Born in Tokyo in 1986, Rev. Jokan Ono is a graduate of Waseda University and also studied at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, USA. During his university years, he completed the Tendai ascetic training, Shido Kegyo, on Mount Hiei.  
  
After working in corporate consulting and the IT sector, he founded “Kechien Kikaku,” a project aiming to strengthen the bond between temples and communities. He later completed the first 100 days of the Kaihōgyō on Mount Hiei.   
  
He became the Head Priest of Fugenji in 2020. In 2023, he spoke as one of Japan’s representatives at the International Sangha Forum in Bodh Gaya, hosted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rev Ono’s aspiration is to become “an international monk who connects the Japanese Buddhism of harmony with the world."  
  
For more information about Fugenji, please visit the following link:  
[https://www.fugenji.com/](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazRWZWRXV3Vtd2drUVZaMXhKWlM3aGd4TV9RUXxBQ3Jtc0tuRGxmY045NUcxM0xhb1pJeHRSRC1NOVZ6S2QxWGhUeHlxdlJuS3FzZUx1Z29ndjhsUDdMZnV6V2tJaU1YSzEtbWtnM24wQlBtYXhwQ0JQM2VGNDkySmJ4Vk11OEs4LVJ6WXlzVWZZbTdPZVZrXy1Bbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fugenji.com%2F&v=VbJelJpeaTk)  
  
We discussed:  
  
\*Ordaining at the age of ten, training at Mount Hiei, and becoming the 43rd abbot of Fugenji  
  
\*Returning to Mount Hiei after living in the secular world and working in business  
  
\*Kaihōgyō, Sennichi-e, and engaging with practices around emptiness and interdependence through nature  
  
\*Fudō Myō-ō and practicing the Goma fire ritual   
  
\*Tendai, meditation, and the Threefold Contemplation in a Single Mind  
  
\*Cafe Terrace Fugenji and supporting an online sangha  
  
\*Toei Tama Cemetery and impermanence   
  
\*and the importance of letting your motivation for awakening serve as your compass along the Buddhist path

  


Interview with Rev. Jokan Ono, the 43rd Abbot and Head Priest of Fugenji Temple (Tendai School). We discussed Kaihōgyō, Sennichi-e, Fudō Myō-ō, and practicing the Goma fire ritual. We also talked about the Threefold Contemplation in a Single Mind.