A Discussion Between Daisaku Ikeda and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai
On the afternoon of February 18, 2005, SGI President Ikeda met with renowned Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai at the Seikyo Shimbun building in Shinano-machi, Tokyo. The SGI leader and Dr. Maathai agreed on the pressing need for a philosophy of reverence for life and the importance of individual spiritual transformation as the first step to creating a brighter future for humanity. Dr. Maathai’s daughter Wanjira Maathai and Kenyan Ambassador Dennis Awori were also present.
Dr. Maathai, who is also Kenya’s assistant environment minister and the founder of the Green Belt Movement, was born in 1940 in the town of Nyeri in central Kenya. She grew up in the beautiful natural setting of the region, which is surrounded by mountains. After extensive study abroad, she received her doctorate from the University of Nairobi, the nation’s leading institution of higher learning, and began a teaching career.
In 1977, wishing to help preserve her homeland’s natural environment and improve the lives of the local people, she established the Green Belt Movement as a nongovernmental organization, or NGO. Eventually the movement grew to encompass some one hundred thousand people, predominantly women, and it has been responsible for the planting of more than thirty million trees in Kenya and other parts of Africa. In 1986, it established a Pan-African Green Belt Network, and initiatives inspired by the tree-planting movement have been successfully launched in Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
Dr. Maathai was elected to Kenya’s parliament in 2002, with 98 percent of the vote, and she currently represents her home region, the Nyeri district. In 2003, she was appointed assistant minister for environment, natural resources, and wildlife. She has been internationally acclaimed for her struggles for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation, and she has addressed the United Nations on several occasions.
The recipient of numerous international awards, Dr. Maathai last year became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace.” She also has received honorary doctorates from the University of Norway, Yale University, and several other US institutions of higher learning. She serves on the boards of many prestigious international organizations dedicated to peace, the environment, and women’s rights. Members of the Soka University Pan-African Friendship Association welcomed Dr. Maathai with a rendition of the song “This Is Our Home,” sung in the environmental activist’s native language, Kikuyu. An anthem of the Green Belt Movement, the song includes the lyrics:
This is our home
Our aim is to plant trees here
Our home is a home of womenfolk
Come, let’s carry the tree seedlings and plant
Swaying to the music, Dr. Maathai responded to the young people’s heartfelt performance with her trademark incandescent smile.
Welcoming a Pioneer of the Age of Women
SGI President Ikeda: “Karibu! (“Welcome” in Swahili). And congratulations on your Nobel Peace Prize!
“It was fifteen years ago that a group of young people and I welcomed former South African president Nelson Mandela in this same building. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming you, once again with a group of young people. I am very pleased and deeply grateful for this wonderful opportunity.”
President Ikeda introduced the young people at the meeting to Dr. Maathai, describing them as the best of youth, dedicated to the goal of serving humanity with such complete devotion as to be worthy of becoming future Nobel laureates themselves.
Dr. Maathai started the Green Belt Movement as an attempt to solve the most pressing problems confronting the women of her country: shortages of clean water, nutritious food, and the fuel to cook it. A spiraling cycle of deforestation—forested land in Kenya had dropped from 30 percent to 2 percent of the nation’s total area in a few decades—and the shift from growing food for the local market to cash crops had exacerbated these problems and were quickly leading to an environmental crisis.
Dr. Maathai started her grassroots movement by persuading women that planting trees was a way out of poverty. With the motto, “One Person—One Tree,” the movement gathered momentum and, though it faced numerous obstacles such as prejudice, discrimination, and government repression, the Kenyan activist and her compatriots pressed on.
The authoritarian government in power at the time, fearing the political repercussions of any popular organization, arrested and imprisoned Dr. Maathai on several occasions. During one peaceful demonstration, she was even beaten to the point of unconsciousness, but in spite of all opposition she refused to abandon her beliefs.
As a result of the courageous efforts of Dr. Maathai and her supporters, the Green Belt Movement has transformed Kenya and other parts of Africa, making an important contribution not only to improving the natural environment but also to revitalizing and stabilizing local communities and society in general.
