The True Activity of Big Existence

It is necessary to study Buddhism. But the purpose of studying Buddhism is to study ourselves, and to forget ourselves. When you forget yourselves, you resume or you will actually take the true activity of big existence or reality. When we realize this fact, there is no problem whatsoever in this world. And you can enjoy your life without having any trouble or difficulties. This is how we study Buddhism, and the purpose of this meeting or practice is to be aware of this fact.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.

This Is It?

Dogen Zenji says, “To study Buddhism is to study ourselves. To study ourselves is to forget ourselves” [laughs]. When you forget temporal expression of big, true nature, then it is necessary to talk about it, or else you will think this is it. But this is not it [laughs]. This is it, but this is not it [laughs]. For a while this is it, for a very small particle of time it is it [laughs]. It is not always so. It is not it.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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 Mistake

So, there will not be any need to talk about ourselves. So that we may realize this fact, there is teaching about ourselves, but actually there is no need to talk about that. We ourselves already are talking about the big existence, including ourselves. So, to talk about ourselves is to correct our misunderstanding, that’s all, because we attach to the temporal form or color of the big activity. So, it is necessary to talk about what our body is, what our activity is, so that we do not make any mistake about it. So, to talk about something is to forget about ourselves.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.

Sometimes We Talk About

Rinzai has four ways of practice. The perfect one is not to give a student any interpretation of themself or any stimulation to themself. If oneself is my body, the teaching is maybe our clothes. Sometimes we talk about our clothing. Sometimes we talk about our body. But a body or clothing is not actually we ourselves. We ourselves are big activity. We are just taking a very small particle of big activity, that’s all.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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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True Food

When we become discouraged, we want some medicine. When we are in good spirits, we do not want any medicine. You should not take medicine for true food. Sometimes medicine is necessary, but medicine should not be our food.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.

Sangha Live 2026

Richard Baker Rōshi - Sunday Sangha
July 12, 2026

11 am PDT (LA) / 2 pm EDT (NY) / 7 pm BST (London) / 8 pm CEST (Paris).

90-minute live session.

https://sangha.live/free_live/sunday-sangha-12th-july-2026/

Just Medicine

Buddhism is the same thing as having breakfast and going to bed. This is Buddhism. Of course, some encouragement is necessary for us, but that encouragement is just encouragement. It is not the purpose or true purpose of practice. That is just medicine.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.

Doing What We Should Do

So, to hear, or to know what Buddhism is, or to feel something about Buddhism is not the main point. Whether Buddhism is good or bad [laughs] is not the question. We don’t mind whatever this is [laughs]. Buddhism is not good or bad. We are doing what we should do. That is Buddhism.

Image modified by Google Gemini

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.

Something Unusual

Image from: wikimedia.org

When we hear the sound of a pine tree on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and pine tree is just standing in the wind. That’s all they are doing [laughs]. But people who hear it will make a poem or will feel something unusual. That is, I think, the way everything goes.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-09-09 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.