Otani Monshu

The Monshu (abbot) of Higashi Honganji in Kyoto — the head of the Jōdo Shinshū denomination of Japanese Buddhism. Higashi Honganji is one of the two main branches of Shin Buddhism and one of the most significant Buddhist institutions in Japan, with millions of followers worldwide.

Connection

Jim Fredericks and Otani Monshu have become friends through years of interreligious dialogue in Kyoto.

Why Herbert Would Be Delighted

Interreligious encounter has been a thread running through Herbert's ecumenical commitments across his career. Knowing that he is one degree from the leader of one of Japan's most significant Buddhist denominations — through a friend whose life is built around exactly this kind of dialogue — opens the world in a way that feels entirely fitting for Herbert.

Cross-Connections

• Felix Machado – fellow interreligious dialogue figure; both connected through Jim Fredericks
• Dalai Lama – another major Buddhist figure already in Herbert's network, creating a Buddhist cluster in the graph