There is a story told about Suzuki Roshi, a great Buddhist teacher. “Suzuki Roshi, I’ve been listening to your lectures for years,” a student said during the question and answer time following a lecture, “but I just don’t understand. Could you just please put it in a nutshell? Can you reduce Buddhism to one phrase?“
Everyone laughed. Suzuki laughed.
“Everything changes,” he said. Then he asked for another question.
I adore this story, as we all thirst for the nutshell version right? And the study of any lineage and especially Eastern philosophy for a Westerner can seem so abstract, lengthy and at times, I’ll say it, boring.
The summary of Buddhism being ‘everything changes’ is an invitation to embrace ‘this too shall pass’, to not cling, to not despair, to not become attached or resist in any way. What does that look like for you?
Sent with love,
Jac x