Human Revolution and the Reconstruction of Nichiren Buddhism as a Living Philosophy in Daisaku Ikeda's Thought
Abstract
This study aims to analyze Daisaku Ikeda's thought on human revolution, his critique and assimilation of the Western intellectual tradition, and his construction of Nichiren Buddhism as a living philosophy within the Soka Gakkai movement in modern Japan. This study is significant because Ikeda not only inherited Nichiren's teachings but also reconstructed them into a humanistic living philosophy that responds to the spiritual, moral, and social crises of modern society. This study employed a qualitative research design with a library research approach. The data were collected through an extensive review of Daisaku Ikeda's works and scholarly literature on Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Buddhism, modern Buddhism, and the Western intellectual tradition. The findings reveal four major themes. First, human revolution constitutes the ideological core of Ikeda's thought by positioning individuals' moral and spiritual transformation as the foundation of social transformation. Second, Ikeda adopts a dual strategy by critiquing the Western intellectual tradition while simultaneously assimilating selected elements, including the figure of Jesus, Kantian ethics, existentialism, modern science, and Marx's critique of capitalism into the framework of Nichiren Buddhism. Third, this strategy expands the universal claim of Nichiren Buddhism through dialogue with diverse modern intellectual traditions. Fourth, Ikeda's overall philosophical project culminates in the construction of Nichiren Buddhism as a living philosophy that integrates religious, humanistic, and social dimensions. The originality of this study lies in its critical interpretation of Ikeda's thought as an ideological construct that brings together human revolution, dialogue with the Western intellectual tradition, and Buddhist humanism within a unified philosophical framework.
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