Direction and Drive

Our practice should be directed toward our basic emotional problems, not toward our superficial emotional concerns and hang-ups. In this way religion develops within a culture, giving the culture direction and drive of a fundamental and human character. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

Nyepi stars

Nyepi in Bali was over yesterday morning at six am. Everything dark. No TV signal but Internet continued. Wayan who works here and I covered the windows. With everything closed I turned on the living room AC adjusting it to high. Cheated and went out a couple of times to look at the sky - once at 10pm and then at midnight walked slowly, carefully in total dark over to the pool, slipped in and lay there looking at the splendor of the sky before electricity. Photo off the net supposidly from Changu an hour away. It was even more spectacular but most the photos if one does a searchn image search for "night sky Nyepi" don't capure the brightness and manyness. Wish we had it once a month. Heck - once a week worldwide.

Will Power

Through practice we should understand the true nature of our emotional power. By this understanding we should give up concern with our superficial emotional levels. Understanding the true nature of emotional power should lead to transmutation of this power into will and the way-seeking mind. Thus what was once described as anger toward others becomes anger at one's own stupidity, and increased will-power. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

Reza Aslan

I was skeptical about Reza Aslan's new series on CNN called Believer. CNN hyped it so much with adds. But I happened to see a couple of shows and I was impressed with his approach, his openmindedness. His show on voodoo was good. I was looking for it on Youtube when I came across a bunch of clips with him. I have vital cuke archiving to do so I just picked a couple of them

Reza Aslan vs CNN talking about generalizing on Islam - this is two years ago.

Reza Aslan with Oprah - of course with Oprah it gets deeper - there are others with her. My favorite is when he says that the mystical approach of all the great religions is to leave the religion behind - it's just a signpost.

Emotional Power

Religion is supported mainly by our emotional power. On the surface, emotions may seem very changeable-but this is only appearances. The depths of our emotional powers are stable.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

Emotions

Zen Buddhism puts emphasis on the emotional faculties. That is why Zen emphasizes practice. Because we are so much made of emotions, we need a practice to study and discipline them. Our emotions are deeply rooted to our true natures. Therefore to correctly study our emotional problems, we need to understand our deeper selves.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

Kelly Walks Away

At the age of five. - My eldest son called me up and asked about this yesterday and here's what happened. - dc

Three

In our life there are three elements: intellectual, emotional, and will. Buddhism does not emphasize intellectual understanding, but Buddhism doesn't ignore the intellect and the intellect develops because of this lack of emphasis.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

Nyepi!

Tomorrow morning at 6am for 24 hours the silent dark period of Nyepi begins - unique to Bali - everything stops including all flights, a dark island (I'll sneak out to look at the stars which are staggeringly bright and many). Tonight are the sizable Ogoh Ogoh monster parades. My fourth, no - third Nyepi (we were in Japan for the 1st one) but dear Katrinka is with her son's family in Oregon. Just little me alone in the dark. Ooooooooo.

Read all about Nyepi.

Same

Our human nature and that of the Buddha is the same. However, although this true nature doesn't change, our particular and changing understandings lead to changes in how we variously live.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seeSms okay.

David Padwa sent

Some photos 0f him in India and Santa Fe with Dudjom Rinpoche and the Chorten (and that's Khyentse Rinpoche is this photo on the left)

RIP Joanne Kyger

A cuke page for this great poet and person who sat with Suzuki at Sokoji in his first year and who died on Tuesday. - thanks Michael Katz

Farewell dear friend. - dc

Fixed the bad link to Joanne's page. - dc

Religion

Religion develops in a manner different from the way in which science progresses. In the overall relations of culture, religion is the driving force of the other aspects of the society. Religious effort is based upon our true human nature, which does not change from culture to culture or generation to generation.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Calamity

Dogen's mother's family lost much status during one tumultuous period in Japan. The his mother became ill and died while Dogen was still young. These events, including his mother's dying words, led Dogen to his Buddhist life. His study started from human calamity, not from academic interest.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Shunryu Suzuki's Datebook

Just noticed that the PDF of the datebook Shunryu Suzuki arrived with in 1959 had four superflous pages of something he wrote in Japanese stuck in there and that two of the datebook pages were out of order. So that's been fixed. I was checking to see if there was an entry for arrival date and there wasn't any that's obvious anyway. He really wasn't a datebook type guy. Just wrote some notes and names etc randomly here and there and some doodles which are the best part.

