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Saturday, August 15, 2026

No Lies

“Do not lie.” You cannot tell a lie, you know. Whatever you do, it expresses your true nature. So you cannot tell a lie.

Image generated by Google Gemini

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.

Friday, August 14, 2026

In Your Mind

When you have everything, there is no need to steal something from others. When you have no idea of other, when you understand your life is something which happens in your mind, it is not possible to steal anything. That is actually a practice of zazen. When you practice zazen, you practice zazen with big mind, the mind which is not a matter of big or small [laughs], with your true mind. That is our practice of zazen which is not different from observation of the precepts.

Calligraphy by Upasama (formerly Reuven ben Yuhmin)

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.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Negative Precepts and Positive Precepts

Negative precepts and positive precepts observation is not different. This is the most important precept.

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.

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Not To Kill

“Do not kill” means to extend our life activity. When you are lazy, or when you are not sincere enough in your practice you are killing Buddha [laughs]. Buddha will not manifest itself. That is actually to kill Buddha or to kill something. “Not to kill” means to do something with sincerity. That is the fundamental way of observing precepts. So, precepts observation is to do something with your utmost effort. That is how you observe those ten prohibitory 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.

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Universal Truths

Those ten prohibitory precepts are not supposed to be manmade precepts like social rules, or customs, or rules of some particular countries. They are something more than that. They are not manmade rules, but are based on the universal truths of the universe.

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.

Monday, August 10, 2026

Within Big Mind

When we have enlightenment, many things happen within enlightenment, within big mind. In this case, we call our activity “precepts observation.”

Photo by Betty Warren - sent by Barbara Wenger

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.

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Mind Includes Everything

According to our understanding, everything is within our mind. Our mind includes everything, and in our mind many things will take place. So, when we have this mind, whatever happens to us, that is precepts observation. When we are caught by a dualistic idea or some objective existence and worship it, that is heretical understanding. So, the spirit of a mountain or a ghost—to worship heretical shrines—is not our way of observing 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.

Friday, August 7, 2026

Sincere Effort

If you say, “A recorded voice is precepts,” that is wrong understanding. What I am saying, what I am doing, whatever it is [laughs], that is precepts. So as a Buddhist, it is quite natural for us to take refuge in Buddha and dharma and sangha. In this way, precepts should be observed. In other words, it is sincere effort to make your life meaningful. This is precepts observation in its true sense.

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.