Forget

The purpose of my lecture is mostly to give you some way to understand the various scriptures and various thoughts, in an appropriate way, without being attached to them. Without wasting time. There is no need to remember. If you forget, it’s all right. If you doubt something, you will not forget it. Because you understand it, you forget.

Zen Is Right Here - Epigraph

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

A Different Way of Understanding

[About government] they should know there are limits. And they should be more humble, and they could think more [laughs]. Then we will have a very good life. This is the only way to bring about a comparatively peaceful life. All those confusions are caused by misunderstandings of the truth. What I am talking about is something maybe you think unworthy because you compare religion to politics, or even to science, so it is difficult to understand. But religion is a different way of understanding our life. So, you should keep studying some things in some different ways.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

Truth

The truth is something which we cannot bring perfectly into our everyday life. Truth is something which we have to strive for. So, without striving for it now, to believe in some truth which is not truth, or fake truth, and to force some principle on others—big, big mistake. From the beginning, it is too much to expect. For us, it is too much to expect for a government. We cannot expect so much from government.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

How Enlightenment Happens

There may be two ways. By all of a sudden attaining enlightenment, or by long practice. When you become more and more aware of what you are doing in its true sense, and when you become sympathetic with people’s misunderstandings of our practice, and when you find out how to help them, you will find that you have come to a point where you can help others, even if you do not attain enlightenment.

Harambee Arts - Feeding Program

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

A Goal

We are practicing actually aiming at a goal. But that goal, “what is the goal?” is the point. To find a goal in each moment is the goal. And that is enlightenment.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

Who are you?

If we say we are part of it, the true relationship to the absolute one will be lost. If we are a part of it, then what is the real relationship to the absolute one? Part of it. And if every one of us is an unfolding of the one infinite absolute, or deity, then the meaning of each person will be lost. We are just an unfolding of one infinite being. So, each one of us loses our sense of meaning, of being. So, we are not even an unfolding of the absolute one. Or we are not even a part of it. If you think to this extent, you will find out what is the absolute one. Okay? Not part of it. And we are not an unfolding of the one being. So, [laughs] who are you? [Laughter] No words! [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

Infinity

By extending the second principle, you cannot reach the first principle. If you add one and one and one, however many ones you add, it will not equal infinity. So, infinity, or the first principle is something beyond the second principle. Or you may say the viewpoint is completely different. But if you divide the absolute in many ways, as much as possible, that is infinity. When we understand in this way, we can say we are a part of it. But we are not. Our understanding is not based on one or two. Our understanding is based on something absolute [laughs], which we don’t know. But we may be a part of it. When we understand in that way, we are a part of it. So, it is a kind of belief, you may say. But it is more than belief. It should be fully true, or else we cannot exist here. Big hypothesis [laughs]. Yet, there is no other way except in this way.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

First Principle?

The second principle is ordinary common sense. Or the teaching which is for patients is the second principle. But people know this is just for some particular patients. So, there must be some absolute teaching which is for everyone. Buddhists look for some teaching which is permanent. And what is that permanent teaching? That was a problem for them. And we need general teachings that whatever is told by someone is not the First Principle. Then what is the First Principle? The First Principle is something which you cannot understand, to which there’s no approach. That is the First Principle.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-23 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.

Reincarnating Religion

Reincarnating Religion, a short article by Steve Tipton from The Martin Marty Center, The University of Chicago Divinity School

Steve's new book: In and Out of Church - On Amazon

Here's a Cuke blog post on that book

It's dedicated to Silas and Niels (Silas Hoadley and Niels Holm, two early Suzuki students and close friends who lived in Port Townsend).

Steve's cuke page

Featured Cuke Archives page

Kokyo (AKA Luminous Owl) Henkel - is a Soto Zen priest who came to the SF Zen Center in 1990 and is currently leading a practice period at Green Gulch Farm. He and his wife Shoho Kuebast founded the Bright Window Hermitage on Tassajara Road. In his college years Kokyo was a dedicated Deadhead. Listen to this podcast with him and learn more.