People :A Priest studying at Waseda University
Mr. Tomohiro Murakami

Tomohiro Murakami was born in Nara Prefecture in 1985. After graduating from the Educational Junior High School affiliated with the School of Literature, Nara Women’s University, he enrolled in the First School of Literature at Waseda and majored in Oriental Philosophy. He also belongs to the Old Temple and Buddhist Statue Study Club. At the age of twelve, he became a disciple of Yakushi-ji (Yakushi Temple), the head temple of the Hossou sect. His Buddhist name is Tei-un.

Along with his student activities, Murakami continues the Buddhist training that has been part of his life since the age of twelve. But in his enjoyment of comedy programs, going out drinking, and karaoke, he is no different from any other student. “People tend to think of Buddhism as a separate world, but in fact it's not so distant from ordinary life. It might be nice if I were the occasion for people getting interested in Buddhism," he says mischievously, stroking his clean-shaven head. “I want to be a monk with an impact.”

He is always willing to act as a guide when his club visits old temples. He tries to explain Buddhist statues and temples in simple words, sometimes mixing in humor, in order to communicate the profound concepts of the Buddhist world, which he studies them very hard, in terms of the language and sensibility of the younger generation. “If people know a little about Buddhism, they can look at Buddhist statues and temples from various perspectives, and it makes things more interesting. We younger monks have the responsibility to put across what Buddhism really is to people whose level of interest is low,” he says.

Murakami's home, Yakushi-ji, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an extremely famous temple. Just because he was born into such an ideal environment for a Buddhist monk, he worried a great deal when he became an adolescent about whether he should succeed to the leadership of the temple or not. Just at the time when he was suffering under the anxiety resulting from considering the possibility of rebelling against the course that had been set for him and stumbling along his own path, he came across the sutra “Rejoice at the fate that befalls you" and realized that many coincidences had resulted in his being able to experience Buddhist training. At that point, his negative emotions evaporated. He decided to become a rare and valuable monk in order to contribute to Buddhism, and applied to Waseda, deliberately avoiding Buddhist-affiliated universities.

The world of Buddhism, carrying on a long tradition handed down over the generations, and the ceaselessly changing society around it. Numberless monks in every era must have tried to connect these two contradictory worlds. Though Murakami is just getting started as a monk and a member of society, he has many things he wants to promote both within Buddhism organizations and in modern society, taking advantage of his comparatively free position as a student. He determinedly says, “Just because I want to play the role of a bridge between society and Buddhism, I don't want to waste any of the time I'm spending at Waseda. When I return to Nara, I think the most important thing will be how much I can give back of what I've gained and how much I can retain of my present feelings." Perhaps Murakami's true vocation is nothing other than maintaining and persevering in this faith.