Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

About Seiji Chihara

I saw in an article on internet news the other day that Chihara Seiji, a member of the Chihara brothers, became a monk. So I'm asking this question out of curiosity, but monks will become monks starting today! If I declare it, is it something I can become a monk? If you don't practice a certain...

4 responses

My boyfriend and I have been widowed.

My boyfriend, whom I had been in a relationship with for 3 years, recently died in a traffic accident. I was loved by many friends and people at work, and many people came to my funeral. Every day I took for granted after living together for 2 years, and the future I was supposed to spend...

4 responses

I want you to tell me a book where I can learn the teachings of Buddhism

I've recently started to want to know the teachings of Buddhism. However, even when I look it up on the internet, it is difficult to search for things with high accuracy of information, such as those that come up (probably) from cult groups or private sites that are unreliable. Therefore, I...

4 responses

I damaged his precious photos

Hello. I've damaged his precious photos. He and his ex-girlfriend are in the picture, and they've been on the wall of his room since I first came to the house. The wound is something he won't notice without reflection, and he hasn't noticed it yet, but he's worried about whether he should say it...

4 responses

Why is Hasunoha's monk

Can you give me a consultation? Are there any benefits? Do you really think from the bottom of your heart that taking advice from others is for your own training, etc.? Even though I get various consultations myself, I still think about such rude things. Basically, I can't trust volunteers or...

4 responses

It's repentance, self-loathing due to self-weakness

There is a similar consultation, but please forgive me for consulting with you. From about half a month after I started living alone, I somehow lost confidence in myself, lost sight of my intention to rely on, and felt sad and at a rock bottom in the middle of the night. I didn't like that,...

4 responses

I hate my husband

We've been married for 8 years. I have 1 child. I think every day that my husband is a person who says what he thinks right away and doesn't think about the other person's feelings. I think it's all about my own opinions, feelings, etc. I think my opinions are correct, so opinions clashed We...

4 responses

About marriage

It's been 3 years since my boyfriend committed suicide. I met someone new and we are getting married this year. However, I feel sorry for him who passed away, and I feel sorry for his parents and his friends. Can I just be happy like this? Wouldn't it make him or his parents feel bad?

5 responses

“What the hell is a monk?”

Hello (=°ω°=) There are things that haven't been vaguely resolved for many years, and I'm going to ask you a question bluntly m (__) m “What the hell is a monk?” It's an occupation, but unlike being a doctor, they don't treat you by touching your body. According to the story, business...

4 responses

I can only think about myself

Six months ago, I used my family's money to gamble lightly. I didn't think about anything in particular the moment I did it, but recently I've been very sorry. Even though I was anxious, I couldn't help it anymore. Why did I regret it? If you think about it carefully, you might find out....

4 responses

Please give us your opinion.

Currently, I'm thinking about “The Role of Water in Japanese Buddhist Rituals” as my graduation thesis theme. In particular, we are paying attention to the act of sprinkling water at Buddha ceremonies, visiting graves, hand water, etc., but why is the act of using water linked to purification,...

4 responses

Taking care of parents

I was the only one to take care of my father and mother among my siblings. They both died at the hospital, and my mother was the only one to take care of them. However, some people have heard that watching a parent's death is the greatest form of filial disloyalty. I was in a relationship...

4 responses

What is a friend

In the past, I saw a friend with suicidal thoughts, who also posted here, at the station for the first time after breaking a relationship (3 or 4 years ago). As I was writing my diary in the wake of that, I realized that I still had my true intentions for my high school friend who committed...

4 responses

Boyfriend pretending to be single

Previously, I had a discussion about my boyfriend pretending to be single. Thank you very much for your kind words. My depression worsened from then on. Then my boyfriend told me that he wanted me to break up with his family because he wanted to get back together. Rather than having...

6 responses

I can't believe it...

Hello. Thank you for helping me here before, I can think more positively now than before. Right now, I have a boyfriend that I've been dating for a year. I used to take love counseling. What was my unrequited love has come true and we are now able to have a relationship. And yet, I...

4 responses

Are there any mistakes between the meaning of memorial services and these values

First, please forgive me for asking disrespectful questions even though I am a high school student and unfamiliar with Buddhist manners and deep teachings. I am currently a 17-year-old examinee, and I was absent from my grandparents' first memorial service that was held today. There is also a...

4 responses

Distress caused by ichthyosis

Mainly on my arms and legs, I was born with a skin called ichthyosis that looks like fish scales. Sometimes, when I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I was teased for that ugly skin with “cracked crackling walleye,” etc., and when I was in the fourth year of elementary school, I was...

4 responses

Aiming for justice

I'm indebted to you. There were times when my feelings were fuzzy, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me something. I'm currently 8 months pregnant. When I was sitting on the train home from work, the old woman next to me scolded me, saying, “There's a pregnant woman standing up, so...

4 responses

Regrets about naming children

I gave birth to my daughter the other day. I regret naming that child. I had been considering a few candidates for my husband's name since I was pregnant, but there weren't many names that came right, so I decided to decide after looking at his face after giving birth. After giving birth,...

4 responses

About Japanese Buddhist monks

I'm a priest. The reason is that I want to become an official Buddhist disciple. Apart from that, I don't want to be the chief priest of a temple, nor do I want to recite sutras at the funeral. However, what I've recently come to think is that in Japanese Buddhism, monks live almost no...

4 responses

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