IOP
NEWSLETTER
No. 2

The Institute ofOriental Philosophy

Table of Contents

30th Annual Conference---------------------------------------------- 2-3
Exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------- 4-5
Public Lecture Series------------------------------------------------- 6-8
Intercivilizational and Interreligious dialogues--------------------- 9“Society and Religion” Research Meetings----------------------- 10
Lectures ------------------------------------------------------------ 11-15
16-17
Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series-------------------------------------- 16-17
16-17
International Academic Exchange--------------------------------- 18
Publications--------------------------------------------------------- 19-21
IOP Newsletter No. 2 covers the news ofevents and books published between Marchand December 2015.

1

CELEBRATING its 30th anniversary, theOn March 21 and 22, 2015, the Instituteof Oriental Philosophy (IOP) held its
30th Annual Conference at Soka
University and the IOP respectively.
Since its inauguration, the IOP Annual
Conferences have been held with the aimof achieving a global civilization throughthe study of various topics including the
Lotus
Sutra,
interreligiousandintercivili- zational dialogue, peace,
human rights and the environment.

IOP invited Associate Professor Dr. Raihanah
Abdullah, deputy dean of Humanities
Research Cluster, University of Malaya, andAssociate Professor Dr. Faridah Noor, Centre
for Civilisational Dialogue, University of
Malaya (UMCCD) as distinguished guests. A
symposium was held in the afternoon ofMarch 21 on the theme, “Intercivilizational
Dialogue: Toward the Mutual Understandingof Buddhism and Islam.”
In October 2012, the IOP and UMCCD
co-organized a joint symposium titled,“Intercivilisational Dialogue towards Peace,
Harmonious Coexistence and Sustainability”
held at the University of Malaya in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The IOP and UMCCD
signed a MoU in the presence of Malaysia’s
former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad, who also gave a keynote address
at the symposium.
In February 2014, the exhibition “The Lotus
Sutra—A Message of Peace and Harmonious
Coexistence” was held at Wisma Kebudayaan
SGM (SGM Grand Culture Center) in Kuala
Lumpur. During this period, the IOP,
UMCCD, Department of National Unity andIntegration, Prime Minister’s Department,
and Soka Gakkai Malaysia jointly organized aconference on the theme of “Peace andHarmonious Coexistence ― an Islamic
Buddhist Dialogue.” Through these exchanges,
the IOP and UMCCD have been promoting
mutual understanding between Buddhism
and Islam.

Professor Dato’ Dr. Christopher Boey

At the recent symposium, Dr. Raihanahdelivered her speech titled “Gender Equality
in Islam.” In her speech, she noted that theconcept of equality between men and womenis emphasized in the Qur’an, and it serves as
the foundation of policy and legal provisions,
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faridah Noor (Left),
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raihanah Abdullah (Right)

2

30th Annual Conference

including Islamic Family Laws that havebeen promulgated in several Islamic
jurisdictions. Nonetheless, this concept hasoften been misunderstood.

In conjunction with the symposium, the IOP
held research meetings on March 21 and 22.
The programs of the meetings are as follows:

March 21She stressed that discrimination against
women needs to be eliminated, and thatthe basic human rights, economic and social
status of women in contemporary society
must be guaranteed.

・”On Belief Succession of New Religious
Group in Japan” by Dr. Sunao Taira, IOP
research fellow
・”Nietzsche’s Theory of Life and Makiguchi’s
Theory of Value” by Prof. Jiro Oguma, IOP
commissioned research fellow
・”From Coexistence to Conflict: Changes inand Collapse of Coexistent Systems in the
Ottoman Empire” by Dr. Hideki Iwaki, IOP
commissioned research fellow
・”The good for the community in Islam andBuddhist perspectives, a comparative
analysis” by Dr. Francesca Corrao, IOP
overseas research fellow

Dr. Faridah Noor, a linguist, analyzed thelanguage features of the Lotus Sutra's fifth
chapter, “Parable of the Medicinal Herbs”
translated by Burton Watson. In her
presentation, she focused on the language ofimpartiality in the Lotus Sutra and shared herunderstanding of the principal of co-existencein the parable, which is that people ofdifferent backgrounds, status and gender live
together in harmony while respecting eachother’s rights. She commented that theconcept of equality exists both in Islam andBuddhism and that it is vital for them to holdopen dialogues so that we can co-exist andshare our enriching qualities with each other.

March 22・”Kyogen Illustrations and Paintings in Edo
Period―Through them, what we can see about
Kyogen” by Dr. Michiko Fujioka, IOP
commissioned research fellow・ ”Some Remarks on “Ten Such's” in theSecond Chapter of the Miaofa lianhua jing” by
Dr. Ken'ichi Maegawa, IOP research fellow
・ ”Aiming at the development of a newcosmology―Considerations Based on the
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Nāgārujuna’sMiddle Way)―” by Assoc. Prof. Hiroshi Aoki,
IOP commissioned research fellow・ ”Nichiren’s Esho-funi View and Trial
Approach to Forest Conservation” by Dr.
Akira Hiratsuka and Prof. Kenzo Wakae, IOP
commissioned research fellows
・”Prevention of the Bullying Cycle and Beliefin Fairness” by Prof. Yuichi Toda, IOP
commissioned research fellow

Other presentations given at the symposiuminclude:・”Dialogue Between Islam and Buddhism inMedicine” by Professor Dato’ Dr. Christopher
Boey Chiong Meng, deputy dean, Faculty of
Medicine, University of Malaya and IOP
overseas research fellow
・”Gender Equality in Buddhism in the periodof Buddha” by Dr. Toshie Kurihara, IOP
senior research fellow・ ”Harmony and Coexistence in Islamic
Philosophy ― The Emanation-Theory inal-Fārābī’s The Excellent City―”by Dr. Tatsuya
Yamazaki, IOP research fellow.

