Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

I doubt him

I've been in a relationship with him for over 20 years. At first, they had an affair, but they were told that they got divorced about 15 years ago. Since then, he hasn't been able to work to take care of his elderly parents I continued to lend money. We reimbursed not only living expenses,...

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Why are Buddha statues so fat?

There are also Buddha statues that are thin, such as the Buddha's ascetic statue, but basically most Buddha statues are plump Buddha statues, right? If it's a plump Buddha statue, I get the impression that he is drowning in (food) desires, but did Buddha gain weight in his later years? I...

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I'm worried about what to do about my future career path

First, let me introduce myself briefly. I'm an office worker in my mid-thirties working for a small company in Tokyo. After graduating from high school, I left Hiroshima, where my parents' house is located, moved to Tokyo, and after going to university, it's been a little over 10 years since I...

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Read “Ambition Recommendations” by Mariko Hayashi

It was written that the book “Ambition Recommendations” by Mariko Hayashi had surpassed 700,000 copies, so I bought it at a bookstore and read it. As the title suggests, it's a book about having ambitions, and reading it made me very sympathetic and energized. I think it's important to aim...

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It's about grandma.

Good evening. Now it's about grandma. Grandma has dementia. I originally lived in Chiba Prefecture. This is Urayasu city. It's Disney city. At the same time that I became middle 2, my older sister, mother, and I left my father in Chiba to take care of my grandmother and moved to Hatsukaichi in...

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About scapegoats.

Hello. I'm always indebted to you. It's Yuri. What do monks think about scapegoats today? Let me ask you a question. A scapegoat is, so to speak, the role of “leaving friends” or “being scolded.” On Wikipedia... it also exists as a term for psychology. In particular, in psychoanalysis...

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I'm at a loss.

There was someone I had (been) in a relationship with for 12 years. At first it was a long distance. I was transferred to Tokyo 3 years ago. He was married to someone he didn't even like because of his parents' debts. I learned that fact about 5 years after we started dating... However,...

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I want to fix my running away habit

I have a habit of throwing everything away and running away when I'm stuck. They tend to take themselves into difficult situations, whether they are the type that starts the engine when cornered to a certain extent, or whether they like a cramped lifestyle. If you confront it without running...

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Anxiety about the child's future

I'm a mother with children aged 5 and 2. Thinking about when they became adults makes me anxious. I feel that the future of society is bleak, and children are sad thinking about whether or not they will be able to live a richer life than themselves (parents). I don't even feel like I'm...

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On anxiety and causal retaliation against love.

For the first time, I would like to ask you a question. My name is Kuwari Kozo. I'm currently 30 years old and I'm in a long distance relationship. My opponent is a 22-year-old college student. We are years apart, but we have promised to get married in the future (albeit a verbal promise...),...

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Is it prohibited to take pictures of Buddha statues?

When I go to a temple, it's often written that photography is prohibited, but why is that bad? I'd like to write on my blog that I came across such a wonderful Buddha statue. Don't you like being a monk when a picture of a Buddha statue is taken? Of course, I don't take pictures when other...

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My mother steals my money without my permission.

Nice to meet you. There was nothing I could do about it myself, and somehow a good solution I was so worried that I could consult with you. My mother isn't working right now and she's a full-time housewife, Open my bag without permission while I'm away from my wallet Stealing money,...

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Types of sutras

Monks give sutras at Obon and funerals, and I thought everything read there was the same thing. I was reading a Buddhist book the other day, and I learned that the sutras to read differ depending on the denomination. What sutras are major in each one? Is there a proper use of these sutras...

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What is evil?

Something like an aura (?) I was told “there is no evil spirit” by people who say they can see. According to that person, many people have evil spirits. Also, I was told that I was emitting white stuff. I was wondering if “innocent” is a word for children. First of all, what is evil? Also,...

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Children are injured in quick succession

I'm a mother of two boys. My older child had a head stitching injury in kindergarten, and the next day my younger child got injured cutting his head at home and sewed it. They were both injured in a row, and the place where they were both injured was a similar place on the left front part of...

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I'm seriously worried.

What I used to work at was a temple. It was Motoyama. I felt bad about that, so I retired. That person was a monk. I am I'm still going to the hospital. They haven't even asked me to apologize. Am I the only one asking this kind of question? I don't know if you can listen to it, but...

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A monk's marriage

I've heard that you can't get married to anyone other than a temple other than the Jodo Shinshu sect. However, there are many married chief priests. It's hard to think that the teachings will change Thoughts and opinions etc. of temples that have been married Could you be more specific?

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Shinbon pagoda

The ossuary was held a few years after my parents passed away. It was the beginning of this year, so I wonder if the next Obon festival will be called New Bon. How many memorial services does it have nothing to do with it? I think my other relative's memorial service pagoda was in the 20,000...

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I was subjected to power harassment 2 years ago, and I became an atypical “depression.”

About 2 years ago, my boss told me “don't come, quit, I don't feel well” twice at work, and I became an atypical “depression.” I immediately went to psychosomatic medicine and was examined that my boss's rant was the cause of the onset of the disease. I took a leave of absence from work for about...

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I'm worried about returning to work.

Nice to meet you. Thank you for your support. I have been absent from work since mid-July due to poor health. I was planning to return this month, but I'm still not feeling well, and I honestly don't want to go back because of company relationships. More importantly, I'm also thinking about...

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