To Study Yourself

Dogen Zenji says: “To study Buddhism is to study yourself.” From beginning to end, it is the study of our life. No one will help you. If you expect someone’s help, it means you lost your step, and you lost your true mind.

—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.

Within Yourself

Buddhism is not some knowledge or some philosophy—something to talk about. Buddhism is for yourself. And to study Buddhism is to help you yourself in its true sense. So, all the teaching is just within yourselves, not without. The spirit that started Buddhism is the spirit to solve everything as your own problem. That is how to study Buddhism.

—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.

Sincere Effort

We should be very grateful for the precepts. If you think the precepts will be a bandage for your life, or precepts are the rules for your life, that is a big misunderstanding. It means you are not sincere enough. You don’t know yourself, and you do not make enough effort to be a Buddhist. When you become a Buddhist, you will find the true meaning of those 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.

Timber Fire at Tassajara

Timber Fire Update 8/24/2026
On Sunday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department ordered an evacuation of Tassajara. The Timber Fire is about five miles away and growing in our direction....
https://blogs.sfzc.org/blog/2026/08/24/timber-fire-2026/

Photo by Shundo David Haye

Easy Way

When I was young, I wanted to remain in celibacy. I didn’t want to get married because I knew what would happen to me if I got married. So, I thought I’m not so good. I thought it may be easier to remain alone—to be a Buddhist. That was the easy way. But some people may think to remain Buddhist getting married may be easier because his wife will help him [laughs]. So, it may be easier. Yes, in some ways it is easier, but it makes it more difficult to be a good priest.

—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.

Featured Cuke Archives page

https://cuke.com/f for 2 versions of the file

Easy?

Precepts observation is difficult, but actually it is easy, you know. The difficult way is to behave like a Buddhist without precepts, without any rules. This is very difficult. But if we have some precepts, it is easy for us to observe our way. What do you think [laughs]? Do you think this is just a good explanation of precepts? It is not so.

—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.

Yvonne Rand (1935–2020)

Two Arrows Zen
August 19 marks the passing of Yvonne Rand (1935–2020) ...
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hvx5QjNXL/

Alert

If we are alert enough and wise enough, we should take care of ourselves with alertness. Not to fall into the pitfalls of human nature. We have many dangers in our lives, and sometimes we know them, and sometimes we do not know them. So, it is necessary for us to have some rules to protect ourselves.

—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.

Protect Yourself

You can take Buddhism if you do not get caught by it. You can do it. But why we emphasize precepts observation is because it will protect you from bad habits. Precepts will protect yourself, as our human nature has so many weak points. So, it is necessary for Buddha to protect us from evil habits by setting up some rules for us.

—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.