Boy, the world is tough

I read your question.

Your complete sense of incongruity is a correct sense of incongruity. The hierarchical relationship is also old, so there is an atmosphere like the Showa era in the monk world, isn't it?

The cause is that the legal vein is not conveyed well. This is because in Buddhism, those who embody teachings and become Bodhisattvas pass the baton of the Dharma from person to person.

The side handing the baton must also be real, and the side handing over the baton also needs the ability to seek teachings, put them into practice, and complete them.

However, in the current situation, such excellent relationships are rare. As a result, many monks are also lost and in suffering. I'm drowning in public values, and I don't have a chance to come into contact with the law of career advancement.

There is some historical background to this. One is the abolition of Buddhism in the Meiji period, and Buddhism became obsolete. And it became a hereditary system due to the wife belt. Then, the tradition of Buddhism was destroyed by modern education and research methods after the war.

Here is the last one in particular about education and research. Japan was overwhelmed by the West before and after the war. As a result, compulsory education was adopted, and children who enter temples also received modern education. I now spend an important time learning Buddhist teachings in education that completely imitates Western values. At that point, quite a bit of Buddhist teaching was lost.

Furthermore, it even imitated Buddhist research methods that were carried out in the West. When Europeans discovered Buddhism, there were so many different teachings, so they interpreted it this way. “There was some original teaching, and as time passed, the teachings probably changed due to the influence of Hinduism, etc.” To that end, I organized the teachings of Buddhism on a Western timeline, which is different from the teachings of Buddhism, and arranged them in such a way that Gautama Siddhartha was the founder and original teaching, and everything else was created later (in a rough way). Therefore, even new genres created by scholars, such as “primitive Buddhism,” have appeared.

Actually, it's all Buddha's teachings. And those teachings are conveyed by those who embody them. Nevertheless, it was modern Buddhist research that turned Buddhism into philology. Since even monks began research like the Department of Indian Philosophy at the University of Tokyo, embodying teachings is no longer regarded as important. Methods of teaching, such as traditional Indian Buddhism, have also become obsolete.

However, there are always real things in the world.
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・Aren't there too many drinking parties? ・Aren't there too many unnecessary meetings?
・Aren't there too many vulgar ones? ・Aren't there too many ascetic practices that don't matter?
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Certainly, there are parts I can sympathize with Nisa-san. Answer There are probably many monks who have had similar experiences. Since I became the chief priest for over 30 years, I may have experienced quite a few useless drinking parties and useless meetings. But I'm not denying them all.
It may seem useless to you now, but I think it's an important opportunity for communication with peers on a daily basis. If you live in a temple and are the chief priest, you will always have to perform big events such as the Jinzan ceremony and the main funeral. Daily accumulation becomes a circle in times of emergency and helps.
I think there are many times when I feel bored because there are only useless stories and old stories. However, there are many useful stories and folktales from my seniors. Even for temples of the same denomination and in the same region, the management of each temple is different. On the other hand, there may be an unfortunate aspect where you have no choice but to be a teacher. However, there must be many cases where each chief priest demonstrated their abilities, successfully managed their temples, and led the devotees. I think there are many cases where important parts are overlooked in an attitude of cutting it off as useless stories and folklore.

Even ascetic training at an ascetic dojo can only be seen as “training that doesn't matter” when it comes to training that is being done. Like the term sanshimonpo, if you don't have the attitude of going to the dojo's dormitory and asking for instructions, you'll spend your training period without knowing what ascetic practice is.

The ratio of monks in Buddhist temples today is probably higher that of hereditary monks. Certainly, I think there are many people who have no choice but to become monks, go to sectarian universities, and go to religious ascetic dojos. However, the fact that I was born in a temple and grew up receiving Buddhist meals is a wonderful relationship and a thankful relationship. I think there are many parishioners, but I think there are also many parishioners who trust the chief priest and entrust the future of the temple and the future of the Buddhist believers to the children of the temple. Please take advantage of the fact that you received Buddha meal and the support of the parishioners, and work hard on Buddhism.
I can't say that I really learned Buddhism at university, and staying at an ascetic dojo for a year or two doesn't mean I understand everything about ascetic practices. It is important to use Jibou as your own ascetic dojo and a place of indoctrination to lead believers. Let's learn more, keep our eyes open, listen closely, and listen.

