Synopses & Reviews
Johan Galtung and Daisaku Ikeda are two major figures in international peace studies. Ikeda is a leading Buddhist, author and educator and is deeply rooted in the Mahayana Buddhism of Nichiren. Galtung is the founder of the Institute for Peace Research in Oslo and has developed a more general Buddhist orientation. Together, through dialogue, they search for ways of interfacing Buddhism and peace. Presented as a dialogue between the two men, Choose Peace explores practical solutions to many of the global problems afflicting the world today. Galtung and Ikeda identify sources of violence and unrest and consider the role of Buddhism in formulating peaceful solutions to violence. The implications of political forces such as nationalism and socialism are considered and the role of human rights, grassroots power and the United Nations in peacekeeping initiatives are explored.
Review
'The present dialogue betwen these two eminent thinkers is fascinating and often profound, covering a broad spectrum of intellectual moral and spiritual issues. The dialogue is itself an illustration in miniature of what Ikeda means by 'diverse cultures coexisting in a symbiotic state of mutual respect', which he hopes will become symbolic of the 21st century. Peace researchers should find this illustratiojn challenging but eminently inspiring.' --Journal of Peace Research
Synopsis
Choose Peace explores practical solutions to many of the global problems afflicting the world today.
Synopsis
Unique behind-the-scenes account of the Camp David peace talks.
About the Author
Johan Galtung founded the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo in 1959 and is the author of many essays and works on peace, including Searching for Peace (Pluto Press, 2000) and Transcend and Transform (Pluto Press, 2004). Currently Professor of Peace Studies at six universities, he is the holder of the Right Livelihood Award 1987 and the Norwegian Humanist Prize 1988. Daisaku Ikeda is a leading figure in the international Buddhist movement, president of the Buddhist lay organisation Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and founder of the Institute of Oriental Philosophy and Soka University. His publications include Choose Peace: A Dialogue with Johan Galtung (1995).
Table of Contents
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE LEARNING AND DOING
1. Norway
2. Accepting Challenges3. Philosophers from the Masses4. Learning from Giants5. Opening the Door6. Ways of Learning7. Realists of the Head, Idealists of the Heart8. Works Speak Louder Than Words9. Optimists10. Webs of Love11. Straight to the Heart
CHAPTER TWO HISTORY PERSISTS
1. Citizens of the World2. Article Nine3. A Pacific Civilisation4. Masterful Communicators5. The Floodgate of Free Expression6. Socialism: Pro and Con