‘TOWARD A CENTURY OF LIFE’

Why We’re Gathering

Fifty years ago, on April 1, 1974, world-renowned Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda issued his first university address outside of Japan at the University of California, Los Angeles. Aware that universities would profoundly shape the 21st century, Mr. Ikeda chose UCLA as the launch point from which to convey the principles of a new humanism to universities around the world. In his address, “Toward a Century of Life,” Mr. Ikeda emphasized the need to break from the cold utilitarianism of the previous century, which exploited life as a means to an end, and move toward a century of respect for the dignity of life. Delivered near the close of humanity’s bloodiest century, at the height of the Vietnam War, the address seeks the roots of human violence, revealing fundamental principles of peace. Join us for an exploration of this lecture, bearing for us a message as timeless as it is urgent.