“When you allow for uncertainty, then you don’t always have to find solutions. You can live through a problem until it’s not a problem anymore. Instead of seeing things as problems, you see the life you are living. You can live your way into the answers. This is different from standing outside of your life and throwing stones at your problems from a safe distance.”
John Tarrant Roshi, “Why Play with Koans?“
Comments
We keep trying to find ways around suffering, including the milder forms like worrying. That’s the essential human problem.
That it is. Buddhists call that “dukkha”. I’ve always found it amazing how comprehensive their understanding of suffering is. Pessimism comes close as well but that’s always a drag.
I guess Buddhism evolved in an environment where there’s loads of suffering and not much you can do about it
I think Indian culture at that time was a significant factor as well because although we all more or less suffer, or feel that something isn’t quite right with our lives, whatever that may be, if the society we live in doesn’t allow or encourage us to take the time to reflect or even in some cases live a monastic life dedicated solely to reflection like in India back then, things can get worse. I imagine there would be no collective wisdom going around and we’d suffer all the more.