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Symposium:
“Dialogue between East and West” Held in Spain
On April 29, 2009, a symposium,
titled “A Dialogue between East and West—Towards Social Cohesion and
Harmonious Coexistence” was held at the University of Lleida (UdL:
Universitat de Lleida), Catalonia, Spain, and cosponsored by the
Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP),
UdL, UNESCO Association of Lleida, the Institute of Oriental
Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences and SGI-Spain. This
symposium was held to commemorate the exhibition “The Lotus Sutra—A
Message
of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence” held from April 28 to May 16.
In his remarks, UdL Rector Joan Viñas Salas stated that spirituality
that encourages us to explore and enrich the human mind can greatly
contribute to overcoming our common challenges and help expand
opportunities for dialogue. He expressed his wish to create a world
based on the idea of “non-violence” and a “culture of peace.”
Jésus Sans, President of UNESCO Association of Lleida, stressed the
importance of dialogue as a means to identify and gain greater
understanding of humankind’s diverse spiritual values and to strengthen
bonds with one another. He stated that the Lotus Sutra exhibition is a
significant event which promotes dialogues to create humanistic
networks among different cultures, civilizations and religions.
Executive secretary of UNESCO Centre of Catalona and head of the
Department of Interreligious Dialogue, Franceac Torradeflot, said that
the Lotus Sutra exhibition was pointing the way for exploring the
spirituality of East and West and the common ground between them. He
emphasized the significance of this in the modern world where the need
for dialogue among religions was growing.  [Spanish]
IOP Director Yoichi Kawada spoke about Shakyamuni’s enlightenment and
the ideas pulsating throughout the Lotus Sutra. He also talked about
the role of Buddhism in creating harmonious coexistence among human
beings. IOP Senior Research Fellow Toshie Kurihara gave a presentation
titled “the Concept of Equality in the Lotus Sutra: The SGI’s
Viewpoint.”
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The following day, the IOP and SGI-Spain representatives participated
in a conference sponsored by the University of La Laguna, Tenerife, at
the Economic and Management Sciences Department Auditorium. Mr. Kawada
spoke about SGI (Soka Gakkai International) within the historical
context of Buddhism and also
about SGI’s activities for the promotion of peace, culture and
education. Professor Francisco Diez de Velasco and Professor Mar Moreno
of the University of La Lagua said that Nichiren Buddhism shares the
universal value which enables it to harmonize with other religions.
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