Austerity

I cannot talk [said as he was covering his mouth with his hand] [laughter]. You cannot listen [laughter]. You cannot smell, even. That is how you study Buddhism. That is observation of precepts. So, whatever the religion is, the most important thing is a kind of austerity.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Endurance

Photo by Judith Keenan

When you study Buddhism, patience and endurance are absolutely necessary because we do not talk too much about the advantages of Buddhism. Until we find out [laughs], we will wait. If so, both for the teacher and student, the most important thing is endurance—to wait for the chance which will come for us. If you give up, you will have no chance to understand Buddhism in its true sense because it is not some knowledge or intellectual understanding.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Without Listening to Anything

We repeat lecture after lecture, talking about some advantage of zazen practice. So naturally it means I am selling some drugs [laughing] or sake to you, and you are buying it, and you are taking it [laughter]. This is not so good. So, actually it is better to do it, without listening to anything—just by the suggestion of the teacher.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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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No Trace

Dogen Zenji said, “Fish swim like a fish. Birds fly like a bird” [laughs]. That is Buddhist life. Fish swim, but there is no trace. Birds fly, but there is no trace of a bird. There is no setup or trace for birds.

Photo: Zephyris, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Act the Same

We should not make a shadow of the rules or trace of rules. If you do it, that’s all. That is the real Buddha. We should not be caught by what we did, even though it is right. We shouldn’t say, “What I did was right” [laughs]. We should act the same way, not leaving a trace of the teaching or trace of the precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Shadow of Rules

To have a shadow of rules means, “I must do this.” That is a shadow. Sometimes you are scared of the shadow of yourself [laughs]. We should not have a shadow of the rules. Until you do it, it is not a rule. When you do it, that is a rule.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Rules Are the Expression of the Relationship

Within our relationships between man and man, or man and woman, or man and nature, there are rules based on the intimate relationships. However, in observing rules, there is no trace of a rule. Even though there are rules, there is no need to be caught by them because they are the expression of the intimate relationship. It is not necessary to set up something because of some unharmonious relationship. Rules are the expression of the relationship.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

Some Rules

Even though husband and wife are intimate, there must be some rules between them. That is our way. You may say if it is an intimate relationship, there is no need to have any rules [laughs]. That is wrong understanding. Because the relationship between them is so intimate, it is necessary to set up some rules. So, our rules are based on intimate relationships, not to make harmony between us, but to make our lives more meaningful, we set up some rules.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.

So Intimate

When you sit, just sit, with big mind. That is intimate enlightenment. It is so intimate that you do not realize enlightenment [laughs, laughter].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A 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.