02/07/2026 15:00 - 17:10

HALL: Pola - A105

Contact: Introvigne M.

Chair: Introvigne M.

This panel brings together interdisciplinary studies that illuminate the global impact of Daisaku Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai movement across the fields of interreligious dialogue, civic activism, and peacebuilding. The first paper examines Ikeda's crucial role in Buddhist-Catholic relations, situating his decades of engagement with the Holy See within the trajectory opened by "Nostra Aetate" and reaffirmed at the Vatican's 2025 anniversary event, where Soka Gakkai participated. The second contribution analyzes the newly established Fondazione Be the Hope and the exhibition Cambio io, cambia il mondo, interpreting them as contemporary expressions of Ikeda-inspired civic engagement amid the current crisis of global climate activism. A third paper explores Ikeda's sustained dialogue with Muslim intellectuals such as Majid Tehranian and Nur Yalman, as well as recent Soka Gakkai initiatives in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, highlighting the evolution from interreligious encounter to cooperative cultural and academic projects. The final study investigates Buddhist peacebuilding at the Toda Peace Institute in Tokyo, drawing on qualitative fieldwork to show how Buddhist ethical frameworks are translated into policy-relevant discourses on peace, human security, and global governance. Together, these papers demonstrate how Ikeda's humanistic Buddhism continues to shape transnational networks of dialogue and civic action, offering a robust framework for reimagining the public role of religion in an era of global uncertainty.