Niwano Peace Prize
Encyclopedia
Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those who are devoting themselves to interreligious cooperation in the cause of peace,and to make their achievements known. The Foundation hopes that the prize will further promote interreligious cooperation for peace and lead to the emergence of ever more people devoting themselves to this cause.
The award is given annually and consists of a certificate, Gold Medal and an amount of 20 million Yen (roughly USD$210,000).
The screening committee which decided the award is made up of religious leaders of international stature selects the recipient from among candidates nominated by religious leaders and other persons of intellectual stature around the world.
The Tokyo
based Niwano Peace Foundation was initiated by the Japanese
citizen Nikkyo Niwano
, founder of the buddhist lay organisation Rissho Kosei Kai
; he was one of the few non-Christian observers of the Second Vatican Council
. His son Nichiko Niwano
is his successor as chairman of the movement, which is dedicated to the interreligious dialogue
.
The award is given annually and consists of a certificate, Gold Medal and an amount of 20 million Yen (roughly USD$210,000).
The screening committee which decided the award is made up of religious leaders of international stature selects the recipient from among candidates nominated by religious leaders and other persons of intellectual stature around the world.
The Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
based Niwano Peace Foundation was initiated by the Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
citizen Nikkyo Niwano
Nikkyo Niwano
was one of the founders and first president of the Buddhist organization, Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:Born on November 15, 1906 to farmers, Nikkyō had a humble life in a small town. Later in his youth he moved to Tokyo to work and it was here that he began to study several different religions....
, founder of the buddhist lay organisation Rissho Kosei Kai
Rissho Kosei Kai
is a Japanese Buddhist lay movement founded in 1938 by Nikkyo Niwano and Myoko Naganuma.-History:Rissho Kosei-kai was founded on March 5, 1938 by Nikkyo Niwano and Myoko Naganuma, both former members of the Buddhist sect Reiyūkai. Rev. Niwano met Ms. Naganuma while he was engaged in missionary work...
; he was one of the few non-Christian observers of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. His son Nichiko Niwano
Nichiko Niwano
Nichiko Niwano is the eldest son of Risshō Kōsei Kai founder Nikkyo Niwano, and the current President of Risshō Kōsei Kai.-Early life:...
is his successor as chairman of the movement, which is dedicated to the interreligious dialogue
Religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is a loosely defined expression concerning acceptance of various religions, and is used in a number of related ways:* As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus that at least some truths and true values...
.
Laureates
- 2011: Sulak SivaraksaSulak SivaraksaSulak Sivaraksa [] is founder and director of the Thai NGO “Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation”, named after two authorities on Thai culture, Sathirakoses and Nagapradeepa...
- 2010: Ela BhattEla BhattEla Ramesh Bhatt is the founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association of India . A lawyer by training, Bhatt is a respected leader of the international labour, cooperative, women, and micro-finance movements who has won several national and international awards.-Early life:Ela Bhatt was born in...
, India - 2009: Reverend Canon Gideon ByamugishaGideon ByamugishaReverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha is an Anglican priest in Uganda with a parish outside of Kampala. In 1992, he became the first religious leader in Africa to publicly announce that he was HIV positive...
, Uganda - 2008: Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Jordan
- 2007: Master Cheng YenCheng YenCheng Yen is a Taiwanese Buddhist nun , teacher, and philanthropist. She is often called the "Mother Teresa of Asia." In 1966, Cheng Yen founded the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, commonly known as Tzu Chi; its motto is "instructing the rich and saving the poor"...
, founder of Tzu-Chi, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, Taiwan - 2006: Rabbis for Human RightsRabbis for Human RightsRabbis for Human Rights-Israel is an Israeli human rights organisation describing itself as "the rabbinic voice of conscience in Israel, giving voice to the Jewish tradition of human rights"....
, Israël - 2005: Dr. Hans KüngHans KüngHans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic . Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing", but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology...
