Standing in front of the Berlin Wall in October 1961, President Ikeda remarked, “I am sure this high and forbidding wall will be gone in 30 years.” The Berlin Wall came down 28 years after President Ikeda’s visit.

“Mr Toda’s ardent wish was to tear down the walls of conflict that divided people, a wish only natural for a Buddhist practitioner. That was also why one rainy afternoon I paid a visit to the Berlin Wall, the symbol of the division of humanity between East and West. My trip to West Germany took place in October 1961, just two months after the wall had been built. Standing before that cold barricade, I said to those who were with me. “I am sure that this high and forbidding wall will be gone in 30 years.”

Facing the Brandenburg Gate, President Ikeda chanted daimoku three times. The members were surprised and left speechless by this remark, because the prospect seemed unimaginable.

President Ikeda vowed to build a peaceful world where such walls do not exist. Toward that end, he would pursue dialogue, take concrete action, and create a tide for peace. The Berlin Wall came down 28 years after President Ikeda’s visit (in 1989).