Stone

Each seed, or each plant, has its own character and its own color. If it is a stone garden, each stone has its own character. A long stone has a solemn, profound feeling; a round one expresses perfection; a square one expresses some rigidness or feeling of austerity. If it has moss on it, it has some deep, profound, mystical spirit to it. Those are the characters of each material you use in your garden . ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

Report on Grahame Petchey Cremation

Grahame Petchey's body was cremated yesterday, February 27, at Greenwood Cemetery in Mill Valley, California. 

Reb Anderson officiated. Also there from Green Gulch were Linda Ruth Cutts, Reb’s assistant Sonja Gardenswartz, his Jisha Valerian and Kōgen Dito-Keith. 

Also attending were Grahame's daughters Julia Petchey and Suzanne Petchey, and former wives Pauline Petchey and Hideko Oga who brought their disabled son Mark. Julia and Suzanne made statements. Julia brought Grahame’s okesa which was draped over the simple coffin box. There was a photograph set up, incense offerings, we chanted the Daihishin Dharani and the 10 names of Buddha. Reb made several different statements including the acknowledgment of the great pain Grahame had been in and his facing it. Then at the end Reb removed the okesa and we waited while the box was rolled into the retort (which is what the cremation chamber is called). The box had a spray of Mimosa in bloom on it. - thanks Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts

Photo - Sotan Tatsugami, Grahame Petchey, Phillip Wilson at Eiheiji 1964

Grahame Petchey cuke page

RIP Eido Tai Shimano

Eido Tai Shimano founded the New York Zen Studies and Daibozatsu Zendo

Tricycle - The Death of a Problematic Pioneer, Eido Tai Shimano Rosh

NY Times - Eido Shimano, Buddhist Leader Who Resigned in Scandal, Dies at 85

Cuke DC Interview with Eido

Wikipedia

Hawaii Star Advertiser

Cremation for Grahame Petchey

There will be a cremation ceremony for Grahame tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:00pm  2-27-18 at Fernwood Cemetary in Mill Valley.

FERNWOOD CEMETERY AND FUNERAL HOME  
301 Tennessee Valley Road
Mill Valley, CA 94941

415-968-0554

Photo at Rinsoin, Yaizu, 1964 - L to R: Shunryu & Hoitsu Suzuki , unknown, Grahame & Pauline Petchey, Phillip Wilson, Claude Dalenberg.

Grahame Petchey cuke page

Garden

People may say if the purpose of Zen is to see “things as it is,” then there is no need to practice. That is the big problem. I think in your everyday life, the root practice may be to raise flowers or to grow your garden. That is, I think, the best practice. You know, when you sow a seed, you have to wait for the seed to come up. And if it comes up, you have take care of it. That is our practice. Just to sow a seed is not enough. To take care of it day after day is very important for the good gardener. For a gardener, it is necessary to take care of the garden every day. Even though you have finished making that garden, it is necessary to take care of it. So I think our way is nearly the same as making your own garden, or raising some vegetables or flowers.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

Difficult

Anyway, it is rather difficult to see “things as it is,” because seeing “things as it is” is not just the activity of our sight or eyes. This is why we put emphasis on practice. To do something without thinking is the most important point in understanding ourselves. Since it is difficult to see “things as it is,” we should practice our way. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

Notes on Crooked Cucumber

Just finished getting Notes on Crooked Cucumber up to date. Put the following in Notes on Notes:

2-25-18 - Been adding a little bit here and there to the notes since 2012 but this year added a lot and am satisfied with it for now. The reason for this is that late last year I read over the whole book carefully for a Japanese translation that's getting finalized. Initially was just looking for what needed to be added for a Japanese translation. Added more names of people, temples, places. But made comments and corrections where I found that was needed. I always wanted to do it thoroughly; It was a lot of work with Peter Ford getting the pages right. Actually there aren't so many. A lot of errors were just fixed if no note was necessary. They can all be found at Errata for CC and there's lots there. Found some errors going over the book and then more just going over the notes.

Catch

So when you want to see, or be sure of, your mind, you cannot catch it. But when you just do something, and when your mind is just acting as it is, that is how you catch your mind in the true sense. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

College Story

One day, when I was listening to a psychology lecture, the teacher said, “It is impossible to catch our mind exactly. It is especially impossible to know what we have done. The mind which acted some time ago, the mind which belongs to the past, is impossible to catch. And even the mind which is acting right now is impossible to catch, actually.” So I thought, “no wonder it is so difficult for me to understand my mind.” And I gave up trying to be sure of my way-seeking mind. Since then I have done things, without thinking, just because they were good. And, at the same time, whether or not people saw me was not my problem anymore.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

Richard Baker's poem for Grahame Petchey

Julia Petchey read this poem from Richard to Grahame a couple of days before Grahame died. He died yesterday. See yesterday's post. This is the only photo I could find with both Richard behind Suzuki and Grahame to his right. Sokoji, 1964. View larger and see names.

