Based On

 Our practice should be based on the idea of selflessness.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-16 - 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. 

Tassajara as featured in Be Here Now

 Tassajara in Be Here Now (titled Zen Center) published 1971.

Link posted in Early Papers and Print.

thanks Ted Howell

See text in Ram Dass page

Said at the conclusion of every lecture

  Thank you very much.

       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - 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. 

Jeff Broadbent event

Jeff wrote recently: The sociology department [U of Minnesota] had a nice zoom retirement event for me.  I talked about my climate change project and four people involved in it also made comments. 

Jeff Broadbent's Recognition Event

Jeff's cuke page

Mutants

Student H: In zazen, if the cushion before your eyes begins to glow, or you see the bodhisattvas blinking their eyes, or the people on each side of you seem to be mutants, what is happening?

SR: What is happening? Maybe that is a good experience. But sometime, you know, it is because of your bad breathing exercise. If it is healthy, you know, good experience for you, of course that is very good. But sometime, you know, it is just some created idea because of your unhealthy practice. What I mean is it is not always good, you know.

Student H: Well, one feels very peaceful when one sees this.

SR: Mm-hmm

Student H: Then perhaps it's good.

SR: Yeah.

Student H: But if, for instance, there's a feeling of a strong weight on the head--

SR: Yeah.

Student H: Then that's unpleasant.

SR: Yeah.

Student H: And one doesn't know what to do.

SR: Yeah. That is because your breathing is not so good. But even if it is good, you shouldn't stick to it,         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - 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. 

Continuing his answer from yesterday

Our sangha is a small world itself or society itself. We will learn many things. So for us it is necessary to know or to understand why we have rules. You should know why we have rules and why you have to say something to others. So actually, there are no rules. But [laughs], the rules are good devices.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - 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. 

SR on Wikipedia

 I asked Kokyo where the latest version of his Shunryu Suzuki lineage was and he said on the Shunryu Suzuki Wikipedia page. So it's there. Nice of him to do that. Anyone see any omissions? I do. Suzuki had three dharma heirs not two. There's Richard Baker and Hoitsu Suzuki but he also gave transmission to Shoko Okamoto at his prior temple, Zounin - so that Shoko could pass the temple on to his dharma heir. This was done in accordance with Shoko's father Kendo who became the abbot there when Suzuki decided to concentrate on Rinsoin alone. And maybe Hoitsu has other dharma heirs - like his son Shungo. I'll write Shungo.

The page says there's no attribution but lots of the material on it obviously comes from Crooked Cucumber. I should go over it. I'd definitely change what it says about Suzuki and the war. I like to leave what others wrote and add a note sometimes. - dc

Sides

Student G: Roshi, you said not to get stuck or caught by some particular idea. But it seems like many ideas have two sides. ,,, Even though the other side may help you, still, you know, still you're caught.

SR: Yeah. If you know that point, you know-- it is necessary to know-- to understand that much. Without understanding it, if you push one way always-- one side always, that will be awful. So at least we should know both sides. Then the rules we have will help us. But because we don't know the other side, rules don't help at all-- makes us worse.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - 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. 

Sandy Hollister

Shunryu Suzuki student Sandy Hollister died last month - as posted a few days ago. Here she is around 1970 making a rakusu in the Buddha Hall at the City Center. That's Fran Keller behind her.

Sandy Hollister cuke page

No Ice Cream

Student F: How do you, in your daily life keep a healthy mind from not expecting when some people, without knowing it, want you to get into expecting it with them?

SR: Yeah. If you don't know the nature of suffering, you know, you will suffer more. But if you know why you suffer, then you think, “I expect too much,” you know. “There is no ice cream here,” [laughs] so I shouldn't think about ice cream. That there is no ice cream is already not so good. But if you expect it, if you want [laughs, laughter] to have it, you make yourself worse [laughs, laughter]. So by not expecting it when you can't have it, you will be relieved from a lot of suffering.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - 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.