, Germany - 2004: Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), Uganda
- 2003: Dr. Scilla ElworthyScilla ElworthyScilla Elworthy is the founder of the Oxford Research Group, a non-governmental organisation which seeks to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics...
- 2002: Samuel Ruiz García, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
- 2001: Elias ChacourElias ChacourElias Chacour is the Archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and All Galilee of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Noted for his efforts to promote reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis, he is the author of two books about the experience of Palestinian people living in present-day Israel...
, bishop of the Melkite-Catholic Church in Israel - 2000: Dr. Kang Won YongKang Won YongDr. Kang Won Yong was a Christian leader, pioneer of the ecumenical movement in Korea, and an advocate for peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula....
, Korea - 1999: Community of Sant'EgidioCommunity of Sant'EgidioThe Community of Sant'Egidio is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association". It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries...
, Italy - 1998: Maha GhosanandaPreah Maha GhosanandaMaha Ghosananda, , was a highly revered Cambodian Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition, who served as the Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism during the Khmer Rouge period and post-communist transition period of Cambodian history...
, Cambodia - 1997: Corrymeela CommunityCorrymeela CommunityThe Corrymeela Community is a Christian community whose objective is the promotion of reconciliation and peace-building through the healing of social, religious, and political divisions in Northern Ireland...
, Northern Ireland - 1996: Marii HasegawaMarii HasegawaMarii Hasegawa is a peace activist, known for her fifty years of work with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, including serving as its president during the Vietnam War....
, USA - 1995: M. AramM. AramM. Aram was an educator and peace advocate from India.- Education :In 1948, Aram earned an Master of Arts degree in English literature from Madras Christian College, Madras University. Subsequently, he earned a Ph.D...
, India - 1994: Cardinal Paulo Evaristo ArnsPaulo Evaristo ArnsPaulo Evaristo Arns O.F.M. is the Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo.-Early life and education:...
, Archbishop of Sao Paulo (Brazil) - 1993: Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Israel http://nswas.org/
- 1992: A. T. AriyaratneA. T. AriyaratneSri Lankabhimanya Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne is the founder and president of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka.-Biography:...
, Sri Lanka - 1991: Dr. Hildegard Goss-MayrHildegard Goss-MayrHildegard Goss-Mayr is an Austrian nonviolent activist and Christian theologian.-Life and commitment:Daughter of Kaspar Mayr, founder of the Austrian branch of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, she studyed Philosophy in Vienna and New Haven.In 1958, she married Jean Goss , a French...
, Austria - 1990: Norman CousinsNorman CousinsNorman Cousins was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate.-Early life and education:...
, USA - 1989: Etai YamadaEtai YamadaThe Most Venerable Etai Yamada was the 253rd head priest of the Japanese Tendai school of Mahayana Buddhism.In 1986, Yamada was invited by Pope John Paul II to be one of the few non-Christian religious leaders to attend the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy. In 1987, he held a...
, Japan - 1988: not awarded
- 1987: World Muslim CongressWorld Muslim CongressThe World Muslim Congress is an Islamic organization based in Karachi. Its co-founder and Secretary-General for over four decades was Inamullah Khan...
, Pakistan - 1986: Philip A. PotterPhilip Potter (church leader)Rev Dr Philip Alford Potter was a leader in the Methodist Church and the third General Secretary of the World Council of Churches .-Early life and work:...
, Dominican Republic - 1985: Zhao PuchuZhao PuchuZhao Puchu was a religious and public leader who promoted cultural progress and religious tolerance in China...
, China - 1984: Homer A. JackHomer A. JackHomer A. Jack was an American Unitarian Universalist clergyman pacifist and social activist who helped found the Congress of Racial Equality and National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy .-Early life and education:...
, USA - 1983: Dom Hélder CâmaraHélder CâmaraDom Hélder Pessoa Câmara was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Olinda and Recife.He was known as the 'Bishop of Corum' and took a clear position with the urban poor....
, Brazil