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 Dr. Lee Soo-sung, known as a politician with
philosophy, served as Prime Minister of South Korea and president of Seoul National
University. Having received his LL.D., he wrote many books and articles on
criminal law and criminal policy. In 1999, he had a dialogue with Soka Gakkai
International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda, founder of the Institute of
Oriental Philosophy, on various topics including culture, education and peace. In
2016, Dr. Lee assumed Executive Chairman of “The Lotus
Sutra―A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence” exhibition held in Seoul.
In
his lecture, Dr. Lee first referred to life as a precious foundation of peace. He stressed, “It is a miracle that a human
comes into this world. Each and every one of us is irreplaceable and precious.”
Based on his engagement in the Lotus Sutra exhibition, he told the audience, “The
Lotus Sutra expresses that each one of us has inherent Buddha-nature. You are not
the only one who is special. All humans live as precious beings. Therefore, we
all should not be arrogant to anyone but humble to every single person in front
of us.”
In addition, Dr. Lee touched upon the history that
Korea was annexed by Japan. He said, “Once a war breaks out, one has no choice
but to kill the other. Although South Korea and Japan have original
brotherhood, the history of two nations tells many complicated affairs. Everyone
has to understand what happened in the past. We should not take wars and
conflicts as small matters.” He expressed his expectations by commenting, “While
there are diplomatic discords among South Korea, China and Japan, President
Ikeda is awarded by many cities and institutions of South Korea and China. As
long as I know, there is no one who is greater than him in the world. It is my
sincere wish that, in respect for leaders like President Ikeda, a movement of
hope and solidarity will spread in waves over the world.”
Organizer: The Institute of Oriental Philosophy
Lecturer: Dr. Lee Soo-sung (Former Prime Minister of
South Korea)
Venue: CongreSquare (Nakano Ward, Tokyo)
Date: October 8, 2017
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