And Again

How to understand the reality as a direct experience is why we practice zazen and why we study Buddhism.     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-02-02. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Sanur Village Festival

The Sanur Village Festival 2016 just concluded. It is the biggest festival in Bali, drawing thousands of people for four nights - and it happens in the fields and soccer field across the street from where we live. We can hear the music from inside our place but there's no entrance fee and we enjoy going over to eat from one of the good stalls run by local restaurants and catch some shows. We keep going back to Gateway to India and Queens which also serves food from India..Great music and cultural events. There's tons on this year's festival on Youtube already. Go check it out - just write "Sanur Village Festival 2016" or just "Sanur Village Festival" to see past years' video as well.

Soberanes Fire near Tassajara update

On the Tassajara ZMC Facebook page - it's a creeping fire still five miles away but only 60% contained.

cuke page for this fire

Reality again

But it is difficulty to speak about the reality, because when I speak about it, my subjective intention is involved in it and it implies some subjective opinion about it. So it is not possible to speak about reality. But through a master’s word we have to understand reality directly.    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-02-02. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Harder than Where's Waldo

Hard to believe, but Dan Welch is on the right in this photo.which comes from this page which is titled "Robert Nelson, Chuck Wiley, William Wiley, and Dan Welch filming a scene for The Great Blondino, 1966" - thanks David Silva

Help with Photos Info

Thanks to Louise Pryor, Rick Levine, Jerry Halpern, and David Schneider for adding names and info to the cuke Shunryu Suzuki photo archive. And now it will be easier to help us get more accurate info as there's a Photo List page with all the photos listed by file name with Title and Notes and it's on the Menu and linked to from the pages with the thumbnails - this will make it easy to search for photos by content. (thanks Peter Ford). 

Photo Archive Assitance

Thanks to Louise Pryor, Rick Levine, Jerry Halpern, and David Schneider for adding names and info to the cuke Shunryu Suzuki photo archive. And now it will be easier to help us get more accurate info as there's a Photo List page with all the photos listed by file name with Title and Notes and it's on the Menu and linked to from the pages with the thumbnails - this will make it easy to search for photos by content. (thanks Peter Ford). 

Reality

You may say being, or ultimate Truth. By ultimate Truth we do not mean something eternal, something constant, but we mean the things as it is, you may say Being or Reality. If we understand things as it is, that is reality.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-02-02. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Rest of Tassajara Guest Season cancelled due to Fire

A letter about this from SFZC president, Susan O'Connell.

Statements

There’s no perfect word. It is always involved in something -- some distortion always follows a statement. But through statements we have to understand the fact, or the event, or something which has happened to us.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-02-02. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Beautiful Bali Scene painted by Arthur Okamura

This painting is for sale by his daughter Jane. Go to Arthur's memorial page to learn more and see it larger. Arthur was a well-known and well-loved artist and art teacher in Northern California. He sat with Shunryu Suzuki and continued a friendly relationship with Suzuki's sangha till he died seven years ago. Please help our dear friend Jane. - dc

Feel Good

So that is why our mind is called cosmic mind. The mind which is ready to accept things -- because the activity of our mind is just to amplify or feel good through various experiences, through the activity of your mind.    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Continued from Yesterday's excerpt) [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Amplify

And your mind does not expect anything from outside, so your mind is always filled, and even though your mind has waves it is not disturbed mind, it is actually more amplified mind. Whatever you experience it means amplifying your mind. You find various meanings of your own mind. It is not disturbance. Do you understand the difference between the two understandings of your mind? Mind which includes everything, mind which is related to something else. Actually the two are maybe the same thing, you know, but understanding is different, or attitude toward your life if different. This is Buddhist understanding of your mind.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

On Sitting in General

Here's an article on the dangers of prolonged sitting in a chair.  As is usual in this discussion, there's no consideration of sitting on the floor or with legs up which I find works better for me. I sit that way most the time but have it set up so can put my legs down for a break. Took a while but found an article on sitting on the floor here. The author is most pro doing that.

Essence

So essence of mind -- that is the religious feeling. That mind is pure, even though you have waves in your mind, that is pure mind, clear water with some waves. And you have some security in your feeling when you understand your mind in that way.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Good Doomsday Article

The Looming Extinction of Humankind, Explained - thanks John Steiner

Big Mind

If your mind is not related to anything else, with the understanding of mind, something which you feel is just the waves of your mind. There is no dualistic understanding in the activity of your mind. That mind is the big mind which is not related to anything else.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Photo Archive Notes Upgrade

Have been spending a ridiculous amount of time - like two weeks - going over the Shunryu Suzuki photo archive adding names, dates, places, making a lot of corrections and a good deal of guessing and question marks inserted, notes of questions to ask others, and so forth. The photo on the left (SR0090) is one of the few group pics like this also one of the few without Suzuki as this is a Suzuki photo archive. Let me know at (dchad at cuke.com) if you can put a name where there's a question mark. Also, if you can add to the info on any other photo that would be appreciated. Have done work on these photos before but never this thoroughly. Not quite through with this pass. I wonder about all the other photos at the SFZC and elsewhere - tasks for others.  - dc

Everything

Our mind has everything, and when you think something comes from outside, it means in your mind something appears. In this way you accept things. If your mind is related to some other things, that mind is small mind, limited mind.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Back from the NW Bali

Just spent a week up north and west. A lot dryer, quieter overall, much smaller population and less traffic than the south where we live. A national forest. More birds. Famous snorkeling off Menjangang island. That image is one of two places where we snorkeled.

Colleen Busch: Sitting with fire -- again

An op-ed piece in Monterey Peninsula Herald by the author of Fire Monks - on Tassajara and the current Soberanes Fire.

Right now Big Sur Kate Blog has the most up to date reports.

cuke Soberanes Fire page with links to other updated sources of info

Fire moving slowly, maybe reach Tassajara within a week. They're prepared. Guest season cancelled. - dc

Outside again

Usually our mind expects something from outside, but that is not true understanding of our mind. According to our understanding, mind includes everything. Nothing comes from outside.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Thanks to

A few of those who've stopped us from having an accidental nuclear war, something that's odds on to happen if we don't do something about the present intolerable situation that people just basically aren't aware of. I don't think our leaders can even keep it in mind.

Stanislav Petrov

Vasili Arkhipov
Captian Heather E. Cole - top US Commander Under Arrest

for refusing to fire nukes against Russia. This last one is a bit hard to believe. Here's another post on it. I assume that these reports are exaggerated. There's a lot more on it on the net. Even if it's just a fiction it's not at all impossible. - dc

cuke nuke war threat page

Waves

We say something comes from outside, but actually it is the waves of your mind, so the waves will become more and more calm.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

Diamond Sutra

At Johanneshof Zen retreat in Germany there was a morning study period where one could read from their laptop. I used that opportunity to get into Red Pine's Diamond Sutra. Wow. 9 bows. The Diamond Sutra was high on Shunryu Suzuki's list, being what we studied during the first practice period at Tassajara in 1967 - along with the Heart Sutra, Conze's translation and commentary which Bill Porter, AKA Red Pine refers to in his book. Here's an earlier post on the Diamond Sutra which gets into that and more. - dc 

Don't

Don’t try to stop the thinking when you are practicing zazen. Let it stop. If something comes into your mind let it come and let it go out. It will not stay long. But if you try to stop it, it means you are bothered by it. Don’t be bothered by anything.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-12. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

A Song for Castro

Written in high school about Fidel Castro to make fun of the prevalent knee-jerk anti-commie sentiment - in case one is inclined to take it literally - called Let's Castro Castro. Recorded in honor of his 90th birthday which was August 13th, 2016. - dc

Suzuki disses using the stick

So if you do not understand, we will use this one (holding up his nyoi, short stick). How is that? That is the best way to communicate. Our way is very direct. But that is not Zen, you know. It is not our traditional way, but we find it easier to express it in this way. But the best thing will be just to sit without saying anything. Then you have full meaning of it. Even though you use this one (stick), it will not be enough. If I use it until I lose myself, or until you die, still it is not enough. The only way is to sit without saying anything. Here we have full meaning of traditional Zen.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

A true story from Jo (Jenny) Wunderly

How does the Universe Work?

