De La Salle University's
Central Administration Building
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has received total of 254 honorary doctorates
and academic titles from academic institutions and organizations around
the world to the present. From the Philippines, 15 universities and colleges
have bestowed honorary doctorate upon him. In this page, each honorary
doctorate that President Ikeda has received from the Philippines is introduced.
Vol.2: De La Salle University (March 18, 1997)
De La Salle University's Campus
The monument to University's teachers and
students who fell victims under the Japanese occupation
Soka University's Exchange Students
De La Salle University conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Humanities upon
President Ikeda. The conferment ceremony was held during the commencement
exercises of Soka University and Soka Women’s College in Tokyo in March
18, 1997.
On De La Salle University
De La Salle University was founded in 1911. “De La Salle” is the founder’s
name, who was a French pastor and educator who lived in the 17th to 18th
century.
On January 22, 1996, Brother Andrew Gonzalez, the President of De La Salle University, visited Soka University to conclude an academic corporation between De La Salle University and Soka University.
In the campus of DLSU, there is a memorial for the victims of the Japanese Army during World War II. In March 1996, the students of Soka University offered flowers to this memorial. This, according to Dr. Gonzalez, was the very first time for Japanese nationals to have done such an act. In February 10, 1998, President Ikeda also visited De La Salle University and he too, offered flowers to this memorial.
The Summary – President Ikeda’s speech
The time when the Reverend De La Salle lived was at the zenith of the Bourbon
dynasty. Behind their glory, however, people suffered from a series of
wars and famines. Amid such disorder, the Reverend De La Salle deserted
his property and career as a priest to dedicate his life to education for
the people’s sake. It was a struggle to cultivate the human mind to emancipate
him from within. Inevitably, he was bound to be the target of the old power.
It was the people who protected him from that power in the critical time
to resume his school. Casting away one’s life for the people to share the
pleasures and hardships of life and win their trust – this is what it means
to lead a truly glorious way of life.
During World War II, the arrogant Japanese military invaded the beautiful
nation of the Philippines and devastated an immeasurable number of precious
lives. There is a memorial to the victims in the campus of De La Salle
University. We must never forget this tragic history. In the very foundations
of Soka University lies the spirit of President Makiguchi, who fearlessly
fought against Japanese nationalism and died in prison, as a result. Soka
University will transcend nations and nationalism to construct an eternal
solidarity of human beings.