Endless

Trying to “control” your mind is only superficial effort, and it (effort) will be in vain and endless. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Earthquake this morning

I was up late last night and was lying awake in bed a little after seven and noticed sounds coming from the livingroom kitchen area almost like there was someone in there but the screen door is locked so I thought must be some bigger gecko or lizard. Hadn't noticed any big ones living inside recently. I was preparing to get up when I noticed the bed shaking, everything shaking little bit then more and realized what was happening and jumped up and grabbed some shorts I decided to slip into and by the time I got to the door it had stopped. Just didn't seem strong enough to merit nude departure. It was a 6.4 centered in SW Badung, the province on the other side of the southern peninsula - that's where Kuta is. Thought about heading out to get up higher to avoid a tsunami but nixed that.

Letter

Read a letter from a student who has good practice, but his understanding of it is not correct.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Climate moves into uncharted territory says climate scientist

from the Guardian - fossil fuel advocates say there's not enough proof and try to cancel funding for research, a curious combo, while those who follow current events are mainly sidetracked onto trivia that won't matter much for long. - dc

Pervades

When your mind pervades all parts of your body, that is good practice. In such practice body and mind are one, neither is apart from the other.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Carl Bielefeldt talk at Tassajara 1999

Newly transcribed - thanks Alice Dill and now the audio has the blank spot in the middle removed.

Carl Bielefeldt cuke page

Open up them Pearly Gates!

RIP Chuck Berry. Hearing Maybellene for the first time at the age of ten was a moment I still remember. It opened a door - and so much more came through there and keeps coming. Hail hail Chuck Berry!

- am not posting much personal stuff here anymore, mainly when I do at all it's on Facebook and, in this case, on Defuser Music dot com. - DC

Two

Mind and Body are two misunderstandings of the same nature.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Hair

Dogen said, in our true nature there is no reason to practice zazen. But when even a hair of delusion exists, the gap between true and misunderstanding is as between heaven and earth.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Misunderstanding

Your buddha nature exists whether you do zazen or not. Anything you do is an expression of your buddha nature, not someone else's or a demon's. This is so whether you realize it or not. However, though anything you do is your own true nature, you misunderstand the occurrence. The purpose of zazen is to correct this misunderstanding. Such misunderstanding includes judging one self as being angry or kind. Actually, it is not so. We practice zazen so as to learn to accept our true nature as it really is.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-26 found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Children

Children do not know anything about Buddhism, but the way they live is exactly the same as how Buddhists live in this world. They may be crying at some moment, next moment they are laughing [laughing]. We cannot do that. It is rather difficult for us, but for children it is not difficult at all -- quite natural for them. But if you have, you know, some training like this, that is possible [laughs, laughter].  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Feel

We cannot feel anything without feeling of self. When we feel something, that feeling is the feeling of self. But having feeling of self or feeling of love, you will feel at the same time the absolute unknown being which is the other side of the feeling of self. So it looks like same, but actually it is not the same. The one is just selfish feeling without any possibility of being free from it. The other is although we have same feeling we have freedom from it at the same time. This is the difference and this is actually how we live in this world.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Love

Even though love is not selfish, when you have the idea of self which is not real, love will become blind love without any understanding. So before we talk about love, or before we love others, we should have the direct experience of zazen which is beyond thinking. When you can sit, when you can just sit, you are in the position to love others in its true sense.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Continued from yesterday

When we find our meaning of life in this way, naturally we can help with each other. We will love with each other without forcing anything on others, keeping a harmonious way between us and between other beings, animate and inanimate beings. We are all friends.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Deported

Katrinka's hair dresser got a new job as head of sales for one of the top hospitals here in Bali. He's been here for ten years. Went to renew his work visa and they said he was doing womens' work and deported him. Katrinka thinks it's cause he's gay.

Recommended Reading

enjoy a new quarterly journal.  The Dragon Leap Journal is written by Dairyu Michael Wenger and some of his senior students.  Just click this link to open and/or download the Journal.


