Gay monk's secret to a fruitful life ft. Kodo Nishimura

Meet Kodo Nishimura, a Pure Land Buddhist monk. He sits down to talk with us about growing up in a buddhist temple as a gay man, learning to understand himself studying abroad, and rediscovering his own calling as a monk. -- 0:00 Intro 0:47 Meet Kodo Nishimura 1:25 Growing up in a temple in Tokyo 2:48 Kodo discusses balancing temple life and personal interests 4:08 Choosing to study art in the United States 6:38 Adjusting to a diverse campus after growing up in a temple 8:23 Exploring different paths in art school 9:05 Transitioning into makeup as a career 11:44 Kodo on realizing his identity more openly in the United States 13:19 Kodo talks about finding direction after graduation 14:26 A dream come true makeup moment 15:00 Kodo on deciding to return to Japan 15:56 Kodo on being part of Queer Eye 18:50 Kodo talks about why he decided to write a book 19:54 Choosing to commit to Buddhist teachings 21:52 The process of becoming a monk 24:10 Kodo explains Pure Land Buddhism 25:21 Being gay and choosing a religious path 30:06 Buddhist teachings he wanted to share 31:40 Kodo on using religion to open difficult conversations 33:27 Comparing Pure Land Buddhism to other traditions 35:04 Advocacy, visibility, and responsibility 36:51 Kodo on the idea of a perfect monk 38:18 Balancing monk life and creative work 39:42 Maintaining spiritual practice in a busy life 41:06 Kodo on using Buddhist texts in daily life 42:27 Plans for an art exhibition in 2026 43:53 Artistic influences and inspirations 45:40 Kodo discusses returning to the temple in a new way 46:53 What he would tell his younger self 47:24 Changes in LGBTQ visibility over time 48:05 Kodo on interacting with people in Japan and abroad 49:36 Stereotypes about Buddhism and acceptance 51:22 Where to start learning about Buddhism 52:21 Interpreting Buddhist texts across cultures 53:25 Kodo shares a recent reflection or teaching 56:12 Kodo talks about whether inner peace is ever complete 57:07 Kodo on struggle as part of the path 58:06 Future goals and dreams 59:27 Wrapping up 62:04 Outro -- Follow Kodo: https://www.kodonishimura.com/   / kodomakeup     / kodomakeup   https://x.com/kodonishimura ⁨@KodoNishimuraMakeup⁩ Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/   / unpacking_japan     / unpackingjapan     / unpackingjapan      / @unpackingjapanshorts   https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof... Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/