Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

About the future, changing jobs, and moving

I'm 30 years old, and I live at home in a rural area. My current job isn't really bad, but I'm filled with the feeling that I want to quit. This is because there is a group LINE at work, and they are contacted even on days off. It's fine if it's just a contact, but there are times when...

3 responses

Is it this hard to live day by day

I think it's really difficult to live every day. I've been reminded every day since I became a member of society. I think it would be so difficult to maintain the status quo. If you let your guard down even for a moment, stop, or turn backwards, it feels like falling off a cliff. The world is...

3 responses

The job change is not going well

Hello. Now I'm in my 20s living at my parents' house in Tohoku and working as a health care worker. My hobby is going to recommended concerts, and since it's hard to go on an expedition every time, I decided to take the plunge and live in Tokyo. Well, there's also a reason why power...

3 responses

What should I do when I have a lot to hold

I'm a college student now, and I have a lot of things, I don't know what to do, and I want to throw them out every day. In club activities, I have to manage a tournament that my university is supposed to host this year, and even when I think about what and how to do well, I don't understand,...

3 responses

I want to be able to proceed with things calmly.

I'm indebted to you. Currently, this is my 3rd year working as a sales person. Until now, it has often been said to be relatively excellent, but after a failure in a project, I lost my confidence, and recently I have been in a state of lethargy and laziness. I'm doing the minimum work, but I...

3 responses

Please tell me a scary story

I always ask questions, and I enjoy reading it. Hello. It's all of a sudden, but in my house, it's always been better than my mother “I'm an ascetic even though my school excursion used to be at a temple (on a certain mountain) and it was completely dark at night and I couldn't see anything? I...

3 responses

If I do Zen and become mindless, when should I think about it?

Hello, I would like to ask a question for the first time. I often hear that at temples such as Zen Buddhism, people meditate for hours every day. But if you spend hours doing Zen every day, when will you think about the world? As the monk answered this question, I wonder if a monk needs...

3 responses

I don't know what to do from now on

Remembering painful things from the past makes it painful. After that, I have a strong feeling that I want people to acknowledge me, and I don't really understand myself anymore. I don't know if there are parts where I'm not satisfied with the current situation, but I feel depressed. Of course, I...

3 responses

Should I continue my current romantic relationship

I have been dating a girlfriend for about 6 years. At first, I fell in love with them at first sight, and I'm really thankful that they went out with me. We've been living together ever since we started dating, went from being students to working adults together, and have been together until...

3 responses

Should they disappear if they can't play a role in society?

26 years old, 4th year working adult. Mistakes and lack of confirmation overlapped at work, and I wasn't able to work well in my previous department, and after getting sick and taking a leave of absence for 1 month, I was transferred to another department. Looking back, I often think “I could...

3 responses

I want to listen to puja stories that are easy for children to understand during memorial services

I'm indebted to you. It's been almost 1 year since my husband passed away. I still can't sort out my feelings. The months and days are just passing by. Every time, I read a lot of content here, and it's a day where I calm my mind. This time, I will celebrate my first anniversary. At that...

3 responses

About the monk's sutra posture and breathing

I'm an ordinary housewife, but I use the Heart Sutra app to read the Heart Sutra to relax my mind and body. So the question is, when monks read sutras, do they meditate or sit in the right position? Also, when you inhale, do you do it through your nose or through your mouth? Thank you for your...

3 responses

How to become a monk

After taking care of my father, my sister began to want to be a monk. She was a kind child, and there were times when she was mentally unstable, but it seems like she always wanted to be a monk. I heard that I couldn't talk about it due to issues such as nursing care, etc., and I thought it...

3 responses

Something I've been suffering from since 13 years ago.

I had a junior who was 6 years younger and was under the same disciple. Somehow we went to tea together, and I ended up asking my junior for piano concerto practice accompaniment from the flow of the conversation. However, he wasn't very good at playing, and he was a strong kid. Even so, I was...

4 responses

My husband attempted suicide

My husband attempted suicide at home just the other day. The cause is stress at work. Also, when I saw my SNS, I felt “I'm not trusted.” I think you were hurt and angry when you saw my past posts. I just wrote my thoughts on X. I had almost no followers, and only one friend I knew, who I could...

3 responses

I caused damage to the company at work

I'm a new graduate who joined the company in April of this year. I made a mistake that caused damage to the company due to my carelessness. I immediately reported it to my boss, and I was only asked about the situation that day, but at a later date, I happened to catch the fact that the products...

3 responses

I'm too addicted to shogi and it's painful

I'm in high school now, so I have to study for winter vacation assignments and early new year examinations. However, during this busy student period, I became obsessed with the horrible online game “Shogi Wars.” If you notice it, you'll be immersed in shogi matches, impression matches,...

3 responses

My birthday

Congratulations on the new year. We look forward to working with you again this year. Today, January 2nd, is my birthday. New Year's 3rd is rare, but for some reason I think about it every year. I was happy when people said happy birthday until I was little, but for some reason I'm not happy when...

3 responses

The Difference Between Giving Up Your Obsession and Killing Yourself

I just got married this year, and I'm immediately faced with a misunderstanding of values. My husband is the type who doesn't want to have weddings or receptions because he doesn't like attention being drawn to himself, even if he has enough money. Also, they say they don't want birthdays and...

3 responses

About ascetic practices

Excuse me for the question. I am a disciple of the Honganji school of the Shinshu sect, and one of my recent hobbies is going to experience what is called ascetic practices of other denominations (Shagyo, zazen, etc.). There are times when Shinshu's teachings say that you don't need to practice...

6 responses

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