Two-time Nobel laureate and “father of modern chemistry,” Linus Pauling forged a deep friendship with Daisaku Ikeda based on their shared desire to achieve global peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
00:00:03.270 --> 00:00:05.260
A distinguished gentleman
00:00:05.260 --> 00:00:10.150
visited Claremont McKenna College
in Claremont, California
00:00:10.150 --> 00:00:14.110
on January 29, 1993.
00:00:16.220 --> 00:00:19.100
It was Dr. Linus Carl Pauling
00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:25.030
an outstanding scientist and
a peace activist, then 91 years old.
00:00:27.250 --> 00:00:33.150
Dr. Pauling received the Nobel Prize
in Chemistry in 1954
00:00:33.150 --> 00:00:37.170
and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962.
00:00:41.010 --> 00:00:44.030
He is renowned as
the only person in the world
00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:48.090
to be awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes.
00:00:51.130 --> 00:00:54.020
Despite his advanced age
00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:59.290
Pauling traveled 600 kilometers from
his home to Claremont McKenna College
00:00:59.290 --> 00:01:05.140
in order to attend a lecture
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda
00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:07.270
who had been invited to speak there.
00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:15.190
"Buddhism classifies the states of life
00:01:15.190 --> 00:01:21.080
that constitute human experience
into ten worlds or realms.
00:01:21.080 --> 00:01:26.120
The most critical point, then,
is which of these ten states
00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:32.190
as they exist in the vibrant flow of life,
forms the basis of our own lives?
00:01:32.190 --> 00:01:40.130
Buddhism offers a way of life
centered on the highest states
00:01:40.130 --> 00:01:50.050
those of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood,
as an ideal of human existence."
00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:56.020
Dr. Linus Pauling, a leading scientist
of the 20th century
00:01:56.020 --> 00:02:03.190
and Daisaku Ikeda, a Buddhist philosopher,
shared a deep commitment to peace.
00:02:03.190 --> 00:02:05.250
The friendship between the two men
00:02:05.250 --> 00:02:10.140
continues to be a source
of inspiration for many.
00:02:19.200 --> 00:02:22.170
Well-known as
"the father of modern chemistry"
00:02:22.170 --> 00:02:25.240
Pauling is also renowned
for his great achievements
00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:31.230
in a wide range of fields such as
quantum mechanics and molecular biology.
00:02:32.290 --> 00:02:38.200
In particular, he is credited with building
the foundation of modern molecular biology
00:02:38.200 --> 00:02:43.220
which examines the structure and
composition of cellular molecules.
00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:48.210
Moreover, he had discovered
the spiral structure of DNA
00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:52.110
before Watson and Crick
went further and discovered
00:02:52.110 --> 00:02:56.010
that it was in fact a double helix structure.
00:02:58.200 --> 00:03:03.100
During his youth, Pauling became
acquainted with Albert Einstein
00:03:03.100 --> 00:03:08.240
visiting his home almost every night
to discuss the tense global situation.
00:03:10.220 --> 00:03:13.000
Through his interactions with Einstein
00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:18.070
Pauling became deeply aware of the need
to abolish nuclear weapons.
00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:23.100
However, it was his wife Ava Helen,
a human rights activist
00:03:23.100 --> 00:03:28.110
who solidified his absolute opposition
to nuclear weapons.
00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:34.130
"After World War Two,
Ava Helen Pauling, his wife
00:03:34.130 --> 00:03:40.130
was very concerned about
the possible proliferation of nuclear weapons
00:03:40.130 --> 00:03:45.200
and the effect that having all of
these nuclear weapons would have.
00:03:45.200 --> 00:03:50.000
She felt that inevitably if there are a lot of
nuclear weapons being produced
00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.000
eventually somebody's going to use them."
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:58.150
Linus Pauling would later reflect
that his main motivation
00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:02.050
was to earn and keep his wife's respect.
00:04:04.010 --> 00:04:07.140
He did not want her to think
he was a coward.
00:04:10.170 --> 00:04:15.150
Together, they embarked on
half a lifetime of working for peace.
00:04:17.190 --> 00:04:19.030
In 1955
00:04:19.030 --> 00:04:22.220
Pauling and ten other leading scientists
of global eminence
00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:25.160
signed the Russell-Einstein Manifesto
00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:30.050
a warning about the dire consequences
of a nuclear war.
00:04:34.290 --> 00:04:40.290
Persecution awaited Pauling as
he stood up to take action for peace.
00:04:43.080 --> 00:04:45.190
With the Cold War intensifying
00:04:45.190 --> 00:04:50.220
a wave of anti-communist hysteria
was raging in the USA.
00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:55.140
Pauling was labeled a communist,
had his passport revoked
00:04:55.140 --> 00:04:57.668
and was forced to step down as chairman
00:04:57.668 --> 00:05:02.030
of the Division of Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering at Caltech.
00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:08.100
In 1957, Pauling initiated
a large-scale petition
00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:11.130
calling for a ban on nuclear testing.
00:05:12.090 --> 00:05:18.150
The number of signatures collected from
scientists all over the world exceeded 13,000.
00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:24.130
However, the Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations
00:05:24.130 --> 00:05:26.150
ordered the names of all the chemists
00:05:26.150 --> 00:05:30.140
who cooperated in the petition drive
to be revealed.
00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:33.726
"He refused to answer those questions,
00:05:33.726 --> 00:05:37.080
saying he did not want
to endanger those people
00:05:37.080 --> 00:05:38.220
who were working for world peace.
00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:45.110
He was threatened with jail for refusing
to cooperate with the Senate Subcommittee
00:05:45.110 --> 00:05:49.030
and he said that he would rather go to jail
00:05:49.030 --> 00:05:54.150
than name names of people who
he felt were innocent
00:05:54.150 --> 00:05:59.120
and did nothing more than
work for world peace."