Dragons Leap Journal March 2017

Dragon's Leap website

Being

So purpose of our practice is to get accustomed to live without being attached to many things but this unknown being..  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Unknown

If there is something which we should believe in, this kind of absolute unknown being is the only one. We call it by many names, but the “unknown absolute being” is one.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Advaita Vedanta

More Depak on Hinduism. I met a young Brahaman guy here who was in training to be a priest and just couldn't accept what he was being taught.  He was thinking of going to Myanmar to a monastery. I told him that Myanmar bikhu come here to Bali to lead meditation retreats and that I think there's still one living here but that also he shouldn't reject Hinduism just because of what he's known of it. Talked to him about Advaita Vedanta and meeting Depak. I mentioned Adi Shankara who lived in India 1300 years ago and is a founder of Advaita Vedanta.  Depak told me to also tell him about Isha  and Chinmaya. - DC

Nothing.

Sanur organic food store owner Depak of Pakistani Hindu descent today said that Bali Hinduism is Shiva Shidanta and Shiva (who shares the Hindu high triad with Vishnu and Bhrama) means "that which is nothing."

Tentative

We understand each one of us is a tentative form of the absolute being and whatever we do is the activity of the absolute being which is not possible to be known by us completely, but something which we cannot doubt its existence. It exists but we do not know what it is completely. And this is the origin of our life or source of life. And it is also the life to which we resume after cessation of our activity.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

List and Chart

In addition to the Search Form and alternate search methods, shuunryusuzuki.com has a Lecture chart that's been there for years and a Lecture List which is new. I find that each method of presenting the lectures has its advantages and uses. - DC

Just

So we have to practice zazen just to practice zazen, as we live in this world without any particular reason why we live in this world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Still more on shunryusuzuki.com Transcript Archive

Continued from posts on March 3 and 4. - On shunrysuzuki.com there are a number of different versions of the transcripts from verbatim to various levels of editing plus several audio choices for many lectures. The transcripts include material other than lectures such as interviews, film transcripts, and Suzuki's comments from SFZC Wind Bells. Some transcripts from problem audio are partial with gaps, two are blank from audio beyond our ability to understand anything. 

Help

Having the true spirit is how to help others. Without this point we cannot help others in its true sense. If you have this understanding, whatever you do-- alms giving, or kind words, or loving words-- will work. And this is why we practice zazen too. So zazen is not some particular practice to attain something for ourselves, but to have true understanding of life and to acquire true spirit of life.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

More on the new Shunryu Suzuki transcript form featured yesterday

In the last dozen years we've added 97 entries to the 2004 digital transcript archive of 313 so now there are 410. Hundreds of corrections, additions, and changes have been made in recent years. A great deal of work has also gone into improving the quality, extent, and presentation of the audio, video, and photos. Efforts continue to improve the completeness, accuracy, quality, and accessibility of the archive, expanding on the efforts of many others going back almost sixty years. - more on Monday. - dc

Joy

Of course, as long as we live or as long as we have this body, it is not possible to get out of suffering. So the point is how to change our suffering into joy of life -- true joy of life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Improvements to Shunryu Suzuki dot com transcript archive

The Transcript search on shunryusuzuki.com now takes one to  a new domain, shunryusuzuki2.com, with a new (SQL) database and search form which it opens in and where the most up-to-date lecture transcripts from our archive are now for the first time indexed by Google and other search engines. Another improvement is that the new search form has the function to save transcripts from ones search in one PDF. To save all transcripts as one PDF file, hit the Search button without any criteria and then click the Save All PDF button. There is also an option to save as word files.

Of the multiple transcript versions of each entry, the default for this list is the vertabim or closest to verbatim version. 

Superficial

If we have true spirit to live in this world, there is no problem. But because of our superficial understanding of life, we have many problems and suffering. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found onshunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.

Breathing Practices

Article in NY Times - thanks Gregory 

Spirit

The most important thing to do for others is not to build something beautiful for others or to help them in some materialistic way or formal way, but to help others by giving true spirit of how to live in this world and true understanding of our life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-04-22-B found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.