3

“The Lotus Sutra―Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence” exhibition was sponsored by
the IOP. While introducing how Buddhism, which originated in India, spread widely across Asiaand other parts of the world, the exhibition focuses on the message of peace and coexistence astaught in the Lotus Sutra. To date, the exhibition has toured 12 countries and territories and morethan 500,000 people have viewed it.
Exhibition held in Taipei, Taiwan
From January 25 to April 10, the exhibition was held in
Taiwan for the second time at Changhua Culture
Center of Taiwan Soka Association. The first exhibition
was held at Zhi Shan Culture Center in Taipei in 2013.
On display were photographic panels of the renowned
Dunhuang Murals and other pieces including
reproductions of Lotus Sutra manuscripts in various
languages and of the Soka Gakkai Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Series.

To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, the Traditional Chinese language edition of
Guidebook: "The Lotus Sutra–A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence" Exhibition (translated
and edited by Chin-Shuan Cultural and Educational Foundation) was published on January 26.
Exhibition held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
From May 2 to July 19, the exhibition was held at theFongshan Cultural Center of the Taiwan Soka
Association in Kaohsiun City. At the opening
ceremony, Wu Lien-shang, President of National
Kaohsiung Normal University, delivered acongratulatory address. He referred to the crisis of“The Clash of Civilizations” facing the contemporary
world, and emphasized that the causes of such acrisis are rooted in the human heart. “In order toharmonize people’s hearts to prevent such clashes,
and to fuse the eastern and western worlds, the spirit of the Lotus Sutra is vital” he said.

At the ceremony, together with Prof. Hung and President Wu, Ping Yu, Director of the Graduate
Institute of Adult Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Tseng Tzu-wen, head of the
Civil Affairs Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Chao Pei, Dean of Department of Marketingand Distribution Management at National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology,
and Chao Lin, General Director of Taiwan Soka Association, participated in the ribbon-cutting.

4

Exhibitions

Exhibition held in Hong Kong
From May 3 to 25, the exhibition was held at the SGI
Hong Kong Culture Center. Hong Kong is the place
where the exhibition was initiated in November
2006.

Compared to the first exhibition, the second one has
improved both in quality and quantity, in parallelwith the research conducted by the IOP.
At the venue, panels introducing the history of the transmission of Buddhism are set in six
different areas, and more than 80 exhibits related to Buddhism are on display. The Facsimile
Edition of the Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of theRussian Academy of Sciences and a panel of Dung Hung Wall paintings, an archive of Buddhist
art, are also open to public inspection.
The exhibition also features renowned contemporary sinologist Professor Jao Tsung-I ’ scalligraphies including, Nyo Renge Zaisui [Like a lotus flower floating on the water], which is
written in the Lotus Sutra. In his speech, he expressed his high hopes for the Lotus Sutra
Exhibition and said, “Those manuscripts are the results of the efforts of many namelesschampions. They are not only archeological materials, but also the crystallization of the wisdom,
faith and hope of numerous individuals. I feel the great vitality of human beings from each andevery character on the manuscripts.” He continued, “I hope the message of peace and co-existence
will continue to spread and that many more people will come to understand the wisdom of the
Buddha.”Exhibition held in Taoyuan, Taiwan
The exhibition was held for the third time in Taiwan
at SGI-Taiwan Taoyuan Culture Center.
The opening ceremony took place on August 15 2015
in order to coincide with the 70th anniversary of
the end of World War II.

The delegates who participated in the ribbon-cuttingat the opening ceremony included Taoyuan Mayor
Cheng Wen-tsan, Chuang Hsiu-mei, Taoyuan citycommissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Chen Chiming, curator at the National
Taiwan Museum, Pao-yao Lin, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Fine Arts at the Taipei
National University of the Arts, and Chen Ching-hsiang, Professor of Department of History at the
Chinese Culture University
The exhibition had continued through November 8, and more than 54,000 people visited there
during the opening period. Prestigious newspapers, The China Times and Taiwan Newspaper, also
reported on the highlights of the exhibition.

5

PUBLIC LECTURE SERIESIn 2014, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) hosted the lecture series, “The Path
Toward a Global Civilization.” In order to find solutions to the myriad problems facing
modern society, we divided them into three categories of “environmental problems,”“political, social and economic issues,” and “crisis of the human spirit” and attempted tofind a way to realize “coexistence between humans and nature,” “harmonious
coexistence among human beings,” and “transformation of the human spirit.”
To disseminate universal values respected by all people, the IOP extended last year’s
theme and hosted five lectures in September and October, 2015.

