The Philosophy of Action of Daisaku Ikeda: A Path of Intra-worldly Spiritual Emancipation

The figure and work of Daisaku Ikeda (1928-) are so strongly inspired by Nichiren’s Buddhist doctrine and vision that it seems impossible to distinguish between creed and argument, faith and reason, religion and philosophy. In fact, the concept of philosophy in its speculative sense cannot be used to synthetically resume the meaning and entity of this work and action. As a work and action clearly and explicitly inspired by faith, the unifying religious perspective is its true spiritual, cultural and moral source. Except in the disciplines of peace studies, environmental philosophy and sociology of religion, Ikeda is of little or no significance in speculative philosophy. This is true even in his own country, where he is not even ranked among the Japanese philosophers who connect philosophy and Buddhism. However, we have to introduce another historical approach to evaluate this case as well as we recall that our western history of ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy is filled with nonacademic and non-rigorous speculative figures who are not of secondary importance. As well, religious philosophers and religious movements in philosophy and philosophical movements in religions are not rare. Among them, a contemporary tradition of Philosophy of Action seems to of particular interest. In this paper we will argument in favour of an interpretation of Ikeda’s work as a kind of Buddhist philosophy of action.