Mr. Ikeda: “Dr. Maathai, you are a pioneer of the century of women; and women all over the world applaud your achievements and the well-deserved recognition they have earned you. In the past, men have frequently looked down on and discriminated against women, reacting with envy and spite to those who have accomplished great things. But you have carried out a quiet revolution under the very noses of these ‘uppity men’! “You have overcome all forms of adversity and persecution and scored a magnificent triumph. Each tree you have planted has contributed to the growth of a new century—a century of the environment, of human rights, of the empowerment of women, and of Africa.”
During the meeting, Dr. Maathai was presented with the Soka University Award of Highest Honor, and the SGI leader proposed planting two trees in her honor: a cherry tree at Soka University in Japan, to thrive alongside those already planted to honor such great leaders as the late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, and the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin; and a fig tree at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California.
President Ikeda noted that fig trees are very valuable and highly prized in Kenya. Affirming this, Dr. Maathai thanked Mr. Ikeda and said she was extremely honored by this gesture. In fact, a fig tree played a pivotal role in inspiring Dr. Maathai’s environmental activism. Upon returning home to her village from study in the United States, she was pained to discover that many fig trees in her village had been cut down, victims of shortsighted “economic development” at the expense of long-term needs.
President Ikeda expressed his hope that Dr. Maathai would visit Soka University and SUA in the future, and she said she looked forward to that opportunity.
Dr. Maathai: “I have the deepest admiration and respect for you, President Ikeda, and all SGI members around the world.”
Mr. Ikeda: “Thank you.”
Dr. Maathai: “I have been following the activities of [the SGI] organization for some time, since I met some of the members during discussions on the Earth Charter. And during that forum, I came to appreciate the values upheld by your group and learned how deeply rooted they are in the teachings of Buddhism, which exhibit a profound respect for life, nature, and human society. Those values also happen to be the very values that we are pursuing in the Green Belt Movement.”
Mr. Ikeda: “They are in fact very similar. Buddhism teaches that all plants and trees, and indeed all living things, possess the supreme life condition, which we call the Buddha nature. And Shakyamuni attained his enlightenment while meditating under the bodhi tree, a tree in the fig family.”
Dr. Maathai: “I have felt a strong connection with the SGI and its members, and so this moment is very fulfilling for me. I appreciate this opportunity to meet you and share with your organization, because we have common values. I also regard this award from Soka University as the highest honor, and I accept it with tremendous humility and appreciation on behalf of myself and the millions of people who subscribe to and support the values you have continued to propagate throughout your life. You are a great gift to humanity.”
Mr. Ikeda: “I am humbled by your kind words.”
Dr. Maathai: “I’m so glad for this chance to make personal contact with you and the SGI and to tell you of my wish to take the values you uphold back to the part of the world I come from, to Africa. I would be very happy to work together to share these values with the African people.”
Mr. Ikeda: “I plan to continue to do whatever I can for society and humanity. I have met many world leaders in my lifetime, and nothing makes me happier than meeting those leaders who are seriously concerned about humanity’s welfare and future.”
Dr. Maathai said that she, too, hoped to continue providing leadership in propagating values that affirmed reverence for life, adding that she regarded promoting such spiritual values as even more important than fulfilling material needs. The SGI leader expressed his hearty agreement with Dr. Maathai, calling it crucial not only for humanity and our times but from an eternal perspective as well.
Embodying Respect for Nature
Dr. Maathai shared that she had learned a great deal during her visit, especially citing the Japanese concept of mottainai (literally, “Don’t waste!” expressing a reluctance to waste anything). Since encountering this word, she has spoken of the significance of mottainai on several occasions, which have been widely reported in the Japanese press.
Mr. Ikeda: “Thanks to you, the spirit of mottainai has become world famous!”
Dr. Maathai: “Mottainai embodies the spirit of respect for nature and using nature responsibly, efficiently, and respectfully, without violating it.”
