Niwano awards peace prize to Buddhist activist

(March 10, 2011) The Niwano Peace Foundation has chosen Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand, a Buddhist scholar and activist, as the recipient of the 2011 Niwano Peace Prize. Born to a family of Chinese ancestry in 1933, Sivaraksa founded a number of non-profit organizations and spiritual movements, including the Engaged Buddhism movement. He has called for social and political reform in Thailand and greater justice in the world. He has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Hawaii and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. The Niwano Peace Prize was established in 1983 to honour and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious understanding and cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace. The prize is named in honour of the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano. Sivaraksa will receive the award, which includes a medal and a cash prize equivalent to about $240,000, in Tokyo May 19.