Where Can We Hide?
Some months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Zen Master Seung Sahn sat with some of his students, discussing the world’s situation. He said, “In the future, there will be much suffering, much fighting; some places will have too much water, some places not enough water; some places will not have enough food. There will be many natural disasters and disease. Then society will have a big problem, many people will die.”
One student became very alarmed upon hearing this and asked him, “Sir, when that happens, where can we hide?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn replied, “Hide under the Path.”
His words teach us that in the face of adversity, we can take refuge in the path of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This means seeing and accepting the truth of things as they are; strengthening our Zen practice with faith and sincerity; drawing upon the support of our practicing community to help us regain our clarity and centredness; and returning to our don’t-know mind. Approaching the situation and our practice with a sense of openness and kindness, we can take the opportunity to help others caught up in the same circumstances through the compassionate expression of our bodhisattva vow.