The following is based on Ikeda Sensei’s 1996 lecture at Teachers College, Columbia University, titled “Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship”[1] and his 2013 peace proposal.[2] Sensei outlines the essential elements of global citizenship and guidelines for constructing a civilization founded upon respect for the dignity of life.
1) Wisdom
• To perceive the interconnectedness of all life and living
• To perceive the equality and possibilities of life
2) Courage
• Not to fear or deny difference, but to respect and strive to understand people of different cultures and to grow from encounters with them
• To make our differences the impetus for the elevation of our humanity
3) Compassion
• To maintain an imaginative empathy that reaches beyond one’s immediate surroundings and extends to those suffering in distant places
• That never abandons others to suffer alone
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