On the Power of Mind, Wisdom and Experience

Vassja Velinova

R

EADERS’ approach to a book is a sign of its “long life” and when
new editions are published it indicates permanent reader interest. In
this particular case we are talking about three books, transformed into apart of an integral message to the 21st century with its contradictions andissues by the fact of their being reprinted in a set. The books were published in Bulgarian throughout the years—Choose Life in 1995, Before
It Is Too Late in 1997, The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart in 2000—but theirassociation through their simultaneous republication has its reasons inthe shared ideas, anxieties and insights.
A few words on the history of this type of books and their authors
would help the readers orientate better in respect of their contribution in
the intellectual demands in the last decades of the past 20th century andto evaluate their great merits and constructive potential.
From the 70s of the 20th century, a Japanese intellectual, humanitarianand religious figure, Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of one of themost influential Japanese cultural, religious and social organizations—Soka Gakkai—started a series of dialogues with prominent people fromthe spheres of politics, economics, culture, science and art. Among theparticipants in his dialogues, dedicated to worldly substantial social,political and cultural problems, are politicians like Henry Kissinger andMikhail Gorbachev, a remarkable figure like Fidel Castro, scientists like
Linus Pauling, Anatoli Logunov, Arnold Toynbee, writers like André
Malraux and Chingiz Aitmatov, intellectuals like Bryan Wilson andRené Huyghe. In this elite circle we are honoured that there is a Bulgarian name as well—prof. Aksinia Djurova, notable scientist and acknowledged expert in the field of history of culture and modern art. The
purpose of these dialogues is to represent the different points of view
and in an unorthodox way to propose directions for the future development of humankind. Being people of influence and universally recognized authority, their opinions are perceived as independent factors in
the global development.
The literary and philosophical dialogue is a genre form, known both23

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in the East and West since hoary antiquity. Confucius’s principles aredeveloped in the form of a dialogue; Plato’s dialogues are an inseparable
part of the ancient Greek heritage which later became the basis of all
European culture. Though a little left behind during the Renaissance, theClassicism and the Enlightenment transform the dialogue into aninterchange of messages held in the highest literary style, whilst in themodern ages the dialogue is almost as if left out of the intellectual andliterary interest. This is exactly why its new reappearance in Daisaku
Ikeda’s series of books is turned into a challenge for the readers andallows them to almost feel the contiguity between two types of mentality—the eastern, deeply absorbed in itself and metaphorical, using
poetical forms in its intellectual searches, and the western with its pragmatism, rationality and occasionally emphasized expression. In thosebooks different types of cultural traditions interact, enriching one another and creating the specific spiritual aura of the modern and critical
literary-philosophical dialogue. The modern person, deeply affected by
the extreme Samuel Huntington’s book on the collision of civilizations,looks at different cultures mainly in the light of confrontation; for him
or her these books open a new horizon of tolerance and mutual latitude
as a solid base for getting acquainted with the other and therefore—
through his or her eyes—with your own self.
The books were published in Bulgarian in a rather brief amount oftime—within the framework of five years. The original edition of the
dialogue with Arnold Toynbee is from 1976 (a year after his death) andthe one with Aurelio Peccei is from 1984 (also published after Peccei’s
death) and they bring us back to the newest European history around thetime of the Cold War. This fact should not be disregarded because it
converts the two books into an authentic proof of their time that even themost critical reader could value.
In regard to the third book, The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart, it has beenprocessed for over twenty years as the authors themselves say, and eventhough it has been published in 2000, in some parts it represents therealities in Bulgaria before the “changes” in 1989. Without falling into
nostalgic reminiscences I think that for many young people who know
about these times only from stories they heard and media publications
they read, this book contains valuable and impartial information about
an important period of our country’s history. Thus the three books complete each other both thematically and chronologically.
The first dialogue, entitled Choose Life, between D. Ikeda and A.
Toynbee, partially gives us an idea of the philosophical and culturalanthropological basis of a number of events of our present-day exis-

