination

What can we learn from Ralph Waldo Emerson about how best to live? How might the imagination help us to bring forth new possibilities?
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Creating Waldens Event: In Dialogue with Nature, Self, and Others

In 2009, Ronald A. Bosco and Joel Myerson discussed their dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda, Creating Waldens: An East-West Conversation on the American Renaissance.
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Reflections on Thoreau's Relentless Self-Invention

This excerpt from Creating Waldens explores Thoreau’s ongoing quest for new challenges, discoveries, and progress at every stage of his life.
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"Nichiren, Transcendentalism, and the Energy of Union and Harmony."

Daisaku Ikeda composed this message to commemorate the first Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue in 2004.
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