True religious teaching is not a denial of our day-to-day predicaments; it is not cleverly glossing over reality, or feigning happiness. On the contrary, true religious teaching has to be able to show us how we can swim through one wave at a time— that is, those waves of laughter, tears, prosperity, or adversity.

Daitsu Tom Wright and Jisho Warner, Laughter Through the Tears: Kosho Uchiyama Roshi on Life as a Zen Beggar