Tim Burkett sent a few brief memories

Brief and potent memories of his Zen path from Tim Burkett, abott of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center - That's a link to a page on their website with a brief bio of Tim.

Q & A Continues - Flowing

Student I [Jeff]: Docho Roshi: If the Law is like the water flowing, it seems sometimes there's a lot of dams in the mind-- in the brain. And they don't let the water well up from the hara spring. And it seems that the process of opening this well is a process of dying. And all the old habits and conceptions and assumptions and personalities are being washed away. And all the old ways of living are being washed away. And there's a lot of-- there seem to be a lot of monsters and kinnaras and nagas that are very full of hate and fear and pain. And if we truly die in this flow-- can we truly die in this flow and just trust it to take its natural course and not disturb it? Be still? And be clear?

Tassajara in the Wind Bells

Follow the first mentions and early features on Tassajara in the Wind Bells - starting with an April 1962 mention of looking for land.

True Law

Student H [E. L.]: Docho Roshi: What is the True Law?

SR: True Law? When you ask what is True Law, I'm afraid you will lose the True Law. When you are doing something just for sake of doing it, there there is True Law. Just like the water flowing. That is true Law. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-09-00 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

First Ordination, Jukai

Got an email asking who received Jukai, lay ordination, at Sokoji in 1962. I thought I had that info but I don't even try to remember where it is unless I give up using other methods. So I did the first thing I do when I'm looking for something. I went to the home page of cukecom and wrote "jukai" in the site search box up top. That did n't work so I wroet "first ordination" and that worked. From the General Wind Bell excerpt page and found this with all fifteen names listed. - DC

Cuke Audio Podcast #2

The 2nd podcast from Cuke Audio is titled Crooked Cucumber Introduction and Ramblings. It starts off with the ramblings and ends with the introduction.

Cuke Audio podcasts are uploaded every Tuesday.

Thank You

 Student G [Danny Chesluk]: Docho Roshi, there's really nothing particular I'd like to say. I'd really like to say thank you for Tassajara and for being here. Thank you. 
SR: Thank you. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-09-00 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

Finite

Student F [Jack Weller]: Docho Roshi, I wish to ask a question that I ask of all religions. In the sutra that we have been reading [Lotus Sutra], and in other Buddhist works, and in your lectures you speak about the infinite. Infinite time, infinite truth: a truth-- true in the past for an infinite time. It is said that a sutra has been repeated again and again in the past for an infinite amount of time, or, if not infinite, then for an uncountable number of years-- of eons. Yet we know that man is not infinite in the same sense that-- at least today-- we believe that man evolved, physically-- evolved from other animals. This happened at a period of time that is not countable or infinite. Is then the sutra, your teaching, and other Buddhist teaching-- teaching about an infinite dimension of man, a finite being?
SR: Finite being itself already the revealed infinite being. In this sense we should appreciate our life, moment after moment. And we should appreciate things which we observe, day after day. This is actually the only way to appreciate the infinite, the ultimate, the first principle. So infinite should not be just an idea. We should appreciate everything without discrimination, not by small mind but by buddha-mind. True appreciation is by our big, limitlessly big, limitlessly great big buddha-mind. You have to accept things as it is, after all.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-09-00 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

Shunryu Suzuki in the Windbell

Aside from having all the Windbells on cuke, there are many excerpts, some, individual excerpts to go with relevant material, others all the material from the Wind Bell on a particular person or subject. Here's a page for Windbell Excerpts related to Shunryu Suzuki.

Path

Student E [Alan Winter]: Docho Roshi, speak to us of the search for the true path.

SR: True path. Don't think there is some special path which is true or false.

Student E [Alan Winter]: Then of-- each on our own paths?

SR: Do your best on every moment. Finding your position and reacting properly to everything.

Student E [Alan Winter]: That's all that I can do.

SR: Yes.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-09-00 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