Lecturer: Dr. Ryosuke Inagaki (Honorary Professor,
Kyushu University)
Venue: Acros Fukuoka (Fukuoka City)
Date:
September 8, 2015
Theme: Wisdom and Self―A Dialogue Between
Buddhism and Christianity
Professor Inagaki graduated from the University of Tokyo and obtained his PhD from the
Catholic University of America. He has taught at Nanzan University, Kyushu University,
Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University, Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University and several otheruniversities. To date, he has translated publications by Thomas Aquinas, the prominent
theologian of the Medieval Period, including the Summa Theologiae.
In his lecture, Professor Inagaki touched upon the relationship between wisdom and self.
He remarked that the ultimate goal of life is to be happy and that happiness is somethingthat all people wish for. He stressed that, in order to achieve happiness, people need to
strive to find themselves. “The act of knowing cannot be understood only in a scientificway. As we transform knowledge into wisdom, we can transform this one-sided view ofknowing.” He added that “In Latin, the word ‘wisdom’ includes the meaning of savor,
thus polishing knowledge and savoring the truth is the actual meaning of wisdom.”

6

Public Lecture Series

Lecturer: Prof. Naoshi Yamawaki (Honorary Professor,
The University of Tokyo/Dean of Faculty ofBiochemistry, Seisa University)
Venue: TKP Ichigaya Conference Center (Shinjuku
Ward, Tokyo)
Date:
September 17, 2015
Theme: Public Philosophy of Religion―Toward Interreligious Dialogue
Professor Yamawaki graduated from Hitotsubashi University and received his PhD fromthe University of Munich in Germany. He has taught at Tokai University, Sophia
University, and the University of Tokyo. He is specialized in public philosophy and thehistory of social thought.
In a lecture, he emphasized that public philosophy should not be mere hollow theory but
should rather be considered in various areas such as politics, economics, education andreligion. He stressed that faith needs to be understood as universal public activities, andreligion’s public philosophy should serve to bond “us” and “others.” Professor Yamawaki
further remarked that public philosophy is something that accepts differences in otherreligions and that creates public good and values in an unequal society. He added that
believers of any religions should not be fundamentalists or relativists who insist on theirown view of things.

Lecturer: Dr. Shuntaro Ito (Honorary President for
Life, The International Society for theComparative Study of Civilizations/
Honorary Professor, The University ofTokyo)
Venue: TKP Ichigaya Conference Center(Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo)
Date:
September 29, 2015
Theme: Transition Stage of Civilizations —The Past
and the Future of Humanity
Dr. Ito graduated from the University of Tokyo and obtained his PhD from the Universityof Wisconsin in the U.S. To date, he has taught at the University of Tokyo, the Universityof Copenhagen, and Universität Tübingen in Germany.
In his lecture, Dr. Ito suggested that there had been five stages of civilization, which hereferred to as: 1) the anthropic revolution, 2) the agricultural revolution, 3) the urban
revolution, 4) the spiritual revolution, and 5) the scientific revolution. Contemporarysociety is now facing the sixth transition, which he calls “the environmental revolution.”He stressed that humanity should start thinking about which path to travel from now,and emphasized the importance of peace and coexistence with nature.

7

Public Lecture Series

Lecturer: Prof. Yutaka Ishigami (Professor, Soka
University / Senior Research Fellow, The
Institute of Oriental Philosophy)
Venue: TKP Ichigaya Conference Center(Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo)
October 15, 2015
Date:
Theme: The Power to Build the 21st Century―Learning from Wisdom of Socrates and Kant
Professor Ishigami is a specialist in Philosophy and Ethics. He was the dean of the facultyof literature at Soka University, and from this year, has been serving as a senior research
fellow at the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. He has been leading a study on Arnold J.
Toynbee and a comparative study of civilizations.
In his lecture, Professor Ishigami remarked that the act of thinking is soft power that
nurtures mankind, but to suppress the act of thinking by violence is defined as hard
power. Socrates connected people by the power of words, and Kant made human beings
respect worthy as subjects of autonomy. He also stated that both Socrates and Kant
perceived the eternity of life and sought the happiness of humanity based on thisawareness. “Their views and thoughts on mankind provide many suggestions for solving
myriad problems facing the contemporary society.”

Lecturer: Dr. Monte Cassim (Director, Kyoto Museum
for World Peace, Ritumeikan University /Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Venue: Umeda Sky Building (Osaka city)
Date:
October 29. 2015
Theme: The Relationships Among Life, Art, ScientificTechnique
Dr. Cassim is from Sri Lanka. He is a specialist in architectonics and urban engineeringand obtained his MA from the University of Tokyo. He has served as a dean at
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and as vice president of Ritsumeikan University.
Currently, he is the director of Kyoto Museum for World Peace, and is actively engaged inissues related to peace, education and the environment.
Dr. Cassim started off the lecture by saying that life is the most essential theme of which
the Institute of Oriental Philosophy has dealt with. He then questioned why humanbeings hate and avoid each other rather than trying to support each other. As a scientist,he has examined many forms of life starting with microorganisms. Through thoseexperiences, he learned that life itself is vigorous and always does its best to survive in thecircumstances it finds itself in.

