Emphasis

According to the Shingon school, the Diamond Sutra is the supreme teaching which was told by Buddha. If a teaching was told by some special person, according to his character or to his ability, it is not absolute teaching because it was told by him, like medicine to a patient. If the patient changes, the teaching will change, so it is not absolute teaching. But the Diamond Sutra, told by Buddha to himself, is the only teaching which we can depend on. But this is not a complete understanding. That is why Zen puts emphasis on our practice.

—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.

Tendai Teaching

According to the Tendai school, there are aspects of being and non-being, and the third aspect is something beyond being and non-being. So for the Tendai school, according to the third aspect, you cannot arrange our teaching this way or that way. To arrange teaching this way or that way, in a time span or in a space span, is not the teaching which may be in the third dimension. And the absolute teaching which we transmit from master to others is not that kind of teaching.

Photo by Teteki Andrew Atkeison

—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.

Transmit

All the teachings which are written are the second principle [laughs]. The first principle is the principle which you cannot talk about, which we transmit from master to master, from patriarch to patriarch. But the teaching which we transmit is not written, you know. So how to transmit it—that is the point we should study [laughter].

—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.

The First Principle and The Second Principle

“Where are you from?” “Who are you?”

“I don’t know” is right. He may have some merit, but that is just merit, and not he himself. This kind of question was discussed by many teachers, even before Bodhidharma came to China. The Sanron school classifies our teaching in two: the first principle, and the second principle. The second principle is the principle which we can study and talk about intellectually. The first one is something which we cannot talk about. If we talk about it, it is already the second principle.

Brushwork by Mariangeles Soto

—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.

Featured Cuke Archives page

This is the second podcast reading examples of Shunryu Suzuki's use of the phrase "most important." He often used the phrase "most important," usually in "the most important point" or "the most important thing." Reading from a page on cuke.com that includes every instance of these words in Suzuki lectures as found in the 2010 transcript collection. There have been additions to the Suzuki lecture archive since then, so this collection should be updated.

Not Right

If the Emperor thinks Bodhidharma is a holy one, that is not true. Especially when the Emperor asked him, “What is the first principle?” The first principle is not something holy, or not holy. Whatever you say about it, it is not right. So, he said, “I don’t know” [laughs]. It is not a matter of holy or not holy. “Who are you?” he asked. If he said “Bodhidharma,” that is not perfect, so he said, “I don’t know.”

Calligraphy by Jakusho Bill Kwong

—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.

No Sacred Teachings

There are many teachings left by Bodhidharma. And this, “Who are you in front of me?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“What is the first principle?” the Emperor asked. 

“I don’t know,” [laughs] he said. I don’t know. There’s no holy person and no sacred teachings, that was his answer. 

“Then aren’t you the teacher from India?” the Emperor asked. 

Bodhidharma said, “I don’t know” [laughs]. This “I don’t know” is not the usual “I don’t know.”

—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.

No Merit

There were more questions and answers. The Emperor asked Bodhidharma, “I helped build temples and patronized many teachers. What is the virtue of my deed?” 

And Bodhidharma said, “No merit” [laughs]. That was his answer. In this way, Bodhidharma started his teaching in China in the first part of the sixth century.

Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath

—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. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version. 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.

‘I don't know.’

When Bodhidharma came to China, he visited Emperor Wu, and there were famous questions and answers. This is the first subject of the Blue Cliff Record.  “Attention: the Emperor Wu of Liang asked the great teacher Bodhidharma, ‘What is the first meaning of holy reality?’” What is the first principle?  “Bodhidharma said, ‘Emptiness. No sacredness.’” No holiness.  “The Emperor said, ‘Confronting me, who is it?’” Who is here? Aren’t you a teacher or a holy person?  “Bodhidharma said, ‘I don't know.’ The Emperor did not accord. Thereupon Bodhidharma crossed the river and reached the land of Wei.”

—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. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

New Transcripts

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. The most recently completed verbatim transcripts are here, and the most recently completed minimum edits are here.  

