Shundo David Haye

‘We have to live our lives in the complete realisation that we are already forgiven, that we are already allowed to live, and that we, ourselves, must make our lives come alive. It is most important that we take this attitude toward our lives if we want to realize and accept the compassion of Buddha’s world. We are already embraced, so we have to live our life in the realization that we are forgiven. But who is it that lives? We live by our effort, but this is a narrow understanding, so we have to live our lives with the understanding that we are allowed to live. This means we should appreciate our life. Then, if we appreciate our life, we can make our life come alive. To do this, we must be not only passive, but also active. Someone may say, “The universe takes care of me, so I don’t have to do anything.” Of course, it is true, but this does not mean we can take a nap in the universe. The universe is always working with us, so if we become lazy, the universe appears as laziness. Then very naturally we are confused.’ (Returning to Silence)