Just Medicine

Buddhism is the same thing as having breakfast and going to bed. This is Buddhism. Of course, some encouragement is necessary for us, but that encouragement is just encouragement. It is not the purpose or true purpose of practice. That is just medicine.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Doing What We Should Do

So, to hear, or to know what Buddhism is, or to feel something about Buddhism is not the main point. Whether Buddhism is good or bad [laughs] is not the question. We don’t mind whatever this is [laughs]. Buddhism is not good or bad. We are doing what we should do. That is Buddhism.

Image modified by Google Gemini

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Something Unusual

Image from: wikimedia.org

When we hear the sound of a pine tree on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and pine tree is just standing in the wind. That’s all they are doing [laughs]. But people who hear it will make a poem or will feel something unusual. That is, I think, the way everything goes.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Deep Feeling

At Eiheiji for us monastic life was usual life, and people who came from the city were unusual people [laughs]. We felt, “Oh, some unusual people came” [laughs]. We thought we were quite usual. But once you go out from Eiheiji and come back to Eiheiji, and hear the various sounds of practice, or hear them reciting sutras, you will feel deep feeling. Tears will flow out of your mouth and eyes and nose [laughter]. It is people who are outside of the monastery who feel something about it. Those who are practicing actually do not feel anything [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

That’s All

When I was at Eiheiji, everyone was just doing what they should do. That’s all. It is the same thing as having breakfast in the morning [laughs]. That’s how we did everything in Eiheiji monastery. When we had to sit, we sat. That’s all. When we should bow to Buddha, we bowed to Buddha. That’s all. And when we were practicing there, we did not feel anything special. We did not even feel we were having monastic life.

Photo from Way of Eiheiji record set

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Memorial Service

Ten Year Memorial for Former Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman

City Center
July 11, 2026, 7:10am - 7:45am

https://www.sfzc.org/calendar/events/city-center/ten-year-memorial-former-abbess-zenkei-blanche-hartman-cc-711

Featured Cuke Archives page

https://cuke.com/f

Practice and Everyday Activity

The study you make here is a part of your everyday life, a part of your incessant activity. In this sense there is no difference between the practice here, and the everyday activity you have in everyday life. So, to find out the meaning of your life here is to find out the meaning of your everyday activity. To be aware of the meaning of your life, you practice zazen here.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

To Study

Sometimes without teaching, when you do not hear anything and just sit, you have everything. And teaching is not sufficient, and awareness of yourself is not sufficient. So, the purpose of practice in this place is to study ourselves. To be independent, we study. But you need a teacher because it is impossible to study you by yourself; by some means you have to study. But you should not make a mistake. You should not take what you have learned here for yourselves. It is a part of your activity, everyday activity.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Four Ways

Image from Wikipedia

Rinzai analyzed how to teach his disciples in four ways. Sometimes he talks about disciples; sometimes he talks about teaching itself; sometimes he gives an interpretation of both teaching and himself; sometimes he does not give any instruction about the students or teaching because even though he does not speak about anything, a student is a student. Strictly speaking there is no need to teach because each is Buddha, whether or not they are aware of it. Even though one is aware of their true nature, if they attach to the awareness, that is already wrong. When one is not aware of it, they have everything, but when they become aware of it, they think what they are aware of is themself. So that’s a big mistake.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.