Early SFZC Wind Bell Graphics

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Ourselves

Religion is just to be ourselves. We can’t be really religious for others. But neither can we help ourselves without helping others.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-11-30 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.

Grahame Petchey in the Wind Bells

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That's Grahame at Eiheiji in 1964

Selflessness

The most important point is selflessness. That is the most important thing to give or to attain. If selflessness is reached everything else will follow naturally, “Everything will be taken care of.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Entrance

Enlightenment is only the entrance to the way  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Ten

Enlightenment is not the same for each person-although it is similar from person to person. Ten enlightened people have ten similar but different enlightenments. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Tony Artino Shunryu Suzuki lecture notes

Here's a chart with a list of fifteen Suzuki lectures that Tony Artino took notes on in 1966 and 67 at the old Bush Street zendo, Sokoji. Some are long and some are short. We have no other record of any of these lectures. I edited them all a little bit though the pre-edit transcripts are also there. Many of the daily Suzuki lecture excerpts have come from them recently and will for a while as they're the result of going through the material chronologically and most of what he wrote down qualifies to go up. Good stuff. Thanks Tony. - DC

RIP Robert Pirsig

Condolences to his widow Wendy, son Ted, and daughter Nell. Pirsig was a sincere seeker of the truth, a supporter of Dainin Katagiri and the Minneapolis Zen Center for some time. He was supportive of Zen writers like Marian Mountain (Derby Wisberg) and me and others. The murder of his son Chris down the street from the SFZC City Center in 1979 was great sadness for him, his family, and those of us at ZC who knew and loved Chris. Farewell Robert and thanks for all. - dc

NY Times obit - Wikipedia -- Guardian obit

Together

If we live together there is actually not much need to speak to one another. We will understand. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

New old entry in the Shunryu Suzuki lecture archive

Give up Gaining Ideas and Just Sit - one of the fifteen we have as notes from Tony Artino back in 66 and 67. (Spoiler alert) My favorite line in it is "Zazen is nothing." There are two places in the lecture archive where Suzuki says "zazen is nothing but our usual activity" and "nothing different from our monkey mind which looks lofty but it's not." But here in Tony's we have "zazen is nothing." Of course it's just a note and you're the final authority - so it's either nothing and/or no different from something.

Sutra

In Soto Zen, there is no particular sutra upon which the school rests. It is felt that Buddha's essential teaching was to see into our own true nature; and the best way to see into our own nature is to practice zazen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

American Poets, Refusing to Go Gentle, Rage Against the Right

front page NY Times today - featuring Jane Hirshfield. - thanks John Steiner 

On the Fifth Day - Jane's poem on the Presidency published in the Washington Post

Mudra (which two?)

Soto Zen mainly uses two mudras, and considers also that the whole body is a mudra when in the proper sitting position. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Three Dharma Pals featured in Dead Documentary

Marin Independent Journal entertainment columnist of many years, Paul Liberatore, yesterday reviewed a new documentary on the Grateful Dead called Long Strange Trip. Katrinka read it and pointed out that it mentions Dennis McNally (see photo), their publicist, and Barbara "Brigid" Meier who was a high school sweetheart and later fiance of Garcia. They both have SFZC creds and have been cuke contributors. Brigid was a Suzuki then a Trungpa student. They come up toward the end of the review. Steve Silberman is not mentioned in the review but thanks Brigid for letting me know he "figures highly in the film, is also a Zen practitioner and that he was at Naropa as Allen Ginsberg's assistant one summer."

Note after prior excerpt

(Suzuki's teacher Ian Kishizawa bowed so often that an area on his forehead became somewhat calloused. In his older age Kishizawa said, “Before I was a lion; now I am a cat.”)  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

The 2nd Sesshin at Sokoji

Here's a certificate for the first week long sesshin at Sokoji on August 22, 1960.

And here's the text from it, a new entry in the transcript archive.

Bowing

Bowing is a very important practice for diminishing our arrogance and egotism. It is not to demonstrate complete surrender to Buddha. This practice is to help get rid of our own selfishness.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

The 1st sesshins at Sokoji

Shunryu Suzuki's  kanji for sesshin is on the cover of the certificate he gave to each participant in what he called The First Sesshin of Sokoji. It was two days in 1960 - February 20-21 - seven months after he'd arrived in the USA. A transcript of what he wrote has just been entered into the transcript archive with the filename 60-02-21. And here's a page for it on cuke - with a scan of the certificate. There's an overexposed Polaroid photo of the participants too.

Particularness

 Even though Dogen's way is not based on a particular formal Buddha authority, it is still very particular. But Dogen's particularness is not based on any abstract religious or moral principles. His detailed teachings on behavior are based on practical considerations in everyday life as learned from experience by him and various Zen masters.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Jean Ross in the Wind Bells

One of Shunryu Suzuki's first students who went to Japan in '62, to Eiheiji, a trailblazing Buddhist woman. Includes articles she wrote about her experience there. Check her out.

Soto

My school is the Soto School. The Soto School does not depend upon any particular teaching or idea. It follows Dogen's way, which is to resume our natural relationship with our essential mind. His way is not to follow any particular teaching or practice-but still, his way itself is very formal and deliberate. In his guidelines to disciples he even gives specific directives as to conduct in the toilet.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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.

Yourself

It is not possible for a true religion to be limited to one school. When one school develops, it is at the same time the beginning of further divisions. This is not surprising since each one of us is unique. And religion strictly speaking is for yourself.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Tony Artino notes Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-05-17 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 Chadwick's Spirit Pruners soon at work at Tassajara

Check em out here

on his Facebook page

Kelly on left

Wakan or right.