8

To enhance the understanding of diverse religions around the world, the IOP
organized initiatives on inter-civilizational and interreligious dialogue by holding
lectures on Eastern Christianity, Catholic theology and Islamic studies.

September 1
Dr. Naoko Sato
(Director, Institute of Medieval Thought/Professor, Sophia University)“’Credere’ and ‘Intelligere’ in Augustine's De
libero arbirtio II”

February 17
Dr. Kyoko Nakanishi(Research Fellow, The Graduate School of
Humanities at the University of Tokyo)“From Nicaea to Chalcedon: theChristological Controversy and Church
Politics in the Late Antique East”

October 1
Dr. Junichi Iwamoto (Senior coordinator,
Translation Section at Japan Bible Society)“Rationality of Faith ― Communality ofModern Catholicism”

April 9Dr. Masaki Omori(Honorary Professor, Nanzan University)“The Meaning of the Hesychastic
Controversy—Gregory Palamas and the
Theology of the Eastern Church”

October 27
Prof. Dr. Hisao Miyamoto(Professor, Tokyo Junshin University)“Overcoming the Radical Evil”
December 10
Prof. Dr. Kohei Shibamoto(Part-time Lecturer, Sophia University)“The Theological Philosophy of Thomas
Aquinas”

June 9Dr. Rei Hakamada (Postdoctoral Fellow,
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)“Life and Death in Orthodox Christianity”
June 23
Prof. Yoshihiro Kon(Honorary Professor, University of
Yamanashi)"Dionysius Areopagita”

December 8
Prof. Dr. Yasushi Tonaga (Director, Japan
Association for Middle East Studies/
Professor, Graduate School of Kyoto
University)“Some Aspects of Sufism: the Notions ofFana”

July 28
Prof. Shigeki Tsuchihashi(Professor, Chuo University)“The Spirituality in the Eastern Christianity”

9

“Society and Religion” Research Meetings
The Institute of Oriental Philosophy has invited experts from various fields of thought, religion
and philosophy while also hosting lectures and discussion sessions for research fellows.
May 15
Dr. Shuntaro Ito(Honorary President for Life, The
International Society for theComparative Study of
Civilizations/ Honorary Professor,
The University of Tokyo)“Nishida, Whitehead and Prigogine—Linkages among their Thoughtson ‘Becoming’”
May 20Dr. Tsuyoshi Kojima(Professor, The University of Tokyo)“Accepting Neo-Confucianism inJapan”

July 30
Prof. Naoshi Yamawaki(Honorary Professor, The Universityof Tokyo/ Dean of Faculty ofBiochemistry, Seisa University)“Rethinking the Role andSignificance of Public Philosophy

October 13
Dr. Haruko Okano (Former
President, Seisen University)“View of Women in Christianity――Its Virtual image and Reality”

November 4
Dr. Tsuyoshi Kojima(Professor, The University of Tokyo)“The theory of Li-Ch'i and the theoryof Mind in Neo-Confucianism”

10Lecturer: Associate Professor Dr. Raihanah
Abdullah, dean of Humanities Research
Cluster, University of Malaya
Date: March 22, 2015
Venue: Nippon-Seinenkan (Shinjuku
Ward, Tokyo)

DR. Raihanah is Dean of Humanities
Research Cluster at the University of Malaya(UM) and Associate Professor at the
Department of Shariah and Law, Academy ofIslamic Studies, UM. Her research areas are
Islamic Family Law, Islamic Law and Gender,and Islamic Law and Society. She is currently
engaged in research on the role of women inbuilding peace and harmony.

In the public lecture titled, “Women andYouth in Civilizational Dialogue,” shereferred to the negative stereotypes ofMuslims that have spread in contemporarysociety and said, “I stand here hoping topresent to you an alternative image ― andimage that is less typical, less stereotypical, an
image that portrays difference, and at thesame time also seeks coexistence.” She statedthat women and youth in theIslamic world suppressed by
the aforementioned negative
images. Therefore, for Islamic
civilization to be able to soar aagain, they must be allowed to
speak for themselves.
themselves.
Dr. Raihanah also touched
upon the recent tragic events inhistory including colonialism, conflicts andwars, and stressed the necessity to utilize
dialogue for the sake of civilizational
coexistence. In closing, she expressed her
wish that the continued collaboration between
UMCCD and the IOP would facilitate thesuccessful outcomes of the initiatives for
dialogue and peace in the near future, andthat Malaysia and Japan become examples forthe international community in civilizational
dialogue.

To date, Dr. Raihanah has been promoting
exchanges between the Centre
for Civilisational Dialogue, theUniversity of Malaya (UMCC
D) and the Institute of Oriental
Philosophy (IOP) including thejoint symposium, “Intercivilisational Dialogue Towards Peace,
Harmonious Coexistence andSustainability” held in October,2012. Prior to the public lecture,
she presented a lecture entitled “Gender
Equality in Islam” at the IOP’s 30th Annual
Conference on March 21 at Soka University.

