Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

My cat's throat Buddha was broken

5/2 is the anniversary of the death of my beloved cat, whom I have lived with for 20 years. When it comes to this day, I always remember the time of the memorial service and my heart aches. A memorial service was held at a pet memorial temple on the recommendation of an acquaintance. The cute...

4 responses

I don't have room in my heart

I'm building a new house that I should be happy with, but when I think about the head of the household being 43 years old and continuing to pay loans from now on even after retirement, I don't have peace of mind. Since we're human, there are times when we think positively, and there are days...

4 responses

My past infidelity became known to people in the neighborhood

I live with my husband and I don't have children. I had an affair about 6 years ago. I regret it so much now. I haven't been honest with my husband about this. It's the worst. One day, all of a sudden, I was suddenly avoided by people in the neighborhood of my house that I had been close...

4 responses

Please tell me about temples and monks

I'm interested in life at a temple, the daily lives of people who work as monks, what led them to join the Buddhist sect, etc., and I would like to ask questions as the subject line says. I'm sorry if this is an impolite question. I think it also depends on the temple and denomination, but I...

4 responses

I am

Hello. My part-time boss changed six months ago, and from around that time it was also to reduce labor costs, My personality was denied a lot, and I was told that I am an unworthy person to be alive. I worked hard for 3 months until I found my next job. I had found a new job, changed jobs, and...

4 responses

When you can't stand the ascetic practices of this world

I have now been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression. I went to a psychiatrist, but the medicine didn't suit me. I'm deceiving myself in my daily life, such as school, etc., but the depression that suddenly appears makes me drop to the bottom, and it's too painful. When I save my...

4 responses

Please tell me book recommendations

I think there are many monks who answer in Hasunoha who want to help those who are worried, so just looking at those answers is a great learning experience. Among those monks, there is someone I've been admiring lately. I'm wondering how to think like that person's way of thinking, trying...

4 responses

Against friends who are good at living

My friend is very good at navigating the world well. <br>For example, I think “let's consider the report in more detail” or “points are likely to be deducted here, so let's write in more detail,” etc., and although it's fun, I'm exhausted by occasional deadlines. In response to that, my...

5 responses

I'm currently pregnant.

Nice to meet you. I'm currently pregnant. I'm about to give birth in about 2 months. That's me, but it was the end of October of the year before last. I had an abortion. I was 3 months pregnant at the time. This is my first pregnancy and my partner is my current husband. (My boyfriend at...

4 responses

I'm afraid of dying

I'm afraid of dying. If I die and become nothing (since I think the mind is a product of the brain's electrical signals), I'm at a loss as to what it was until now and what “I” was. I don't want to die no matter what, even if I know it's impossible Even though I want to do my best in the...

4 responses

I feel impatient with parents who are getting older little by little.

My father is 64 and my mother is 68. Recently, both of them have gotten worse in their legs and lower back, and their physical strength has visibly declined... Parents aren't always young, are they? However, every time I realize that my parents are getting old, I am struck by an...

4 responses

About funeral expenses I paid during my lifetime.

My grandmother was born in Hokkaido and died locally ↓ ① Father → Child Counselor Sakurayuki My father was born in Hokkaido and currently lives in Kanto. I can't go out because I'm sick. The counselor, Sakurayuki, also lived in Kanto, but she went to Hokkaido when she got married. ②...

4 responses

If I kill myself, will I go to hell?

If I kill myself, will I go to hell? For example, if you get cancer and refuse treatment, is that suicide? I'm sorry I'm alive.

4 responses

It's hard being alive.

I don't understand my worth. I can't take care of myself. From a few years ago, every day before going to bed, I began praying “may I die if I wake up” and “may I die tomorrow,” and every time I woke up in the morning, I felt hopeless that “I'm still alive.” Even so, there was something I...

4 responses

My friend who majored in philosophy refuted me.

　I live a bleak life every day, and when I reached a milestone where I had to change, I was given an opportunity to think about the meaning of life. I wanted the meaning of life, or a reason to be convinced that I'm alive now. Somehow I found the reason within myself. It says, “People try to do...

4 responses

I've thought about it...

I recently learned about the Five Treason Sins It says that it hurts the Buddha's body There is a selfish interpretation that hurting the Buddha's body is probably destroying a bronze statue of the Buddha or destroying a Buddhist altar, etc. And when I learned about those 5 sins I was...

4 responses

I want to stop “a woman's enemy.”

Nice to meet you. I would like to ask the monk to cheat you this time, so I would like to discuss it with you. I now work for a company where 70% of my employees are women. Although 70% are women, most of the positions held are men. Today, the director (male) told me that he would like me to...

4 responses

About the future of him who has a criminal record and me who is a liar

We've been dating for 10 months on the matching app, and we're planning to remarry in April. He is in Niigata and I in Kanazawa, and he spends money and time to see me every week, he cares for my family, does housework, and we spend our birthdays and New Year holidays together. He is jealous and...

4 responses

Regrets about not having a relationship in the past

When I was in middle school, I did something embarrassing that I couldn't say. Nothing in particular was gained with it. Also, no one knew whether they were lucky or unlucky. However, if I had found out, if everything had gone in a bad direction, I might not have been in my current position. We...

4 responses

I'm frustrated with my husband

I'm frustrated with my husband. I get frustrated with statements and actions that don't go the way I want, and I just make prickly statements. There are times when I get frustrated with people at work, but I intend to choose words and make statements. What I love the most is my husband, and he...

4 responses

page 1