A Flashing

When you practice Zen, the quality of the practice includes everything, and when you do something, the quality of the activity includes everything. So, Dogen Zenji says it is temporal flashing into the vast universe. Each activity we take is just a flashing into cosmic reality. So, in this way there is no discrimination, there is no good or bad.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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.

Same Quality

You may say, “This is a short temporal activity,” and “This is a long period of practice,” but actually we don’t know which is longer and which is shorter. You cannot compare the two—they have the same value, same quality. So, you cannot discriminate which is good or bad—it is the same thing. Whether or not you understand it, each activity is the expression of our true nature. It isn’t different from zazen practice in its true sense.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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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Each Activity

When you practice zazen, without doing anything, just concentrating on inhaling and exhaling, there you express the dark side of reality. When you do something, it may be said that is the bright side of reality, but actually each activity is the same as the practice of Zen because each practice in the smallest particle of time is the same as your long periods of practice in a cross-legged posture.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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.

Zen Practice and Everyday Life

So, in our practice, actually, there’s no difference between universality and specialty. When you do some special things, you express your Buddha nature there. So, we do not try to escape from this world, this phenomenal world, to some special world. We should find out the true meaning of life in our everyday life. That is our way. If you understand this point, there is no difference between your Zen practice and everyday life.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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.

In the Right Position

When you put something as you should in a higher place, you will find universality in that existence. If you mix things up, it means you treat things only as material objects, you do not find any value in them. You treat them just as material. But when you put things in the right position, you will find their meaning and value.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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.

Universality

Where there is some limitation, there is universality. This universality is not just an idea. This universality has actual meaning. Or we say that it has validity. Universality must result in some actual value. So, when we do some particular thing, in that special activity we will find universality as an embodiment of Dharmakaya Buddha.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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 Limitation

In the monastery it says, “In the darkness, there is brightness, in the brightness there is darkness.” You will find darkness in your practice can bring another bright side into your life. In that case some limitation is necessary. We should do different things at the right time in some certain way. We cannot mix up things. Things which you should put higher, you should put in a higher place. The things which you should put lower, you should put in a lower place. This is our way.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-02-18 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.

Other Shore

This is the wisdom of Prajna Paramita, wisdom to cross this shore to the other shore. So, on this shore, there’s the other shore. On the other shore, there is this shore. When you have this wisdom: this shore is the other shore, and the other shore is this shore. This is called perfect wisdom. So, it’s said, this is the supreme mantra. And so the most important point of the Prajna Paramita Sutra is emptiness, or “not,” or “no.” If you understand this “no,” or “not,” you will have prajna paramita, the wisdom to cross this shore to the other shore.

Painting by Mike Dixon

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