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tence. The second, Before It Is Too Late, a dialogue between D. Ikeda
and A. Peccei, adds specificity and pragmatical purpose of a variety ofideas mentioned in the first one. Moreover the Italian author’s appeal
towards the preservation of the environment and his fears for the futureof the Earth’s biosphere, supported readily by Ikeda, displays its authenticity today. The third dialogue is dedicated mainly to the cultural traditions, to their preservation as a sign of national identity. It has a very
gripping title for us as Bulgarians, The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart, and init the authors D. Ikeda and A. Djurova outline the importance of culture,art and national originality as a factor for spiritual survival in the globalizing world. The message of this dialogue, metaphorically situated on
the Silk Route, is one of the most important—it is an appeal for the salvation of humanity and true values in a world, seized by virtual reality,
profane mass media and all-powerful market rules.
The first two books—the dialogues Ikeda-Toynbee and IkedaPeccei—are a priceless source of information for the analytically predisposed reader with a sense towards history of contemporary geopolitics,
culture and social issues. They offer a representative extract of the modern society’s intellectual potential that created and partially realized theidea of a global world. In other words, the two books depict the globalization in different aspects of our life as it was contemplated with its
noble goals and humane motives, with doubts and uncertainties.
In the Ikeda-Toynbee dialogue, the issues of international politics areanalyzed profoundly in the entire second part of the book. In this partthe necessity of “abdication” of national countries is motivated, theorganic connection between economical growth and war is analyzed, theadvantages of Western democracy, represented as standard for a future
united world community, are outlined. The authors set forth—though
only theoretically—the idea of world unification and emphasize the scientific-technological revolution which shortens distance and assists
mutual understanding. On the basis of examples from European, Japanese and Chinese histories, the authors suggest fascinating reasoning on
how the world’s unification could be reached.
For everyone, acquainted with Toynbee’s encyclopedic knowledge
and historical and cultural determinism, this approach comes as no surprise. A world famous British historian, public figure, sociologist anddiplomat for 30 years, he had been Director of the scientific departmentof the Royal Institute for International Politics, and he had taken part in
the peace negotiations between the two World Wars which allowed him
to gather substantial knowledge on the (then) newest European history.
Beginning his career as a specialist on Ancient Greek and Byzan-

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tium’s history, Toynbee has developed a broad intellectual horizon andhas accumulated thorough learning on world cultures and civilizations.
Influenced by Oswald Spengler’s ideas, Toynbee creates his own modelof world history, where the Western civilization’s domination is given
unhesitatingly. The academic circle hardly apprehends synonymously
his fundamental work A Study of History; the reader can be critical
towards some of the author’s views, and yet the book remains a part ofEuropean cultural history and his ideas, supported by his authority of apublic figure, exerting influence on the development of the Old Continent.
The dialogue Choose Life raises several questions of present interest
that are yet to be answered. Probably the most reflection and discussions
are offered in the third part of the book which scrutinizes religion’splace in a modern society. Being an orthodox Buddhist, traditionalist
and a religious reformer to some extent, Daisaku Ikeda stakes a lot on
the religious upbringing as a tool for the accomplishment of “individual
spiritual revolution” which should change each person separately andtherefore the entire world. Adopting a rather moderate position, Toynbee
speaks of “supreme religions” that are in his opinion necessary as a spiritual stronghold for the modern person. It is highly unlikely that theWestern generation with its technological temptations would follow
such ideas without reservation.
The perspective of a world unification based on one universal religion
will probably remain a utopia. However we should note that several
formulations in the Buddhist principles, which aren’t a religion in the
traditional Christian meaning and rather a systematized philosophicalreligious experience, contain serious potential. The idea of purposefulspiritual self perfection, of achievement of unification with entire natureand of harmony of human activity with nature’s laws, have a particularpower of attraction even for the skeptical part of society, especially inmore developed countries where material prosperity comes hand in handwith moral decay. The Western European rationalism, strengthened in
the last few years by a misleading confidence in the infinite possibilities
of science and technology, is tangibly distinguished from the Eastern
ideology and approach towards the world. This is exactly why the internal, individual human revolution, disseminated by D. Ikeda, respectfully
called Sensei (Master) by his followers cannot be accepted wholeheartedly. Probably it would be necessary to search and find a way towards
spiritual progress but corresponding with the spiritual and culturalstereotypes inherent to every community.
Another moment represented in the books is a lot more important—

