Cosmic Awareness is True Human Identity

31st December 1999,
DAISAKU IKEDA.

THE door is about to open on the twenty-first century. Will it witness a continuation of war and inhuman cruelty? Or will it be an age with expansive horizons of peace and hope? We stand at a major crossroads. Undeniably, the twentieth century has benefited us greatly in techno-scientific progress. In some instances, however, disregarding humanity, progress has launched on an arbitrary path frequently with tragic consequences. A stern examination of the extent to which this progress has actually contributed to human happiness must form part of our efforts to pioneer a path of hope into the next century.



Mere change in calendar dates will not bring about a sudden change in the nature of the age. Only human will and action can create history and open new horizons. Economic globalisation today proceeds at a furious pace. We must have the vision to orient it in such a way as to contribute to the creation of a global civilisation.


The heart of the problem is not capitalism per se but indifference to both global justice and ethical standards. Can we afford to reject everything alien to market principles and enforce ideas across the board in the name of global standards? Instead of cut-throat competition, we should strive together to create value. In economic terms, this means a transition from a consumer economy to a constructive one.


Setting aside the economy, what interests me as a Buddhist is how we should address the problem of identity. I believe the correct identity base must be a global -- even cosmic -- awareness. A borderless economy results in homogenisation and a standardised consumer culture. The inability of the human spirit to be satisfied with an impersonal identity as a consumer inevitably generates friction, which in turn engenders a kind of particularism -- something akin to the new isolationism.


There is no greater good than empowering humanity and revitalising society. Like politics, economics and education, religion is devoid of meaning unless it contributes to this process. Religion should also help people discover themselves anew, find liberation, reform their consciousness and elevate their souls. Fulfilling these functions constitutes the real worth of religion in relation to reforming the times. Only then can it contribute to overcoming the identity crisis and bridging the gap between ``local concerns'' and the "over-arching goals of global civilisation''. We must attempt to discover a new cosmology.


Gautam Buddha's Lotus Sutra describes a Bodhisattva of the earth as a person committed to the work of restoring a sense of cosmology to contemporary society. In concrete terms, this means being a master of the art of dialogue and a standard-bearer of soft power. The following three traits summarise the character and mindset of a Bodhisattva of the earth:


To be rigorously strict towards oneself, like a sharp, autumn frost.


To be warm and embracing towards others, like a soft, spring breeze.


To be uncompromising when confronting evil, like a lion monarch.


Only a person embodying all three can be a master of dialogue. Which is the most reliable tool to lay firm foundations for lasting peace. We must first identify the nature of the problem and then employ dialogue -- the essence of soft power -- to remove, one by one, the obstacles to its solution. In our information-saturated society, we are inundated by readymade stereotypes obscuring the truth of people and situations. This is why person to person dialogue is more than ever in demand.


No one really wants war. Unfortunately, isolation breeds mistrust and this breeds conflict. Convinced that humanity cannot afford to isolate any country or ethnic group. To make the new millennium an age of peace, we must explore means of deinstitutionalising war. The best way to start is by encouraging dialogue. The second is the reduction of the international traffic in arms. To profit from warfare and carnage in other countries, to use it to enhance one's own national influence and prestige, to callously sacrifice human life for one's private gain.


To view the future as an extension of the present is passive and defeatist. The future is something we ourselves must shape and create. We must not passively wait for things to change, we must make the twenty-first century an era free from nuclear weapons, the start of a new millennium of harmony and peaceful coexistence founded on respect for the sanctity of life. We can and must create a global civil society that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.