The Light of Learning: Selected Writings on Education, now in its third edition and published with a new title (previously Soka Education), brings together Daisaku Ikeda’s writings on his educational philosophy and practice from across several decades. His work stands within a rich educational lineage shaped by his predecessors and spiritual mentors, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871–1944) and Josei Toda (1900–58), both educators committed to the lifelong happiness of learners. Rooted in the principles of soka, or “value-creating,” education, Ikeda’s philosophy affirms the dignity of life and seeks to cultivate happiness and develop “the capacity to find meaning, to enhance one’s own existence and contribute to the well-being of others, under any circumstance.”
Ikeda primarily addresses two audiences: first, the students, faculty and staff of the Soka institutions and organizations he established; second, the broader educational community, including but not limited to educators, scholars and policymakers. At the same time, his writings offer critical insight into why the purpose and practice of education rank among humanity’s most urgent concerns today. In this sense, his message is addressed to everyone. He calls on each of us to reflect deeply on the purpose of education—or, more specifically, what he terms “human education”—and on how it can promote happiness and peace, especially amid turbulent times.
In the book’s opening section, comprising addresses and proposals on education, Ikeda states, “Education is a uniquely human privilege. It is a source of inspiration that enables us to become fully and truly human, to fulfill a constructive mission in life with composure and confidence.” He further clarifies that the fundamental task of education “must be to ensure that knowledge serves to further the cause of human happiness and peace” and that it is for this reason that he considers education “the final and most crucially important undertaking” of his life. From this premise, Ikeda explores themes such as global citizenship, education for a sustainable future and the restoration of humanity in education.
The second section, addressed to students, contains a powerful message delivered at Soka University’s fourth entrance ceremony in 1974: “I urge you to understand that your mission is to acquire the wisdom that will enable you to use all forms of power for the sake of the happiness and peace of humankind. Know yourselves, and armed with that knowledge, study.”
The third section brings together Ikeda’s essays. In one, he shares poignant memories of his childhood and the teachers who inspired him and illuminated a path forward in the looming darkness of World War II. Although the war claimed the life of his eldest brother, Ikeda maintains his conviction that education “that empowers all people in their active quest for happiness and a better future” is essential to laying the foundations for “a new era of hope in the twenty-first century.”
The Light of Learning is a thought-provoking work that challenges conventional notions of education as merely the accumulation of knowledge or a path to privilege. Instead, it presents education as an ongoing process of awakening to one’s responsibility and potential to contribute to a more peaceful and humane world. The book creates a space for deep reflection. As Ikeda states: “We ourselves—in the place where we are at this moment—become the starting point for a chain reaction of positive transformation.”
CONTENTS
Forward by Jason Goulah, professor and director of
the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies, DePaul University
The Light of Learning (poem by Daisaku Ikeda)
Timeline
PART ONE: ADDRESSES AND PROPOSALS
- Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship (1996)
- Realizing a Sustainable Future Through the Power of Education (2002)
- Reviving Education: The Brilliance of the Inner Spirit (2001)
- Building a Society That Serves the Essential Needs of Education (2000)
- Humanity in Education (2000)
PART TWO: LECTURES FOR STUDENTS
- Be Creative Individuals (1973)
- The Flowering of Creative Life Force (1974)
- Youthful Efforts Become a Lifetime Treasure (2002)
- The University of the Twenty-First Century—Cradle of Global Citizens (2005)
PART THREE: ESSAYS
- The Traditions of Soka University (1998)
- The Dawn of a Century of Human Education (2000)
- Teachers of My Childhood (2004)
- Soka Women’s College—A Shining Citadel of Women’s Education (2003)
PART FOUR: BRIEF THOUGHTS
Appendix: John Dewey and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi:
Confluences of Thought and Action (2001)
Notes
Index
REVIEWS
“The writings in this volume are compelling and encouraging, a necessary guide in the uncertainty of our turbulent times and the urgency of the moment. They will resonate with all readers, whether scholar or practitioner, initiated or new to Ikeda’s work. Embodying his characteristic commitment to penetrating dialogue, they are ultimately an invitation to all of us to imagine possibility in the given, create value in our relationality, and to know others and ourselves and become truly human.”—From the forward by Jason Goulah, professor and director of the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies, DePaul University
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