11Lectures

Lecturer: Dr. Shihab M. A. Ghanem and
Dr. Waddhah S. Ghanem
Date: June 6, 2015
Venue: Soka University (Hachioji City,
Tokyo)ON June 6, 2015, the Institute of Oriental

Philosophy (IOP) organized a lecture titled,“Al Fatihah―The Opening Chapter of the
Quran” by Dr. Shihab M. A. Ghanem and Dr.
Waddhah Ghanem held at the Central Towerof Soka University.

Dr. Shihab M. A. Ghanem is a poet, translator
and scholar from Dubai, UAE. To date, he has
published over 50 books, including 14
collected poems in Arabic, a collected poem inEnglish and 20 collected poems translated
from English to Arabic and Arabic to English.
Dr. Ghanem also directed and worked on the
Arabic edition of SGI President Ikeda’s book,
Fighting for Peace (Dubai, 2014). He carriesout research on Al Fatihah togetherwith hisson, Dr. Waddhah S. Ghanem.
In his speech, Dr. Shihab Ghanem presented
some similarities between Nichiren Buddhism
and Islam. He mentioned that, as Buddhism
also suggests, Islam proposes the idea of theeternity of life, the equality of all life, andemphasizes the importance of harmony andcoexistence with other religions. He further
explained that in Islam Jihad does not refer to
war or combat but rather to an inner struggle
with oneself.
Following his speech, Dr. Waddhah Ghanemgave a summary of Al Fatifah, which is the
opening chapter of the Quran. He explainedthat Al Fatifah has multiple names such as

Dr. Shihab Ghanem (Center),Ghanem (Second from right)

Dr.

Waddhah“The Mother of the Quran,” “The Seven
Oft-repeated Ones,” “The Complete One,”“The One that Suffices,” and “The Curing
One,” indicating that it is the most essential
part of the Quran. He also mentioned that Al
Fatifah praises and appreciates Allah as thesource of absolute and infinite mercy andrecognizes Allah as king, master, or sovereignon the Day of Judgement.
In a question and answer session, Dr.
Waddhah Ghanem commented that mankind
was created as a collective and that we cannot
live on our own, which is why Islam teaches
us to contribute to society. Therefore,
whatever is good for society is consideredgood for individuals.
To the question of the meaning of prayer inIslam, Dr. Shihab Ghanem replied thatthrough prayer, we can directly communicate
with Allah and cleanse ourselves. Dr.
Waddhah said that God created a spirit andgave it to man. In this sense, we all have
God’s spirit, and all human beings are
therefore equal.

12Lectures

In his lecture, Dr Radhakrishnan said, “Mywife and I went to Ishinomaki City, Miyagi
Preferecture. The area had been devastated by
the tsunami that hit there four years earlier.
What we saw there brought tears to our eyes.
It was heart-wrenching and would have beenvery difficult for anyone not to weep uponseeing what we witnessed there, even after
four years of reconstruction. ‘Gambaro!
Ishinomaki.’ (Don’t give up, Ishinomaki!) I
learned from this expression how the local
people faced their problems with courage,
and how they stood up and fought for justice.
I was reminded that we humans can face any
problems we may encounter with courage,
conviction, and the inner fortitude that resides
in each of us.”

Lecturer: Dr. N. Radhakrishnan
Date: June 18, 2015
Venue: Sendai City Welfare Plaza(Sendai City)

Dr. N. Radhakrishnan presented a lecture

Dr. Radhakrishnan elaborated on thethoughts and actions of Mahatma Gandhi and
SGI President Ikeda and said that the way
they interpreted social change and individual
capacities have very interesting similarities.
He said, “Gandhi and SGI President Ikeda
have stressed the importance of educating,trusting and empowering women so that we
can create a world without war and hatred
but with harmony, tolerance, and respectvalue of harmony in human survival.
Harmony is needed within individuals as well
as for peace in society. Ultimately, it acts like abeacon for world peace.”titled, “Building Resilient and Sustainable
Societies: Lessons from Gandhi and Dr.
Ikeda” in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture on June18, 2015.
Prior to the lecture, Dr. Radhakrishnan andhis wife visited Ishinomaki city in Miyagi
prefecture, an area severely damaged by theGreat East Japan Earthquake on March 11,
2011. He was explained how high and far
inland the tsunami reached at that time.

13

Lectures

Lecturer: Dr. Wei Lixin (Guangdong
University of Foreign Studies)
Date: August 6, 2015
Venue: TKP Ichigaya Conference Center(Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo)

PLixinrofessorWeiearned his
PhD in history at
Jinan University.
His fields of research
are Sino-Japan
Buddhist Culture
and the History ofJapanese Buddhist
Thought. He is a
Senior professor
at the East Asia
Research Center, Guangdong University ofForeign
Studies(GDUFS)inChina,
Vice-president of the Chinese Society forStudying
Japanese
Philosophies,
andChairman of the China Japanese History
Association’s Committee for Ancient History.
As the first director of the Daisaku Ikeda
Research Institute of Jinan University at
GDUFS, he has presented insightful researchon SGI President Ikeda’s thoughts andphilosophy, the founder of the Institute ofOriental Philosophy (IOP).

