ITO Foundation for International Education Exchange

Tadashi Hara

In this age of the global community, with its intricate web of interdependency, it has become more important than ever to foster mutual understanding and cooperation in all areas of human endeavor, including politics, economics, science, and art. This fact is all the more compelling when we look at all of the tragic conflicts that continue to occur in the world because of differences in culture and religion.

In order to bring about peace and prosperity to the future of humankind and the earth, what is urgently required, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, is the development and training of individuals with the skills and ability to act and work with a perspective based on global cooperation, as well as the promotion of educational research in this area.

Based on the wish of the late Archbishop Shinjo Ito, the Founder of Shinnyo-en, who dedicated himself entirely to Mahayana altruism and developing this inherent potential in people, the ITO Foundation for International Education Exchange was established in February of 1991 for the education and support of international students. By providing financial support for young people with integrity, talent, and originality, the foundation takes an active part in contributing to the global community. I have always held the belief that, “Truth can be universally applied.” Accordingly, I believe that the ultimate goals of religion and education are one and the same. With this belief, I have taken part in a foundation designed to serve others.

The late Archbishop Shinjo Ito was born in 1906 in Yamanashi prefecture in Japan. He established a Buddhist religious order with his vow, “To extend salvation to the world and benefit humankind,” and with the goal, “To nurture well-rounded leaders in society.” Having mastered the traditional teachings of Buddhism as well as having become a Great Acharya (master teacher) at Daigoji, the head monastery of the Daigo School of Shingon Buddhism, Archbishop Shinjo Ito dedicated his life for the edification of the multitude based on the last teaching of the Buddha, the Mahaparinirvana Sutra. Showing a great understanding of the need for education with a global perspective, he supported academic research and established scholarship funds to those who pursue Japanese studies at universities outside of Japan. From early on, he reached out to individuals by providing scholarship assistance, and in a larger sense, he wished throughout his life to assist in building a better future for humankind and the earth.

To realize his great wish and vow, the ITO Foundation presently administers four programs in order to nurture international citizens who can respond to the problems in this age of the global community.

The first program includes the granting of scholarships and assistance to students from Japan who are pursuing graduate studies abroad.

Our second program offers scholarships and assistance to overseas students who are pursuing graduate studies at universities in Japan. We receive many applications every year and scholarships are awarded on a merit basis---the result of a strict, fair, and impartial selection process.

The third part of our program is providing advice and educational assistance to the scholarship recipients. This is one of the foundation’s main activities and something that we consider very important. We are committed to providing scholarship assistance along with “heart-to-heart” exchanges, responding to the needs of those who endeavor to actualize their dreams while living and studying in a foreign country.

The fourth part of our program is to assist in the research of studies abroad and to plan various projects to fulfill the Foundation’s goals. By holding exchange meetings regularly, we have provided various opportunities to foster international exchange. In the process, the network among scholarship recipients is growing and it is our great joy to witness its expansion.

Now in its seventh year, the foundation has undertaken the task of developing and training individuals who can shoulder the demands and responsibilities of a global community that is undergoing constant change. Though it is a very difficult and challenging task, we have carried through with our mission with a long-term perspective: “The one-year plan is to plant and cultivate grains; the ten-year plan is to plant and cultivate trees, and the one hundred-year plan is to plant and cultivate human potential.” The wish of the late Archbishop Shinjo Ito is, “To do for the sake of others,” not for one's own sake. By following his wish and dedicating ourselves for the world and its people, we believe that a path to realize our goal will open. We will continue to commit ourselves wholeheartedly toward the great wish and vow of planting and cultivating human potential, with our aim to promote the welfare of the world, to benefit humankind, and to bring about lasting peace.

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