Purposes

Fifteen years have past since the founding of the Zenkoji Temple in Yokohama. Starting from scratch, I have come to where we are today thanks to the providence of the Buddha Dharma. We are deeply grateful for the blessing and protection of the Buddha and for the generous support of our Buddhist friends.
　　　　　 The goal of my religious life has been to return to the true teachings of Buddha with the help of the founder of our sect. My convictions have took me to pilgrimages throughout Japan and to the holy places in India and Nepal, to Thailand for study, and to the United States of America for propagate the practice of zazen. I have constantly strived to drive the Dharma Wheel forward in my conviction to find the right way. My Buddhist convictions and practices have forged my determination to establish a foundation for Buddhist international studies.
　　　　　 Today we are in the “cosmic age” in which the people can live and travel in the world compact in time and space, and in which some people live in the midst of worries, despair and even crisis. There has never been a greater need for the teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha in the tragic modern society.
　　　　　 Although Japan is a major Buddhist country, its Buddhist organizations lack any formal infrastructure to meet the urgent need to fully propagate the Buddhist teachings and practices among the people of all walks of life. I have been keenly aware of the need of providing opportunities for young priests to live and study abroad and to acquire wider views of the global community.
　　　　　 On the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the Zenkoji Temple, I resolved to repay to Buddhist priests the benefits that we all have received by establishing a Scholarship Foundation and provide an opportunity of studying abroad. May the foundation and its operations promote Buddhism, world peace and prosperity for many years to come.

January 15, 1984

Takeshi D. Kuroda

A Change of the Foundation’s Name

As stated in its objectives, the Foundation strives primarily to support Japanese priests who wished to study and practice Buddhism abroad. However, in the light of a large number of foreign priests eager to study in Japan, we feel it appropriate to expand the scope of the foundation’s scholarship programs to accommodate new demands and to rename its organization. Furthermore, there was a tendency for many people to get confused between our Zenkoji Temple and other temples of the same name when they refer to our Scholarship Foundation.
　　　　　 Therefore, we have decided to change the name of the Foundation to the Yokohama Zenkoji Scholarship Foundation for International Buddhist Study. All rules, bylaws, and other related regulations of the Scholarship Foundation would also adopt this new designation.