Jo's cuke page

Direct

it is almost impossible to talk about what is Buddhism. So just to do it is the direct way. KKKK! (must check the audio - is that a typo or did he make some non verbal sound that was transcribed that way?)  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

The World Is Too Much With Us

Sometimes I think of this poem, the name echoes new meaning always. - dc

Related Poem Content Details

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon, 

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— 

Little we see in Nature that is ours; 

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! 

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; 

The winds that will be howling at all hours, 

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; 

For this, for everything, we are out of tune; 

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be 

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, 

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; 

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; 

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

Poetic

Through practice we can understand what is Buddhism, not by just reading or contemplation of philosophy. So when you understand Buddhism thoroughly, even intellectually, you will find out how difficult it is to express yourself in writing or talking about it. It is very difficult. That is why Zen becomes more and more artistic, poetic, because it is almost impossible -- or it is not possible to express ourselves in intellectual way.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

A TALE OF TWO KEEPERS

One of them my bud danu - from the homeless world cup website

He had a great time in Scotland representing Indonesia and says they came in #7 out 52 countries. Danu and his teammate Eman got best goal keepers. Selemat atas kemenangan! Congratulations Danu and Eman!

Tassajara Soberanes Fire Update

KION Salinas TV report - thanks Katrinka

cuke page for Soberanes fire with other links

Scientific

You may think Buddha attained some stage where he was free from karmic life, but it is not so. There -- many stories were told by Buddha about his experience after he attained enlightenment. He did not at all differ from us -- even after he attained enlightenment he was continuing the same effort we are making, but he is not -- his view of life is not shaky. His view of life is stable and he is watching everyone’s life including his own life. He was watching himself and he was watching the people and with the same eyes when he watched a stone and plants and everything, he was -- in this point his understanding was a very scientific understanding. That was his way of life after he attained enlightenment.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New (now at blogger) to see more daily posts.]

ACCIDENTAL NUCLEAR WAR:

A Timeline of Close Calls - from the Future of Life Institute

cuke Species Threat - Nuclear War

Another David Schneider interview

Reed College oral history interview with David Schneider (PDF)


Two notes to go with this interview: a senior teacher, [inaudible] is Acharya. Shunryu Suzuki did get up again after returning sick to SF from Reed. He had his gall bladder removed, recovered, and had a few good months. He left  Reed March 13th and his last lecture was late August.

David Schneider cuke page

Monkey

People try to attain that high ideal which they created by intellectual study of Buddhism. And they tried to attain it by our practice. This was a mistake. Bodhidharma found out that was a mistake. By creating some lofty idea or deep idea and trying to attain it and practice zazen is not zazen. If that is our zazen our zazen is nothing different from our usual activities, or monkey mind. It looks like very good and very lofty and very holy activity, but there is no difference between it and our monkey mind activity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New [now at blogger] to see more daily posts.]

Right

 We have to make our effort with right effort in this moment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New [now at blogger] to see more daily posts.]

Ben Gustin

Dharma Folk Songs - know Ben from the SFZC

Someday

We do not slight the idea of attaining enlightenment, but the most important thing is in this moment, not someday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New [now at blogger] to see more daily posts.]

Soberanes Fire update

Still about ten miles away from Tassajara but now 50% contained. See Tassajara Facebook page.

Here's an article in Lion's Roar about the fire.

cuke page for this fire

Eyes

When you believe in your way, there is enlightenment. But when you cannot believe in the meaning of the practice which you take in this moment, you cannot do anything. You are just wandering about -- around the goal -- with monkey mind. You are looking for something always, and without knowing what you are doing. If you want to see something you should open your eyes. Instead of opening your eyes you are trying to look at something with your eyes closed.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-01-05. Edited by DC - Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. - Go to cuke.com Wha at's New [now at blogger] to see more daily posts.]