Polish a Tile

When Baso was practicing zazen: Nangaku said, “Why do you practice? What is the purpose of your practice?” “I want to be a buddha,” he said. And Nangaku, the teacher, picked up a tile and started to polish it. Disciple Baso asked the teacher, “Why do you polish a tile? Is it possible to make a tile into a mirror?” The teacher said, “No, it is impossible.” [Laughs.]

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—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Pairs of Opposites

The Sixth Patriarch emphasized pairs of opposites. He pointed out thirty-six pairs of opposites: heaven and earth, good and bad, something like these. I think Nangaku’s understanding of the teaching is also based on pairs of duality. According to him, something good is at the same time something which is bad. Good and bad is one—two sides of one coin.

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—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Two Meanings

The question which do you hit, the cart or the horse was a question given to Baso. His famous statement was, “Although you speak quite well or to the point, it will not be right.” It is a double-edged sword. It means even though you say so, you will not understand it. That is one meaning. Another meaning is whatever you say, that is right.

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—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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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Ornaments of Life

When you accept the problem, you accept your true nature, which is working on it. When you accept your true nature, fundamentally there is no problem. As long as we live, moment after moment we have to work on something. So, dualistic problems will give you the meaning of your life. They are ornaments of your life.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Accept Dualistic Activity

To accept the dualistic activity is to find the oneness. When you do not accept it, that is duality. No way to solve it—it will be just delusion which will cause a lot of trouble. But when you accept it, there is oneness. And the problem is actually solved when you accept it.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

No Big Mind Without Small Mind

When you want to decide, “This is good or this is bad. This is small mind, this is big mind,” you have duality already. But actually, there is no big mind without small mind. Big mind is the mind which is working on small mind. If there is no small mind, there is no big mind.

Drawing by Robert "Skip" Melcher

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Seems To Be

[Responding to a student] “Seems to be.” Not exactly so but seems to be. That’s very good [laughter]. It seems to be small mind, you know. It seems to be big mind. But actually, it is both big mind and small mind. But when you think, “This is big mind, and this is small mind,” there is duality—a gap.

Photo by Robert S. Boni

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Big and Small

Sculpture by Robert Gove

To accept small mind too, knowing that it is small mind: big mind watching small mind [laughs]. Then small mind will work. If you know that is small mind, if you know the nature of your tool, you can use the tool. If it is small, you can use it when you cut small things. When you help a small-minded person, you should use small mind [laughter], knowing that that is small—very small.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.

Big Self

When we can accept ourselves, we can accept anything else. There is no self in our minds. What we have is big mind, big self. We can treat our bodies as we treat others'. We will treat our own things as we treat others'. This is the Buddhist way of life.

Photo by Jim Marshall

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-08-28-B 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.