Zen Dialogues

Reflections from Japan's Buddhist Traditions

There are only terrible incidents

I have no intention of defending murder, and I don't understand the psychology of murdering others without a grudge because they want to end their own lives at all. However, I think there are a lot of people who are being hunted down right now, just like the culprit. I think there are Japanese...

5 responses

I have a question about the Buddhist altar that was in my parents' house.

We look forward to working with you. Due to various circumstances, my parents moved into the facility this time and decided to leave my parents' house. I already got married 15 years ago and have left my parents' house. At my parents' house, I enshrined Buddhist altars from generation to...

5 responses

There is a monk I can't trust

I sometimes get involved with monks because of my work. Many of the people I meet are really nice people, and I can tell you that there are various denominations, but everyone values Buddhism. Also, it's a lot of fun to hear stories about Buddhism from such people. However, some of the...

5 responses

Should I live a steady life alone?

Recently, I've been thinking about it. Is one person happy? Are you happy being with people? I had a boyfriend not long ago. However, due to various circumstances, they parted ways. One of my friends is older, someone the same age. And then I have an aunt. They are all nice people and very...

5 responses

I don't understand the meaning of living

It's going to be long, but please forgive me. This is someone who has asked me questions here a few times. ・Love, marriage I don't even have a boyfriend. People around me are getting married and having children more and more. Even though the company is a reasonably large department, there are...

5 responses

What does it mean to accept that you're dead

My mother passed away the other day due to an illness. I've been prepared since I was in the hospital, and every time I went to see her, I did my best to hold hands and express my gratitude and feelings for my mother so far, but it still didn't change to be painful and sad. I often hear...

5 responses

What does it mean to live indifferently

This is my first consultation in a long time. Please let me discuss the subject matter. I became mentally ill due to my relationships and workload at work, and I am currently on leave of absence. When I went to the psychosomatic medicine clinic, my primary care physician said, “It's important...

5 responses

Heartbreak, emptiness

I'm a single woman in her 40's. My father passed away when I was 16, and when I was 29, my mother passed away after fighting illness for several years, I have no siblings, and people call me canopy loneliness. I graduated from the university my mother made me go to, and I worked hard enough to...

5 responses

It's hard being alive. That's the limit.

When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I was bullied such as verbal violence, financial damage, and confinement. Specifically, die, disappear, poisonous apples, brown sugar, etc. The situation did not improve even when I talked to my homeroom teacher, and the feeling that I couldn't...

5 responses

It's frustrating when people say bad things about kids.

I can't forgive the words I was told when I met my mom, who I knew so well. They're still babies, but they compared each other's children and were able to take the mount. “Your child is difficult to raise, and compared to that, my child is easy to raise, so I can immediately think of a second...

5 responses

Jodo Shinshu and Mahayana non-Buddhism

How should we deal with the fact that the Jodo Sanbu Sutra is said to be false sutras or non-Buddhist theories? I lost Amida's faith because of this. It seems that it is known “historically” that the Buddha did not directly explain it as a fact, and even so, since it was preached by a Buddha...

5 responses

Is reading sutras a laughing matter

Unlike the usual serious consultations, this is a slightly relaxing question. Hiroshi is a comedian, isn't he? Among his stories, he said, “It's Hiroshi. There is a saying, “Every day at a fixed time, you can hear the sutras from the next room,” but how does that make the monks feel when they...

5 responses

I don't want to sell the house I love.

Hello. My husband's business failed and I got into debt, so I love the house I live in now I had to sell it and let go. It's hard to come to terms with my feelings, I'm filled with sad feelings. My husband blamed me after this happened, We also had a lot of fights. I also thought about...

5 responses

Weakly intentioned

My intentions are really weak, and I've been worried all the time. Even if it's a decision, I procrastinate, put it off, such as let's do my best from tomorrow, and even cause trouble to people around me because it's work or private time. I'd like to hear some words. I look forward to working...

5 responses

I don't know if I should get divorced like this

Thank you for taking the time. I don't understand my feelings, so I'm going to ask you a question. Question content/is it better to get divorced? I don't understand my own feelings. I've been married for 15 years, and I'm in love with my affair partner and I'm thinking about getting...

5 responses

I wonder if the original premise of Buddhism is wrong

I'm a temple son, and I often say, “Let's pray to the Buddha to get out of this difficult world. My father explained, “If you do that, you will be saved in the next life.” However, when I was a kid, I thought, “Well, is it painful when you're traveling with your family too?” When asked, the...

5 responses

I'm thinking about becoming a monk

I graduated from graduate school at the Faculty of Science until now, and now I'm working as an engineer, but I'm thinking about becoming a priest. The reason is that I have been thinking for the past few years that I want to understand myself, to know the truth of this world, and to contribute...

5 responses

homeless people

As I walk around town, I sometimes see people who seem homeless. So, I know that's rude, but I have a question. Why are monks blessed with food, clothing, and shelter (they seem to be blessed. (Sweat) Wouldn't it help people who are homeless or in debt...? Monks may also be cutting back...

5 responses

Is AI a Buddha

Automatic sentence generation AI, such as ChatGPT, is an AI that learns based on huge amounts of sentence data and automatically generates optimal sentences following the previous context. Since it itself is a program, it has no intention or life, but it derives optimal sentences based on much...

5 responses

What is enlightenment?

Please tell me about enlightenment. Is training your mind enlightenment? Is it about making the mind grow? Is it about accepting what happens to you and acting on it? Is it about self-controlling so that you don't understand the various emotions that spring up in your heart? What does that...

5 responses

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