Everyday Zen is a wonderful book, and it's author, Charlotte Joko Beck is, an extraordianry teacher -- "an American Zen original," as it says in the preface. Here is a simply brilliant excerpt from her book:
"Freedom is closely connected with our relationship to pain and suffering. I'd like to draw a distinction between pain and suffering. Pain comes from experiencing life just as it is, with no trimmings. We can even call this direct experiencing joy. But when we try to run away and escape from our experience of pain, we suffer. Because of the fear of pain we all build up an ego structure to shield us, and so we suffer. Freedom is the willingness to risk being vulnerable to life; it is the experience of whatever arises in each moment, painful or pleasant. This requires total commitment to our lives. When we are able to give ourselves totally, with nothing held back, and no thought of escaping the experience of the present moment, there is no suffering. When we completely experience our pain, it is joy."
Is that not pure gold?! What more do we need to know to live wisely this moment, and to be free from suffering? Beck's Everyday Zen is a collection of short Dharma talks she has given, and it is a gold mine of Buddhist teachings and wisdom. Highly recommended.
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