20th Century Spiritual Lessons

Author: Mikhail S. Gorbachev
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-06-01
Features: I start from the perspective of Marxist communism, while you start from the vast world of Buddhism. With such different cultural backgrounds and having walked on such divergent paths, the two of us were able to engage in a dialogue around a common theme and find a shared ethical foundation. I believe this itself is enough to illustrate many issues. The value of all humanity—lies in a foundation rooted in reality, fostering the fusion and mutual understanding of different civilizations. —Mikhail S. Gorbachev
In short, the greatest challenge facing the world at the end of the 20th century is not a "crisis of the system" but a "crisis of humanity," which can be summarized as a "crisis of respect for humanity." Gorbachev, who raised the banner of "new thinking," chose to pursue morality over ideological alignment, I suppose, because he keenly sensed the demands of the times. —Daisaku Ikeda
This book is a transcript of a dialogue between the former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, and Daisaku Ikeda, the President of the Soka Gakkai. The Japanese version was published in July 1996. It has since been translated into multiple languages, including Russian, German, Italian, French, and Korean, and a traditional Chinese edition was published in Hong Kong in March 2004.
The dialogue between Gorbachev and Ikeda began in 1993 and lasted for a year and a half. They engaged in intellectual exchanges, linguistic discussions, and the sharing of different worldviews, drawing from their respective experiences and insights. As witnesses to many major historical events, they analyze and summarize the spiritual lessons of the 20th century and explore ideas for resolving the problems left behind by that era.