Mr. Ikeda: “That’s right. Human beings may think they are clever, but nothing is more foolish than the delusion that the natural world exists solely for our exploitation and domination. In this regard, in particular, you are a very important voice in today’s world.
“Your parents were farmers. You have five siblings and are the oldest daughter. Your parents believed in the importance of education, and you’ve said you were grateful that they saw to it that you attended school. I am deeply moved to think how happy your deceased father and mother must be that their daughter is so greatly honored today.
“Would you please, for the sake of our readers, share some memories of your parents? For example, something they scolded or praised you for—anything is fine.”
Dr. Maathai: “Certainly. I remember an incident when I was very young. Mountains edged the area where we lived. One morning, I woke up very early and went outside. It was still dark; stars were in the sky. Then suddenly I saw a shooting star, and it scared me. I went back into the house and asked my mother why the sky didn’t fall down.
“She told me: ‘The sky won’t ever fall, because in the mountains surrounding our farm live giant buffaloes. And those buffaloes have huge horns with which they hold up the sky. That’s why it will never fall.’
“Child that I was, I thought it was a wonderful story, and didn’t feel afraid anymore. For many years after that, I believed there were buffaloes in the sky, and I remember this story today as a symbol of the wonderful way in which the natural world protects and fosters us.”
Mr. Ikeda: “That is quite a wonderful story. We talk a lot about the environment these days, but talk is not enough. An awareness of the environment is absolutely crucial in order to advance rationally in a positive direction—indeed, for the very survival of the human race.
“To date, in both government and education, we have failed to cultivate a sufficient awareness of the importance of the environment. While by rights both should be teaching the people about the environment, they have failed to do so. Instead, they have encouraged taking the environment for granted. And that has fatal consequences. We humans pride ourselves on our intelligence, but in fact we are behaving very shortsightedly.
“You, Dr. Maathai, have called attention to the importance of protecting and preserving the natural environment. You have discovered this truth and put it into practice in your life. Protecting the environment is the true key to humanity’s progress. The natural world is like a precious bastion protecting our very existence. This is the pioneering way you have pointed out to us and have tirelessly advocated. It is an extremely important achievement. This is no empty compliment; I say it in all sincerity.”
The First Environmentalist Nobel Peace Laureate
Mr. Ikeda: “I heard you once encouraged your son by saying that the difference between success and failure in life is often no more than the willingness to get up when you are down. This is a wonderful philosophy of hope and commitment to victory. And you have demonstrated this victory in your own life as well, calmly and resolutely overcoming numerous trials and tribulations.”
Dr. Maathai: “My colleagues in the Green Belt Movement and I are grateful that the Nobel Committee decided to recognize efforts for the environment. And, although the recognition came through me, I know it is an honor bestowed on all who have been working in this area. It sends a powerful message that the environment is vitally important for peace. We can’t have peace if we destroy the environment.”
Mr. Ikeda: “I completely agree. By focusing on the environment, you have brought about a tremendous change in consciousness.”
Dr. Maathai: “In the Bible, the story of creation starts with the creation of the earth and plant and animal species. Only toward the end were the human species created. To me this says that the rest of creation doesn’t really need our species, but that it is we human beings who need the other species. If humankind had been created first, I usually say, we would have died the following day. That understanding should humble us and make us work hard to protect and preserve all other living things, because our survival depends on their survival.
“This understanding, which you and the SGI emphasize and promote, is very important, because once people understand that their lives are sustained by the other species on the planet, they will feel a commitment to preserving them.
“This knowledge can be the greatest inspiration for young people. They need to understand that there is no future—the future is now. If they want to see the future, they must act now.”
Mr. Ikeda: “The future is now—I was just saying the very same thing the other day. I would like to learn more from you, Dr. Maathai, and to disseminate this wisdom around the world.”
Dr. Maathai is not only the first environmental activist but also the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The decision of the Nobel Committee to recognize her achievements can also be seen as a call to the world to heed the voice of Africa. The SGI leader has consistently emphasized the importance of making the twenty-first century the Century of Africa, regarding the revitalization of the continent as vital to the achievement of a just global society.
