Pain

When you have some pain in your legs, you will wonder what will happen to you if you sit more-- ten minutes more, or twenty minutes more. Nothing will happen [laughs]. Because you limit your mind, you know, the pain will do something with your practice. But if you have big, great power in your tummy, nothing can do that [laughs]. And nothing will happen to you. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Water

If it is the water in a cup, you can disturb it. But if it is ocean you cannot disturb it, even though you throw a stone in it. It doesn't make any sound. When you see the Pacific Ocean from above in the sky on the airplane, it is just, you know, calm water. You cannot do anything with it. This kind of mind you will have if you put strength in your tummy. That [laughs] is why I advise you to, you know, put strength in your tummy or tanden. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Tanden

How you practice this kind of practice is quite simple: to put your strength or power in your tummy, because actually if you have enough strength in your tanden, you will have big broad mind in which you can accept things. Whatever it is, you can accept things. And your mind is so broad and so big-- great that nothing can increase it, or nothing can disturb it. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Spoiling

We should know why we spoil our practice, and we should know how we are able to practice our way without spoiling it. So, as Dogen says, verbal interpretation of zazen or any kind of written teaching by means of  literature or talk or instruction -- if only by means of those instructions you cannot attain enlightenment. Only way is to practice your way without spoiling it.  ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Means

When you practice, when you do something, at least at that time that is Zen practice. So actually, as Dogen said, there is no particular enlightenment you will attain by means of some practice, because whatever you do, that is zazen. If so, you know, the means to attain enlightenment is also true practice. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Spoil

For you who do something for others or for yourself, it is not Zen because you spoil your practice with your attachment, with your dualistic idea, with your discrimination, by comparing your practice to some other practice which you do or which someone else does. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

RIP Jack Kamesar

Farewell dear Jack, a gentle soul, a good man. Condolences to Dahlia and Elan.

Jack Kamesar Sculpture

Fire and Spirit on Vimeo featuring Jack

Zen or not Zen

Whatever you do, it is Zen, actually. At least when you are doing, that is Zen. But your understanding of your everyday activity is not right because of misunderstanding your practice or misunderstanding or discrimination of the practice or attachment to your activity. Your activity is not Zen any more to you [laughs]-- only to you [laughs]. But actually it is Zen. Whatever you do, that is Zen. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Recommending

There is a reason why we should not compare our practice to other-- many kinds of practice. As Dogen Zenji said, in his Fukanzazengi-- Recommending Zen Practice to Every One of Us-- Fukanzazengi-- he recommends this practice to every one of us. And he said, first of all, whatever you do, that is zazen. It is not some special training or some special way of practice. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Tassajara's Altitude

Photo from the Tassajara History page - thanks ZMC director Carolyn Cavanaugh for sending it.

From A Brief History of Tassajara  by Marilyn McDonald (Cuke Press 2018)

Marilyn used 1539 feet as the altitude of Tassajara surely because that’s the number on the geological survey marker embedded in sandstone at the steps to the old hotel. On January 19, 1981, the US Geological Survey entered 1637 feet as the official altitude in the Geographic Names Information System.

Ram Dass talks about David Padwa

In a 1980 Albuquerque Sun interview

More on David if you scroll up from that interview on his cuke page.

That's David on one of his mt. climbing trips, maybe in Nepal

Don't Compare

Our practice - zazen practice - should not be compared with any other practice or training. It does not mean, even if I say so, that Zen is something special or Zen is superior to any other teaching. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

Rohatsu sesshin first lecture opening

In this sesshin, as I said this morning, our practice will be concentrated on putting power in your hara or tanden. This is not just a technique of practice, but the underlying idea is very deep. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01-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.

John E. Nelson college Zen paper

The Institutional Development of Zen in America from 1893 - a 1973 paper by John E. Nelson when he was at the University of Michigan. Now immortalized on cuke.com with listings on the Early Papers and Others Contribute pages.

