Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

The number of times to give a meal

I asked a similar question a while ago, and I received an answer, but it seems that eating once at the beginning and once when refilling is a way to give a meal to someone who has died, but isn't that bad luck or anything? When I had to refill the meal, I was taken away once, so even though I...

3 responses

Is it strange that you're interested in war?

When I was in elementary school, I studied about the Pacific War in social studies classes. Since then, for some reason, I have continued to be interested in the Pacific War. It's not that I'm interested in battleships or tanks, but in that era, why did they push on the path to war, what...

3 responses

I started zazen meditation

I read an introductory book and started zazen meditation, but I can't concentrate on my breathing. Something comes to mind before I count to 10. I've been using incense sticks for about 15 minutes, but it feels like it's been a long time. However, there are times when I indulge in thoughts...

3 responses

About the incense sticks received at the memorial service

I'm sorry for always asking questions that are so ignorant and so disheartening. Thank you very much. From friends and relatives of my son who celebrated his first Bon this year and passed away I received incense sticks. It's something I use every day, so thank you, and I'm posting...

3 responses

How to play with kids

Today, I let my child play with a family I know at the park. My husband and I watched as they played on the sidelines. Mom's friend and her husband go yo-ho together on playground equipment (slide)! Have fun playing with, Yoi-don! They said, they ran together, rolled around the slope of the...

3 responses

What should people who have given up on living think about in their lives

I used to believe in dreams and hopes. I lived my life looking down on others while feeling that I was a different person from others. That's still the case today. I have always looked down on others, and with that in mind, I was finally able to live to this day. I consider myself a weak...

3 responses

About my mother

Let me talk about my mother. My mother and I have never been on bad terms, and they have helped me a lot in terms of life and mentality. However, there are many complaints and bad comments against relatives and people close to me, and I am concerned that they hear the same content every...

3 responses

Please let me know.

My father died suddenly in February this year. My father is my mother's remarriage partner and hasn't been adopted, etc., and he is a different person according to the family register. After graduating from high school, my father left home to go on to college or get a job, and moved the...

3 responses

I don't want to leave him

I'm worried that I can't tell anyone, so I wrote it. I have a boyfriend that I've been dating for 10 months. They are currently living together. He was previously married and has a child (a 2-year-old girl). (The child is on the mother's side) We met after knowing that, and we are living...

3 responses

What does it mean to live properly

I made mistakes over and over again, and I should have been trying to grow every time, but even when I look back now, I haven't been able to grow at all. It makes me think that even if I do my best based on my reflections up until now, I'll regret it again after a few years. I wanted to live...

3 responses

I've lost my motivation or passion

I do education-related stuff at work, and I play musical instruments for half my hobby and half work. I used to be very ambitious, and I was working really hard to set goals for the future (I want to do live musical instruments, I want to work for a company like this, I want to have my own...

3 responses

My habit of biting my nails isn't going away

Since I was a child, I have bitten certain finger nails, and the shape of my nails is tattered, and now my nails only grow (3 places on the left and right) that I haven't bitten. I've heard that it's good to apply nail polish, but it's originally thin, and the vertical lines are amazing, so I...

3 responses

How to properly use sorry and thank you

About being sorry and thanking you. If you ask them to do something, say “thank you” If something bothers you, say “I'm sorry” I don't really understand the difference between these. I feel more sorry for what others do to me than thank you. Of course, I would also like to express my...

3 responses

It's a mystery

This is my first time asking a question. This is a story about when I was 19 The season is summer and late at night I was driving with 3 friends It was summer, so I went to a haunted spot. I went through 2-3 ladders. So to the last place I went There was a problem Where is that...

3 responses

About the first 7 days of advance

Hello. Nice to meet you. My beloved grandfather passed away the other day. I haven't been able to sort out my mind due to a sudden break up. Until now, I haven't faced many human deaths Shamefully, I only vaguely knew what the meaning of funerals, 49th memorial services, etc. had After my...

3 responses

Born in a temple

I'm sorry for taking the time to ask such a silly and rude question. It's a topic like an internet occult urban legend, and there's something called “Mr. T who was born in a temple.” No matter how scary the strange phenomenon was, Mr. T, who was born in a temple, suddenly appeared on the...

3 responses

I want to break the relationship with my father

My father had an affair with me since I was born, and he had a partner who died a few years ago. That partner and that family were nothing but intrusive beings, like our real family, like cheating partners. My father is the kind of person who believes in his brother, his cheating partner, and the...

3 responses

I want a legal name

The other day, when I consulted about the Kanbutsu Association at Hasunoha, there was an answer that getting a Dharma name is a good thing; I love Buddha so much that I sing Namu Amida Buddha every morning and every night, so I want a name that is illegal, but what should I do to get a Dharma...

3 responses

Do I have to sign in?

I think about the meaning of living well for the past 1.2 years. So when I looked it up on the internet, the meaning of life in Buddhism and numerous stories related to it came up. So I tried to think about the meaning of living by putting my hands together in order to start with the shape. Then...

3 responses

I'm afraid of natural disasters

I know I can't resist natural threats, but I'm afraid of earthquakes and natural disasters, so it's unbearable. I'm worried so much that I seem to be neglecting my daily life. What can we do to focus on the here and now?

3 responses

page 1