Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘We have made so many advances in technology, A.I., medicine, everything except human relations… I knew there would be constant explosions for as many years as it takes for people to finally learn that there has to be another way, but not a confrontation like this. No matter what, we will end up where we started, with the Palestinians and the Israelis living here together and needing to find a proper formula.’

I don’t remember where I pulled this quote from – probably the New Yorker – but it rings true in so many ways. As I often say, I don’t think anyone has had a better idea about human relations than the Buddha. And it also reminded me of the talk Suzuki Roshi gave in 1969, on the day of the first moon landing:

‘To arrive at the moon may the great– the historical event, but if we don’t change the understanding of life, it doesn’t make much, you know, meaning. It doesn’t make much sense. What we should do right now is to have deeper understanding of life– to make effort with right understanding of life.’