Professor Wei expressed his respect toward
SGI President Ikeda for proposing thenormalization of diplomatic relations between
China and Japan in the 1960s when thepolitical climate between the two countries
was strained. He also emphasized thehistorical significance of the proposal, andquoted Zhou Enlai’s comment that “Whenyou drink water, think of its source.”
Furthermore, he referred to SGI President
Ikeda’s philosophy and said, “His philosophy
is what China should take as a model infostering a harmonious culture and society.”
He expressed his belief that Daisaku Ikeda’s
philosophy, which stresses the importance ofprotecting the dignity of life and respecting
each individual, would surely be understoodand accepted in China in the future.
He also remarked that SGI President Ikeda’s
messages are the crystallization of oriental
wisdom, which draws on the Lotus Sutra tosolve myriad problems facing contemporarysociety. In this spirit, he said, research on
Daisaku Ikeda’s philosophy will continue tospread in China.

At the lecture, he remarked that research andsymposiums on SGI President Ikeda’s
thoughts and philosophy in Chinese academia
have steadily increased over the last ten years.

14

Lecturestranslated into various languages. He also
praised the value of the Lotus Sutra and said
that it is a priceless gem in the vast universeof a Buddhist canon and is the highest
teaching within a collection of eighty
thousand teachings. He commented that thenature of the Lotus Sutra remains unchanged
over time, but is expressed with incredible
diversity in a range of infinite possibilities.
The Lotus Sutra teaches that the mostsupreme life condition can be expressed inevery single moment of life. “World peace canbe realized by the small efforts that each of us
make every day. The spirit of the Lotus Sutra
teaches us to take concrete actions for thehappiness of all people,” he said.

Lecturer: Prof. Carlos Manuel Rua(Director, Escuela de Estudios Orientales)
Date: October 12, 2015
Venue: TKP Ichigaya Conference Center(Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo)

Professor Carlos Manuel Rua graduatedfrom the Universidad del Salvador, Argentina
and obtained his PhD in bioethics from thePontifical Catholic University of Argentina.
He also serves as a director of Escuela deEstudios Orientales (School of Oriental
Studies), Rev. Padre Ismael Quiles S. J.
In his lecture, Prof. Rua commented on the“The Lotus Sutra―A Message of Peace andHarmonious Coexistence” exhibition held in
Argentina in September 2014, saying thatthrough the exhibition, he was able to have a
direct encounter with the Buddhist tradition
and the profound teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
He expressed his appreciation for being able
to learn about the core spirit of Buddhism
through the writings of Nichiren and theLotus Sutra manuscript, which has been

Professor Rua (Third from left)

On September 25, 2014, the Lotus Sutra
Exhibition was held at USAL.
At the opening ceremony, Mr. Daisaku
Ikeda, founder of the Institute of Oriental
Philosophy (IOP) and president of the Soka
Gakkai International (SGI) was awarded acommendation from Universidade Salvador
in recognition of his efforts to spread aphilosophy of peace throughout the world.

15

The Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) published an introduction to the project,“Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series,” which has been carried out by the IOP at the requestof the Soka Gakkai. The article includes: “Purpose of the Publication,” “Three Lineagesof Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts,” “Three academic Achievements of the Lotus
Sutra Manuscript Series,” “A Long-term Perspective,” and “Overview of the Lotus
Sutra Manuscript Series.” The last portion, “Overview,” refers to each item’s content,
background, significance and type of publication.

Promotion of Buddhist studies centering on the
Lotus Sutra

Soka Gakkai Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Series (Notavailable for purchase)

Since 1997, in cooperation with various institutions fromaround the world that preserve precious Lotus Sutra
manuscripts, as well as prominent experts and scholars,
the IOP and the Soka Gakkai have been involved inpublishing the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series, including
facsimile editions and romanized texts, which help
promote Buddhist studies, in particular, studies of early
Mahayana Buddhism centering on the Lotus Sutra. From1997 to 2014, 16 items have been published in the form ofa manuscript series.
Part of the background leading up to this series was thefact that the president of the Soka Gakkai Internationaland founder of the IOP, Daisaku Ikeda, was presented
with several precious reproductions and microfilms of the
Lotus Sutra manuscripts by various institutions andindividuals.

Soka Gakkai Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Reference
Materials (Not available for

Regarding the critical editions of the Sanskrit Lotus Sutra,
among the pioneering works that have been published todate are the Kern-Nanjo edition (1908-1912), theWogihara-Tsuchida edition (1934-1935), and the Duttedition (1935). From the contemporary standard of thediscipline, critical editions that are more precise andreliable are required to enable future research efforts. Oneof the purposes of the series publications is to provide
basic data for editing such new, critical editions.

