 |
|
SGI President - Daisaku Ikeda
|
|
Daisaku Ikeda is the president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist association of more than 12 million members in 190 countries and territories, and founder of several educational, cultural and research institutions.
He is a prolific writer, poet and peace activist, recognized as one of the leading interpreters of Buddhism, bringing its timeless wisdom to bear on the many contemporary issues confronting humanity.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
March 25, 2007
 |
Florence Mayor Domenici (right) entrusts award to Hiromasa Ikeda
|
|
On March 25, 2007, the City of Florence in Tuscany, Italy, presented SGI President Daisaku Ikeda with the Florentine Republic Seal of Peace, one of the city's highest honors, in recognition of his manifold contributions to world peace through education and culture. The conferral took place in the Salone dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's town hall and historic landmark dating to the 14th century, which houses a wealth of Renaissance artwork such as the renowned Michelangelo sculpture, "Genius of Victory." Mayor Leonardo Domenici entrusted the award to Soka Gakkai Vice General Director Hiromasa Ikeda, who accepted it on his father's behalf.
The Seal of Peace, engraved with "Advocate of Peace and Freedom" in Latin, was instituted in 1400 to honor those who have dedicated themselves to protecting peace, freedom and human rights. In keeping with this tradition, the City of Florence has continued to confer the Seal upon individuals who are considered to have contributed to safeguarding peace and human security. Recipients include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II.
In the presence of some 2,700 guests, the ceremony began with a trumpet fanfare by musicians dressed in period costumes of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In his address, Mayor Domenici affirmed that the City of Florence shares with Mr. Ikeda an affinity for humanistic values and praised him for his longstanding activities for peace and human happiness. He said the Seal of Peace represents a pact to work together for a better future.
This was followed by an experience on manifesting the bodhisattva ideal of Nichiren Buddhism by SGI-Italy member and renowned Italian actress, satirist and film director Sabina Guzzanti.
In a message read by Vice General Director Ikeda, the SGI president expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the unsurpassed honor of receiving the Seal of Peace from Florence, the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Remarking on the infinite potential inherent in human life, he emphasized the importance of cultivating human goodness and initiating positive changes that benefit society. Noting that Mayor Domenici is a vice president of Mayors for Peace, a UN-affiliated nongovernmental organization dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons, Mr. Ikeda declared that together with SGI members around the world he hoped to join the mayor and the citizens of Florence in creating a renaissance of humanism in the 21st century.
The Fiorino d'Oro Coin, another of Florence's prestigous awards given to outstanding individuals in the fields of science, culture and the arts, was presented to Mr. Ikeda on June 30, 1992.
[Adapted from an article in the March 30, 2007 issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
|
|
|
|
