Scratching the Itch: Getting to the Root of Our Suffering

Much of the teaching many Buddhists receive doesn't really get to the core of our suffering. After years of practice, nothing much really changes. As the 17th century Zen Master Benkei said, "the feeling I get is that of scratching an itchy foot with my shoe on. The teachings don't strike home to the center, to the real marrow." Scratching the Itch: Getting to the Root of Our Suffering seeks to do just that.

Scratching the Itch is based on teaching received from two Vietnamese Zen monks. They faced the power of our ego...the source of all our suffering...head on and urged us to surrender our ego to our true Buddha nature. Recognizing the difficulty of doing this, they developed a rigorous teaching, which I explain and expand upon in light of my personal practical experience of walking the path. The resulting teaching I call "The Fourfold Path to Freedom."

While enlightenment may not be a very practical goal for most of us walking the Buddhist path, attaining a state in our practice that is close to enlightenment...and experiencing the peace and contentment that flows from that state...is a goal that every person committed to the path can attain.