Sometimes I allow people who are sticking to their old ways. I allow people to do that, but strictly speaking those who come and practice zazen here should be completely involved in the feeling we have in this zendo, and practice our way with people according to my instructions. That is what you should do. But people who do not know what real emptiness or a dragon is may think he is forcing his way [laughs] on us. And, “Sokoji is a Soto Zen temple. I have been practicing the Rinzai way.” But that is not true. We are practicing our way transmitted from Buddha to us. We are one of the Buddha’s disciples. And we practice zazen with Buddha, with patriarchs.
Sokoji zazen, 1968
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-10-12-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