Citing the well-known Latin saying that “Something new always comes out of Africa,” Mr. Ikeda noted that Dr. Maathai’s tree-planting movement has illuminated and awakened the human race with the fresh power of women. He then asked his guest what message she would like to send the world from Africa.
Dr. Maathai suggested the importance of further studies of Africa as the cradle of the human species, which is widely believed to have originated in East Africa. We may learn, she offered, that the fate of our species is intimately linked to the fate of its birthplace, and if so, the degeneration of the environment in Africa might be an indication that life itself is degenerating.
The Secret of a Shining Smile
Mr. Ikeda: “Many have commented on your wonderful smile, and several of our students at Soka University and Soka Women’s College have requested that I ask you the secret to such a bright smile.”
Dr. Maathai: “We smile when we are happy. When we see the sun, we say that the sky is smiling at us. When we see flowers, we say nature is smiling at us. This world, this life, is a wonderful experience.
“We were talking about young people earlier. It’s important to let young people know that they make us smile, too. They need to know that they are a great gift to us and that they have wonderful lives ahead of them. But they must also be made aware that if they want change, they must initiate that change.
“At any rate, I believe life is a wonderful experience that we should enjoy.”
Mr. Ikeda: “What a positive philosophy! The essence of Buddhism’s message is that we need to strive to become people for whom life is an inherently joyful experience. You are speaking of the importance of transforming oneself—what we call the philosophy of ‘human revolution.’”
Dr. Maathai: “Yes. I also believe that we must take care of the environment—starting with our own environment. For I feel that being happy is an expression of the inner happiness that results when all is well with our environment.”
Mr. Ikeda: “Your reply reflects a profound philosophy, while at the same time being very down to earth and easy to understand. You have said: ‘I myself am happiest and at my best when I am serving.’1 To me this is an expression of a very lofty philosophy of happiness. Those who behave otherwise are sure to be unhappy. You are a genuine philosopher, a superb political activist, and a beacon of hope for others. You are a real world leader.”
Dr. Maathai: “Thank you.”
Planters of Trees Reap Growing Merits
Mr. Ikeda: “Some twenty-five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni said:
Planters of groves and fruitful trees,
And they who build causeway and dam,
And wells construct and watering-sheds
And to the homeless shelter give: —
Of such as these by day and night
For ever doth the merit grow.2
“And in the third century BCE, the great Indian monarch King Ashoka renounced war and established a reign of peace and compassion throughout his extensive realm. He also enacted environmentally friendly policies, planting mango trees for their fruit and shade-giving trees along the country’s roads. Ashoka is a widely respected historical figure in Asia.
“I believe we should also plant more trees along the streets today. I once suggested in a conversation with a friend that we plant cherry trees in front of all of the train stations throughout Japan. This has been my dream since I was a youth. “There is also a famous passage in the Lotus Sutra that says: ‘Jeweled trees abound in flowers and fruit / where living beings enjoy themselves at ease’ (The Lotus Sutra, 230). Your activities are wondrously in tune with the spirit of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni compared a genuinely happy state of existence to a place of bounteous flowers and fruits hanging from jeweled trees, where living beings can rest and enjoy life.”
Both President Ikeda and the SGI have been firm supporters of environmental causes, including the Earth Charter, which was officially launched in The Hague in 2000. At the request of Steven Rockefeller, chair of the Earth Charter Drafting Committee, Mr. Ikeda contributed comments to the draft. In addition, the SGI has provided unstinting support and cooperation for the film A Quiet Revolution, produced by the Earth Council. Furthermore, an exhibition titled Seeds of Change: The Earth Charter and Human Potential, jointly produced by the SGI and the Earth Charter Initiative, has been presented in fifteen countries and regions. Through the film, exhibition, and other activities, the SGI has helped make Dr. Maathai’s Green Belt Movement widely known throughout the world.
