Featured Cuke Archives page

Tim Ream came to the SF Zen Center in the nineties. He has continued his Zen practice, alternating between practice periods and periods of environmental activism. Listen to our podcast and read more about him and his new book - http://cuke.com/f.

Beyond

True practice is not in the realm of, “This is true practice and this is not true practice.” True practice is beyond the idea right and wrong, and beyond experience, beyond human suggestion.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Sometimes Cats

Nansen says if you try to follow the way, you will be far away from it. But what you will attain is something quite different. It is not something to describe. Maybe we call it emptiness. Or sometimes toilet paper. [Laughs, laughter.] Sometimes cats. Sometimes fox. Whatever it is, it is another name of something which cannot be described. That is true enlightenment. Only when you have it, then you may say, “everyday life is the true way.” Even toilet paper is the true way. Whatever you do, that is another name of the true way you have.

Art by Dan Welch

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Right Posture, Good Breathing

In koan practice you try hard to attain enlightenment. In shikantaza we do not try to attain enlightenment. Or in shikantaza we have no time [laughs] to expect something. We have pain in our legs, and sometimes it may be very cold. So, to remain in the right posture is difficult. If you are involved in our practice with right posture, with good breathing, then you have no time to try to have a beautiful picture of enlightenment [laughs]. It is already hard enough to sit, and you have no other idea to have any imagination. So actually, what we will attain is the same. But what you attain is something completely different than expected.

Dan Welch, 1967

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Try Not To Attain Enlightenment

Dogen Zenji says, “Try not to attain enlightenment. Just [laughs, laughter] practice it.” Even though you have some idea of enlightenment— like a beautiful picture, to attain, to realize, to actualize that idea, you practice zazen. What you get is a quite different thing. It will not be the paintings, you know. What you will get is something quite different. That is true.

Art by Michael Sawyer

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Unexpectedly

To rigidly follow our way in order to attain some power or some enlightenment or experience may not be the true way. But while you are doing so, unexpectedly [laughs] your enlightenment will come to you. And that enlightenment is not the enlightenment you expected [laughs, laughter]. That will be how you will experience our true way.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Extend Experience to Everyday Life

Even if I explain what is the true way, and even if you understand what I say, that is not the true way. Only when you actually have that power to extend your experience to everyday life. Then, and without trying to observe our way, naturally, intuitively, when you are able to observe our way, that is true.

Shunryu Suzuki moving stones at Tassajara with Mike Daft and Bob Watkins on the right.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Cindy Beavon came to the SFZC in 2007 going straight to Tassajara. She practiced at Zen Center until 2011 when she had an upsetting experience that made her feel unwelcome. Listen to our podcast.

Some Experience

Joshu asked him, “How can I follow the way, if I don’t try to observe it?” Or in other words, “Is it possible for me to observe our way without trying to observe our way?” But Nansen said, “If you try to observe our way, that way is not the true way.” [Laughs.] How will you understand this point? It means that until you have some power or some experience of real practice, you will not understand what is the true way.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

A Zen Carpenter's Tale

Hiding Out with the Enemy: A Zen Carpenter's Tale

by Rico Provasoli

Amazon link     - Rico's cuke link

Rico Provasoli’s deceptive and charming book comes closer to describing the Buddhist Path and one’s enemy seeking to throw us off it, than anything I’ve read in a very long time. A brilliant carpenter, with a hair-trigger temper, afflictions everywhere he turns, skillfully acquaints us with the enemy lurking within each of us—our personal junk-yard dog needing to be tamed. Rico knows whereof he speaks. We’ve practiced Zen together for many years. Rico’s strategy for telling the story will allow you to recognize yourself in its pages, comfort you in your struggles for clarity and self-control, and entertain the hell out of you while you read. Don’t miss it.

                       ~ Peter Coyote, Zen Buddhist priest, actor and author.