Nisasama

If you take this for granted, it's over (laughs)

I think it's a wonderful thing to have common sense, common sense, and insight, just to make people wonder. I think it's top notch, not third-rate.

In the case of a poor student, I wouldn't go to everything, including congregations and local Buddhist churches.

The reason is simple, bothersome, stupid, and useless.

Well, since a humble temple is also an independent temple, there are almost no vertical and horizontal connections, so you don't have to go there, and I'm quite blessed in that respect. I'm sorry...

Standardization is not that difficult, and since it is possible by resolution of general meetings, responsible board meetings, etc., and procedures with government offices, etc., it may be considered in the future.

・Aren't there too many drinking parties?
→I'm not going at all. In the first place, drinking alcohol itself is out.

・Aren't there too many unnecessary meetings?
→I'm not going at all. For the most part, email and internet use are all you need.

・Aren't there too many vulgar ones?
→There are many people whose senses are out of touch with the world. Well, I think that's the case with my humble life...

・Aren't there too many training exercises that don't matter?
→Monasticism has not been established. When you learn Tibetan Buddhism, you can clearly see how many useless and meaningless things are. Going out with an patience tournament is a waste of time and effort...

If you don't mind, you can take good care of this origin and relearn from the basics of Buddhism. My humble life started from there.

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho

I read it.
I understand how you feel. If you don't like it, I think it's okay to run away. Wouldn't it be okay if we didn't go out with each other for a while?
When I was young, I didn't have any religious relationships after I finished my training, and I didn't go to Motoyama. I left it alone for about 20 years. Then I left the temple for a while, worked as an office worker, and didn't do anything about the temple.
I think it's okay to have that kind of time. Temples aren't everything. On the other hand, I think it would be a good idea to leave the temple and try socializing with various people.
Each has a different way of life.
Please think about the path you are aiming for yourself, examine it, and make a decision. There will come a time when we will look back on that path. Please think about it again at that time.
Please do your best!

I only attend meetings, not social gatherings.
There are almost no other relationships involved.
Limit it to only what you think is beneficial
I think you should participate.

With people who have the same values
What about interdenominational workshops
It's really fun.

Rather than socializing within friends
Relationships with parishioners are more important.

Hello.

I have experience as an office worker, but when I was an office worker, there were many meetings where I thought, “Is this necessary to get together until we stop working?” There were benefit parties after work, concurrent meetings, etc. Once I became a monk, I joined and left various groups, such as various gatherings of monks of the same denomination, gatherings with other denominations, and local community association activities and volunteering, etc., but it's the same no matter where I went. There are meetings in the same way, there are drinking parties, and there are vulgar people and people trying to take mounts. I think that kind of thing is constant. Even if you stop being a monk and become self-employed, you will need to join gatherings such as trade unions or shopping associations. That ratio is probably constant.

This time it's my problem as a monk, but I think everyone has the same problem. I'm not good at meeting people either, so I understand how you feel.

I just wrote “constant immutability,” but there are a small number of vulgar people or people who want to take a mount, but they stand out because they are loud. That's why it seems like there are so many. Actually, there should be few. If you look at them one by one, there will surely be people who are compatible with you. Listen carefully and take a look at people.

Hello, Nisa. Thank you for writing.

For the most part, I sympathize with you.

Well, aren't there too many vulgar ones? There are parts I sympathize with, but on the other hand, I want to make sure I don't forget the point of view of who I really am if I think so.

We can't come to terms. Recently, bumping into each other has gradually become a hassle, and the number of cases where people go through has increased, but we bump into unnecessary meetings and things like vulgarity. Strangely enough, coming to terms feels like they're doing the same thing after all, and it's a huge clash. Even if they say that orthodoxy is annoying (laughs)

It's difficult, right?

So, everything around me is wrong. I feel that cutting off all interaction with other monks and temples is terribly self-righteous, and I don't recommend it.

As for cross-sectarian connections, it was fun to meet people who were different from my own ideas, and I also got to know a lot of enthusiastic people, but on the other hand, I don't agree with the idea of within a denomination