But actually, he was a human being. When he was
80 years old, he passed away. At this point he was not a supernatural or
superhuman being anymore. But how should we understand his death as a
superhuman being? If he were a superhuman being, there would not be any need to
enter nirvana. Whether to die or to remain alive would have been his choice.
For an ordinary person, it is not possible to have this kind of choice. They
say that he took Nirvana because he had completely finished giving people a
chance to attain enlightenment. He gave a full teaching for helping people to attain
enlightenment, so there was no need for him to live any more. That is why he
entered Nirvana. They understood his death in this way. ----------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-20 as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC
