Appreciate Buddha-nature

We have to catch a fish with a net. Without a net you cannot catch fish. Our archbishop always talks about salt. Salt by itself is bitter. No one likes it. But if you take it with food, it is delicious [laughs]. If you take it with vegetables, it is delicious. That is how we appreciate salt and how we appreciate buddha-nature with something.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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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The Medium of Practice

If you want to accept your mind, you have to accept everything with your mind. It is impossible to accept just your mind [laughs]. Your mind always operates with something else. It is impossible to accept just the essence of mind. Even though it is called “essence of mind,” essence of mind cannot be deprived of—it needs always a medium. So you have to accept the medium or means of practice. That is zazen.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.

The Purpose of Zazen

Photo of Sujun Mel Weitsman by Butch Baluyut

So just to have your own mind is the point. Then you will have everything. Then you can help others. Whatever you do, it’s all right. The point is how you have your own mind is the purpose of zazen.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.

Your Own Mind

The point is if you have your own mind, you will have your body, and you will have everything else. And wherever you go, that is your home. But when you do not have your own mind, and your mind is some subject to study or the subject of a psychological study, then you have no “you.” You don’t have your mind. You don’t have your body. You have no home. And you have nowhere to live. That is why you suffer.

Calligraphy by Upasama

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.

Invisible

Our visible world is important, but we live in a big invisible world. The visible world is not so big, but big enough to be bothered by it. To sit is to live in the invisible big world. Sooner or later we may die, and we go to the same place when we sit. That is the place where you will go [laughs].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.

Habits

Drawing by Stan White

If you have no capacity to accept the dream, you will suffer, that’s all. Of course, it will have some meaning. But that is like your habits. It is like drinking or smoking, some good and bad habits [laughs]. Bad habits will make you dream, you know. The habits, I mean in a wide sense, are because you are too attached to the visible world.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.

Dream

The small self is a dream. But big self will admit that dreams come. So if you realize big self, dreams will not bother you. You will welcome dreams. “Oh! That’s very interesting!” [Laughs.]

Drawing by Stan White

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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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Obstacle

If there is some obstacle, it may be easy to take it away, but actually there is no obstacle [laughs]. The only obstacle which exists is the obstacle which does not exist…. You cannot compare enlightenment with some other stuff…. Not an obstacle, but the way to reach is not right. You are finding a fish on the tree [laughs]. That is an obstacle.

Image generated by Leonardo.ai

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-30-C 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.