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.1: The University of the Philippines (April 21, 1991)
The University of the Philippines conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Law upon President Ikeda on April 21, 1991. The presentation was made in conjunction with the university’s 80th commencement ceremony, held at the Diliman campus in Quezon City. A total of about 2,500 faculty members, students and guests attended the ceremony. Dr. Abueva explained that the Honorary Doctorate in Law being presented to President Ikeda was the most prestigious of all degrees awarded by the university. In his greetings, President Ikeda heartily praised the University’s effort to promote education and the brilliant tradition it has established since its foundation in 1908. He said that he sincerely prayed for the glorious prosperity of the University of the Philippines and of all those present, adding that he sensed that the people of the Philippines, whose country boasts of the world’s most majestic sunrises and sunsets, have treasures of unparalleled beauty in their hearts.
Prior to the presentation of the Honorary Doctorate, President Ikeda attended
the commencement ceremony for the College of Business Administration to
deliver a commemorative lecture entitled “Peace and Business: Toward a
Universal Spirit of Fairness and Justice”. It was also the 75th anniversary
of this College.
On University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines (UP) was founded in 1908. As the highest
seat of learning in the Philippines, UP has exhibited its excellence in
academia and other related activities as well as having fostered a large
number of capable individuals who are remarkably active in all areas of
society.
The Summary – President Ikeda’s lecture
“Peace and Business: Toward a Universal Spirit of Fairness and Justice”
“Control your business; don’t let it control you”. This is President Ikeda’s long cherished saying. In his lecture, President Ikeda shared some of his thoughts based on the perspective of “world citizenship”, the ideal espoused by the great Filipino hero Jose Rizal. He highlighted the fact that business, by its very nature, has as its prime objectives of economic efficiency and the pursuit of profit. “If a businessman allows himself to be controlled by his business, and thinks only in terms of corporations and capital, it will lead him to fight for profits – a behavior which has also frequently caused wars to be fought”. He also stressed out that in business, it is very crucial to always consider the greater, holistic interest of the entire planet and of humankind. Having this in mind, it would even enable one to make judgment through the willingness to rise to the nobility of self-sacrifice that transcends personal gain and profit.