Everyday Mind Is Dao

Joshu asked his teacher Nansen, “What is dao?” And his teacher Nansen answered, “Everyday mind is dao.” And Nansen asked his teacher again, “How to follow the dao? Tell me how to accord with the dao.” That was Joshu’s question. And Nansen said, “The more you try to follow the dao, the more you will lose the dao.” [Laughs.] That was his answer. And he continued, “The true power does not belong to the matter of aware or not aware of it, or attaining or not attaining it. If your practice goes beyond the matter of attaining it or not to attaining it, your mind will be like a boundless blue sky. And you will have no problem in your everyday life.” That was his answer.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

The Purpose of Koans

I am not trying to explain what is everyday mind or what is dao, but through this koan I want to give you some suggestion how to practice shikantaza. Actually, shikantaza and koan practice are not exactly the same, but there is not much difference. Shikantaza is more condensed practice, more essential practice, or fundamental practice than koan practice. The purpose of koan is same as shikantaza.

Photo by Meiya Wender

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

A Suggestion

I want to talk about the famous koan between Nansen and his disciple Joshu. “Everyday Mind Is Dao.” I think you may know that koan. A koan is not something to explain. Why we talk about it is to give some suggestion about how to practice zazen. It is a suggestion. We don’t talk about what a koan means directly. We give you just a suggestion, and according to the introduction or suggestion, you work on the koan. That is how we explain koans and how you listen to koans.

Calligraphy by Michael Wenger

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Helen Tworkov's Lotus Girl

Lotus Girl - My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America

by Helen Tworkov

"An original work—timely, well written, knowledgeable observations on teachers and practice and our American culture, and a refreshing, if careful, honesty in her reflections, often introspective. several chapters could well become books in themselves, and the prodigious name checking almost demands an index. recommended reading!" - Gaetano Kazuo Maida - otherwise known as Tano.

From one of the central figures in Buddhism's introduction to the West and the founder of Tricycle magazine comes a brilliant memoir of forging one’s own path that Pico Iyer calls "unflinching" and "indispensable."

Macmillan Publishers link | Amazon link

Helen Tworkov cuke page

Confidence

When our attachment reaches to non-attachment, that is real attachment. So, if you attach to something, you should attach to something completely [laughs]. The sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha! “I am here,” you know, “I am right here.” This kind of confidence within ourselves is important. When we have this kind of confidence in ourselves, in our being, we can practice true zazen, which is beyond perfect or imperfect, good or bad.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Enjoy

So, “the sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha” does not mean, “I don’t care if it’s the sun-faced buddha or the moon-faced buddha.” It means that the sun-faced [hits table with stick] buddha, the moon-faced [hits table with stick] buddha. We should enjoy the sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha. It is not indifference.

(Joel Ash was a pen name for David Padwa)

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

http://cuke.com/f.

Silas Hoadley Memorial this Father's Day

You are so warmly invited to
celebrate the life of Silas with us

Father’s Day
June 16,2024 - 3-7 pm
Mostly Natives Nursery
54 B st, Point Reyes Station
California

With Love,

Amber Hoadley
Drew Simon and Priscilla

Meaning

Whatever it is, the limitation has some meaning—not some meaning—it has absolute meaning in it. That is a most important point: for us to know limitation.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Limitation

We are almost reaching the moon now, but we cannot create human beings in their true sense. We can create robots, but we cannot create human beings. Human being is human being. We can enjoy our life only with our limited body and limited life. This limitation is a vital element for us. Without limitation nothing exists, so we should enjoy the limitation. Weak body, strong body; man or woman. The only way to enjoy our life is to enjoy the limitation which was given to us.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Dying

When I die, the moment I am dying, if I suffer, that is all right, you know. That is suffering buddha [laughs]. No confusion in it. Maybe everyone will struggle because of the physical agony and spiritual agony too. But that is all right. That is not a problem. We should be very grateful to have a limited body like me and like you. If you had limitless life, it would be a great problem for you [laughs].

Green Gulch Farm memorial for Suzuki

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Quite All Right

Whether I am at Tassajara or Sokoji, that’s no trouble. [Laughs.] Should not be any trouble. Even though I die, with me it is all right, and with you it is all right. And if it is not all right, you know, you are not a Zen student. [Laughs.] It is quite all right. That is buddha.

Shunryu Suzuki's last public event.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Bowing

To bow to buddha is “no buddha” for us. There is no buddha, so we bow to buddha. [Laughs, laughter.] If you bow to buddha because there is buddha, you know, that is not true understanding of buddha.

May 2012 Crestone Mt. Seat Ceremony for Dan Welch

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Whatever You Say

The sun-faced buddha is good; the moon-faced buddha is good. So, whatever it is, that is good—that all things are Buddha. And there is no Buddha, even. But usually when you say “no Buddha,” [laughs] it means that you stick to only one of the three understandings, that is, “no buddha,” the opposite of “buddha.” Buddha; no buddha; and buddha or no buddha. Whatever you say, it is all right. If you have complete understanding of it, whatever you say, it is all right.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Marc Lesser came to the SFZC in 1974. After ten years with the ZC and being the director of Tassajara, he got an MBA, continued his Zen practice while working with and founding some noble businesses. Listen to our podcast and read more about him - http://cuke.com/f.

The Great Activity

At first you should be able to accept things in two ways, but this is not enough. It is still dualistic. So, you should be able to understand in one of the two ways without thinking, “This is one of the two understandings.” So, here you come back to starting point, but actually it is not the starting point because you have freedom to go from one to the other. So, you will not be bothered. And whatever you do, that is the great activity of the practice.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Dualistic / Oneness

You should understand your own everyday activity in two ways. One is to understand our life in a dualistic way: good or bad, right or wrong. We should try hard to understand things in terms of good or bad. And sometimes you should be able to ignore the understanding from the viewpoint of good or bad. “Good” or “bad” is just superficial understanding. So, when you understand things, everything is one. Or all things are one. Then that is the other understanding: understanding of oneness.

Art by Paul Reps

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Achieve Nothing

Because we make our efforts to achieve something in a materialistic sense, or spiritual sense, we cannot achieve anything. We must achieve nothing [laughs], so that is the real meaning of nothingness.

Dainin Katagiri calligraphy, "Within nothingness there is a inexhaustible working."

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Samurai

In Japan samurai practiced zazen to master martial arts, which is not just a physical thing. It was a matter of whether he would lose or win. So, as long as they were afraid of losing their life, they could not act to their full ability. Only when he was free from “to kill or to be killed,” and only when he reacted to his enemy’s activity, that was the only way to win. If he tried to win, he might lose. So, how he could act without the kind of fear which would limit his activity was the most important thing. Because they had this kind of problem they practiced Zen very hard. It was a matter of survival on the battlefield. So, he fought his fight in the zendo, not in the battlefield [laughs].

Kobun Chino

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Physical Practice

Of course it is difficult to just accept “things as it is.” That difficulty is not like to carry some heavy things, or to work on mathematics. That difficulty wants some special effort. How you can do it is to be concentrated on your posture, or breathing, or perfect physical practice. That is the only way to have right reactions.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Just Accept

When you sit I say, “Don’t think,” you know. “Don’t think” means don’t treat things in terms of good or bad, heavy or light. And just accept things as it is. So, even though you do nothing, usually the moment you hear, your reaction is, “What could it be? Yeah, that is a motor car, or that’s very noisy. That may be a motorcycle.” But in zazen you should not react in that way. You should just hear the big noise or small noise, and you should not be bothered by it. It looks nearly impossible, especially for a beginner because the moment you hear, some reaction follows. But if you practice zazen—if you continuously try not to do so, just accept “things as it is,” you can do it eventually.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Jon Bernie came to the SF Zen Center in 1973 and practiced there for years. In our podcast he talks about his relationships with Richard Baker, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Papaji (Punjaji), Adyashanti, Robert Adams, Mike Murphy of Esalen Institute, psychic Anne Armstrong, and others. Listen to our podcast and read more about him - http://cuke.com/f.

Just Be Zen Students

When I was in Japan, I also had some Zen students. Some of them were very rich, and were very influential people. And some were just students or carpenters or workers. In Japan we still have some–not class–but still we treat mayors or teachers in a different way. We have a special way of addressing them and talking with them. As you say, “Yes, sir.” [Laughs.] That is a kind of thing you have. But nowadays I don’t think you have this kind of difference in your way of communication. But I always told them, “If you are Zen students, you should forget all about your position, or work, or title, and you should be just Zen students, or else we cannot practice zazen in its true sense.”

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.