Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

Who is faith for?

I've been wondering a lot lately. What do monks believe for? For example, in order to believe and go to the Pure Land of Paradise (although it may change depending on denomination)... I think it's common for people who believe in religion to have good things and not so good things happen for...

4 responses

Have I made a mistake?

Thank you for your support this time too m (_ _) m This consultation is about mistakes made by my own immaturity. Right now, it looks like she's pregnant with a child whose child she doesn't know. It cannot be determined that proper tests will not be performed at the hospital in the near...

4 responses

Is death a bad thing?

Hello. I am very grateful for your words here when I lost my beloved cat to illness about a year and a half ago. Actually, there is another cat, and they are the sisters of the deceased child, but this one is now 9 years old My cat is nearing old age. I'm doing fine now without any...

4 responses

Should I directly complain to the temple?

I always enjoy reading it. I'm worried about the temple that has taken care of my great-grandmother's grave since her generation. About 20 years ago, the son of the chief priest finished his ascetic practice and began working at a temple. This son is a wonderful Osho who has also participated...

4 responses

Tragic events and Buddha's mercy

Thank you very much for your continued support. Also, there are times when I feel doubtful, so I would like to ask a question. I would be happy if you could give me some good advice. It's around this time today that indiscriminate killings and news of major natural disasters have been...

4 responses

I slapped my 4 year old daughter on the cheek

I'm worried about my daughter who cries a lot. My daughter has been crying a lot since she was a baby. During the period when my ego began to sprout, I was able to remove circular hair due to tantrums every day. Even so, I sympathize with my daughter's desire to do it herself, and I've raised her...

4 responses

Child's name name name judgment

I gave birth yesterday, and my oldest daughter is 1 month old. The older one is a boy. It's the girl I've been waiting for, and even before I became pregnant, I decided on a name with my husband and mother, saying that if it were my second girl, I'd like to name it this. Then, pregnancy and...

4 responses

What is the meaning of living as the value of living things declines?

Is there any point in living being 30 years old and living beings declining in value? Honestly, that's enough. Humans should have lived based on instincts, but modernization has led to an age of reason, and original desires have been suppressed, and Natsume Soseki said that the end of...

4 responses

About self-harm

Self-harm cannot be stopped. The precious body I received from my parents has been damaged in various ways. Really, the content is something you won't be able to regret. I can't stop self-harming due to the conflict that I hated myself for a long time and wanted to disappear, but I shouldn't...

4 responses

What are you studying for?

I'm attending a preparatory school, what have I been studying for lately? Is there any point in going to college when there's nothing I want to do? It just makes me think about things like that. What does the monk think studying means?

4 responses

About departure fees

I want to quit the temple I'm currently a parishioner and take care of a different temple. I've been indebted to them for generations, but when I asked for an eternal memorial service since there were no heirs to the tomb, it was an amount I couldn't pay, so I would like to take care of them at...

4 responses

Jobs related to Buddhism

Hello. I'm currently in my 3rd year of high school, and I'm thinking of leaving home to take the Kyoto University Department of Buddhism. It's not a temple house, but my high school is a Buddhist high school, and I wanted to learn Buddhism in more detail as I learned the teachings in class, so...

4 responses

About denominations.

My family is the Jodo Shinshu sect, but recently I've been interested in the teachings of the Shingon sect. Personally, isn't there a problem with the Shingon sect being a sect?

4 responses

The doctor who made a medical mistake doesn't apologize and saves his life

I learned that the attending physician at the hospital I went to from 2010 to 2022 made a medical mistake. I asked a lawyer to conduct an investigation with the money I had been desperately saving during my illness. The results said, “It is certain that the doctor made a mistake and is...

5 responses

Name judgment results are not good

I have a 2-month-old son. I thought up a name with my husband, used an internet name judgment site, and the results were relatively good, so I chose that name. After that, I heard that it was better to judge names in the old font rather than the new font, and when I did an internet search to...

4 responses

Let go of obsessions

How to break dependency on people I don't understand. I don't have confidence in myself If you are treated kindly to that person I often become dependent. I've always had a habit of being spoiled. We are now and still dependent on people We are in progress. There was someone I was...

4 responses

Do spirits exist? What happens if I die again?

Hello. They often do psychic shows in the summer. Considering that such programs are running, I think there are many Japanese people who believe in spirits. But I have a question about psychics. Most religions acknowledge the existence of spirits, and it is said that every person becomes...

4 responses

About relationships with former lovers who live together

I'm still living with my former lover of the same sex. At the beginning of our break up, my partner told me, “I don't want to be sticky, I want a personal space, so I want you to leave the house.” I received those words, began thinking about a new life, and recently had a good relationship with...

4 responses

Can you understand spirits remotely

There is someone I've become good friends with on the internet, and they say they want to help me because they seem to be easily possessed by spirits. It's not like they're taking money, but when I'm told to take a photo or video and show me, my house, and car and send it on LINE, they say, ah,...

4 responses

Should I confide it to someone who hurt me

Hello. Thank you for always being there. I would be happy if you could consult with me again. I've been going to chiropractic to treat my chronic illness since a few years ago, and I'm studying at that chiropractic clinic myself. It's a temple related manipulative treatment, and the teacher...

5 responses

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