Symposium on Medicine and Religion Held in Tokyo

On June 24, a symposium on the theme "Medicine and Religion" co-organized by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) and the Soka Gakkai-affiliated Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) was held at the Josei Toda International Center in Shinjuku.

The main speakers included Dr. Yoichi Kawada, director of IOP, who spoke on "Depictions of Shakyamuni Buddha as Healer" and Prof. Dr. Felix Unger, president of EASA and renowned cardiologist, whose lecture was titled "Ethics in Medicine--Reflections by a Cardiac Surgeon."

The second session included presentations on Buddhism and healing from Reiko Inamitsu, director of the Odawara welfare society and senior adviser to the Soka Gakkai nurses' group; Dr. Elmar Kuhn, theologian and secretary general of the NGO "Christian Solidarity International--Austria," on the need to bring dignity, values and a holistic perspective back into the medical field. The symposium ended with Dr. Akihiko Nakaizumi addressing problems of modern medical treatment and Dr. Shinichi Kogure speaking on bioethical issues and Buddhism.

[Report courtesy of SGI-OPI; photo courtesy of Seikyo Shimbun]