Difficult

Student A: What do you mean we don't have anything to surrender?

SR: I mean when you find it difficult to surrender, that is surrender. But you should know that is not complete surrender because you find it difficult. So that much you should be aware of, you know-- yourself, what you are doing [laughs].           --------------------------- 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. 

Daya Goldschlag - Jailbird

Kelly Chadwick posted this photo on Facebook of Daya Goldschlag getting arrested in New York City for draft protest. Then a week or so later she was arrested again - on October 21, 1967 at the Levitation of the Pentagon. It's now on Daya's cuke page with further explanation and much more about Daya. 

Surrender

We say “absolute surrender.” But you have nothing to surrender. If you have something to surrender, it is usual way. But we have nothing to surrender. But you should find out always yourself.          --------------------------- 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. 

Child

You should be like a child who draws things whether it is good or bad. Sometime doing things without much reason. If that is difficult, you are not actually ready to practice zazen.            --------------------------- 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. 

David Schneider has a new book out

 

Goods: Short Stories

Linked, fictional, short stories, set in Zen centers and Tibetan vajrayana meditation communities. What happens when Westerners—young, earnest, often amorous women and men—set out on the Buddhist spiritual path? What happens when scores of them end up living together in the same building or neighborhood for meditation? In these uncensored tales of the practice world, such seekers often have to make it up as they go, integrating classical wisdom with modern reality. This includes their own playful or unruly energies. Guided by (mostly) Asian teachers, they do what they can to faithfully live the tradition, learn about themselves, and about one another. What results is a comedy of manners.

- Amazon link

Goods is a Cuke Press-DE book - DE stands for Germany

David Schneider cuke page

Fundamental

In this sesshin I feel very sorry for you that I cannot help you so much. But the way you study true Zen is not through some verbal things. You should open yourself, and you should give up everything. And whatever it is, you should try, whether you think it is good or bad. This is the fundamental attitude to study.           --------------------------- 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. 

Suzuki's Famous Enso

Was looking for the first use of the enso Suzuki drew that's so well known. It was hard for me to find on cuke - because I didn't think clearly and write the right stuff in the site search box. Once I had it I realized it should have been easy but I also realized that others will give up looking for it. So I gave it its own page and linked to it from a few places. He drew it at Mike Dixon's request for a poster for an art exhibit and sale to raise money for a Zen Mountain Center early on before we even knew we could buy Tassajara. The show started December 16, 1966 and ran for a month. Just before New Years we learned that the money that was raised by this and other means would go for the down payment on Tassajara. It's all explained here on the new ZMC Benefit Art Exhibition and Sale poster - Enso First Use page.

Thanks Mike and thanks Suzuki Roshi!

Advanced

For the beginner, maybe, instruction is necessary, but for advanced students, we don't give so much instruction, and they should try various ways.          --------------------------- 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. 

Some Advice

Wrote this for a professional reader who's going to be reading quotes from Shunryu Suzuki. The reader was born and raised in Tokyo and speaks English like he was born and raised in the US - with Japanese parents so there's a hint of that. - DC

Suzuki had a natural, relaxed way of talking. There was no hint of the more usual way Japanese priests gave lectures which had more drama, sense of importance, oratorical. Suzuki was low key. Soft spoken. Made people feel comfortable. One of the most common things to hear about him is that he was normal. Didn't put himself above them. Frequently laughing. It would be awfully hard to convey his sense of humor and lightness. Not lofty. Down to earth. Not like a wise person speaking down to those with inferior understanding, he spoke straight across. Always respectful of others. But he held his own. Always two sides. There's "Sometimes I'm the teacher and you're the student, and sometimes you're the teacher and I'm the student." Then there's (to a student who quoted Suzuki back to him to make a point): "When I said it it was true. When you said it it was false." 

Instruction

If possible, we should give instruction one-by-one. But because that is difficult, we give some instruction or lecture like this [laughs]. But you shouldn't stick to lecture. You should think more what [laughs] I mean-- what I really mean.          --------------------------- 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.