purchase)16

List of the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series

1. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lushun Museum Collection, Facsimile Edition and Romanized Text
(1997)
2-1. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal (No. 4-21), Facsimile Edition (1998)
2-2. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal (No. 4-21), Romanized Text 1 (2001)
2-3. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal (No. 4-21), Romanized Text 2 (2004)
3. Fragments of a Manuscript of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra from Khādaliq (2000)
4. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from Cambridge University Library (Add. 1682 and Add. 1683), Facsimile
Edition (2002)
5. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from University of Tokyo General Library (No. 414), Romanized Text (2003)
6. Xixia Version of the Lotus Sutra from the Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental
Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2005)
7. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (No. 6),
Romanized Text (2007)
8. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Société Asiatique (No. 2), Romanized Text (2008)
9. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the British Library (Or. 2204), Facsimile Edition (2009)
10. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from Cambridge University Library (Add. 1684), Romanized Text (2010)
11. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the British Library (Or. 2204), Romanized Text (2011)
12. Gilgit Lotus Sutra manuscripts from the National Archives of India, Facsimile Edition (2012)
13. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (SI P/5, etc.), Facsimile Edition (2013)
14. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Asiatic Society, Kolkata (No. 4079) Romanized Text (2014)

Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from theInstitute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Facsimile Edition (2013)

Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lushun
Museum Collection, Facsimile Edition (1997)17

On August 16, a symposiumcommemorating the opening of theexhibition “The Lotus Sutra―Message
of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence”
was held at SGI-Taiwan Taoyuan
Culture Center. Distinguished speakers
included Prof. Pao-yao Lin from Taipei
National University of the Arts, andProf. Chen Ching-hsiang from the
Chinese Culture University.
Dr. Mikio Matsuoka, research fellow of the Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP)
delivered a lecture entitled, “The Essence of the Lotus Sutra―the Teaching that Makes
the Best Out of Everything.”
In his lecture, Dr. Matsuoka said that people in modern society were able to learn
valuable philosophy from the Lotus Sutra, the teaching which is said to have been
established more than 2,000 years ago. He introduced the Buddhist principle of the“true aspects of all phenomena” and explained that all living and non-living beings
equally possessed this invaluable nature within itself. In conclusion, he stressed theimportance of respecting the diverse cultures and traditions of each and every country
and region while striving to share universal values.

The “Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series” booth was set up
at the Japanese Association for Religious Studies (JARS)The 74th Annual Conference of JARS was
held from September 4 to 6 at Soka
University (Hachioji City, Tokyo).
To disseminate the research results, the
IOP ran a booth to show the Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Series at the venue. Since
1997, in cooperation with various
institutions, experts and scholars fromaround the world, the IOP and Soka
Gakkai have published 16 manuscript
items.

18

The IOP publishes The Journal of Oriental Studies as a scholarly
publication, along with many other publications, to disseminate theresults of its research and to increase its contributions to society.

Feature: The Path Toward a Global Civilization
From Public Lecture Series

A Portrait of the Global Civilization—from Viewpoints of Civilizational Journey………………………………………...…….…………………...……………... Goro Yoshizawa
To Build the Society Respecting Life …….…………………...………… Keiko Nakamura
Cosmic View of Civilization …………………….…………………… … Takafumi Matsui
Global Civilization and Economic System Oriented Toward “Life Value”……………………………………………………………………………...…..… Setsuo Yamaki

From Lecture Series “Societies and Religions”

The Twenty-First Century World: As Seen from the Perspective of the History of
Civilization ....................................................................................................... Yasuaki Onuma

From Public Lectures

Women and Youth in Civilizational Dialogue........................................ Raihanah Abdullah
Luther and Nichiren―Religion Reformers at Two Different Ends of the World…….................................................................................................................. Michael von Brück

Contribution

A Comparative Analysis of Daisaku Ikeda’s and Dewey’s Perspectives on the Growth ofStudents ................................................................................................................... Yuan Qinglin

On the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series

Purpose of the Publication
Three Lineages of Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts
Three Academic Achievements of the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series
A Long-term Perspective
Overview of the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Publications

Feature: Dialogue with Eastern Christianity

The Meaning of the Hesychastic Controversy―Gregory Palamas and the Theology of the Eastern Church ….... Masaki Omori
Dionysius Areopagita …….……………………………...………….………… Yoshihiro Kon
The Spirituality in the Eastern Christianity …………………...………. Shigeki Tsuchihashi
Life and Death in Orthodox Christianity ………………………..………..…. Rei Hakamada
From Nicaea to Chalcedon: the Christological Controversy and Church Politics in the
Late Antique East …………………………...………………………………. Kyoko Nakanishi

From the Symposium “Intercivilizational Dialogue:
Toward the Mutual Understanding of Buddhism and Islam”

The Language of Lotus Sutra’s Parable of Medicinal Herbs ..... Faridah Noor Mohd Noor
Harmony and Coexistence in Islamic Philosophy―The Emanation Theory in Al-Fārābī’s The Excellent City .............. Tatsuya Yamazaki
Gender Equality, Islam, and Law…………………….…..................... Raihanah Abdullah, Asadullah Ali, Siti Aminah Hamid
Gender Equality of Buddhist Thought in the Age of Buddha .................... Toshie Kurihara
Dialogue Between Islam and Buddhism in Medicine ….. Christopher Chiong-Meng Boey

From Lectures

Nishida, Whitehead and Prigogine―Linkages among their Thoughts on “Becoming”......................………………………………………….……………………............... Shuntaro Ito
Accepting Neo-Confucianism in Japan ……………………..…………….. Tsuyoshi Kojima
Rethinking the Role and Significance of Public Philosophy ……..…… Naoshi Yamawaki
The Appeal of Oriental Wisdom―The Spread of Research on Daisaku Ikeda’s
Philosophy in the Chinese Academia.......................................................................................................................................... Wei Lixin
Global Movement of Moderates or Wasatiyyah: A Commentary on an Initiative…..……………………………………………………………..……..... Mohamed Fauzi Yaacob

