Shoukei Matsumoto Keynote Speaker

Buddhist monk and philosopher who bridges ancient spiritual wisdom with the urgent questions of the 21st century
Author of "A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind"
Selected as one of the "100 Hopes to Save the World" (2023) by Forbes Japan

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Shoukei Matsumoto's Biography

Shoukei Matsumoto is a Buddhist monk and philosopher who bridges ancient spiritual wisdom with the urgent questions of the 21st century.

Known for his global best-seller A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind, Matsumoto explores how everyday practices—like cleaning, chanting, and listening—can serve as powerful tools for navigating modern life, leadership and societal transformation.

Educated in philosophy at the University of Tokyo and trained as a monk in the Pure Land tradition, Matsumoto’s work draws from both Eastern and Western schools of thought. He engages directly with world-leading intellectuals such as Yuval Noah Harari and Markus Gabriel, exploring topics like AI, animism, trust, intergenerational ethics and the future of humanness. He serves as Visiting Professor at Musashino University, where he leads the Buddha Dharma 100th Anniversary Project exploring the question: “How can we transcend the ‘human’?”

In a time of ecological crisis, algorithmic dominance, and spiritual confusion, Matsumoto offers a Buddhist-informed yet radically practical vision of leadership, wellbeing, and collective responsibility. His unique concept of “People’s Buddhism”—a way of living grounded in mindful presence and humble coexistence—offers pathways beyond anthropocentrism, toward what he calls “becoming good ancestors.”

As a corporate mentor, he works with business leaders around the world under the title “Industrial Monk,” offering deep one-on-one dialogue to reshape leadership mindsets. His approach resonates with current global movements such as post-Anthropocene ethics, conviviality, and transhumanism reconsidered—not through abstract theory, but through lived rituals and collective listening.

He regularly engages in public dialogue with global leaders and thinkers such as Roman Krznaric (intergenerational ethics), Audrey Tang (AI democracy), Kate Raworth (post-growth economics), and Markus Gabriel (New Realism), exploring how Buddhist philosophy can meaningfully intersect with urgent global questions.

Matsumoto has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos and his ideas have been featured in The Guardian, WIRED, and Forbes Japan, which named him one of the “100 Hopes to Save the World.” He is the founder of Interbeing Inc. and host of Temple Morning Radio, a podcast blending the rhythms of monastic life with global contemporary discourse.

Work Like A Monk: Leadership, Wellbeing and the Everyday

Based on his upcoming book Work Like a Monk, this session oNers a new lens on leadership and organizational life, integrating Buddhist practices like mindful listening, ritual cleaning (samu), and ancestor ethics. Through stories and dialogue, Rev. Matsumoto explores how ancient monastic wisdom can support post-growth, inclusive, and emotionally intelligent workplaces—and how even cleaning can become a form of leadership.

Trust Beyond the Human: Buddhism, AI and the Future of Ethics

Can we trust what we do not understand—other people, machines, even ourselves? In this talk, Rev. Matsumoto discusses AI not just as a technological force, but as a spiritual challenge. Building on Buddhist ideas of non-self and interdependence, he oNers a perspective on how to cultivate trust in a world where intelligence may no longer be human, and where ethical systems must expand to include non-human agents.

Becoming Good Ancestors: Buddhist Ethics for the Long Now

In an age of short-termism, what does it mean to act on behalf of future generations? Drawing from Buddhist teachings and conversations with thinkers like Yuval Noah Harari and Roman Krznaric, this session introduces the idea of “good ancestor ethics” as a framework for leadership, policy, and personal life. Participants will explore how rituals, remembrance, and humility can help us reimagine responsibility in a world facing ecological collapse, AI disruption, and intergenerational imbalance.

Beyond Anthropocentrism: Buddhist Philosophy in the Post-Anthropocene

What if humans are not the center of the story? Inspired by the Buddha Dharma Declaration 2025 and dialogues with Kate Raworth and Markus Gabriel, this session explores how Buddhist concepts like engi (interdependent co-arising) and karuṇā (compassion) can help reframe ecology, rights, and identity beyond the human. This is a talk for those seeking new paradigms in sustainability, post-human ethics, and decolonial spirituality.

The Polyphony of Listening: Dialogue, Silence, and the Future of Democracy

What does it mean to truly listen in an age of noise? Drawing from his voice podcast series and practices from Japanese Buddhism (Nenbutsu, “mindful listening”), Rev. Matsumoto proposes a model of dialogue that welcomes diNerence without erasing it. Featuring insights from conversations with Audrey Tang, David Kennedy, and others, this session reimagines leadership, diplomacy, and collective intelligence around listening as an ethical act.

Cleaning the Habitat: Ritual, Responsibility, and Sacred Order

Why do monks sweep every day? What can that teach us about design, responsibility, and ecological stewardship? In this talk, Rev. Matsumoto shares the cultural and spiritual meaning behind the practice of cleaning, showing how it nurtures humility, attention, and a sense of sacred presence. This session invites leaders to rethink space, systems, and sustainability as extensions of inner order.