Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

Are Buddha's teachings difficult to convey?

Recently, I've been studying Buddhism. The more I know about how to do zazen meditation and the meaning of the Four Dharma Signs, the more I often think, “I see,” and it's been a great learning experience. What had a particular impact on me was Ryunosuke Koike's practice without...

5 responses

How to deal with sexual desire

I'm at a loss as to whether it's okay to ask this kind of question My worries only deepened, so I decided to ask a question. I'm sorry for the really dirty sentences, but thank you for your support. How do monks deal with sexual desire, which is an affliction? I'm very worried. After I...

5 responses

I'm tired of life

　Nice to meet you, I'm a man in my mid 30s. Currently, I have a regular job, a lover, and friends (I'm not thinking about getting married) I don't think it's a particularly disadvantaged environment, but I'm getting bored with my life. It's not going well, but it's not “hopeless,” it's...

5 responses

How do you become nothing in relation to your opponent?

I got married, and there was no wedding, no ring, no marriage proposal. We've never lived together. When I was pregnant, they didn't live in an apartment, and I didn't have any help. Since we don't live together, I don't need to hand over money, so my husband continues to live at his parents'...

5 responses

What is happiness

Everyone has different values for happiness, I think what is often said is increasing satisfaction, enriching, and being useful to someone. I also feel that a fulfilled life is a happy one, I think being satisfied = being needed, being able to immerse myself, having a conversation, etc. But...

5 responses

About marital relationships and activities

Is it called a marital relationship It's about the activities of marital life This is my way of thinking Recently, my wife went through menopause and since then Does my wife say she has lost her libido at all I don't feel like it, and even if I do that act I stopped feeling it, and the act...

5 responses

I'm asking about the Heart Sutra

The Heart Sutra says “immortality, immortality, impurity, no increase or decrease,” What exactly do you mean by something that never happens, never dies, is not dirty or clean, and does not decrease or increase? Please tell me. Thank you for your support.

5 responses

People who can't live even if they are alive

Please. In Buddhism, it is said that “life is an ascetic practice,” and in Christianity, “it does not cause unbearable suffering.” However, there are many people in the world who lose their lives under severe and miserable circumstances. There are situations where even babies and young children...

5 responses

Please tell me in detail about all the suffering

I'm convinced that impermanent conduct and lawlessness are true, but I'm not really convinced about everyone's suffering at all. Things can get better or worse depending on the interpretation, so I don't understand that everything is painful. If everything hurts, I don't think there's any reason...

5 responses

About funerals and denominations

I grew up in a foreign country and don't really understand it (sorry for the strange question), my grandparents don't already exist, I don't know the denomination, etc. (graves are unknown), and my parents aren't parishioners, etc., so there aren't any temples I'm indebted to (if I had to say...

5 responses

Please tell me some words to support you.

I'm a nurse, and I'm looking for words that patients can recite over and over again when they have a hard time with anxiety or fear. It is difficult for that patient to memorize all of the sutras, so please tell me if there are any words in the sutras that are easy to repeat and support. I...

5 responses

How to deal with top-down bosses and colleagues who have decreased motivation

I am in charge of leading a major project in the post of manager. Starting this year, department managers have been replaced due to personnel changes, and people who are very assertive have arrived. They don't adopt the opinions of their subordinates, and they only give instructions to finish...

5 responses

My own helplessness is painful

Hello. It's been 10 years since he became mentally ill. There are waves, but it wasn't until the 10th year that I was able to do things around me to a certain extent. Every day, I live my life vaguely, as if I were in a dream. I was bedridden for a few years after the onset of the...

5 responses

Can you change your personality?

I'm in a management position, but I'm not good at expressing my own opinions. Probably because of that, even if it's not my fault, it's my own fault, and I often struggle. They seemed to lack confidence, and they quickly apologized. If you don't change things, you'll start to hate...

5 responses

Shouldn't you name your child with inspiration

The baby will be born in about a month. The gender is boy. There is a name I really want to give my child. It's not a so-called sparkling name or trendy name; rather, it's an old-fashioned name. However, when asked why they want that name and what kind of thoughts are put into it, they...

5 responses

About protests against politics

There have been recent protests over the “right to collective self-defense,” such as self-immolation in Shinjuku and protests at the Prime Minister's Office. In terms of Buddhism, there is an image of “not going against the flow,” but it makes me wonder whether the current trend is on the side...

5 responses

How to refuse solicitation from emerging religions?

I've always been interested in religion, so whether Christian or Buddhist, when I had connections with emerging religions, I received materials and listened to stories. However, since neither denomination could have absolute certainty, they never joined the faith. Among them, an old friend is...

5 responses

Can't people with disabilities become monks?

My son is 18 years old and graduated from high school this year at Kyoto Shogoin I received the Tokudo ceremony and became a monk But I can't find a temple that would accept me because of my disability I want to somehow be able to live alone while I'm well

5 responses

Family temple at my parents' house

Thank you for always being there. My parents' family temple is a Nichiren sect, and they chant the Lotus Sutra on Buddhist altars. However, as I ask questions here, I've started listening to stories about the Heart Sutra and listening to Zen stories. Is it OK to come into contact with...

5 responses

An old lover has passed away, and I can't sort out my feelings.

An old lover has passed away. It seems that he had been battling illness for over a year, and during that time I spent my time not knowing anything. I was only in a relationship with my lover 6 years ago for about 3 months, but she was a wonderful person, just like my ideal. We met several...

5 responses

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