Q: Do you think the Shobogenzo may have been the
best sutra for that time?
SR: For that time, it was. And he used a very unusual truth for a person who
was born several hundred years ago. Most of the truths he used may be very
appropriate for us to use too. In this sense, many scholars are interested in
the Shobogenzo. But even so, you cannot say Buddhism was completed by Dogen
Zenji. If you think it was, the Shobogenzo becomes like a coffee shop on the
freeway. Dogen will be very angry if you stay there. That is why he wrote it.
His intention was not to stay here. You should go on and on. That was the point
he put emphasis on. He said Buddhism is not valuable because of the teaching,
but because of the continuous practice, such as the four vows. --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-C as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC