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aiming to preserve spiritual and moral standards that make us humanbeings, and in this aspect, the two authors have a lot to share with people nowadays. Even though they find it difficult to avoid the instructive
voice, they can’t hide their apprehensions for the future of humankind in
the process of uncontrolled development of technology, biotechnology
and the competition to prepare for war which threatens to take overspace as well.
The ideas deduced in theoretical aspect in the Ikeda-Toynbee dialogue
find a more tangible explanation in the next book—the Ikeda-Peccei dialogue. Italian businessman Aurelio Peccei is a world known figure. He
had headed firms like FIAT and Olivetti, participated in the founding ofseveral non-government organizations, and is author of a book entitled
The Quality Human, translated in Bulgarian. In 1968 Peccei founded
The Club of Rome together with Scottish scientist Alexander King.
According to its own definition, the Club is an organization of scientists,
economists, businessmen, high international officials, present and exheads of state, all convinced that the future of humankind is not predetermined once and for all and that every single person can contribute to
the improvement of our life. The Club of Rome attracts public attention
with its annual report entitled The Limits to Growth from 1968 (mentioned often in the dialogue), published in 1972 as an individual bookand translated into more than 30 languages. It is an original program
document that gives notice to Western governments about the necessityof decrease in consumption as far as the world’s resources are limited
and cannot be exploited endlessly. Though popular, the document
received serious criticism; however from the dialogue-book it becomes
clear it has been accepted seriously and has given its reflection on Western European countries for decades forth.
The Ikeda-Peccei dialogue, entitled Before It Is Too Late, presents
tangible issues and the aspects of a world transforming process that wecall globalization are being scrutinized. In the three chapters the ideas
for the overcoming of the national state can be traced not only theoretically but also practically. It is here that Peccei uses the catch-phrase“Think globally, act locally” which today helps globalism’s theoreticians and practicians speak about “glocalization” which, according tosome authors, describes better the permanent and systematic interaction
between global and local factors in the still building world society.
Having developed their ideas in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century,
when humankind still lived in a bipolar world, D. Ikeda and A. Peccei
emphasize the problems of nuclear arming and the threats it poses to all
people. In a time when the world domination was separated between the

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two superpowers, USA and USSR, it is understandable why the authors
place the subject of disarming in the center of their discussions. Even
though nowadays the USSR doesn’t exist any more, the two countries’
nuclear arsenals are reality and the control over those arsenals is a question of security and survival of worldwide significance.
The rapacious attitude towards nature, the irrational waste of theworld’s resources and pollution of the environment are the components
of a future ecological catastrophe which the authors forewarn about.
Today, more than a quarter of a century after the publication of the dialogue we have the same fears, we talk about climate changes, and we
ask ourselves how long this irresponsibility regarding the natural
resources and the Earth—our home—will go on. The deforestation of
the rain forests, the increase in the noxious gases emissions, the pollution with toxic waste—the other, hidden face of the global technologicalprogress—threatens in the near future to transform the planet into a notsuch a good place to live. The questions asked more than a quarter of acentury ago are alive today but the answers remain unknown. Thus theideas, suggestions and anxious appeals towards the future generations
sent by the two authors need our undivided attention, reflection and
immediate actions. As A. Peccei says, humanity has never been so
threatened standing at the peak of its technologic development to be
destroyed by the exact same technological development because of theinability to control it. The Enlightenment’s cult towards reason, rational
knowledge and learning in general, cultivated for more than three centuries within our civilization, shows the power of human intelligence.
But whether we are intelligent enough to master our own strength is aquestion which I am afraid cannot be answered with ease.
The two dialogues shortly represented here allow us to go back to theformation, discussion and gradual imposing of globalism as a world policy. If in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, this concept was known
mainly to experts in the fields of international relations, geopolitics,
modern philosophy and political science, today it is an everyday word.
We live in a reality designed decades earlier—the world of globalization
as it is. Nowadays the critics of globalism are as many as its supporters.
Clearly aware that the world cannot develop without change, we rather
ask ourselves whether the chosen direction is the right one.
The modern man, witness of the bombing of Belgrade, the September
11 attacks and the following weird “war against world terrorism”, theactual war in Iraq, the economic wars hidden behind the mask of caring
for the consumer, the powerful invasion of mass culture—often withquestionable quality and yet good market acceptance—ever more criti-

