Podcast with Judyth Weaver

Cuke Audio Podcast with Judyth Weaver is a Tai Chi and Sensory Awareness teacher who studied dance in New York and Tokyo and Zen in Kobe and came to the SF Zen Center in 1968. And much more. Check her out further at judythweaver.com. 

Composure

To attain enlightenment means to have this kind of complete composure in our life, without any discrimination. But, at the same time, if we stick to this kind of attitude of non-discrimination, that is also a kind of discrimination, you know. So how we practice zazen-- how we attain this kind of complete composure-- is the point, you know, you should have when you start our practice.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-01-25-bn - 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. 

Roshis Visit Tassajara 1968 - Seeking photos

Got the following email from a researcher:

Greetings,

I am writing to ask for assistance in a research project related to the opening of the Tassajara Center in 1968. In particular I'm asking about photos. More specifically I'm looking for photos that include (if any exist) a Flora Eko Courtois. Flora was a student of Maezumi Roshi, considered a founder of ZCLA, was recognized by Yasutani Roshi as having the experience of enlightenment by oneself alone which, on account of his urging, she wrote about in a small book titled "An Experience of Enlightenment."

Flora died in early 2000 at the age of 84 so she would have been in her early 50's when she made the drive to Tassajara in 1968 with passengers Maezumi Roshi, Yasutani Roshi, Soen Nakagawa Roshi, and Eido Shimano Roshi.

While I realize that photos from 50+ years ago may be archived and not easily accessible I'm hoping that's not the case and that something can be found without much effort. Thank you in advance for your consideration of my request.

Roger Jo Ei Stawasz

**************

I referred Roger to a page on cuke.com about this visit. I can ask Barbara Wenger if she knows of any photos of that visit. There are three in the Wind Bell article linked to that includes only the celebs.  Will ask on FB. - dc

Continuing with the Sun Faced Moon Faced Buddha thing

The difference between Baso and we ordinary people is for Baso, you know, whatever happen to him, he can accept things as it is, as it happens. But we can not accept everything. Something which you think is good, you may accept it. But something which you do not like you cannot -- you don't accept it. And you compare one to the other. And you may say, “this is the truth; this is not true.” And “he is a true Zen master; and he is not a true Zen master.” And “he is good Zen student; but I am not.” That is quite usual way of understanding. With this kind of understanding you cannot figure out what kind of idea we can sit with every day.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-01-25-bn - 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 Comment:: He sort of stumbled there at the end - and this is after I edited it to seem to say what he was saying, but I'd say he was trying to say we can't practice  Zen with this sort of idea.

Every Breath

Actor and Zen teacher Peter Coyote and Lew Richmond have a conversation about Lew's new book on aging for men,  EVERY BREATH, NEW CHANCES: HOW TO GROW OLD WITH HONOR AND DIGNITY.  Lew says, "As two aging men we cover a lot of ground and go into depth about the book and its original new contemplative practice, 'deep mind reflection.'"  Listen to the conversation here.  You can purchase the book  here.

L to R - Al Tribe, Lew Richmond, Peter Coyote, after Al and Peter received transmission from Lew, January 26, 2016.

Sun and Moon

When I am sick, I may be the moon-faced buddha [laughs]. When I am healthy, I am the sun-faced buddha. But the sun-faced buddha or the moon-faced buddha has no special meaning. It means that, whether I am ill or healthy, still, you know, I am practicing zazen. There is no difference. So you shouldn't worry about my health, you know. Even though I am in bed, you know, I am buddha. So don't worry about me.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-01-25-bn - 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.

A Report on

 The soon to be over intensive on The Lotus Sutra: A Teaching for Bodhisattvas in Our Time of Great Challenge and Change - that Reb Anderson is leading via Zoom. 

Wendy Pirsig is attending it and wrote: Over 200 people with Tenshin Reb Anderson, from all over the world for 15 weekdays, plus there have been breakout discussion groups on Saturdays, and talks by Linda Cutts and Nancy Schroeder on Sundays, and even sutra-copying zoom sessions.  Reb lectures about an hour, and then invites offerings, shosan-style, the second hour. There's also Green Gulch-based zazen and service on zoom. The Lotus Sutra is pretty hard sledding for me but I am soaking it in, and it has been a highly beneficial way to spend the cold January days of lockdown.  The other participants are quite amazing, just about everyone ordained and most have done intensives before, now all together again through zoom. Great tech backup support from Brendan Crowe.  And Reb is in full force.  I never thought I'd see him again, let alone have a chance to do something like this, it's pretty great. 

