Helping

If one person has a clear understanding of suffering and what is our true nature, many people will be enlightened. But without enlightenment, to help people means nothing. We say, “A blind man leading blind men.” [Laughter.] Even if they have a lantern, it doesn’t work because the leader is blind. If you are enlightened, everyone will help you. If you are not enlightened [laughs], even though everyone helps, you will not be helped. If you are enlightened, actually everyone, whether or not they are enlightened, will help you.

The Blind Leading the Blind - Bruegel

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Chris Miller's impressive new book

Rilke, the Buddha, and Orpheus: New Translations of Selected Poems

by Christopher Lennox which is a pen name for early Zen Center student Chris Miller. It's the latest Cuke Press book

Amazon link -  https://amzn.to/4pyo7oR

Cuke Press

Chris Miller cuke page

Clear Understanding

The people who say, “I am right,” or “I am not doing anything wrong.” Those are the worst people. Those people will create various problems in this world. They are creating problems without knowing they are creating them. So, there is no way to persuade them. That is why we have to have a clear understanding of our life. When we work with people like that, we have to have a clear understanding of what is suffering and what is our true nature.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Why We Have a Teacher

Religious mind is so strong. If it is necessary, one will burn their physical body. If your true nature tells you to burn up your body, that’s all right [laughs]. It is so strong, much stronger than emotions. You cannot do that by emotions; just your true nature can do it. But when I say this, you will have some misunderstanding. That is why we have “cover.” That is why we have the Shobogenzo. What is true religion? Just to jump into a fire is not religion. Sometimes a crazy person will do that. So, right understanding of our inmost nature is very important. That is why we have a teacher, and why we have Shobogenzo.

The Venerable Thich Quảng Đức Monument

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

RIP Mary Watson

Mary Watson lived next door to and was involved with Zen Center for many years. It was always good to see her and, until he died, her husband Jack Weller.

Jack Weller's cuke page

Mitsu Suzuki memories page with Mary's memories of her

She died maybe Thursday the 20th night (judging from the message I got) in her apartment at 340 Page. She apparently had a cold that couldn’t be resolved. Her son Daniel is with her now and the CC community is sitting with her body today - so maybe that was Friday the 21st. If you have background info on Mary you can share for her obituary, Her health had declined over the past year.

Painful or Not

Moreover, your body is not yours at all [laughs], in its true sense. “True you” has no form or no body to have pain. “True you” has no pain at all. Sometimes your true nature tells your physical body to kill yourself [laughs], if it is necessary. That is true self. If you are fully enlightened in your true self, whether your body is painful or not is not a problem.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Mary Mocine  had visited Tassajara a couple of times but her first practice experience was at a mindfulness retreat with Yvonne Rand at Green Gulch. She was at Zen Center for a number of years and in this podcast she also shares experiences with various teachers and temples in Japan. She had a sitting group in Vallejo for a couple of decades.

Accept

Image generated by ChatGPT

Yeah, the physical pain is real [laughter]. If you accept it, it is real. If you don’t accept it, it is not real, you know. “My legs are painful.” That’s all. If you put a period, “I am painful.” That’s real. But if you say, “I am painful, so what shall I do?” Or, “Is there any way to escape from it?” Then the pain you mean will become big [laughs]. To accept the pain as it is is big patience.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Eternal True Nature

If you hesitate to accept truth, you will be lost. There is a time for suffering to stop, but true nature will never cease to act. The terminology [laughs] of delusion is something which is not real and which can be put an end to. That is delusion. And true nature is something which is eternal, it cannot be lost. And through suffering you can have direct experience of how strong your true nature is. Your true nature is much stronger than the suffering “small you” creates. True nature is incomparably greater than small mind.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Tears

Image generated by Leonardo.ai

If you find your inmost request by struggling or with tears, or with difficulty, you will never forget about it. Then an inmost request is in emotional feelings rather than logical reason. The logical understanding of an inmost request is a philosophy of true nature. And the understanding of an inmost request by your tears is an actual feeling that makes sense to you. And you can apply it. You will never forget about it. So, we should know that there is truth in our utmost distress or suffering.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.