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29

cally asks oneself whether behind the seeming free-will society a super
power’s ambition for hegemony and world domination is hidden. The
recent events on the Balkans—reshaping boundaries and the announcement of Kosovo for a sovereign state against the Serbian government
and people’s will—make us wonder why the idea of world unification
come hand in hand with fragmentation of its regions and how exactly
we should explain the reviving of nationalism in all parts of the globe.
The double standard on all possible levels—economy, politics, culture—bears in itself the potential to turn globalization into yet another unsuccessful experiment which illustrates the abyss between a good idea andits practical realization.
The modern world remains open towards different points of view,
critical revaluations and dialogue. In this context, the two books have arather cognitive value as they represent some little known facts of European history as well as plentiful information about the traditions, theway of life and thinking, the religious beliefs in Japan and in general in
the Eastern countries. Due to Dr. Ikeda’s erudition, many sides of Japanese everyday life, the peculiarities of his spiritual world, and thespecifics of the Buddhist religion become clear and simple even for theunprepared reader. The Japanese author’s position, based on the experience accumulated for centuries in one of the world’s oldest countries—
Japan—, the wisdom he gets from his religious knowledge and the clear
awareness for an achieved spiritual harmony, make him an exceptional
interlocutor, bearer of the enigmatic for the European ability for self
absorption and penetration beyond the visible form of things towards
their true essence. This Ikeda’s approach towards the problems represented in the dialogues adds continuity and persuasiveness to his position.
Based on everything said so far, the third dialogue The Beauty of a
Lion’s Heart occupies a rather different place in the reasoning for theworld’s fate. This is not only due to the fact that a very prominent Bulgarian scientist participates in it. Except for the normal pride we share
as Bulgarians to have a Bulgarian name in this “alley of world glory”,
we have to add the fact that the dialogue between D. Ikeda and A.
Djurova is a rehabilitation of true human values in a world subdued bymarket mechanisms, a rehabilitation of spirituality and humanity andnot lastly—a marvelous presentation of Bulgarian culture with its richness, traditions and supreme achievements. It is barely necessary to present A. Djurova to the Bulgarian reader. Professor in Sofia University
for many years, Ph.D. of the Center for Slavonic-Byzantine studies“Ivan Dujcev”, as of recently international member of the Serbian acad-

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ON THE POWER OF MIND, WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE

