Bachelor in Buddhist Studies

Buddhist Studies is an academic discipline that studies the Buddhist understanding of human existence and proposes how humanity can live together in harmony. The students in this department study all aspects of Buddhism, including its philosophy, history, and culture, with the aim of developing their sensibilities to observe and empathize with others.

“Why do humans suffer?” This is the fundamental question of Buddhist Studies. This question arises when we come face to face with the “suffering” of others and empathize with their suffering. For this reason, during their first year, the students not only study the fundamentals of Buddhism in the classrooms but also participate in various educational programs outside the classroom so that the problem of suffering becomes an actual concern for them.

Otani University has its beginning in 1665 when it was established as a seminary by the Higashi Honganji denomination of Shin Buddhism. Subsequently, it was reorganized as a modern university in 1901. Kiyozawa Manshi, a major figure in the world of Japanese philosophy, served as its first president. During the address given on the occasion of the founding of the university, he enunciated the school's educational ideal with the words: "Our university is based on Buddhism, especially the spirit of Shinran. It is a center of learning founded upon the desire to nurture human beings who firmly establish themselves in faith, a matter of utmost importance for us, and achieve genuine autonomous existence."

Nearly 4,000 students attend Otani University, divided among the Graduate School, Faculty of Letters and the Junior College. The Korukan (Shin Buddhist Comprehensive Academic Center), completed in April 2002, serves as the new focal point of the university's teaching and research activities.