Grahame Petchey page

Hideko Petchey report

on Grahame Petchey's final days

***

Grahame's cuke page

Intellectualize

It is, actually, rather difficult to see “things as it is.” You may say you are seeing “things as it is,” but actually, you do not see “things as it is.” I don't mean that it is a distortion of sight, such as when something of one shape looks shorter than something of another shape. I mean that, as soon as you see something, you already start to intellectualize it. As soon as you intellectualize something, it is already it is not just what you saw.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

RIP Grahame Petchey

Grahame Petchey died at 8:40am on the 21, his daughter Julia holding his hand. Grahame was one of Shunryu Suzuki's closest disciples. He came to Sokoji in 1961, was the first person who Suzuki personally ordained as a priest in America, one of the first Westerners to practice in a Japanese monastery, Eiheiji. His death comes after years in a convalescent home where Julia his constant companion. Richard Baker, Reb Anderson, and  I , among others, were sending messages to Grahame toward the end.

Grahame Petchey cuke page

Correct

Tonight I want to give you a correct idea of Buddhism or Zen. In a word, Zen is the teaching or practice of seeing “things as it is” or accepting “things as it is” and of raising things as they go. This is the fundamental purpose of our practice and the meaning of Zen.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08 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.

Intellect

Intellectual understanding will encourage you in your practice. And your practice will promote your intellectual understanding.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Teacher

If you want to practice Zen, it is necessary for you to do it. Even without teacher, at home, we can do it. But if you understand what does it mean by practice, you must have teacher. And with teacher, or with friend, you will have deeper and deeper understanding of our practice.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

First

We say, practice is first and understanding is next.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Gate

We do not say this is not the right practice or that is right practice. We say gateless gate. [laughs]. Gateless gate is our gate. That we have no gate is true gate. We have no special gate.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Study

If you want to study Buddhism, with this experience (of zazen), you will understand the meaning of our practice intellectually. And it will help your intellectual understanding of the philosophical study of Buddhism, or understanding from various angles. Now Buddhism is open to science and philosophy and intellectual study and emotional activity. So from various angles you can study Buddhism. This is one of the characteristic of Buddhism. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Continue

It is necessary to continue the practice, to spend forty minutes a day for the practice of zazen is not at all a waste of time for you.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Figure it Out

We have crossed our legs and understood how to keep our spines straight. Now we have to pull our neck up like this – so that your spine could be straight. And your tongue should be on your upper jaw and your teeth support with each other. Your hands fold - cosmic mudra. It should not be like this (drooping) or like that (thumbs pointing up). And your both thumbs support each other. Don't press or don't leave loose. It should be just support with each other, as if you have a piece of paper in-between. And there's some circle that has electricity. You know, it is not like this. If  it is like this, there will be no spark. If it is like this, you will not have no spark, either.  ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Remove?

So at least this much confidence is necessary. When you fix your mind and practice our way, there you have renunciation. You have the true teaching of Zen. When you practice in this way, we say you remove your original face or original nature. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Fundamental

(When you sit in this way you have) the fundamental teaching. Here you have the oneness of teaching and practice; and oneness of enlightenment and practice.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Accord

To be in accord with the true teaching of Buddhism, to reach on this moment, on this point, moment after moment, is to actualize our teaching. So when you sit in this way, there you have the true teaching of Buddhism------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Cross Point

If you have some idea of space or time, that practice is not true practice. You should be always sitting in cross point of time and space. That is true practice. And this is very important. Because this practice is beyond the idea of time and space.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Spirit

So, try to keep right posture, with some power in your stomach. And when you sit, your practice should be bound with the spirit. Like, if you want to stand up, you shouldn't stand up - forever - until someone says, "Stand up". This much confidence is necessary. It means you sit right in the center of the world, or universe – whatever it is. And you are right in the point of zazen in dharma time. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Bothered

Even though you have your mind is on your breathing, you may hear sounds and you may see something, because mostly we sit with our eyes open. And sometimes images will come. But don't be bothered by them, you know. Just let them come in and let them go out. If you do not entertain them, they will not stay. But in most cases you give them a cup of tea [laughs] or encourage them to stay. That is why they stay and bother you. So, don't be bothered by it. Let them come in and let them go out.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Breathing

Breathing activity or exercise is both mental and physical. So if you take hold of this point, you can control both mind and body. And that is why this is the best way to attain oneness of physical and mental good state.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Continuing zazen instruction

And your mind should be concentrated on your breathing. This is to attain oneness of physical and mental activity.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Straight

Especially when you read... if you read in this posture [slouching] you will get tired quite soon. If you take this posture [sitting up straight with hip somewhat back and strength in the abdomen or hara], it is much better, you know. To put some strength here [hara], and to keep your back straight, and pull your hips as far back as you can, like this. Even when you sit in your chair, or even when you eat, you should be careful not to lose your nice posture. This is very, very important.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Hara

The more important thing is to put strength here ... to have power here [patting his abdomen - hara]. And if you want to have power here, you have to bring your hip as far back as you can. Most of you sit on your seat like this [slouching somewhat] [laughs]. Like when you are driving your car. [Laughter]. A very bad posture for Zen students, because you have no strength here [in the hara]. So even when you drive your car, you should take this posture, because your legs are long enough to reach your brake. Please take this posture.------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-09-08-A 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.

Del Carlson's Ashes Spread in Bali

1-28-18 - On Sunday, January 28th, Katrinka, son Kelly, his mate Tera, and I visited Del Carlson's friends Eric and Fahmi at their villa in Tabanan, Bali. Just before sunset we went out on a rice terrace and spread Del's ashes they'd brought from Florida where they were a few weeks ago to help Del's niece Nancy go through his possessions. [Read more below or on Del's cuke page]