10 years since publication

　“First edition first print issued on 2016/9/28”
This is what it says on the back of the book I have, “Hasunoha Monk Trouble Counseling Room” published by Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.
When I bought this book, I still didn't have a smartphone. (Needless to say, when I switched from a mobile phone to a smartphone, I immediately registered)
As I write this sentence, today is 2026/9/28. Exactly 10 years have passed since publication.
Even if I reread it again now, it only makes me think. The same goes for “Introduction” by Mr. Takeshi Horishita and “Afterword” by Hirofumi Shamon (Inoue Hirofumi). (There are parts I've forgotten...)
When it was published 10 years ago, there were about 150 registered monks, but now there are over 300 people. Like Seisho, who answered my first question, there are a variety of answering monks from that time, and answering monks who have joined in recent years.
If you look at movements in the world, it really is “internal and external distress.” This clearly shows up in the questions (questions and answers).
Amidst such a headwind, I would like to express my sincere respect to all the answering monks who, with sincerity and sometimes humor, struggle to illuminate Ichijou's light in troubled times.
Now that it has been exactly 10 years since the book was published, I would be happy if you could once again hear the attitudes and feelings of the responding monks.

4 Zen Responses

Hasunoha is filled with a lot of “living.” To a good relationship that connects

Thank you for your kindness.
Yes, 10 years. I've also been involved since the beginning.
Previously, “I've relied on Hasunoha since I was in high school, and now I'm a parent. There were also people who said, “Even now, I haven't run out of worries, but thank you as always.” I feel the flow of time.

Everything in this world is impermanent, and it changes.
The world we live in and our environment are changing.
If you do that, trouble will arise again.

While being constantly influenced, my axis is probably fluctuating flexibly.
If I have a problem, I'm also very aware.

Hasunoha is filled with a lot of “living,” and it is a place where the teachings of Buddhism seep into it. How many relationships have supported “life”?

Your words have also evoked my memories.

Thank you very much.

Gassho

There is no road ahead of me, there is a road behind me

Has it been 10 years since the book was published? There's only one, but my answers were also recorded. Thank you so much for having this book in your hands and for reading it.

There are times when I can't take time even if I want to answer them, and there are also many questions that are too much for my ability, so I haven't been able to answer them the way I want. Even so, when I look back and look at my past answers, it's been a little over 10 years, but there are some things I've built up. There is a phrase in the poem “The Path” by Kotaro Takamura that says, “There is no road in front of me, the road comes out behind me.” If you look back on past answers, you can see a part of my journey. When I reread what I answered with little effort, there are many things where I am keenly aware of my own incompetence, but “was it possible to answer such an answer myself?” There are also a few things that make me want to praise myself a little bit at that time.
The worries and suffering of each person who asks questions to hasunoha are profound, and I intend to always try to answer them while keeping my head straight. However, changes in the world and human changes are at a rapid pace, and we have no choice but to ask ourselves if we can respond to such changes. I think I have to update myself to changes in the world, but I'm getting to an age where I'm keenly aware of the “coming year wave,” and I can't really look forward to my future.

I think hasunoha is a great learning opportunity. As long as there is a desire to “learn,” I will continue to answer monks in small steps, and I hope I can be of some use. I think I'll only be able to answer once in a while in the future, but I hope I can stay close to people who have even the slightest concerns and questions. Thank you so much for your encouragement.

Thanks for your encouraging comments.
Has it been 10 years already... Back then, there were dozens of questions every day, and I remember that it was difficult to limit questions because they couldn't be answered in time. Right now, many people are being asked questions by AI monks, which is helpful. However, on the other hand, there is also a feeling that it is okay to lose to an AI monk...
Even so, I think that I haven't grown as a monk in the past 10 years; on the contrary, I just think that I've forgotten my original intention.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to look back on who I was 10 years ago.
Let's continue to work hard together.

Thank you very much.

I'm Inoue, co-representative of Hasunoha. Thank you for your recent message as if you had opened a time capsule.

I also read the afterword I wrote myself for the first time in 10 years, and even though it was a bit embarrassing, I felt a lot of things.

I think that means we haven't blurry even a millimeter in the 10 years since then. I felt that there was no change at all between the sentences I wrote 10 years ago and what I'm thinking now.

On the other hand, I feel that the world's problems are becoming more and more complicated. We have become materially rich, but as you really said, I don't think the worries and suffering we still have to face have decreased at all, not only at the individual level, but also at the level of nations, and on a global and global scale.

Also, I think there is a reason for the existence of hasunoha and us monks.

I received this happy message, and I felt like I was going back to the beginning. Thank you so much. I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

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