Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

Buddha's tea and water

　Thank you for finding it. I would like to ask you a question prepared to be scolded by the monks and the Buddha. I apologize first. I'm sorry. We always offer tea (green tea), water, and rice to Buddhist altars. Why do they offer green tea, water, and rice? Sometimes, when green...

4 responses

My jealousy of my ex-boyfriend makes me feel bad for myself.

Please let me discuss it with you. I was in a relationship with my older ex for about half a year, but even after we broke up, my cheating relationship with my ex continued for a while. I was hoping for a reunion, but my ex only used it conveniently. My ex was on the brink of ending his...

4 responses

It's not worth being alive. It's the limit.

Nice to meet you. I'm currently in my 2nd year as a working person. It's been 1 year since I left college, and I thought I'd gotten used to my work life, but recently I suddenly don't understand the meaning of my life. I haven't had that much dissatisfaction with the work itself so far, and...

4 responses

Are there words to let go of your obsession?

This is my first time asking a question. Since my child was born, when I was struggling with unfamiliar childcare or when I was a PTA officer, there were many other things, but I was really thankful that parents of the same age helped the child a lot. Among them, I had mom friends who were...

4 responses

I can't forgive my wife's rant against her children

They are a couple who have been married for close to 20 years. The child is a middle school student. Kids are studying and doing their best in club activities in their own way. My grades are barely above average. However, my wife herself had a reasonably high level of education, and if there...

4 responses

I've always regretted my college life

Nice to meet you. I'm a 24-year-old woman in her 3rd year of working life. I'm still dragging on from my college days, and I'd like to hear your honest opinions. I graduated from college in 2024. First and second graders were hardly able to go to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and...

5 responses

It's a human who should die

I make a lot of mistakes in my daily life and at work. There are many things I can't do better than others. For instance... ・Drop things and dent the floor ・It's good to take out your belongings, but forget them on the table ・The bath water overflows ... there's no point in saying it. No...

5 responses

It's a temple bride

I came to the temple to get married. My husband is a deputy chief priest. No matter who sees them, they are the chief priest couple (parents-in-law) who have had various problems and have undergone very strict training, no matter who sees them. We used to live together, but we live...

4 responses

The monk who came to my husband's funeral...

I was wondering about the monk at my husband's funeral three years ago The other day, when I was talking about those days with my family, they said, “It seems that the monk who came to the funeral couldn't even wear his own costume, and he came at the last minute during the wake and was almost...

4 responses

Books to understand Buddhism

I recently learned about the teachings of Buddhism, and I am very attracted to it. So, when I read the book “The Japanese Buddha Is So Interesting You Can't Sleep,” it was so interesting that even I, who wasn't good at reading books, quickly read it through, and I fell in love with Buddhism...

4 responses

What is the sky? Is seeking love again?

Study, soccer, popularity. From my elementary school days, when everything was best, I experienced setbacks for the first time after going up to junior high school. Why doesn't the director recognize me, and why isn't my favorite kid loved me? I continued to worry about it for over a year, and...

4 responses

I want to learn Buddhism. Please tell me

It's a long sentence, but I would appreciate it if you could take a look. I heard that my great-grandfather was a deputy chief priest at a place called Suma-dera in Suma-ku, Kobe. I think it was before the war in terms of age, but it wasn't confirmed at the temple office, so I'm not sure. My...

4 responses

How to live your life without being used

I live a life where others take advantage of me before I know it. When it comes to friendship relationships, they become good friends at first, talk about various things, and gradually deepen into fun, At a certain point, you notice the soul of the person beyond that. I think this is being...

4 responses

Self-loathing

I dropped to the university in Tokyo, which was my first choice, and passed another anti-slip university in Tokyo, the university in Okayama. My father asked me which university I was going to go to, and since I wanted to learn cutting-edge technology at an urban university, I wanted to go to...

4 responses

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

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