Everyday Suchness: Buddhist Essays on Everyday Living

by Gyomay M. Kubose

A classic collection of short articles first published in 1967, hailed as one of the most significant books in Buddhism because of its simple explanations and reference to everyday life.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Matt Styles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book on knowing yourself, seeing life for how it truly is, and how these things impact your day-to-day living on a fundamental level

[John Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short read made up of some individual writings. All that we are is the result of our thoughts, is founded in our thoughts, is made up of our thoughts.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories. A reminder for me of the great teacher who changed my life.
He is with me everyday.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gyomay M. Kubose was the head minister of the Buddhist Temple of Chicago, which he founded in 1944 in the aftermath of the Japanese relocation. He had written short articles for his temple bulletin and, for years, was urged to make them more accessible to the masses. That is this book, a collection of those essays.

I heard of Rev. Kubose through the 'Secular Buddhism' podcast, by Noah Rasheta, later to find Mr. Kubose to be a great teacher to many, and now a great teacher to me.

In this very moment, I could weep with great love, upon reflecting on the words and teachings in this little book. Each word, each essay, further humbled and grounded me. They reminded me how to really see, become more awake to the world and all around me, to feel the connection, to know the depth of my own soul and have a clear understanding of the benefit of an awakened, intentionally lived and loving life. Just yesterday morning I found myself briefly caught up in matters so superficial, I knew to pick back up reading and the moment I did, the peace that came over me practically knocked me off my feet. It is a place I never wish to leave and a peace I always wish to feel.

I believe the words and lessons in this book would be of great benefit to all. I personally don't keep physical books in my home and this is the first, since making that decision, that I wish to purchase. I wish to purchase it in hardcover too, so that it can take the wear of many revisits, creasings of pages and spine. I wish to buy it for others and hope it can offer them the same peace and humbleness, the same awareness. For with these words and the practice to come of them can we have a more renewed, connected and loving world.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

O objetivo do livro era explicar o budismo para leigos, e isso foi feito muito bem. Afirmo isso mesmo não sendo especialista ou estudiosa dessa religião, uma vez que muitas ideias que eu tinha sobre o budismo foram esclarecidas ou desconstruídas de modo leve, objetivo e informativo. As 5 estrelas também se devem a algo que tenho observado que pouquíssimos escritores conseguem fazer como Kubose fez: repetições de ideias sem cansar ou enjoar a leitura, sem "encher o saco". Alguns exemplos são usados mais de uma vez (flor vermelha é vermelha, branca é branca, etc etc), mas são colocados nos contextos certos e só ampliam a compreensão e a conformidade da religião. O livro passa pela origem de Buda, conceitos principais, paralelos entre mundo ocidental e oriental, exemplos de pessoas reais, exemplos pautados em sutras, nomes e obras importantes e/ou interessantes para budistas... um verdadeiro guia para aqueles que querem aprender mais sobre o budismo ou até mesmo aderir à religião mas não sabem por onde começar. Uma observação mais pessoal, é que eu sinto que há diversas lições a serem tiradas desse livro independente da religião do leitor, um ponto bem positivo pois só aumenta a abrangência do impacto no público leitor, minha visão sobre o budismo agora é outra, e fiquei com muita vontade de estudar mais sobre esse caminho de vida.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays written by the late Rev. Gyomay Kubose. These are life lessons, given in short, but very descriptive chapters. Kubose-Sensei describes life’s challenges and puts them into the perspective of just living. He helps us understand the futility of our self-centered and often materialistic approaches to our lives and to the world around us. Each essay contains one or more outstanding, and easy to understand lesson. There are some concepts that may take a little more thought than others to fully absorb. There was one essay that I still struggle to fully comprehend, but that is just an excuse for me to have more discussions with more people.

[Aaron Toponce · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. Gyomay sensei is an easy writer to get behind and understand what he's saying, but he's also too simplistic. Sometimes his thoughts come through loud and clear, and other times, I feel there is too much hand-waving or unsubstantiated claims. But it is easy reading, and a great introduction to Pure Land Buddhist daily living.

[Eric Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Important points but I’ve read better written, clearer, more concise, less repetitive books on the same topics. This is a collection of small essays the author wrote in the 60’s and it feels like it in a not great way.

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homespun
Surprisingly poignant
And insightful
Practical in Zen fashion

[Anna Baird-Hassell · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice collection of essays. my favorite was “living life.” it was pretty obvious this came out in 1967 by the way he talked about gender but that is my only complaint

[Brianna Donnelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned about this book through listening to Noah Rasheta and the Secular Buddhism Podcast.


Initial Review - 11/2/2023
Love a series of essays, brief, powerful, and comprehensive in every message of philosophy it offers.

Excellent introduction to re-framing one’s thinking and perception of oneself in the world. For me, this text has aided me in my attempts to become more aware and more mindful of how I observe and interact with the world and others. It is my intention to find peace within myself and content in my life. This text helps me navigate my goals and intentions by offering me opportunities to re-consider my reactivity, emotions, and perceptions of my reality.

Some things I wasn’t aligned with—SPOILER in this paragraph—-there was a story Kubose mentioned, which is about a disabled child, and the message I read within this passage was that looking at people with disabilities reminds us of how lucky we are to not be disabled. Not aligned at all with that message, as an academic studying Disability Studies, I would hope for a more compassionate way of thinking / mindset when we see a disabled person; that passage really made me sad. Again, it was written in 1969, no excuse but definitely a reflection of the mindset at the time—even for a buddhist monk.

keeping in mind this was written in 1969–a ton of mention of women, after a while it felt overly-focused on women and began to feel a bit (not sure if this is the right word/phrase) disrespectful in a weird 1969-sense.

i remain uncertain with some topics mentioned. Like, whether all conceptualizations are a bad thing most of the time. For example, creating one’s own conceptualization and construct of gender can be liberating and freeing for many people. However, I am still learning and I could be missing the point?

Overall, this text is an easy introduction into buddhist philosophy and I am left with more questions than before. Although this novel way of thinking and being is new to me, I am looking forward to continuing to explore more.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever picked up a book at a library, while just glancing through a few pages and couldn’t put it down? Have you ever ended up buying the book, even after reading it, because it was that good? Everyday Suchness is the first book this has ever happened to me.

Everyday Suchness is a book written by Reverence Kubose. This book on dedicated to the art of mindfulness – but with a bit of a twist. While the author was Buddhist, this book isn’t so much about Buddhism as much as it is about everday life. Because of this, people of other religions should find this, hopefully, an interesting read. While the book is only about 140 pages, and each section/story around 2-6 pages or so a piece, the book is written in a way to be incredibly concise and full of wisdom.

Much of the structure of the book is revolved around short stories, sometimes koans, but short stories about specific areas of life. These areas range from how to deal with limitations, accepting what is thrown at us, how to look at life, and how to live life. There are a few chapters dedicated to Buddhist specific topics, such as who the Buddha is – but even more important is what Buddhism actually is. I’ve done my best at times to explain Buddhism to people. This book has a mere 4 pages dedicated to the question, and it’s answered very concisely.

“True happiness is not given to us – we create it. If you are unhapy, do not blame others or your environment. It is your mind, your attitude, that make you miserable. Changing place, or work, may help, but that is not the complete cure for your trouble and unhappiness. The right attitude, and a clear and right mind are the way to happiness”

The above quote is from the book, page 7. Much of the book is written with this quality.

I really do recommend this book. It’s a great and quick read, and well worth the time. I’m feeling up to going through it a second time soon since the first time was so much worthwhile.