Help People

To help people, in its true sense, is just to join their life, and lead their life as they do, and to be always friend of others. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Already have

When you have some idea of achievement, it is already something which you will achieve. So that is not what you have right now. Achievement should be something you already have, and how to have it  is to forget all about the idea of self or to be one with the surroundings. That is how to achieve our goal. Our goal is right here, not somewhere else or in the future. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Achieve

Actually we do not achieve anything in our practice. Just to be ourselves on this moment is the way. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Real

Without knowing what is real, without any real understanding of anything [laughs, laughter], sacrificing the most valuable present living moment. This is what we are doing and not only do we lose the true meaning of our life, we are creating problems for ourselves who exist only in present moment. This is the big problem for human being. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Concentrated

Our life should be concentrated on each moment-- without much prejudice or one-sided, rigid view. ----------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Flexible

The most important thing is to have more flexible mind, which you can observe things as it is and accept things as it is without any prejudice or one-sided idea. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-06 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.

Good.

One year of life is good. One hundred years of life is good. If you continue our practice you will attain this stage. But at first you will have various problems in your practice and it necessary for you to make some effort to continue our practice. Practice without effort is not true practice for the beginner. For the beginner the practice needs effort. So whatever we do that is practice-- that is Zen. So if you think it does not matter whether you practice or not -- that kind of understanding is completely mistaken. If you continue, whatever you do, that is practice. If you do everything with this purpose and this idea that is practice. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Talking about someone who has terminal illness

Knowing that his life is just two or three years time to enjoy day after day, moment after moment that is the life is form is form and emptiness is emptiness. When Buddha comes you will welcome him; when devil comes you will welcome him. Like Ummon said, ‘Sun-faced Buddha, and Moon-faced Buddha.” When he was ill someone asked him, “How about you?” And he said, “Sun-faced Buddha and Moon-faced Buddha”. That is the life of form is form and emptiness is emptiness. There is no problem. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Trying

Trying to be free from the suffering of duality - this is the practice of form is emptiness or emptiness is form. Because that is true so we want to have that actual realization in our life. But of course this practice will help you and if you practice it and believe in it that is true, and realizing that to be concerned about this life or that life is wrong, still you are making effort. Maybe that will help you, of course, but that is not perfect practice. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Empty

We naturally -- originally we are empty beings. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Whatever

Whatever we do that is zazen. If it is so there is no need to say so. So when you sit you will just sit without being disturbed by your painful legs or sleepiness. That is zazen. But at first it is very difficult to accept things as they are. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Restriction

When you say, “Whatever I do that is Buddha nature, so it doesn’t matter what I do, and there is no need to practice zazen” that is already dualistic understanding of our everyday life. If really it doesn’t matter there is no need for you even to say so. As long as you are concerned about what you do, that is dualistic. If you are not concerned about what you do you will not say so. When you sit, you will sit. When you eat you will eat. That’s all. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Restriction

To find your own way under some restriction is the way of practice. It does not mean that whatever you do that is zazen. Or even lying down that is zazen. When your mind is not restricted by restriction that is what we mean by practice. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Follows

Your mind follows your breathing and with your full mind you form the mudra in your hands; with your mind you sit with painful legs without being disturbed by them. This is to sit without gaining idea. At first you feel some restriction in your posture but when you find you are not disturbed by the restriction that is actually what we mean by emptiness is emptiness and form is form. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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.

Stop

To stop your mind does not mean to stop your activities of mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body.----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-11-02 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 Shaku Daijo

Sad to learn that Daijo died.
Daijo was at Sogenji in Japan for much of the time Elin and I lived next door. Later I'd visit him in Kyoto at  a subtemple of farmous Ryoanji.  He was a most sincere student who practiced many years in Japan and, with his wife Ursula, opened Daishu-in West in Humbolt County California.

Farewell dear Daijo.

That's his calligraphy. - thanks E.H. Mann for sending it.

Every Possible

Our practice in each moment will include every teaching possible. This is our practice of Zen. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-10-00 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.

Emphasis

Especially in Zen we put emphasis on the practice on, or in, each moment. Moment after moment we continue this kind of practice, and moment after moment the meaning of the teaching, or content of the teaching, will develop according to the circumstances. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-10-00 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.