Established

Although our practice is quite simple, this is the result of myriad people’s hard practice and way. They risked their lives for this way and established this way of practice and understanding. Negation and after negation. Criticism after criticism, we have established this kind of teaching.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Bob Watkins - and his wife Sandy arrived at Tassajara not long after we bought it and were there for nine months. We hated to see them go. Bob was the work leader in the first practice period and until he departed. Later he was ordained by Kobun Chino and with Kobun co-founded Hokoji in Arroyo Seco above Taos, NM. In this podcast I read a piece I wrote on Bob after he died in 2016. It includes many of his memories of Shunryu Suzuki and Kobun Chino.  Listen to the podcast and read more about him.

More Lectures on Engage Wisdom site

After linking to Engage Wisdom's archive of the audio and AI generated transcripts of Zentatsu Richard Baker's lectures given at the SFZC (see yesterday's post), snooped around and found some other lecture collections to link to.

Reb Anderson's lecture archive - also linked to from his Cuke page.

Alan Senauke's and others on the Berkeley ZC lectures archive - linked to from Alan Senauke's Cuke page

Ed Brown's lecture archive - Ed Brown cuke page

The whole SFZC audio archive was added to the Cuke Audio/Video page

Thanks Peter Ford for adding those links

Real Practice

Because Dogen’s mind was free from concrete, static logic he could establish his own way of life, and he left immortal teaching for us. Dogen Zenji was great not because of his deep lofty philosophy, but because of his actual practice, real practice, transmitted from Buddha through many, many patriarchs.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Zentatsu Richard Baker SFZC lectures all online at EW

All Zentatsu Richard Baker lectures given at the SFZC are now available to listen to and read at Engage Wisdom's website under the moniker The Baker Roshi Audio Archive. That's almost 600 lectures.

They are now linked to from Zentatsu Baker's cuke page.

Cuke Archives provided the funds to have them all digitized in 2013 - as we did with all the Suzuki tapes. In that case it was re-digitized because Charlie Wilson's equipment and methods at EW seemed to me to be superlative. Charlie and I have been in touch many times since then but we were both focused on our own projects and I didn't realize he'd made all of Zentatsu's audio available with what he described as 4th generation AI transcribing. Good move Charlie. - dc

photo from 1973 Wind Bell

Dialectical

Dogen left this kind of teaching 900 years ago, but we are still caught by a materialistic understanding of life, and our logic is static logic. You are counting from a bank book [laughs, laughter]. That is static logic. You do not even think in a dialectical way, but before Hegel, Dogen Zenji’s way of thinking was very much dialectical. If you practice Buddhism in its true sense, you will have this kind of freedom of our mind.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

In and Out of Church

Steve Tipton has a new book out. On Amazon

Steve Tipton cuke page

Check out comments on the book below

Free from the Ordinary Framework

In sitting, I think some of you must have found some unusual experience. It means you acquired freedom, whether how you felt about it was pleasant [laughs], whether it was sad or whether it was ecstasy or joy, is not the question. Whatever it is, something that you have found out—or what the experience was—it means you are free from the ordinary framework of your thinking, or way of life.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Not Wasting Time

When we completely understand how we live in this world, that is the enlightenment. That is the way to have some meaning in our life in its true sense. It is the actual way of not wasting our life. We should not waste our time in unnecessary thinking or study. If you want to study, study something [laughs] which is true and real.

Tassajara han

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Ultimate Truth

When you wonder why, it means you are already caught by superficial thinking—you are trying to understand our practice in a superficial way, without any conviction, without believing in this ultimate truth. No one can deny what I’m saying just now. I’m just saying the truths as they are. I have no particular teaching for you [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Completely

To do something is the only way to understand what it is. To be involved in what you are doing completely, without thinking. Then you will understand what it is. If you have difficulty, that is good. If you have pleasure doing it, that is also good. And pleasure is not just pleasure. When you do something completely, absorbed in your activity, that is not just experience. It is more than experience; it is more than understanding.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Caught

Because we have some particular view of life, without knowing what it means in its true sense, we are caught by those views of life, or a teaching or a philosophy, whatever religion, whatever it is.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Necessity To Know?

So, Itself is Buddha, and Mind is Buddha. And Is is Buddha. Being is Buddha, and Buddha is Buddha. Buddha is, of course, Buddha, although we don’t know what it is! [Laughs, laughter.] And there’s no need to know what it is, because we are Buddha! If so, what is the necessity for us to know who he is?

Art by Kakinuma Ninshou

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

I first met Jesse Wiens Chu at Tassajara about twenty years ago. Now he and his wife Catherine live around the corner. They both have extensive training in Buddhist practice and are NVC (Nonviolent Communication) teachers. Learn about them and their practice at babatree.org and check out their book Ongo and ongobook.com. Learn about all that and more in this podcast with Jesse. - dc

A Film about Bill Porter (Red Pine)

Dancing with the Dead follows the life of Bill Porter, who goes by the pen name Red Pine, an author and renowned translator of ancient Chinese poetry. The child of a bank robber, Bill turned his back on American devotion to materialism and set off to the Zhongnan Mountains in China to uncover something deeper. This film offers a glimpse into poetry and mountain solitude as a path to enlightenment.

This film will be available to stream until midnight on Friday, February 28, 2025 for subscribers to Tricycle. tricycle.org/filmclub/dancingwiththedead/

All

If you point at one point of the earth, you point at the whole universe. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. If you compare one thing to another in a materialistic way, you are caught by an idea of freedom or of restriction. But if you have this kind of understanding of reality, all the being, all of something that is, is Buddha.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Included

And “Itself” is Buddha. When you understand something through and through, that is “Itself.” If you understand suffering through and through, that is Buddha. There’s no other Buddha. All the rest of Buddha, including Shakyamuni Buddha, is included in that “Itself.”

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Reality Is Buddha

When we say “Buddha,” there is no need to say, “Is” or “Mind itself.” When we say “is", “is” is being, or suchness or thusness. Being is Buddha. Being—something which exists as it is, is “Being.” Those being is Buddha, actual being is Buddha. Reality is Buddha.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Mind Itself Is Buddha

In the Shobogenzo, in the fascicle of Sokushin Zebutsu, it says “Mind itself is Buddha.” What is mind, and what is Buddha? In conclusion he says, “Mind is Buddha, and Buddha is Buddha, and Is is Buddha.” There’s four characters. Buddha—Mind itself is. Mind itself is Buddha. And he says, “Mind is Buddha, and Is is Buddha, and Itself is Buddha. Buddha is Buddha” [laughs, laughter]. Do you understand this riddle?

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

The Podcast audio has been fixed.

A Chat with Chat GPT on Religion | Podcast - Getting irritated by the simplistic approach toward "religion" from famous atheists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, I turn to ChatGPT. Not incidentally, I love listening to Tyson when he knows what he's talking about.

Thorough Understanding

To know things as it is means to let everything act as they want. “Let it be free.” Because you want to bind it, you have difficulties. It means having a thorough understanding of our life. And our practice should be based on a thorough understanding of our human life, and a thorough understanding of all the rest of existence.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

That’s All

“Oh, reality is good, [laughs] people are enjoying.” That’s all. That is the kind of understanding we have. So, knowing things through and through is the point, without criticizing what is. If you like, you can criticize it, but that criticism has nothing to do with big mind [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

The Podcast audio should work now.

A Chat with Chat GPT on Religion | Podcast - Getting irritated by the simplistic approach toward "religion" from famous atheists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, I turn to ChatGPT. Not incidentally, I love listening to Tyson when he knows what he's talking about.

A Bird in the Sky

When you accept difficulties with confidence, with big mind, or when you let your difficulty work out its true function, then you have no difficulty—that is not difficulty anymore. The difficulty is like a bird flying in the sky. Your mind is the sky that knows what it is, “Oh, a bird is flying.” That’s all [laughter].

Image from “Birds At Tassajara” by William W. Sterling

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-08-17N as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.