President’s Message

This ceremony, which is currently underway, is called the "Entrance Oath Ceremony" at our university.

"Oath" means "to declare a vow," but this is not simply a place to celebrate your enrollment; it is a place where you pledge, in front of many attendees, to sincerely dedicate yourselves to your studies at Otani University.
As you know, Otani University is a university that bases its education and research on Buddhist principles.
Today's Buddhist ceremony symbolizes this, but at Otani University, in addition to the specialized education unique to each faculty and department, there is something we want you to learn.
That is the learning of "human education" with Buddhist spirit at its core.

What new students, including their parents, expect from the university is likely advanced general education and specialized knowledge that will lead to their future careers. Advanced language skills, specialized knowledge, and the intelligence to solve problems logically will be powerful tools that will support your life when you enter society after graduation. Depending on the career you choose, there may be some jobs that you cannot even get without qualifications.

Of course, our university has many excellent staff members who can provide these things, so please trust them and deepen your learning in each area. However, at Otani University, in addition to such learning, we strongly believe that you should also deepen your learning about "humanity."
I would like to confirm why this is necessary as you take your oath.
For example, you already possess many important tools for living in society.
You already understand Japanese, and you likely understand the history and order of society at a "common sense" level. These intelligences, or tools, were acquired through your learning and experiences up to high school, and they are important for living in society.
However, we believe that this alone is insufficient to make your future bright.
Let me give you an example.
You probably already own a convenient item called a "smartphone." This has become an indispensable item for living in society.
But what exactly is a smartphone for?

What purposes do you use it for?
This item is a convenient tool that allows you to connect with people. You can listen to music, enjoy games, and gather and share various kinds of information. In recent years, you can even consult AI about anything.
While these are convenient tools, as you know, they can also be used to destroy relationships. They can be used to hurt and deceive people.

What purposes have you used your smartphone for so far? To connect with others, or to isolate them? Have you used it to heal people, or to corner them?
The new intelligences and many other tools you will acquire in the future are the same. They can enrich connections and relationships, but at the same time, they can be used to hurt others and strip them of their dignity.
This is why Ohtani University emphasizes humanistic education alongside specialized education for all faculty and departments.

As you acquire even more advanced tools and deepen your intelligence, the most important question is: what kind of person will you become, and for what purpose will you use those tools and intelligences?
The question is how we use our intelligence to speak, how we employ our tools, and what kind of relationships we seek with others.
The society we live in is made up of a complex interplay of diverse beings. In the modern age, interaction with diverse individuals is easily and instantly possible, transcending national borders, gender, and religion.
This situation inherently signifies the arrival of an era where understanding and cooperation with those different from us are essential.
However, what is the state of the world today? While an environment for easily connecting with strangers has been established, unfortunately, this has not led to more friendly human relationships.
Tools intended to deepen connections are often used to harm others, resulting in numerous incidents of exclusion and the theft of valuable possessions.
While humans are capable of living beautiful lives, why do we repeatedly engage in such foolish behavior? Human intelligence should not exist to harm others. We humans were not born to fight.

So, how should we exercise reason and utilize our intelligence?
At Otani University, we call what we believe is most essential for our growth "empathetic intelligence."
Competition is important, but it must not hurt others.
It is important to be proud of one's own life, but it must not lead to belittling others.
How can we become such people, and how can we build such a society? That is the learning of "empathetic intelligence," which all members of Otani University want to cherish.
From today, we hope that you will also become a part of us, deepening this learning not only in classes, but also in clubs, extracurricular activities, and your family life.
To the parents and guardians:
From now on, students will pursue specialized studies in their respective faculties and departments, preparing for their future. However, as I have just mentioned, Otani University values ​​"human education" in addition to specialized education.

No matter how excellent the knowledge and skills one acquires, if they are used as tools or for purposes that harm others, they have no meaning in terms of human growth. In that sense, Otani University, while fostering freedom, sometimes guides its students with strictness.
All faculty and staff will dedicate themselves to the daily growth of our students, and we ask for your deep understanding and cooperation.