Robert Aitken (1917-2010)

A gentle reminder just how precious this life is.

Robert Aitken was my teacher's teacher. He died yesterday. He had been in poor health for a while. That does not make it any easier for his family and those close to him.

I never met him but through his writings and the stories my teacher told. One story that I remember was that Aitken used to record his talks in a cassette tape recorder. One evening he noticed that the recorder had malfunctioned and failed to record his teisho. Later after everyone when to bed, he stayed up an sat in the zendo re-giving and re-recording his teisho to an empty zendo. The advantage of his dependance on his notes.

This must have been an odd scene to come on. I don't know, but this may have been one of his best Dharma talksr. It points to his dedication to spreading the Dharma in the Western world. He has done so much and now can rest.

We'll have to wait and see what blossoms out of all his hard work. I dedicate the merit of my practice to you, Robert Aitken, Dai Osho.