The Toynbee-Ikeda Dialogue: Man Himself Must Choose

Arnold J. Toynbee was born in London, England on April 14, 1889. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and studied briefly at the British School at Athens. He served in the British foreign office during both world wars and was a delegate to the 1919 Paris Peace Congress. From 1925 to 1955, he held the position of director of studies at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and was professor of history at the University of London during approximately the same time. His publications include The Western Question in Greece and Turkey, Civilization on Trial, East to West: A Journey round the World, the 12-volume A Study of History, and Hellenism: The History of a Civilization. He died on October 22, 1975. 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.