The Founding Principle of Tsurumi University
Our founding principle consists in forming students’ character based on Zen Buddhism. Kando Nakane, the first president of our university, showed the essence of the principle in eight characters: 大覚円成 報恩行持 ‘daigaku-enjo hoon-gyoji’. These phrases are taken from the teachings by priest Keizan, founder of Sojiji Head Monastery.
大覚 ‘daigaku’― Great Awakening― refers to Buddha’s Great Awakening.円成 ‘enjo’ is ‘harmonious accomplishment’. Together, the motto is “Our harmonious accomplishment of Great Awakening after Buddha.” We follow Buddha’s teachings, learn his wisdom, and show benevolence to every living thing. We tend to forget that we are deeply bound and indebted to those around us in both time and space. Buddha makes it clear that if we conquer our attachment to worldly concerns, and our material desires, we shall manifest the Buddha-nature in ourselves.
報恩 ‘hoon’ ― gratitude ― is to express gratitude to Buddha for awakening us to the Law to be followed by all forms of life.
行持 ‘gyoji’ ― continue practicing ― is to show our gratitude through faithfully following Buddha’s teachings. Without 報恩行持 ‘hoon-gyoji’, there is no 大覚円成 ‘daigaku-enjo’. This was the way shown by Buddha and Dogen, who established Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan.
Human beings have demonstrated their intellectual ability to the full, creating advanced technology, inventing machinery, and building up material prosperity. At the same time, they have been found lacking in consideration for others, invading other countries, and have been damaging nature to such an extent that we even fear for the future of the earth itself. We meditate on this and, grateful that we were born as human beings, endeavor to coexist with nature and all life on earth.
