From the Symposium “Interreligious Dialogue about Christian andBuddhist Civilizations” in Bulgaria

Message
Daisaku Ikeda

Please allow me to offer heartfelt congratulations on the sym­
posium entitled “Interreligious Dialogue about Christian andBuddhist Civilizations” held jointly by the Center for SlavonicByzantine Studies, named after Professor Ivan Dujcev, world-famous forhis work in Byzantine research, and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy.
In May 1981, I was blessed with a chance to visit Bulgaria to takepart in celebrations marking the 1,300th anniversary of the founding ofyour country. On that occasion, I was honored to deliver a speechentitled “A Harmonious Blend of Cultures” at Sofia University.
I can still hear the bells of the Banner of Peace memorial tower that I
listened to with a group of boys and girls ringing deep in my heart. I
then journeyed to Plovdiv, where I was privileged to plant a memorial firtree, which I understand has now grown to be a handsome and familiar
sight in the neighborhood. On that occasion, the Plovdiv Youth Choirtreated me to a performance. The strength and clarity of their voicesremain unforgettable. Since then, I am immensely grateful for many
opportunities to build golden bridges of culture, education, andfriendship with your country.
I have engaged in diverse and highly meaningful discussions withProfessor Axinia D. Djourova, former director of the Center for
Slavonic-Byzantine Studies, who is profoundly learned in the spiritual
culture of the Bulgarian people. Our dialogues, which covered a wide
field including language, music, art, and literature and the possibilitiesof world religion, have been published in both Bulgarian and Japanese
as The Beauty of a Lion’s Heart, or Utsukushiki Shishi no Tamashii.
Professor Djourova has kindly donated valuable books to Soka Univer­sity. I should like to take this opportunity to thank her again.
The philosophy expressed in the Mahayana Buddhist scripture known
as the Flower Garland Sutra employs the metaphor of Indra’s Net todescribe human civilization as it should be.
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The palace of the deity Shakra (also Indra) is surrounded by amagnificent net of jewels known as Indra’s Net with a gleaming jewel
attached to each of its infinite number of knots. While flashing its own
individual brilliance and color in all directions, each of these gems
reacts with each of the others to create a diverse, new radiance in themagnificent totality of the net.
This metaphorically expresses a state of creative, reforming
coexistence in which all members depend on and assist all others. Thisis the essence of the Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination.
Each of the gems at each knot could be said to represent the spiritual
culture of an ethnic group. In such a case, each culture or civilizationemits its own distinctive ray of light into the world. The essential natureof inter-civilizational and intercultural dialogue is to enable these rays tointensify each other in a symbiosis that increases creativity for the sakeof human peace.
The philosophy of the Lotus Sutra, the paramount Mahayana
scripture, explains the idea of the symbiosis of all things in terms of theparable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and the two kinds of trees:“All these plants and trees grow in the same earth and are moistened by
the same rain; each has its differences and particulars.”1 This passage
describes an image of fertile symbiosis in which each of the various
trees and herbs flourishing in the earth and blessed with the falling rain
manifests its own characteristics and bears its own kind of flowers andfruit.
Humanity must strive for a world image of diverse cultures andcivilizations flourishing together in keeping with the universal rhythm,
just as a diversity of floral colors and forms makes a garden lovely.
Located on the Balkan Peninsula, long a place where Eastern andWestern civilizations have met, Bulgaria has developed a distinctive
spiritual culture making the primitive Bulgarian Varna culture
flourished, and reflecting and combining the influences of Slavic culture
and Eastern Orthodox Christian Byzantine civilization. Today it iscoming into contact with the material civilization of the West as well.
Located in the Far East, Japan, too, has developed a distinctive culture
combining indigenous Shinto, Buddhist—especially Mahayana Bud­dhist—Confucian, and Daoist elements introduced from China by wayof the Korean Peninsula. Like Bulgaria, today Japan, too, isincorporating elements of Western material civilization.
This symposium represents a dialogue between two great cultures
outside the Western sphere and the scientific technology it has
generated: the civilization of the Slavs and of Eastern Christianity and156

messagethat of Mahayana Buddhism.
Professor Djourova concluded her postscript to our dialogue with thestatement that the new world is not unipolar. She hoped that the newworld would be founded on tolerance and the cultural traditions andspiritual values of each country and each individual. I agree with her. In
the two great cultural spheres represented in this symposium, tolerancefor other cultures and the philosophy of symbiosis with the world ofnature are very much alive. Furthermore, both civilizations have ahistory of cultivating the good: the philanthropy, wisdom, courage,endurance, trust, and hope that generate rich spirituality and morality. I
am confident that, while applying their spirituality in the name ofpeaceful coexistence and adopting elements of Western material
civilization, Japanese and Bulgarian cultures can play a major role increating a global civilization radiant with the best of human nature.
I should like to conclude my remarks with sincere prayers for thecontinued flourishing of Sofia University and the Center for SlavonicByzantine Studies and for the good health and vigor of Rector Ivan
Ilchev and of everyone taking part in this symposium.
NoteThe Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, translated by Burton Watson(Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2009), p. 135.
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