Buddha Tree

I am one tree, and each one of you are a tree of itself. And by itself, you should, you know, stand up. And when one tree stand up by itself, we call that tree a buddha In other words, when you practice zazen in its true sense, you are really buddha. So buddha and tree is one, in that sense. It may be sometime we call it a tree; sometime we call it a buddha. Buddha or tree or you are many names of one buddha.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-30 - 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. 

A Missing list found

Stumbled on Tai Sheridan's Tassajara Journal and saw his list of students at the winter-spring practice period at Tassajara in 1971. Then checked the Tassajara 25 Year Book and saw it wasn't there. Now that list is there (take a look) in the text version of that book that Neil Rubenking did. Thanks Tai (Larry back then) and Neil, and Peter Ford for getting it in there. - dc

Support

I'm just trying to help you, so it is just support of your [laughs] practice. So if you stick to it, it means that you stick to the support,  not the tree itself. You know, a tree, when it is big enough, it may want some support. But most important is the tree itself, not the support.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-30 - 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. 

Griot

This was in a message I received recently. 

The griots' role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot's repertoire. In addition to serving as the primary storytellers of their people, griots have also served as advisers and diplomats.

Read more on the griot at Wikipedia.

thanks Louise Pryor

No Need

My talk is just to give you some help in your practice. So it is just help, you know. So, as I always say, there is no need for you to remember what I said as something definite,      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-30 - 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. 

Cuke Archives Instagram

 As I post Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts here six days a week on Cuke New blog, Instagram Cuke Archives has an excerpt six days a week with photos. It's presented so well. I may have mentioned here before that this was my wife Katrinka's idea. And she kept bugging me about it till I shared the idea with my associate Peter Ford who looked into it, figured out how to do it, and started doing it a little over a month ago. He's coming from the other end, using Suzuki lecture excerpts from when I started doing this regularly - five years ago. I heartily suggest you check it out. - dc

Personal

We are practicing our way with so many people and we are busy organizing our practice. But we should not forget our personal practice.     --------------------------- 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. 

Rick Fields

Rick Fields, the author of How the Swans Came to the Lake, died 22 years ago on June 6th. Marcia Fields sent a touching message and the images below. Read what Marcia wrote on Rick's cuke page. I miss Rick still. - dc

True

Whatever it is which is true with us is true with our ancestors and for our descendant, too      --------------------------- 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. 

Barbara Wenger Strikes again

Barbara Wenger's Community Garden and Koshland Park History in the SFZC City Center neighborhood.

Barbara's cuke page