Old Paintings of Indians at Tassajara

Mural of an Indian Legend at Tassajara and a painting on a rock - photos by Hiroyuki Ikushima just a few days ago. Thanks to him and thanks to Leslie James for seeing it was done. - dc

Precept 5

Do not sell liquor. This is very important precept [Laughter]. Do not sell means to boast or to take some advantage of liquor which is medicine. If you take it in the right way it will benefit. Our nature is very weak to the temptation. We should, you know, count this point when we take liquor. So the meaning is very deep. If you boast about the profundity of Buddhist teaching you are selling a kind of liquor to people. If you say this religion is wonderful you are selling some liquor. So, not only, intoxicating liquor, but also all the teaching-- spiritual teaching or material by which we will be intoxicated is liquor. So, if you take these precepts literally, you know, it is a kind of selling liquor.   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

Polygamy in Indonesia

Nyoman, the right hand of blind Philip next door just got married to his second wife. Think it's cause she got pregnant. You can read about polygamy in Indonesia here on Wikipedia - doesn't mention it's only for men as is the Islamic way. Except for the military though non Muslims can do it. It's not so popular here and women's groups have tried to get it outlawed. Women by law are 30% of the candidates for office and now have about 20% of the parlament but not enough to overrule the men even though they have a much harder time getting elected if they have more than one wife. We know a few other triples. Katrinka has seen its benefits for women in the cases she knows of. Marraiges don't have to break up if both parties agree. Families can stay together. By law a man can't do it if he can't afford it and treat each equally. But of course there are plenty of women who do not benefit. It exhausts me to think of it. - dc 

Precept 4

Do not lie. This precept belongs to, you know, world, but, he said, even though I don't say anything, don't lie [Laughter]. Your eyes telling lie, your countenance telling lie. It is true, very true.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

Precept 3 - Sexual Misconduct

Do not commit adultery [laughs]. It means attachment, you know, some extreme. This precept emphasize especially our attachment to some particular thing. But it does not mean not to attach to other sex [laughs]. But we attach to things-- to some particular thing as we attach to the other sex. As you attach to girlfriend or boyfriend. That is very true. So, if you, you know, if you keep yourself from being attached to it - if you are able to do it when it is necessary it means you are able to refrain from various attachment. I was scolded by my master many times: “You are committing adultery!”¹ [Laughter.] In my temple, Zoun-in, there was no female. But still he said, “Don't commit adultery!” [Laughter.] He was right, I think [laughter]. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

Shunryu Suzuki and the Beats

A piece by DC written for a Japanese magazine.

Precepts 2

Do not steal. When we do not realize we possess everything we want to steal, but everything in the world belongs to us anyway. So, there is no need to steal. Someone should take care of it [Laughter]. So, there is no need to steal it, that is do not steal.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

On Precepts 1

“Do not kill” means do realize our true nature. It doesn't mean just to kill some insects or to have mercy. It is deeper than that. Of course, we should not kill even an insect  or anything. But that is not the real meaning of do not kill. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

Alice and Richard Haspray

Audio from Chronicles of CTR linked from their cuke page

Another way of saying it

We should accept the three corrective pure precepts - that embracing good behavior, that embracing good deeds, that embracing all being and saving them. This is not, you know, prohibitive precepts. This is vow rather than precept.    ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,

Balance

Buddhism is always in this world and we want some balance always. In this sense we respect Sangha which keeps harmony in society.   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Adore

World of suffering means world of pleasure or world of happiness or joy. So-called pure joy beyond our world is delusion. There is no such grace for us. But usually we adore for it; that is a kind of adoration but not our adoration. So that is why Buddhism is called middle way.   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

THE FIRST PASSENGER WAGON TO REACH TASSAJARA

 WILLIAM J. HILL'S ACCOUNT OF THE TRIP IN SEPTEMBER OF 1888

adding this to a rather new History page. The whole cuke site is history but this is double history.

photo - The Tassajara stage near the summit of Black Butte Ridge. In the distance is a southeastern shoulder 
of Chews Ridge. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of the Mayo Hayes-O'Donnell Library. (from the article)

Speaking of the Four Vows

If people are innumerable and their desires is limitless, we should keep our effort to save them and to take care of them. So, as long as this human life goes our effort should go with it. Buddhism is not some teaching which should be accomplished by someone. It is necessary to study Buddhism forever. There is no complete Buddhism. So, Buddhism is some teaching which needs limitless study. That is nature of Buddhism.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

The Story of Bones found at Tassajara

from the winter 1995 Wind Bell - by Gene DeSmidt - read it on Gene's site where the photo came from

Gene's cuke page

Esselen Indians cuke page

All Wind Bells with a link to WB excerpts page

Embracing

With our original desires or instincts, we should have desires to take care of ourselves and to take care of others. That is our vow as a Buddhist. This is the fundamental meaning of the three corrective pure precepts. That of embracing good behavior. That of embracing good deeds. That of embracing all beings and saving them.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Shambhala Publications interview with DC

Don't remember doing this interview. Bet it was a questionaire I filled out. Was checking on the author page there because they'd sent an email recently with something else to fill out for their redone website and I'd forgotten it and checked to see what was there. I do want to add a few things like website links, new photo closer to now, tweek the bio info, inclusion of the 40th anniversary edition of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind because I wrote the afterword. So will look into that now. For whatever it's worth. - DC

DC cuke page

Depravity

If we do not take care of desires we will be left in depravity or we will [?] some destruction or fight. Nothing good will result from it. But even so, it does not mean our original nature is bad. It is good, but if we don't take care of it, that is our fault and that is our lack of consideration.   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Autobiographical and Historical Material

 in Shunryu Suzuki lectures 1970

Goes

If our thought is pure enough to see things as it is we have to accept it. That is our way. But, even though we have various desires, whether it is good or bad, we cannot leave it as it goes. So, it is necessary to work on it so that we can appreciate our original nature.   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Two Errata - I love errata - dc

Errata in Crooked Cucumber - In Chapter 15, the City, in the part about Shunryu Suzuki at the Human Be-in, the following sentence is repeating a false rumor:

He was there when Owsley, the manufacturer of Clear Light Acid, parachuted in.


Anyway, it's false according to this article in the Rolling Stone. I was there and don't remember anything like that happening. That article says that Owsley gave away 300,000 tabs of acid there and that seems to me to be an exageration. Elsewhere I read 10,000 and that surely would have sufficed. 

The other errata is that keen-eyed Victor Sergeyev noted on the Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind page on cuke that I'd written that the 40th Anniversary Edited of with my afterword was 2011. He pointed out it was 2010, November to be exact. Victor was involved with the Russian translation of ZMBM and noted errata in it that no one else had for all these decades. Here's a page for his remarks in the ZMBM section on cuke. - dc

Desires

In Buddhism we accept our instincts or our desires. We cannot deny that we have various desires. Whether it is good or bad, anyway we have it [Laughter]. We cannot say we don't have it. And as long as we have this we have to accept it. It is a part of truth which we should accept. And we think that to say that is bad is a self-centered idea.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-12 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Ask not for Who the Bell Tolls

Something I think about and am a fence-sitter on depending on situation. Maybe I use too much whom. It's obviously going the way of fewer but at least we can still comfortably use the latter.  - dc

Holes

As long as you are making a dualistic effort, you cannot do anything because you are a basket. You are full of holes. Holes are you. We say, muro-chi. Murochi means “no hole wisdom.” [Laughter.] Our wisdom is hole wisdom. Wisdom with holes. But for us, no holes wisdom is just dipping a basket in the water. Then there is no hole [laughter].  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.  

Autobiographical and Historical Material

in Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 1969

Dip

We say, “you cannot skim over the water in a basket.” But if you dip the basket in it, the basket will be full of water. That is the way.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Peter Coyote's Path

From Street Theater To the Big Screen to Zen - audio, 16 minutes.

Peter's cuke page

One

When you attain enlightenment, when some sudden change of mental state comes to you-- happens to you-- even that experience is not true enlightenment. You will see something, or realize something, in terms of consciousness, but that means you saw something, that's all. It may not be yours. You saw something there, something beautiful. That is the experience, that's all. It is a true experience, but that is not enough. We should obtain the truth. We should become one with the truth. That is taking refuge in Buddha or Truth. When we become one with it, there is no communion or interrelationship because it is just one. That is completely taking refuge in its true sense. That is the experience we have in our practice.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Whatsoever

We say that we have to just sit. Our mind is clear. You have no experience whatsoever. Maybe the only experience you will have is sleepiness or pain in your legs [laughs]. No particular experience.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Robert Adams

Quotes. - thanks for the reminder A.M.

Have

When you have something, you will have some joy of possession. To do that is, you know, to break the precept of not stealing (laughs), or not being greedy about giving either spiritual or material help to others.. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Possible

It may not be possible to experience enlightenment just in terms of consciousness. But what you do experience is much deeper. This point should always be remembered. If you remember this point, all the precepts are there. You will not be attached to some particular experience; you will not be caught by the dualistic experience of good or bad, or myself or others. When we violate the precepts, we attach to some particular experience. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

RIP Yvonne Lewis

Yvonne was Mark Lewis' wonderful funny mother. Mark just mentioned in an email she died last year. She's interviewed here with Mark. Bye bye sweetheart! - DC

Smooth

You may say that enlightenment is the maturity of your experience of everyday life. When enlightenment does not follow, your experience is black and white. But when true experience follows your conscious activity or conscious experience, the way you accept it is more natural, smooth, and deep. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Autobiographical and Historical Material

in Shunryu Suzuki lectures through 1968 - not very well presented - will take more time to do that. - dc

Is There

So we should not suppose that enlightenment will always be experienced in terms of consciousness. Even though you don't know, enlightenment is there. And by repeating various activities with this subtle caution, the experience becomes deeper and your consciousness will become more and more mature and smooth. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Communion

So, by mutual communion, or kan no doko, we mean the true experience of Zen. It is not some ecstasy or some mysterious state of mind, but it is a deep joy that is even more than joy. You may have this true experience through some change in your mental state. But a change of mental state is not, strictly speaking, enlightenment. Enlightenment is more than that. That comes with it, but it is more than that. What we experience is joy or mysterious experience, but something follows. That something which follows, besides this experience, is true enlightenment. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Bad Trip

Brigid Meier cuke page with Bad Trip, a story of her coming to Zen Center at the old Sokoji temple, meeting Shunryu Suzuki, and more. 

Refuge

Both Zen and precepts are the expression of our true nature; the experience of finding or realizing our true nature. In this sense there is no difference. So the way to practice Zen is the way we take refuge in the precepts.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Brigid Meier dot com

This is an interesting and well done site by former Suzuki and Trungpa student Brigid (Barbara) Meier. Her art, poetry, writings, and some unique material on and from Jerry Garcia.

Brigid writes "I am not a "former" student of either Roshi or Trungpa--I still am their student!"

Just saw the excellent six part series Long Strange Trip on Amazon Prime with Brigid near the beginning and end talking about her relationship with Garcia. Two other folks I know from the SFZC. See prior post Three Dharma Pals featured in Dead Documentary.

Buddha Dharma Sangha

We should respect the Three Treasures before we receive any further precepts. This is the fundamental precept, since it is on the basis of this adoration that all the moral precepts of Buddhism rest from beginning to end. Buddhism starts from these three refuges and ends with these three refuges.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Suzuki in board notes 70

Shunryu Suzuki in the early SFZC board notes 1970

This Moment

So all the great religions have their teachings and followers. And where there are followers, there should be a way to attain enlightenment. Not in the next life, but in this moment.  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Cuke dot com for sale

I get offers from parties wishing to buy the domain name cuke.com about once a month or so and have been getting such offers from way back. My dear reader may assume I am not the sort to sell out but that's not true. I will sell. I always answer such requests with the following response:

$1000000

d


I see back in 2008 3-26-08 on the Comments page I posted about an offer to buy and asked for two million. Maybe I should stick with that but actually I think I'd sell for a million and just get another similar name. Here's the latest (lower than some offers):

Mappo

In Dogen's time, almost everyone believed in the Three Periods of Buddhism. They said that in the last period the people will not believe in him and Buddhism will fade away into some other religion. But Dogen did not believe in it. So there is no difference in our practice, whether Buddha is here or not. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-06-11 as 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, not just the super cool ones,.

Suzuki in 69 board notes

Shunryu Suzuki in the early SFZC board notes 1969