Health

Some of Japanese member, you know, thought because I am always zazen, “He not catch cold. [Laughs.] He will not suffer from flu. But it was funny for him to stay in bed so long.” [Laughs.]

The purpose of zazen is to make ourselves physically strong or to make ourselves mentally healthy or strong, maybe to make our mind healthy and body healthy. But healthy mind is not just, you know, healthy mind in its usual sense, and weak body is not weak body in its usual sense. Whether it is weak or strong, when that weakness and that strength is based on so-called truth or buddha-nature, that is healthy mind and healthy body.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-01-25-bn - 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.

Composure

[After being down for a month and  half with a flu] I am glad to see you from here [laughs]. My voice may not be so good yet, but today I'm testing, you know, just testing. [Laughs, laughter.] I don't know if it works or not. Whether it works or not, or if I speak or not, is not such a big problem for us. Whatever happen to us, it is something which it should happen. So the purpose of our practice is to have this kind of complete composure in our everyday life.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-09 - 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.

Excerpt from ZC Board Notes

Roshi: because Jean cannot attend the entire period she has refused [to be Shuso]. My idea--someone like Dan can take her place while she is away. She had a very good reputation at Eiheiji. Even though most of the teachers have changed there, she is still known. She practiced there long enough and sincerely enough. In our school nuns are treated uncertainly. 

On the Early Pali Teachings

Mark Foote on The Early Record.

About sending this link, he wrote: I wrote a piece that I thought might interest you--it's an overview of the teachings of the Pali sermons.  

As usual, I wrote it to teach myself.  That's what I get, for having learned college mathematics through my own notes, and transcribing my own notes.  Not unlike what you do!

I thought it would interest you, because of my descriptions of the first four states of concentration (the rupa jhanas).  Very un-Zenlike.

Do you ever dream of Shunryu Suzuki?  I've had some dreams of Kobun.  In the last one, he told me I should rework my website, which I kind of resented in the dream.  Stupid (

NVC and Buddhism

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and Buddhism

by Paul Shippee

Paul's cuke page

Remote

Originally Zen master do not have so many students. When Dogen left China, receiving transmission from Tendo Nyojo. Tendo Nyojo Zenji said to him: “After you go back to Japan, you should practice your way in remote country with few students and keep always our practice fresh and new, and take good care of your students.” That is what he said when Dogen leave China -- and he secluded himself in remote country, northern part of country and built his small temple in Echizen, now Fukui Prefecture, where there is Eiheiji now.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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.

Mountain Seat Ceremony

 Hozan Alan Senauke will step up to the mountain seat, becoming the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center on January 31st at 3pm PST. 

Only One

You should feel as if you are studying with few people, you shouldn't think that we have so many students. You study our way as if you are studying with your teacher only. I think that will help you to ignore other's practice. We should not be involved in group study only. This is not a school system. I want you to understand this point more, where you have only one teacher. Each one of you is the only disciple, disciple for a teacher. With this spirit we should practice our way.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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.

Monasteries of the Future

 Monasteries of the Future is a scholarly paper written by Miles G. Bukiet, U. of Penn. Robert Thurman was his advisor. - thanks Larry Burns

Detail

As we are pretty new students, so it is rather difficult to practice our way without much rules, but each one of you should make your best effort to study without instruction in detail, without detailed instruction.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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.

Alan Senauke on Mel's passing during the national crisis

Last Week in Samsara

by Hozan Alan Senauke, abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center - maybe not official yet because his stepping up ceremony has been postponed till later this month due to all that has happened.

Best Effort

My master didn't give us any idea of what we would do the next day or next week. He didn't talk about tomorrow and he was a very unpredictable type of monk. And monks and priests were very much afraid of him. They couldn't get what he had in his mind. Maybe he didn't have any idea, but he was always concentrated on what he was doing. That is, I think, too much, but it is necessary for us to practice our way moment after moment, with our best effort.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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.

