The Way To Take Vows

How you take vows is to do it without being involved in any idea of vows. This is the way the Buddha’s direct disciples took vows. Later Buddhism became more and more idealistic or more rigid, and we lost this important point. Those things are not something which we should be told. Actually, we are leading our life in this way. When we understand our life in some sophisticated way [laughs], we get into trouble. So, if you want to study our way, we must remember this point. It is necessary to study, of course, but in your study if you lose this point, your knowledge or your study will not work. You cannot own your knowledge in its true sense.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Betty Warren started practicing with Shunryu Suzuki shortly after he arrived from Japan and continued her practice till she died at 89 in 2006. She was a science teacher, anti-war activist, and vision quester. In this podcast I read an interview I did with her thirty years ago - and more. - dc

Oh

In Japan, Buddhists receive precepts—we say jukai—and everyone says, “I will keep it.” [Laughs.] When I was young, I thought this was nonsense. [Laughs.] How could they keep precepts? When they went home, they would eat eggs, meat—even rice is a living being. They are killing everything as long as they live. How is it possible to say, “I will keep it. I will not kill”? But later, I was struck by them saying, “I will keep it.” I thought, “Oh, that is the way to keep precepts.”

Suzuki is between first and seconds rows from the front.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

To Do It

We are liable to be caught by something we see or something we experience, and we are liable to compare one experience to another and say which is difficult. So, you say climbing up to the top of the pole is easy in comparison with jumping off from the pole. But you shouldn’t say so [laughs]. Because you compare the experience of jumping off the pole to the experience of climbing up, you hesitate to do so. So, to keep precepts or how to take vows, is to do it without being involved in any idea of vows or practice or precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

The Easy Way

Usually, we say to climb up to the top of a pole is easy, but it is difficult to jump off. I don’t think this is true [laughs]. To climb up a pole is difficult, but to jump off is not difficult. The way is just to say, “I will do it!” [Laughs.] Because you think climbing up is difficult, it is difficult. When you don’t think, when you trust Buddha, and when you say, “I will do it!” that is the easy way. —cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Jumping Into the Ocean

There is no arrogance when you vow, “I will keep it!” There is soft mind, which we Buddhists expect, when you say, “I will do it—at least I will try to do it.” And “try to do it” will not be so good. You should say, “I will DO it!” [laughs]. “I will try to do it” means you are hesitating. “I will do it” is like jumping into the ocean. “I will do it!” Then there is no trouble.

Image from The Rincon Notebooks

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

“Yes, I will do it.”

You may think you don’t know if you can keep a precept. Saying “I will keep it” is not so conscientious, you may say. When you take precepts in that way, you are not receiving precepts in their true sense as Buddha expected. Why don’t you say, “Yes, I will do it.” [Hits table several times.] That is what Buddha wanted you to say. That’s all. And whether you can keep them, in the next moment or next day, is not the point.

Photo by Donn DeAngelo

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Della Goertz began her practice with Shunryu Suzuki soon after he arrived in America in 1959. Herein we read from a notebook she kept with brief quotes and paraphrases from his talks and her encounters with him. Listen to the podcast and read more about her.

Encouraged

“Desires are inexhaustible. I vow to put an end to them.” If the purpose of keeping precepts is to annihilate our desires, then this vow is not possible, a contradiction. But if the purpose of the vow is to arise our buddha-mind, then it makes sense. The “inexhaustible” gives us some encouragement, and we can continue our practice forever. And we will have firm confidence in our practice, and we will be encouraged by this vow forever.

Art by Dan Welch

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Sentient Beings Are Numberless

So “Sentient beings are numberless.” Maybe it means that sentient beings are numberless, and I vow to save them moment after moment, continuously. But “moment after moment, continuously” is not necessary. “I vow to save them” is strong enough and good enough. “I vow to save them.” If the sentient beings are numberless, we will take this vow numberless times, that’s all [laughs]. In this way, we have a feeling of quite different quality. We feel the eternal practice of our Buddhist way. So “Sentient beings are numberless” means that our practice will continue forever.

Barack Obama speaking to a crowd in St. Louis on October 18, 2008

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.