Contribution

Earth-Honoring Faith and the Anthropocene ……….……………....…… Larry Rasmussen

19Main Articles
SPECIAL SERIES:The Challenge of Global Transformation--Humanity and the Environment (2)…..........................................................… Ernest Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Daisaku Ikeda
Feature: Intercvilizational Dialogue―Toward the Mutual Understanding of Buddhism
and Islam
From the Symposium in conjunction with the 30th Annual Conference of the IOP
Gender Equality, Islam and Law………………………………....…. Raihanah Abdullah, Asadullah Ali, Siti Aminah Hamid
Gender Equality of Buddhist Thought in the Age of Buddha …..………. Toshie Kurihara
The Language of Lotus Sutra's Parable of Medicinal Herbs..… Faridah Noor Mohd Noor
Harmony and Coexistence in Islamic Philosophy―The Emanation Theory in Al-Fārābī’s
The Excellent City― ……………………………..………………………… Tatsuya Yamazaki
Dialogue Between Islam and Buddhism in Medicine….Christopher Chiong-Meng Boey
From the Lectures related to Islam
Civilisational Approach to Economic Development: An Islamic Perspective………………………………………………………………… Nik Mustapha Hj Nik Hassan
Global Movement of Moderates or Wasatiyyah: A Commentary on an Initiative………………………………………………………..……………….. Mohamed Fauzi Yaacob
Contribution
Earth-Honoring Faith and the Anthropocene…………….……………… Larry Rasmussen
From Public Lectures
Luther and Nichiren―Reformers at Two Different Ends of the World……………………………………………………………………….….…… Michael von Brück
Factor Five―Towards Global Sustainability through Doing Much More with Much Less…………………………………………………………………………………..…. Cheryl Desha

Translated and edited by Chin-Shuan Cultural and Educational
Foundation (Taiwan). The Traditional Chinese language edition of
Guidebook: "The Lotus Sutra–A Message of Peace and Harmonious
Coexistence" Exhibition was published in January, 2015. The exhibition
itself was organized by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy.
The guidebook, all of which is printed in color, introduces the contentsof the exhibition. The Chinese edition was translated and edited by the
Chin-Shuan Cultural and Educational Foundation. The contents include
a history of the transmission of the Lotus Sutra, manuscripts translated
into various languages, as well as the Soka Gakkai Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Series and Buddhist works of art.

20

Forward “Toward Interreligious Dialogue”…………..... Yoichi Kawada
Chapter 1 “Interreligious Dialogue of SGI”...………...… Yoichi Kawada
Chapter 2 “Christianity and Other Religions―Theology of Religion”..................……………………..…….………………... Masahiro Yaginuma
Chapter 3 “Dialogue Between Buddhism and Chinese
Thought―Centering on Buddhism and Taoism”…………………………………………....……..…… Hideyuki Matsumori
Chapter 4 “Gandhi and Buddhism―From the Perspective of SGI
President Ikeda…………...………….…………..…………. Toshie Kurihara
Chapter 5 “Philosophical Approach from Islam to Buddhism―The Unity
of Existence and Philosophy of Emptiness”…….……. Tatsuya Yamazaki
Chapter 6 “Study of Religion as Another Tool of Dialogue”……………………………………………...……………………... Sunao Taira

Main Articles
Young Kant’s Earthquake Theories―In an age of optimism―………………………………………………………………..… Yutaka Ishigami
On Makiguchi’s Naturalistic Theory of Value―An Examination fromthe perspective of Contemporary Metaethics…….…. . Ryo Chonabayashi
The Relation between Nation and Buddhism in Early-Modern Japan………………………………………………………………… Nobuyasu Kojima
On the Original Form of the “Tathāgatāyuṣpramāṇa” Chapter of the Lotus
Sutra………….……………………………………………..… Ken’ichi Maegawa
Candrakīrti and Lotus sutra…………….…………..………...… James B. Apple
War and Peace in Islam ………………………..…………………. Hideki Iwaki
The good for the community in Islam and Buddhist perspectives, acomparative analysis………………………………...…Francesca Maria Corrao
True Nature of Pipe Dream……………………….……...………… Kumi Ohno
About the Telepathy as a Thought and Blinking of the Light as the Patternsof Images in Vladimir Nabokov’s “Mary” from the point of Intertextualité,in Comparison with the Annotation in his Lecture on “Anna Karenin” by
Leo Tolstoy………………………….………………..………… Mitsunori Sagae
Pursuing Wider Publicness of Museums (1) ―An Alternative to “White
Cube” Art Exhibition Rooms――…………………………… Atsuhiro Momota
Research Note
Thinking ‘Dignity’ as a basis towards inclusive development………………………………………………….……………….. M. Satish Kumar
21

The Institute of Oriental Philosophy

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Tel: ＋81-42-691-6591 Fax: ＋81-42-691-6588
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