Four Tassajara Stories

Just posted on Cuke Audio Podcast, the 17th in this series. Some of the action takes place outside of Tassajara - Big Sur, Sokoji, the City Center, but it's mainly Tassajara. These four are now called Diamond, Kyosaku, Eyes, and The Cult Meter. 

Cuke Podcast Central

Fresh

My master always put emphasis on Dogen Zenji's beginner's mind. It means you should not stick to old style of practice, or any kind of practice and you should be always new student. When you go to Rinzai temple, you should be new Rinzai student. And if you go to Japan, you should be new student. You should forget all about what you have studied in America. The fundamental practice is the same, but we should practice the essential practice with renewed feeling. This is important. To practice always with new freshness of feeling is rather difficult. It is necessary for us to change some part of our practice.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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.

Following from Yesterday's post

And so my teacher or my master always told us: “You stinky boys, wash your underwear!” Not just underwear. And so my teacher-- my master, his way of training his students was-- disciples was pretty different from usual master. He did not allow me to stay at Eiheiji so long time. “Two years is enough! You will become stinky Eiheiji student! That's enough, you should go to Sojiji.”

And when I stayed at Sojiji more than one year, one day he appeared and after talking with me ten minutes. “Maybe it is time for you to leave Sojiji.” And he always put emphasis on Dogen Zenji's beginner's mind.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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 Comment" Suzuki wanted to stay at Eiheiji and then at Sojiji. Finally he was emmeshed in monastic practice. So he was greatly disappointed both times when his master Gyokujun So-on told him that's enough. 

Japanese person's Name order

 An article on CNN about how Japan asked that their names be written in the West as they do with the family name first and the given name second. Scholars here already do that but almost no media or official places like governments are doing that. So the prime minister of Japan is still Shinzo Abe here and Abe Shinzo there. 

Don't know if the publisher's interested but there's a second edition of Crooked Cucumber in the works. Most names in it are done in the Western Style. Shunryu Suzuki here and Suzuki Shunryu there. Some names in the book though are done the Japanese way. I initially thought why not change it the way they want out of respect. But it would take some time to make sure it's all correct and it might be confusing as it's so uncommon. We might do the opposite and make the few that are in the Japanese order conform to the Western style which has held since the early Meiji era (from 1868).  Stay tuned.

From SFZC Sangha News post on Mel's passing

Sōjun (宗純) Mel Weitsman 

(July 9, 1929 – January 7, 2021)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of San Francisco Zen Center's former Abbot, our teacher and friend in the Dharma, Hakuryu Sojun Mel Weitsman, a true person of the Way. May his wisdom and compassion live on in all who knew him. Upon the news of his death, 108 bells were rung in each of the three temples. An obituary can be found on the Lion’s Roar website. Information on ceremonies and memorials will be forthcoming. Berkeley Zen Center has created a memorial wall for people to post stories, remembrances, feelings, and thoughts.

Sojun's cuke page

Cold Baths

[Suzuki is talking about monks who take cold baths in the morning and evening which he said is harder to do than the morning.] This kind of practice is not orthodox practice, but according to the situation of the monastery we apply various ways of life and to keep chance to renew our mind and body. Especially people who live in San Francisco where climate is always same, it may be necessary to have some pool for Zen monks to take cold baths. Maybe exciting practice for us, and it will give pretty good stimulation for San Francisco people. I am busy now with everyday activity, but if you want I think you can do it, and you are young enough to do it. It doesn't mean to be involved in ascetic practice, it is the purpose of those practices -- physically and spiritually. We say if we are caught by even the idea of Zen we call that sticking to it and  not being fresh enough -- old stinky Zen student! But if we do not have some chance to renew our practice, soon we will be stinky student.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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 

DC Comment: I don't recall anyone taking Suzuki up on this. Maybe individuals did. Some of us would go into the creek in winter at Tassajara.

Mel Weitsman's Brushwork

Mel did this calligraphy for me during the Winter 2005 practice period he led when I was his jisha. I was living in the Bird House and I had him up for tea. My Chinese sign is the Fire Horse, and he added Bird Path. Which is traceless, I remember him saying. 

