Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

About the guy we live with...

Nice to meet you and thank you. I am currently living with a member of the temple family who will become the chief priest of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school in the future, which is 9 years since they first started living together. What I want to talk about is that I can't just keep...

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What should you do when the painful things overlap and your heart seems to be broken?

As the title suggests, what kind of mindset should I have? I'm not able to overcome the current situation, and my condition is bad both mentally and physically (shoulder stiffness, etc.), probably because I feel uneasy. I asked a few questions about my concerns here. After that, I thought it...

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How can I accept a different life than I thought it would be?

The second one is infertile and already elderly. What I had in mind 5 years ago was a future where I had 2 children about 3 years apart, bought a house near a familiar train station where I lived for close to 10 years, and somehow have enough money to not bother my children in the...

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Being alive doesn't necessarily mean happiness.

I'm indebted to you. This is the mother who lost her 17-year-old daughter to suicide. I lived safely on the 49th, found a job, and started going outside to work. I can now talk about my daughter normally even when I meet someone. I also have a son, and from now on I will live until the end of...

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I gave birth safely.

Thank you so much for participating in so many consultations during pregnancy. I was able to give birth safely today. The gender is boy. I would like to take this opportunity to report back.

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How to be able to start moving with one's own will

Recently, I realized that I had never worked on myself to do anything about my way of life up until now. I was swept away by the circumstances and environment around me, and it has reached the present. My current job originally went bankrupt, so it's like taking over a customer and becoming...

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What are communication abilities used in society?

I'm a graduate student who has finished job hunting During job hunting, he said, “What working people need is communication ability. I was told many times, “So improve your communication skills,” but in the first place, I felt like I was saying something impossible to improve communication...

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Christmas schedule

I don't have a lover, and my friends don't seem to have a good schedule. You can play with women you don't like, That seems disrespectful to the other person. What should I do?

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Disrespect for women in Buddhism? Since when?

I am indebted to you every time. Being able to talk anonymously with monks is quite fun and I use it quite often. I'm not a monk, but my hobby is studying Buddhism little by little. I don't really sympathize with this hobby. This time, I'm going to ask a slightly academic question. As the...

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Would it be bothersome if I conveyed my thoughts

There is a monk I'm interested in. I'm curious about the monk I spoke with when I visited a temple to pray and was given a goshuin. There was also a little common topic, and I felt a connection without permission. It just makes me think. After that, when I contacted the temple by email...

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Please tell me about Sanmai

This question seems basic to all of you, but please forgive me. What is sanmai called in Buddhism? Please tell me more. Is there a definition for that? conditions or something? Also, do you have training to lead to that? If you have an ascetic practice, what kind of things do you do?

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Is this my fault?

I'm running for the student council. Previously, I was on duty to clean up dishes etc. called school lunch duty. After going to the lunch room to clean up the dishes, when I tried to return to the classroom, a child in the same grade was carrying a box containing tableware and rice, and it...

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attempted suicide

Recently, in a Buddhist book I read, it was written that unscrupulous politicians, unscrupulous traders, and criminals (especially murderers) will go to hell. It wasn't written in the book, but I often hear that people who commit suicide also go to hell. So the question is, what position are...

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About ignorance

Please tell me about the Buddhist teaching of greed. Greed is greed, and I think people who don't know Buddhism can understand the meaning of greed and anger even if they hear it, but I don't really understand the meaning of greed and anger. What does ignorance in Buddhism mean?

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Which is more important, childbirth or travel?

I don't know when to enter the month of the month and my body will prepare for childbirth, such as labor pains or water breakage, etc., but I don't think hospital teachers, midwives, or Buddha understand all of this. But when asked about the due date, the mother-in-law, who gave birth to 6...

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My husband is a monk

My husband is a monk, and he treats me badly. For example, they raised 24 500ml cans of beer to the 3rd floor of a housing complex without an elevator. Up to 3 months pregnant! It's so heavy and difficult for my husband that I can't do it. Having said that, it's an exercise to train your...

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Where would you go if you commit suicide

Hello. I'm worried about committing suicide. It's so painful and so irresistible. But doesn't suicide end anything? Will the Buddha send me to hell as punishment? I'm afraid of the world after death and it's unbearable. Can't I go to my dead grandmother's place? Please let me know.

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The temple only looks like an ordinary household

I heard an extremely unfortunate story, so let me ask you a question. It is said that when a foreign tourist stopped by a Japanese temple and rented an eaves to rest, the wife of that temple reported it to the police. When I heard this story, I seriously thought about what Japanese Buddhism...

5 responses

Do the Buddha's teachings apply to individuals?

I'm posting for the first time. This is a question about “enlightenment.” The interpretation is that there is no such thing as an “enlightened person.” This is because I recognize that it is the disappearance of “individuals” who take it as personal. If so, why do Buddhist teachings...

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The meaning of living

There is a middle school student who feels like they are truant. Recently, they say they don't understand the point of going to school, and they are reluctant to go. It is said that they want to spend a quiet time at school, but they are worried about making noise and can't calm down. My...

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