Whatever

When you are enlightened, you will understand things more freely. You don't mind whatever people call you. “Ordinary man.” “Okay, I am ordinary man [laughs].” “You are buddha?” “Yes, I am buddha,” you know. How come to be a buddha and ordinary man?” “Oh, I don't know why, but actually I am buddha and ordinary man.” [Laughs.] Doesn't matter. Whatever they say [laughs], that is all right.     --------------------------- 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. 

SFZC New Online Bookstore

 Check it out. - that's the welcome page. Here's the SFZC online store link 

Tambankan

We call someone who understands things from just one side, a “tamban-kan.” Tamban-kan means “a man who carry a board on his shoulder.” Because he carry a big, you know, board on his shoulder this way, he cannot [laughs] see the other side [laughs]. He is always, you know, carrying big board on his shoulder. Almost all people are carrying big board [laughter, laughs], so they cannot see the other side. They think they are just an ordinary person, but, you know, if they take off the board, they will understand, “Oh, I am buddha, too [laughs]. How can I be a buddha and ordinary person? It is amazing.” That is enlightenment.       --------------------------- 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. 

Heretical

You may say it is not possible to be an ordinary and holy [laughs] person. When you think so, your understanding is, we say, heretic understanding or one-sided understanding. We should understand everything, not just from one standpoint.      --------------------------- 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. 

Not to Be

In the recent piece he did on Taihaku Priest (RIP) and her teacher, Tanaka Shinkai, Taigen Dan Leighton wrote:  

I did a handful of sesshins with Tanaka Shinkai Roshi, Taihaku’s teacher later at Hokyoji, the training temple founded by Dogen’s Chinese disciple Jakuen near Eiheiji. Earlier as a young priest, Shinkai Roshi had been invited by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi to come to SFZC to help, as he invited Katagiri Roshi and Kobun Chino Roshi. At that time Shinkai Roshi had to decline the invitation as he was leading the Tokyo branch of Eiheiji.   

That was news to me. I put it in a notes section for the up and coming greatly expanded Notes on Crooked Cucumber to add to the list of those he was considering that we knew about - Kosho Uchiyama, Kojun Hakusan Noiri, Rempo Niwa, Yuho Yokoi. I don't know if he actually asked any of them as Taigen reports he did with Shinkai. Those were all heavy hitters. Maybe Shinkai would have worked out but not the others I don't think. They were too established and had their own way. I think who did fine with who we got - Kobun Chino, Ryogen Yoshimura, Sotan Tatsugami, and at the very end, Ryuho Yamada. Dainin Katagiri was already one of us.

Not the Same

When you sit you are not the same being you were before you sat. Do [laughs] you understand? Because, when you sit, you are an ordinary person and 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. 

RIPed

In the People dropdown menu on cuke.com, the top choice is Names. It opens up a page called People in cuke.com. If someone has gone on to the next bardo, an RIP is placed after their name. Elizabeth Sawyer was on that page recently, noticed a name not RIPed, then another and ended up sending me a list of about 20 we'd neglected. There are over 500 names there, most of which have a link to a page or a mention of them. Maybe you know of someone who's passed on that we've neglected to honor the the three initials. If so, please let us know at dchad @ cuke dot com. There's an old memorial page that hasn't been updated in a while. Think it should be retired. The names page RIPs serve that purpose sufficiently. I see it sometimes as a game of musical chairs. One day when the music stops our chair isn't there. And some day that page will be only names with RIP. It's our honor. - dc

And

 When you sit, you are an ordinary person and you are 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. 

Tassajara Fire Photos

From the 1977 Marble Cone Fire. Recognize anyone? Is that Pam Chernoff at the bottom middle?

Write dchad @ cuke dot com

Include

When you sit, you know, you are independent from various being, and you are related to various being. And when you have perfect composure in your practice, it means that you include everything. You are not just you. You are whole world or whole cosmos, and you are a 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.