Compassionate Light in Asia: Contemporary Visual Culture and Contested Narratives in the Middle East

"Life is a drama of encounters", writes Daisaku Ikeda at the beginning of this dialogue: "Beautiful encounters. Momentary encounters. Each person's drama is unique." This particular encounter, between a celebrated Chinese novelist and prominent Japanese religious leader, illustrates the truth of that reflection: for in the discussion that resulted from their meetings, Jin Yong (who is sometimes called 'the Asian Dumas') and Daisaku Ikeda were able to find remarkable common ground - what they refer to as a 'karmic bond' - resulting from the particularity of their experiences in wartime and mutual resistance to adversity. Ranging across a variety of engaging themes, the interlocutors explore such topics as the nature of friendship; theories of civilization; world literatures that have inspired them; the importance of free speech; Buddhist perspectives on life and death; and the spiritual search for truth. Demonstrating a remarkable capacity for empathy throughout, the authors incarnate in their lives and work an intelligent and sympathetic compassion that represents a beacon of hope to the future direction of Sino-Japanese relations