Glass Children and Other Essays [Hardcover]

Daisaku Ikeda (Author), Burton Watson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 172 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc; 1st edition (June 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870113755
• ISBN-13: 978-0870113758
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,326,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daisaku Ikeda is the president of the Soka Gakkai International and the founder of the Soka University of America. He is the author of For the Sake of Peace, Unlocking the Mysteries, and The Way of Youth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom from a Great Buddhist Leader and Educator, March 8, 2000

By 

Richard Munnelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass Children and Other Essays (Hardcover)

The tenth anniversary of the launching of the first satellite, the social unrest of the 60's, and the return to life of microorganisms after millions of years of dormancy are among the many events that stirred the imagination of Daisaku Ikeda as he wrote these essays. A fresh approach and keen insights pervade this volume, first published in English in 1979, which reveals what a deeply committed man of religion, and as he calls himself, "a member of the common people," is thinking about the modern world.

The approach to life presented here is not vague theorizing. The author became an adult amid the wreckage of war. Too poor to enter a hospital for the treatment of a chronic illness or to continue on to higher education, he eventually recovered his health and went on to gain a keen appreciation for the essence and significance of the various academic disciplines by studying under a particularly gifted teacher.

In a straightforward style, Mr. Ikeda offers no quick fixes for major problems such as the huge disparity between humankind's technological advancement and lack of ethical progress, but he does encourage the reader to strive for and value sound education, good government, the uniqueness of the individual, human relationships--both on a community and global level--devoid of sham and hypocrisy, and ultimately, mutual understanding.

In "My Definition of Happiness," Ikeda states:

"People do not live in isolation. Dwelling in the nexus of family, society, and the world of nature, they lend support to one another. Happiness likewise does not exist as an isolated quality, nor does it conform to a single fixed pattern. Human happiness is something that breathes and has its being in the relationships between one person and another."

These essays speak to the issues that confront us all in a voice direct and powerful, inspiring and appealing.

The author, Daisaku Ikeda, is president of the world's largest Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai International, which has over 12 million members in 128 nations.