I never realized till now that I think he gave me this dharma name: Fire Horse Bird Path.  

I have kept this calligraphy up in the many places I've lived since 2005; it's right here next to my bed. And this is the first time I'm really seeing it, all of it. Thank you for helping me to see it by being a place I can share something. - Joan Amaral

Lazy

If you are always lazy and drowsy, spiritually and physically lazy, you actually have no chance to live truthfully to yourself. That is why we practice various practices. But if we stick to old way of practice it is also not so good. So it is necessary maybe to change our way of practice sometimes.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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

Joan on Mel

Just put up a podcast with Joan Amaral, founding teacher of Zen Center North Shore in Beverly, Massachusetts, as the guest. In it she talks about her experience with Mel Weitsman when she was his jisha, attendant, at Tassajara in 2005. 

photo by Shundo David Haye

Clearing

Without clearing up your mind and body, physically, you will not have chance to live on each moment.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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

Lion's Roar

 obituary for Mel Weitsman

As it is

So, "as it is" we say, but actually when most people say “way as it is” it is not at all the way as it is.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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

The Dalai Lama In Conversation with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists

 The Dalai Lama In Conversation with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists

More New Year's Eve talk

So usually it is pretty exciting week. This kind of custom still in Japan and each one of us, rather we enjoy this kind of activity. We understand each other-we fool ourselves in some way and enjoy the last day of the year. This idea is based on Buddhist way of understanding life. Moment after moment we should renew our life, we should not stick old idea of life, or way of life, we should renew it, our life day by day, especially at the end of the year. Especially at the end of the year we should completely renew our feeling and completely renew our car. If we stick to old ideas always, or if you have no chance to renew it, it is rather difficult to renew your way of life. Some encouragement is necessary if you always repeating same thing over and over again, then even though you have no feeling of sticking to old way of life, actually you are confined in old way of life. Some excitement or some occasion is necessary. For instance, we use this kind of stick [kyosaku]. This is to renew your practice, if you become drowsy, if you don't receive a stick you will not have chance to renew yourself  and in this way, you can live moment after moment. Actually-- faithful-- you will be faithful to your own life.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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

Lew Richmond's latest book

It's called EVERY BREATH, NEW CHANCES: HOW TO AGE WITH HONOR AND DIGNITY—A GUIDE FOR MEN (and the women who love them), and I’ve already received accolades from professionals in the field such as Jed Diamond, Ph.D. and Paula Spencer Scott, best-selling aging expert.  The book has a forward by my close friend, the actor Peter Coyote. It also includes an innovative contemplative practice I call “Deep Mind Reflections”; there is one at the end of each chapter, and these are a kind of self-guided visualization on many themes important to aging men (and women too): virility and power, what it means to be a man, retirement, illness, divorce and loneliness, and so on.

You can learn all about the book, and purchase it if you want, on Amazon here , or if you prefer not to shop on Amazon, a good alternative is Goodreads here. 

Lew Richmond cuke page

Still talking about New Year's Eve here.

And end of the year is the most busy days. We have to clean up our rooms, and if you have some debts you should pay. For someone to collect the money he lent, and for the most people it is time to pay the debt. And then after cleaning up everything, spiritual and physical, we decorate New Year's decoration. Those things should be done before twelve o'clock. And after twelve o'clock there is no need for you to pay back the money you owed.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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. - D 

Reading 600 Volumes of the Prajnaparamita at Once

And in temple at end of the year we have a ceremony to read the 600 volumes of the Prajnaparamita Sutra. But actually we cannot read 600 volumes of the sutra, so the priest conducting the ceremony reads one volume of the 600 sutras. Then we have one volume, one of 600 read and the others are just turned instead of reading them. And so the most important volume will be recited by the priest who is conducting, and we receive this kind of prayer card from the temple. That is what we do.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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. - D 

More Beginner's Mind type stuff

 Guardian article on Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning, by Tom Vanderbilt which mentions briefly Shunryu Suzuki just like the WSJ article on the same subject featured a couple of days ago did. - thanks Louise Pryor

Reminds me of the respected phrases I ran into in Japan. - Issho benkyo - one life or all life study and shogai gakushu - lifelong learning. Whatever we learn is always new though we may see it merely as an addition. - dc 

Mel Weitsman's name use instances in Suzuki lecture archive

Every time "Mel" comes up in Shunryu Suzuki lecture archive recently updated version on shunryusuzuki.com - these excerpts are just copied and pasted unedited by dc

***

RIP Mel Weitsman

Mel Weitsman, recently retired long time abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center, has died. He was a most beloved and respected priest. 