Spirit Pruners

Sotan Tatsugami

He came from 13 years as ino at Eiheiji in charge of the zendo, ceremonies, discipline - and led three practice periods at Tassajara in 70 and 71. Here is a page for him that includes Wind Bell and Tassajara 25 Year Book excerpts. There will be more on his page in time. - dc

This photo not from the Wind Bell

Differences

You may think that the various religions of the world will, as a natural course of events, tend to become unified, until a single religion answers to the whole world. But this is not so, because such a tendency towards unity is not the natural way a religion develops. In Buddhism for example, there are many different sects or schools. These differences arose from the same teachings because of the differences in the way of life of those who studied the Buddha's teaching. In this way the one religion of Buddhism of the Buddha's time developed into the range of schools existing since then.

Kobun Chino in the SFZC Wind Bells

Click here to go there.

Kobun was a wonderful person, a wonderful, kind teacher.

First

Practice is first understanding comes afterward. During zazen one's mind and body should be a unity. This includes keeping one's mudra in its correct shape, not letting one's mouth slack open, etc.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Breathing

(In this lecture Suzuki told of four breathing methods.) Two are shallow breathing and two are deep breathing. Of the two deep abdominal breathing ways, one is forcing strength into the abdomen in accord with its in and out movement. The second way is to put strength opposite to the natural in and out movement of the lower abdomen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Sacha Stevenson

I love this Canadian woman. Here's a video from her, longer than usual, that's for both Indonesians and non Indonesians, more-so the former but great to hear, so it's in both Indonesian and English though the subtitles stop half way through - still a bunch of English after that but you can stop there too. The English translation of the title - It's Nice being Indonesian leaves out "According to a Caucasian." Enak is better than nice and includes tasty. And the Indonesian in the bit below the video says "Are you Indonesian? This is an opportunity to be grateful." She's got a zillion more on You Tube. This is not the first mention of her here. - dc

Dainin Katagiri in the SFZC Wind Bells

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Took off every little mention of him because it shows how integral he was to Zen Center back then. It wasn't all Suzuki. It was Suzuki and Katagiri. - dc

Rituals

Observing rituals is observing your own position. It is knowing where you are and what you are to do. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Nothing

To find composure is to find ourselves in nothing, true nothing. This means forgetting about everything including our ideas of nothing. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Destruction

A wonderful poem by the recently late wonderful Joanne Kyger.

Element

Although the personal is the most important element in religion, the social element is also evident and important. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Shunryu Suzuki in the SFZC Wind Bells

Greatly increased the amount of excerpts from the Wind Bells thanks to the tireless efforts of Peter Ford in Tennessee. I start these little upgrading tasks thinking I can do my part in a day and then he'll optimize it in a few hours and two weeks and a zillion emails later I can just see how much more could be done.

Here's a page of excerpts focusing on Shunryu Suzuki - rather extensive of course.

That image is from fall of 1966.

Wind Bell Suzuki transcript excerpts

Here's a Wind Bell that has three excerpts for the Shunryu Suzuki transcript archive. We just divided one entry into two because it came from two separate Suzuki lectures so that these could join those lectures' list of versions but also left it together as the Wind Bell excerpt.

• Selection: Blue Cliff Records-18
• Suzuki Archive: 63-02-13
• Selection: Wherever you go, you will see yourself
• Suzuki Archive: 71-02-07
• Selection: Things-As-It-Is
• Suzuki Archive: 70-05-27

Vol. 12: 73-01, Complete Wind Bell 
*p.7, *p.8, *p.45

Stable

Though it may seem that rationality is stable and emotion is unstable, the reverse is the truth. Deep emotion is much more stable than is rationality. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Fundamental

One fundamental emotion is our desire to support our life. One should not try to create an intellectual excuse for an emotion and its problems. Most people don't know what deep emotional powers or problems are. Most people are conscious only of superficial emotions. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Shunryu Suzuki lectures and comments in the Wind Bells

A reminder - On the page with all SFZC Wind Bells, are links to Shunryu Suzuki's lectures and comments. In this example, the Winter 1970 Wind Bell, there are four such excerpts. Working with these Wind Bells recently have noticed a few excerpts that weren't included such as Suzuki's eulogy for Trudy Dixon listed below. All this material is also at shunryusuzuki.com.

• Selection: Eulogy For Trudy Dixon Given During Her Funeral Ceremony
• Suzuki Archive: 69-07-11
• Selection: Questions And Answers
• Suzuki Archive: 69-08-28

Vol. 9: 70-01, Complete Wind Bell 
*p.3, *p.47

Addition to Shunryu Suzuki transcript archive

Been going through the Wind Bells and making collections of excerpts that will be featuring here very soon. Also noticed a few entries that qualify as additions to the Shunryu Suzuki transcript archive. Here's one we're naming 62-02-00. It's a summary of some lectures that were recent at that time, probably I think done by Richard Baker. - dc

Remember these recent ones are Tony's notes, not direct quotes

There are two ways of considering the individual regarding religion. He finds his place in the big religious world or he leaves the religious world and extends its truth and character into the non-religious world. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Hermitage

Dogen said that it is useless to try to escape from one's emotional problems. In a remote mountain hermitage, such problems become worse instead of better. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Human

Dogen's religion is deeply rooted in emotional problems and his teaching is full of true human sentiment. Dogen is different from other Japanese and from Chinese Zen Masters. Some people even say that he was not really enlightened because what he says is too human! But although his teaching is very human, his life was very pure. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.

Happy Day!

St. Stupid's Day that is. If you're near the Bay Area, join it and tell 'em I miss 'em.

Official website page for today

cuke page for past Stupid events

Balance

Buddhism as a religion of many sects is not characterized by conflict among these sects.This is because Buddhism has developed a balance and understanding toward the three elements of human life: intellect, emotional, and will. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.