ZEN ! (Suffering)
Posted on Mar 4th, 2008
by
Happiness
A student, filled with emotion and crying, implored: "Why is there so much suffering?"
Suzuki Roshi replied: "No reason."
photo by alex noble
From Zen is Right Here, edited by David Chadwick
Suzuki Roshi replied: "No reason."
photo by alex noble
From Zen is Right Here, edited by David Chadwick

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Hmmm we are so used to talking about 'suffering' …. I wonder if we could actually survive without it :)
… pls keep posting photos …. they are amazing!
…discomfort initiates change…worlds with high comfort levels settle into stagnation…this school was programed with maybe 3% discomfort…free will has upped the ante quite a bit…there is as high as 75% in some areas of this world…this will soon be straightened out and put back to a better evolutionary path…
I love suzuki roshi : ) He wasted no words. And I quite agree “no reason”. Thanks for posting this, I love it.
Hi Crow: I share your admiration for Suzuki Roshi. His answers to various questions and situations posted by students are just some of the best. Often startling, they cut right to the heart of the matter, and so often show up the foolishness of our overly complicated little western monkey minds. You would enjoy the book that these recent selections are taken from: ZEN IS RIGHT HERE, brilliantly edited by David Chadwick, who has also written a full biography of Suzuki Roshi. There will be more! Some come back and enjoy…..HAPPINESS
I'll look for “Zen is Right Here”. I haven't seen it, yet. I read Buddhist books very slowly. It's like sipping liqueur. A little goes a long way : )
I'm a sucker for anything that cuts to the heart of the matter, probably because I can't help but go on at length before I find the way there, myself!
bows,
crow
Short review of ZEN IS RIGHT HERE: (From www.amazon.com)
Like Being In Dokusan, December 13, 2007 By Alan Gettis “Author of The Happiness Solution… (River Edge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
Dokusan usually refers to a private meeting between a student and the Zen master. “Zen Is Right Here” gave me the feeling that I was in dokusan with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. This is a wonderful collection of teaching stories and anecdotes that need no embellishment. They are short and sweet and to the point. Much like good haiku. A brief example:
A student asked in dokusan, “If a tree falls
in the forest and no one hears it, does it
make a sound?”
Suzuki Roshi answered, “It doesn't matter.”
This is a delightful book that I will read again and again. I keep it on my night table. Indeed, Zen is right here!