Mel Weitsman cuke page

 

Taking Care with Fire

[Would have been good to post this on December 29th because these are the first words from a lecture that Suzuki gave on December 29th, 1968. The calligraphy he refers to at the end is posted below - or another with the same words.]

Next Tuesday we will have no lecture, so this will be the last one for this year. At the end of the year we clean up our house and we throw out old things which we do not use anymore. And we renew our equipment, even renew furniture. And after cleaning our room we we put in the new. We take off old mats and put out new ones. In the temple we have a prayer to control fire. [Suzuki shows the calligraphy scroll] “Taking care of fire,” it says in Japanese.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-29 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. - D

Fire is always a threat to Japanese temples constructed of wood with candles and incense burning inside. But after New Years there are fires to burn the old and bring in the new so New Year's is a good time bring up fire safety. - dc

Suzuki gave this scroll to Grahame Petchey. His wife Hideko donated it to the SFZC.

cuke page for this calligraphy

Beginner's Mind in the WSJ

But you can't read it from there without a subscription which I don't have but I got it anyway for some reason. 

For New Year’s Resolutions, Never Think You’re Too Old to Become a Beginner

by Tom Vanderbilt

Link fixed

 Fixed link to Jane Schneider's art

Blogger keeps eliminating the link, probably when I do something that causes that. Problem is I make a lot of the posts ahead of time and so don't check them till later and often forget. Darn.

Conclusion of Lecture

I'm not blaming you. I was very much stubborn, and ah … but even though I say so, it doesn't mean you have to change your attitude until you really feel something you should go and go on and on.

And I think you should try your best, and you should always be faithful to your own confidence and understanding. That is all right.

But tonight, you know, I am talking about Shariputra, so I have to say it in this way. For tonight's lecture (laughs).

Thank you very much.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-24 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

Check Out

 Jane Schneider's beautiful art work

Jane (and Peter) Schneider cuke page

That's Jane on the left.

Understand

As Buddha said, “Because you thought you attained enlightenment, Shariputra, you didn't understand what I said, but now, you don't think you have attained enlightenment. You are not bound by that kind of idea or image. So you will be able to understand what I will say.”   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-24 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

A Corrective Comment

About Hoitsu Suzuki's Introductory Words for Magatta Kyuri, the Japanese edition of Crooked Cucumber - which was featured Saturday Jan. 2.  [the following comments are there too]

Parable

[Suzuki is asked some questions about his prior statement that sometimes a single chopstick can change the course of a river. The questions are unclear to him and finally he says] Ah, that is just parable, so. I don't want to argue about…. I don't want to involved in a discussion of physics! (Laughs)   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-24 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

Link fixed

Thanks A.M. for alerting us that in yesterday's post the link in Hoitsu Suzuki’s Introduction to Magatta Kyuri didn't work. Got that fixed before the automatically generated emails with the posts went out and those who receive these posts in emails don't get the corrections and changes that take effect later.  We always appreciate receiving errata notice. - This is the last time to say Happy New Year!

Hoitsu Suzuki’s Introduction to Magatta Kyuri

Hoitsu Suzuki’s Introduction to Magatta Kyuri

the Japanese Edition of Crooked Cucumber: the Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki

translated by Fred Harriman

Chopstick

A chopstick in the river will sometimes change the whole direction of the stream. That is the karma.  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-12-24 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

A Special Message from all of us at Cuke Archives

 Happy New Year to you and yours. May your future be in with the new, shiny and bright. - dc

New Year's Ritual

And so in January, New Year's Day, we renew all the decorations, so we carry old ones to the shrine. Old, old small shrines, or just stone deity called a Dosojin. Most of the days we do not know even there is a Dosojin. But on New Year's Day, or from New Year's Day to January 14th, old symbols and ornaments will be there. People, you know, take them to the old shrines.