Sometimes We Talk About

Rinzai has four ways of practice. The perfect one is not to give a student any interpretation of themself or any stimulation to themself. If oneself is my body, the teaching is maybe our clothes. Sometimes we talk about our clothing. Sometimes we talk about our body. But a body or clothing is not actually we ourselves. We ourselves are big activity. We are just taking a very small particle of big activity, that’s all.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

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True Food

When we become discouraged, we want some medicine. When we are in good spirits, we do not want any medicine. You should not take medicine for true food. Sometimes medicine is necessary, but medicine should not be our food.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Sangha Live 2026

Richard Baker Rōshi - Sunday Sangha
July 12, 2026

11 am PDT (LA) / 2 pm EDT (NY) / 7 pm BST (London) / 8 pm CEST (Paris).

90-minute live session.

https://sangha.live/free_live/sunday-sangha-12th-july-2026/

Just Medicine

Buddhism is the same thing as having breakfast and going to bed. This is Buddhism. Of course, some encouragement is necessary for us, but that encouragement is just encouragement. It is not the purpose or true purpose of practice. That is just medicine.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Doing What We Should Do

So, to hear, or to know what Buddhism is, or to feel something about Buddhism is not the main point. Whether Buddhism is good or bad [laughs] is not the question. We don’t mind whatever this is [laughs]. Buddhism is not good or bad. We are doing what we should do. That is Buddhism.

Image modified by Google Gemini

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Something Unusual

Image from: wikimedia.org

When we hear the sound of a pine tree on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and pine tree is just standing in the wind. That’s all they are doing [laughs]. But people who hear it will make a poem or will feel something unusual. That is, I think, the way everything goes.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Deep Feeling

At Eiheiji for us monastic life was usual life, and people who came from the city were unusual people [laughs]. We felt, “Oh, some unusual people came” [laughs]. We thought we were quite usual. But once you go out from Eiheiji and come back to Eiheiji, and hear the various sounds of practice, or hear them reciting sutras, you will feel deep feeling. Tears will flow out of your mouth and eyes and nose [laughter]. It is people who are outside of the monastery who feel something about it. Those who are practicing actually do not feel anything [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

That’s All

When I was at Eiheiji, everyone was just doing what they should do. That’s all. It is the same thing as having breakfast in the morning [laughs]. That’s how we did everything in Eiheiji monastery. When we had to sit, we sat. That’s all. When we should bow to Buddha, we bowed to Buddha. That’s all. And when we were practicing there, we did not feel anything special. We did not even feel we were having monastic life.

Photo from Way of Eiheiji record set

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Memorial Service

Ten Year Memorial for Former Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman

City Center
July 11, 2026, 7:10am - 7:45am

https://www.sfzc.org/calendar/events/city-center/ten-year-memorial-former-abbess-zenkei-blanche-hartman-cc-711