A Canadian NGO has employed information presented in the film and exhibition to produce French and English booklets that have been distributed to junior high and high school students. The Soka Gakkai in Japan is presently working on a new exhibition on the theme of the Earth Charter to support the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which begins this year.
Mr. Ikeda: “During a speech you gave at Nairobi University last year, you said: ‘Don’t sit back and complain. Who are you waiting for to take action? You must take action.’ I am convinced that we must communicate the appeal you made on that occasion to people all around the world.
“In that regard, what do you think we should do to help solve the environmental crisis? What, in your opinion, is the most basic step that we, as individuals and groups, can take?”
Dr. Maathai: “Earlier you introduced my comment that serving others is life’s greatest happiness. All great teachers have spent their lives focused not on themselves but on others. I believe that serving, giving of yourself, is a very satisfying experience.
“Especially when you have been endowed with innate gifts, it’s important to share those gifts—just like a tree, which shares the fruit it produces. It’s good to share and to volunteer to serve others.
“Young people, too, need to learn that there is satisfaction in service—that sometimes the dissatisfaction they feel comes from focusing too much on themselves.”
Mr. Ikeda: “That’s a very important insight. Your study of biology has been a real plus in your environmental protection activities, hasn’t it?”
Dr. Maathai: “Yes. As a biologist, I was privileged to learn the way nature operates. Science encourages us to develop critical thinking and ask questions—‘Why does that happen?’ and ‘How does this work?’”
The Importance of Environmental Education
Dr. Maathai: “The first UN Conference on Women was held in Mexico in 1975. In preparation, I researched the needs of Kenyan women, and I learned that what they wanted most was clean water to drink, cooking fuel—mostly from wood—and food from the land. These issues, I realized, were all intimately connected to the land. It became clear to me that many of the problems communities were facing were the result of environmental degradation.
“I could then slowly mobilize people to change their own environment by doing things for themselves rather than waiting for the government or community leaders. “I also realized that quite often there is a lack of understanding of the links between environmental degradation and the needs of society; so I started an education program to help people acquire that understanding. As more and more people understood the connections, they became willing to join me and participate in our movement.”
Mr. Ikeda: “I see. And the result was a large number of women working together, creating an astonishing new force for positive action.”
Dr. Maathai articulated her interest in establishing a learning center that would allow people to study environmental problems in a systematic fashion. She also said that she herself could learn much from the SGI leader’s establishment of the Soka schools and universities as a means to promote learning and Soka values. Voicing his hearty approval of Dr. Maathai’s plan, Mr. Ikeda stressed that education is the fundamental way to solving the problems humanity faces. For that precise reason, he added, he had chosen education as his life’s final challenge and was devoting all his energies to it.
The two leaders expressed the hope that they could meet again and talk further about their shared concerns. Mr. Ikeda presented his guest with a collection of his photographs. Looking at the images, Dr. Maathai exclaimed at their beauty, adding that she liked the photograph of a road leading into the distance from the grounds of Windsor Castle best of all. Smiling, she said it reminded her of the road to supreme happiness. She then presented Mr. Ikeda with a handwritten card with the words: “Dr. Daisaku Ikeda: Thank you for your great work and commitment. [The documentary] A Quiet Revolution has been a great source of inspiration to us and to many visitors we have shared it with. Thank you!”
Ambassador Awori also expressed his appreciation for the contributions of President Ikeda and SGI members to Kenyan society and in particular for the educational exchange programs Soka University is undertaking with the University of Nairobi.
As Dr. Maathai left the building, young people waving Kenyan flags gave the tireless crusader for the environment, women’s rights, and peace a rousing send-off. Bidding his guest farewell, President Ikeda said he would never forget their encounter, and that he looked forward to meeting her again. He also offered his best wishes for her continued success.
Courtesy of the World Tribune
Endnotes
1. “You Strike the Woman,” by Priscilla Sears, in In Context: A Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture, No. 28, Spring 1991.
2. The Book of Kindred Sayings or Grouped Suttas, Part 1, Kindred Sayings with Verses, translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids (Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1993), p. 46.