emy of science and art, an honorary doctor of Soka University in Tokyo,
she possesses a wide variety of knowledge in the area of history of art
and culture as well as the area of modern fine arts. A sophisticated aesthete, with sense for details, she has always upheld a firm civil position
which is a result of family background and her personal beliefs. This
explains D. Ikeda’s decision to have precisely her as an interlocutor in
his dialogue for Bulgaria, being a cultural and religious figure as well as
an aesthete and passionate photographer.
The two authors declare their common goal to present the “small”
nation’s cultures with clear consciousness that in the cultural history ofhumankind there are no “small” or “big” peoples. The main idea in the
dialogue is that every distinctive cultural tradition should find place inthe ever-changing world because this is the foundation of national identity. The depersonalization of different traditions and the unification of
the diverse human spirituality is the most dreadful defeat that could possibly be inflicted upon the world, and the two participants in the dialogue unconditionally oppose that tendency. According to Ikeda, Japanand Bulgaria stand on two very distant points of the Silk Route but thisis a challenge for them to become better acquainted. As he repeatedlyemphasizes, the Silk Route doesn’t divide but unites the nations that liveon its trace, it is the surroundings that made possible the exchange ofknowledge, technology and works of art. As I mentioned before, in this
dialogue the Silk Route is a wonderful metaphor of the ever-changing
and unifying world. But the most essential part of the book is that it
depicts a world governed by spirituality, humanity and aesthetics.
The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart was completed in 1999 and was published in Japanese. The book roused so much interest that as early as thefollowing year there was a second printing. The time the readers becamefamiliar with through reading the book was a time of changes. Repeatedly from its pages A. Djurova refers to this topic based on the Bulgarian experience. She speaks of the social price of the transitional period,
the pros and cons of a process that changed the face of Europe.
Although in terms of time Bulgaria has only small experience as part of
the EU, we can see ideas in the dialogue that outran their time. We canverify from our own experience how market principles affect delicate
spheres like culture and art and vital areas such as education and healthservice.
The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart, despite its critical tone at times, is an
optimistic book. It convincingly shows us through examples from centuries-old histories of Bulgaria and Japan that the nations are stronger
than time’s whims. The wisdom of survival, which is deep-seated inON THE POWER OF MIND, WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE

31

smaller nations and peoples and the strength of their spirit (the parity
with the portrait of the lion is not accidental either for Bulgaria or forJapan), are a guarantee for their future. The message of the book that
forthcoming generations will find in themselves strength, courage andmost of all wisdom to defend their own national and cultural dignity,
gives a positive touch amongst the authors’ fears. It is not accidental thatin the chapter dedicated to Bulgaria and Japan in the 21st century theparticipants devote their attention to their apprehensions for a future
development in the conditions of the “new world order” with all theconvention this concept bears. For Djurova, the main problem on the
Balkans is the ethnic differences which, being instigated from foreign
geopolitical interests, cause armed conflicts. She sees Bulgaria’s mission
precisely in the direction of overcoming ethnic tension. But as theauthoress writes, the result of these interests is a “policy of imposed
peace”, “limited sovereignty”, and even “protectorate” status. The recent
separation of Kosovo is yet another illustration of her standpoint.
The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart presents two main problems—isn’t theprice we have to pay for the world’s transformation into a global structure too high and how can spirituality be protected from the consumers’society liberalism, where everything is permitted and everything has aprice. The optimism of the architects of the global world seems rather
far-fetched, according to some authors even “surrealistic”. Neverthelesscritics and supporters of the process alike admit that it’s a reality. And in
this exact reality we have to find a way to go back to the ancient humanvalues, as traditional as that may sound. It is difficult to prognosticate
the direction in which humanity will continue its way in the 21st century—a century that started off dramatically, generating tension and “hotpoints” at multiple places in the world. Probably we are in a process ofgiving new meaning to the impulse for a united world from the end of
the last century. We have to start thinking about the fact that we cannot
live forever in a post-society—post-industrial, post-capitalistic, postmodern, and recently post-pessimistic. It is high time that humanity’s
intellectual energy be directed in a constructive direction, it is high timethat we turn into a pre-society, a model for a more humane world.
Whether this will happen through neutralizing the negative sides ofglobalization, or by going back to traditional cultures, or with the creation of a worldwide religion is impossible to prognosticate, exactly
because the world is so diverse and often contradictory. One thing issure—in order to choose the right direction, to uphold the humane principles, to “choose life”, not only courage but also a sense of duty andresponsibility is required. I think in this aspect that the three dialogues

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have a lot to tell their readers. And if we take them not as obligatory
directions but as cause for reflection and revaluation, even as a cause forpolemics, I am convinced that the efforts of the authors, publishers andeveryone else who contributed in a way would not have been in vain.