Wan Jung Photo

Just received this email and photo from a gentleman in the UK. [See it larger, the backside, and the note below on Nona Ransom's cuke page.]

I have recently read with great interest Harry Ransom-Rose's reminiscences of Nona Ransom on your website. At one stage in the early 1960's, when I would have been 15 or so, Nona lived in a bungalow next door to us in the village of Brockweir In Gloucestershire on the river Wye. I still have strong memories of a tall rather forbidding lady surrounded with momentos of her life in Asia. 

We have recently been going through and sorting out family photographs and I came across this which I thought might be of interest to you. On the reverse is written            'Last Empress of Manchuria- standing figure (Henry Pu-Yi's wife) from Miss Ransom'. 

  

I do hope this indeed is of interest and, if so, you are welcome to include it on your website

if you would like to do so.

DC says, Thank you so much sir. Not including his name because I hadn't asked if that was okay.

Mini Podcasts

In addition to the weekly long podcasts reading and commenting on Crooked Cucumber preceeded by life in Bali and with guests, Cuke Audio is now offering frequent mini podcasts, starting off with reading a vignette from Zen Is Right Here: Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki. Today uploaded third one. - dc

Without Words

Yakusan demonstrated his practice without words, without saying anything. He just sat. Tenryu, you know, pointed out one finger. But this one finger pointed out without any gaining idea-- without trying to teach them what it is. He just [laughs]-- instead of doing so, he just did it like this [holding up one finger]. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-12-A 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

Smokey the Bear Sutra

In honor of the day after Gary Snyder's 90th birthday, here's his Smokey the Bear Sutra as was featured in a SFZC Wind Bell in the summer of 1972.

Gary Snyder page

Monkey Mind Buddha

When you want to have calm serene mind, the monkey mind, you will be discouraged by [laughs] your monkey mind. But when you have no gaining idea, when you just sit and accept it, then monkey mind is one finger -- Tenryu's one finger. So moment after moment, various buddhas will appear in your practice. Monkey mind is, in that case, monkey-minded buddha: not just ordinary monkey mind, that is monkey mind buddha. When it is hot, it is hot buddha. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-12-A 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

Happy birthday Gary Snyder!

Gary Snyder is 90 today, May 8th.

cuke page for Gary Snyder

Below is a good bio of Gary from Garrison Keillor's online Daily Almanacthat Brit Pyland just sent. Love the quote from it: The poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti once called Snyder “The Thoreau of the Beat Generation.” I'd say more than of the Beat Generation. I first wanted to say he's our Thorough but no I think he's our Gary Snyder is complete though maybe sounding a little possessive. - dc

various Buddha

You know, when some monk ask a master, “What should I do when cold weather come?” The master said, “Cold? Be a cold buddha. And when summer come, be a hot buddha.” When you have no gaining idea, you know, you become various buddha moment after moment. Cold buddha, hot buddha, painful buddha, monkey minded buddha [laughs].  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-12-A 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

Michael McClure

cuke page for Michael McClure who died on May 5th

if you have something to share about McClure, please send to dchad at cuke dot com. - dc

Correction for Michael McClure RIP post

It was Herb Gold, not Michael McClure who arrived in a Jaguar at Tassajara early that first summer and left it behind as a gift. I think it had car trouble so he said, "Keep it."

Obstacle

In your zazen you become an obstacle of buddha-nature -- of buddha-light. What Yakusan [with his one finger Zen] demonstrated is also shikantaza - in which you have no gaining idea. You just sit. Because you practice zazen to have complete calmness in your mind, then you have become really an obstacle of -- really a problem or disturbance. But when you have no gaining idea, then all the things which happen in your zazen will become one finger. At that time, your zazen becomes so-called painful zazen [laughs]. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-12-A 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