00:06:00.280 --> 00:06:03.070
Despite enormous pressure
00:06:03.070 --> 00:06:07.080
Pauling's resolve for peace
continued to strengthen.
00:06:09.150 --> 00:06:11.250
In October 1963
00:06:11.250 --> 00:06:16.260
he received word that he was to be
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
00:06:21.020 --> 00:06:25.090
During the presentation speech by
the Chairman of the Nobel Committee
00:06:25.090 --> 00:06:28.110
Pauling was quoted as having said
00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:32.000
"I believe that there is
a greater power in the world
00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:36.210
than the evil power of military force,
or nuclear bombs
00:06:36.210 --> 00:06:42.190
there is the power of good,
of morality, of humanitarianism."
00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:53.130
Pauling's first interaction with Ikeda
was in the early 1980s.
00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.120
During the course of his peace activities
00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:01.290
he came across Ikeda's publications
and peace proposals.
00:07:03.020 --> 00:07:08.170
Aware of the fact that the foremost challenge
underlying the issue of nuclear weapons
00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:12.210
is the destructiveness hidden
in the depths of human life
00:07:12.210 --> 00:07:16.080
Pauling deeply understood
Ikeda's philosophy of peace
00:07:16.080 --> 00:07:22.250
centered on the idea of human revolution
—individual inner-motivated change.
00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:30.120
Their first meeting took place
on February 24, 1987.
00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:36.060
Pauling said to Ikeda
00:07:37.150 --> 00:07:41.100
"I'm pleased to meet someone
who is working hard
00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:44.160
to realize a peaceful world!
00:07:46.030 --> 00:07:47.230
I am more than happy
00:07:47.230 --> 00:07:52.290
to join efforts in cooperating with you
to achieve this goal!"
00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:58.260
This day was the beginning
of many such interactions
00:07:58.260 --> 00:08:02.010
between the two champions of peace.
00:08:02.250 --> 00:08:09.180
They met four times and their dialogue
led to the publication of a book in 1990.
00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:17.260
A Lifelong Quest for Peace:
A Dialogue with Linus Pauling
00:08:17.260 --> 00:08:23.210
has been translated into nine languages
to date and is read around the world.
00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:31.140
Dr. Linus Pauling Jr.,
a respected psychiatrist
00:08:31.140 --> 00:08:35.160
vividly remembers his father
treasuring the book.
00:08:36.230 --> 00:08:42.260
"The image of my father's office back after
the publication of this book comes to mind
00:08:42.260 --> 00:08:50.030
my father had an office littered
with books and other memorabilia.
00:08:50.030 --> 00:08:57.280
I remember going into his office and
piled on his desk was a stack of the book
00:08:57.280 --> 00:09:00.060
'A Lifelong Quest for Peace'
00:09:00.060 --> 00:09:04.130
and he said that he enjoyed
having these books here
00:09:04.130 --> 00:09:11.130
because he could pass them out to
distinguished visitors that came to see him.
00:09:11.130 --> 00:09:18.190
And I believe he was very pleased with
this cooperation with President Ikeda."
00:09:21.060 --> 00:09:25.000
An exhibition titled
"Linus Pauling and the Twentieth Century"
00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:30.030
was created by the UN Institute
for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
00:09:30.030 --> 00:09:32.040
and the SGI.
00:09:32.290 --> 00:09:37.060
It was viewed by more than
one million people in five countries.
00:09:37.060 --> 00:09:42.060
The exhibition was proposed by Ikeda
during his last encounter with Pauling.
00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:47.050
"We will hold a Pauling exhibition
in the future.
00:09:47.050 --> 00:09:51.110
I would like to communicate
your immense stature to the world."
00:09:52.260 --> 00:09:55.250
Four years after Pauling passed away
00:09:55.250 --> 00:10:00.250
Ikeda fulfilled the promise he had made
during their final meeting.
00:10:01.170 --> 00:10:05.240
"The comments that I got from him,
from my father
00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:10.190
were positive about President Ikeda
00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:17.060
and, actually, the Buddhist movement
advocated by SGI.
00:10:17.060 --> 00:10:21.200
That didn't stop him from appreciating
the extraordinary efforts
00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:26.220
that President Ikeda went to,
to promote the concept of peace
00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:30.120
be willing to join
those efforts with his own.
00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.260
I think they made a good team."
00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:42.230
When he attended the lecture delivered
by Ikeda at Claremont McKenna College
00:10:42.230 --> 00:10:46.030
Dr. Pauling commented as follows.
00:10:46.250 --> 00:10:51.080
"The world of Bodhisattva,
a state of compassion
00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:59.000
in which one seeks to save
all people from suffering.
00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:04.230
This I think is what human beings
need to accept.
00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:11.240
But here we have Soka Gakkai,
President Ikeda
00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:19.100
firmly standing behind the principle
of peace and against war."
00:11:27.020 --> 00:11:30.080
As the founder of
Soka University of America
00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:34.110
Daisaku Ikeda named one of
the buildings on the campus
00:11:34.110 --> 00:11:37.250
Linus and Ava Helen Pauling Hall.
00:11:40.250 --> 00:11:46.250
A bust of Linus Pauling also stands
in the Tokyo Soka Senior High School.
00:11:48.150 --> 00:11:54.070
These tributes convey Ikeda's desire
to foster capable individuals
00:11:54.070 --> 00:11:59.020
who will contribute to humanity
just as Dr. Pauling did.
00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:08.200
The legacy of
Daisaku Ikeda and Linus Pauling
00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:14.220
can be found in a continuous stream
of emerging champions for peace.