Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
January 19, 2008--Honorary Doctorate
Dr. Rafael Guillermo Díaz,
Department of Humanities Dean
Rector Roberto Reyna, with your permission, I would like to deliver the statement of conferment regarding the honorary doctorate for Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, which was submitted to the University Council and Board of Trustees by the Council of the Faculty of Humanities of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo . . .
The social contributions grounded in ethical and moral values made by this prominent individual are indicative of a vision encompassing the whole of humanity. This was a major component in the decision of the Faculty of Humanities to confer this highest degree upon Dr. Ikeda.
Dr. Ikeda has dedicated his life to restoring the values that make human beings great and beautiful in order to promote a culture of peace. Those values are what inspire positivity in people and prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow, today.
Only those who deeply care for all living beings are worthy of considering the survival of humanity and capable of developing a comprehensive vision to deal with such pressing issues as education, the environment, intellectual development, health, prosperity, human beings as constituents of society, abolishing weapons and war, and good and evil.
In his philosophy, Dr. Ikeda places utmost precedence on the creation of a society in which people can take pride in their daily lives and develop themselves based on the loftiest values, such as solidarity, creativity, freedom, social well-being and justice.
Profoundly conscious of the need today to establish a vision based on humanism for a future world that enables science and technology to promote the humanistic and intellectual development of humankind, he founded through extraordinary effort institutions that contribute to the advancement and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge.
As successor to the philosophy of Soka Gakkai, Dr. Ikeda has been working strenuously for the development of a broad, people-based movement . . .
With regards to cultural exchange, he believes that one-on-one exchange based on culture and education will lay a foundation for peace, and maintains that nothing brings us closer together than understanding the hearts of other people through cultural and educational exchange.
Today, we would like to honor Dr. Ikeda as an individual who ultimately embodies the mission and vision of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the New World’s oldest university, in view of his extensive contribution to the creation of a culture of peace in the field of humanities.
