The Beauty of Suffering – Karen Shoji Robbie

A life of suffering resonates deeply for me. Not pessimistic or optimistic but realistic. It’s part of life.
Switch on the news, open a newspaper, listen to your mind chatter. I have always suffered. It’s a
great teacher. There is suffering all around us. Every moment there it is. Yet every moment there is a
chance to get to know it. Buddha wanted to save all sentient beings. He did not succeed. We’re still
trying. Shunryu Suzuki thought suffering was beautiful. When I acknowledge my pain I have a
chance to let it go. When this happens something is released and something genuine takes place.
When I embrace pain I feel freer more balanced. My shadows become integrated. If I don’t dig deep
down into my shit I continue to suffer. Practice becomes idealistic. The wisdom of suffering offers
option and possibility. One that I trust.