What do you think?
Rate this book
A Youthful Diary
Daisaku Ikeda was born in Tokyo, Japan on January 2, 1928 into a family of seaweed farmers. Ikeda is a prolific writer, environmentalist, peace activist, and follower of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, also considered "true Buddhism". He has written over 100 books on Buddhism. Ikeda was the president of Soka Gakkai, an organization supporting the practice of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, from 1960 to 1979 and currently maintains the position of Soka Gakkai Honorary President. Ikeda developed SGI (Soka Gakkai International) which is an international outreach program for Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. Many members of this organization refer to him as their "mentor in life". Ikeda has been influential world-wide. He holds over 230 honorary doctorates and over 550 honorary citizenships around the world. Ikeda also holds numerous memberships and has received many awards. Ikeda has founded many educational, peace and cultural institutions including Soka University (1971), Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (1983), and Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research (1996). Ikeda and his wife, Kaneko, married on May 3, 1952. They have three sons.
- GenresBuddhismNonfiction
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
69 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Daisaku Ikeda
1,231 books520 followersDaisaku Ikeda was a Buddhist philosopher, peacebuilder, educator, author and poet. He was the third president of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organization and the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), which is today one of the world's largest and most diverse lay Buddhist organizations, promoting a philosophy of character development and social engagement for peace.
Ikeda was the founder of the Soka (value-creation) schools, a nondenominational school system based on an ideal of fostering each student's unique creative potential and cultivating an ethic of peace, social contribution and global consciousness. The school system runs from kindergarten through graduate study and includes a university in Tokyo, Japan, and another in California, U.S.A.
Ikeda was a staunch proponent of dialogue as the foundation of peace. Since the 1970s he has pursued dialogue with a wide range of individuals around the world in political, cultural, educational and academic fields. Over 50 of these have been published in book form, with people such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Elise Boulding, Joseph Rotblat and André Malraux. In furtherance of his vision of fostering dialogue and solidarity for peace, Ikeda has founded a number of independent, nonprofit research institutes that develop cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration on diverse issues: the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The Min-On Concert Association and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum promote mutual understanding and friendship between different national cultures through the arts.
Ikeda was a prolific writer who has published more than 100 works, ranging from Buddhist philosophy to biographical essays, poetry, children's stories and photographic collections.
Ikeda was the founder of the Soka (value-creation) schools, a nondenominational school system based on an ideal of fostering each student's unique creative potential and cultivating an ethic of peace, social contribution and global consciousness. The school system runs from kindergarten through graduate study and includes a university in Tokyo, Japan, and another in California, U.S.A.
Ikeda was a staunch proponent of dialogue as the foundation of peace. Since the 1970s he has pursued dialogue with a wide range of individuals around the world in political, cultural, educational and academic fields. Over 50 of these have been published in book form, with people such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Elise Boulding, Joseph Rotblat and André Malraux. In furtherance of his vision of fostering dialogue and solidarity for peace, Ikeda has founded a number of independent, nonprofit research institutes that develop cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration on diverse issues: the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The Min-On Concert Association and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum promote mutual understanding and friendship between different national cultures through the arts.
Ikeda was a prolific writer who has published more than 100 works, ranging from Buddhist philosophy to biographical essays, poetry, children's stories and photographic collections.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 19, 2012
This is a great read especially for practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism. It chronicles the beginning of our mentor's practice of Nichiren Buddhism, third Soka Gakai International president, Daisaku Ikeda. I appreciated the fact that even an icon of Peace struggled in the beginning of his practice!
August 29, 2016
Its truly inspirational to see a 20 year old so focused and so sorted in his thinking process and philosophy of life. His diary entry reveals his thinking process as a young man, and it shows his struggles in those days. In fact the best part was that I could relate to all the existential problems that he faced back then e.g. confusion about career, life, family, love, relationships,faith. Its truly amazing to see how he coped with all such youth problems and still focused on his mission in life. And over years has become a magnanimous personality based on his faith in Nichiren Daishonin's buddhism.
March 28, 2015
An impressive seeking, humble and hard working man that doesn´t hold back from doing what he understands to be right regardless of severe illness and obstacles. I treasure this more private insight into a man I have chosen as my mentor in my buddhist practice. I say its more private as it it notes from his actual dairy that clearly isn't meant for everyone to read, and I guess I like to see people´s private thoughts as they become more real to me. Ikeda shows himself as a human being with flaws and at the same time I am inspired as to how he challenges these flaws in order to work for peace.
In fact I would have wanted even more insights into his more private sphere, details of marriage, kids and names of different people instead of just showing the different people he discussed with capital letters. I guess that would have been a very different book, like an autobiography. I hope this kind of book comes one day.
In fact I would have wanted even more insights into his more private sphere, details of marriage, kids and names of different people instead of just showing the different people he discussed with capital letters. I guess that would have been a very different book, like an autobiography. I hope this kind of book comes one day.
September 14, 2020
14th September, 2020:
(Sunny)
While things personally seem to be looking hard, my mentor's vow reverberates strongly.
This is a collection of diary notes by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, third President of Soka Gakkai. They are intensely personal and the struggle is reflected throughout.
(Sunny)
While things personally seem to be looking hard, my mentor's vow reverberates strongly.
This is a collection of diary notes by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, third President of Soka Gakkai. They are intensely personal and the struggle is reflected throughout.
June 28, 2021
No one says it better than the author himself, so I quote:
"Wednesday, September 21. Rain and overcast. The first page of my new diary notebook. While life itself is eternal, everlasting, this life is like a dream; like the morning dew or winter frost that vanish instantly before the warmth of the rising sun. The record of this period of my life, my activities, and my future are, for better or for worse, less significant than a microbe. And yet, I will leave a mark on this earth and in the universe, a mark that likely will be seen and pondered by someone in the future. Human affairs are so small, so miniscule when viewed from the standpoint of limitless space and beginningless time.
To carefully record one's own feelings, thoughts, recollections, secrets and even resentment in a single work-this, interestingly enough, is significant."....
"I strongly dislike a diary written only as a mere record of events or in an obligatory manner."
Daisaku Ikeda "A Youthful Diary" p. 246
"Wednesday, September 21. Rain and overcast. The first page of my new diary notebook. While life itself is eternal, everlasting, this life is like a dream; like the morning dew or winter frost that vanish instantly before the warmth of the rising sun. The record of this period of my life, my activities, and my future are, for better or for worse, less significant than a microbe. And yet, I will leave a mark on this earth and in the universe, a mark that likely will be seen and pondered by someone in the future. Human affairs are so small, so miniscule when viewed from the standpoint of limitless space and beginningless time.
To carefully record one's own feelings, thoughts, recollections, secrets and even resentment in a single work-this, interestingly enough, is significant."....
"I strongly dislike a diary written only as a mere record of events or in an obligatory manner."
Daisaku Ikeda "A Youthful Diary" p. 246
January 23, 2020
Il diario giovanile di Daisaku Ikeda è una lettura fondamentale per ogni persona che segua il Buddismo di Nichiren Daishonin, i dodici anni raccontati descrivono le lotte, gli sforzi, i dolori fisici e psicologici di questo grande maestro buddista. Il grande merito di questa opera è l’umanità espressa che lo fanno sentire più vicino, una figura paterna e amica. Da non perdere
December 22, 2019
Encouragement for life.
October 5, 2020
My go-to book
April 6, 2021
Very encouraging
February 3, 2016
An amazing resource for SGI members.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews