It is very naive to think that the Pure Land of the Buddha can be a place with no suffering, says Thay. It is rather a place where we can learn about the nature of the suffering so we can cultivate our understanding and compassion, a process similar to growing a garden: we know that where there are beautiful flowers, there is also compost. Without compost, there can’t be any flowers; without flowers, there is no compost. Such is the nature of the interdependence of happiness and suffering. Such is the interconnectedness of suffering and its transformation through understanding.
Excerpt from: Happiness is Made of These Moments | Dharma Talk 2004.02.01 (Deer Park Monastery)