For Zen students, a weed is a treasure.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
A student, filled with emotion and crying, implored, "Why is there so much suffering?" Suzuki Roshi replied, "No reason.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Suffering exists without a specific reason, and it is a part of the human experience.
In this quote, Shunryu Suzuki addresses the profound question of suffering posed by a student. His response, 'No reason,' suggests that suffering is an inherent aspect of life, which cannot always be explained or understood rationally. This acknowledgment of the unpredictable and sometimes arbitrary nature of suffering encourages acceptance, urging individuals to confront their pain without seeking justification or logical reasoning.
Themes
SufferingEmotionAcceptanceLifeExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on mental health awareness, one might quote this to emphasize the acceptance of suffering.
More from Shunryu Suzuki
All quotes βIf you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall.
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As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.
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No teaching could be more direct than just to sit down.
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Everything is perfect, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
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