Obvious again

It is too obvious. So Zen is not mysterious at all. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Baso

It is so mysterious that we cannot say anything [laughs]. Having big words, even a Zen master, even Baso whose tongue reached to nose cannot say anything [laughing, ongoing laughter]. If he says something, you should pull his tongue. You shouldn't fool us by your long tongue. Give me it! That is right, you know.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Obvious

So it is impossible to put reality into words. So that is why we say “mysterious.” But mysterious is not mysterious. It is too, you know, obvious. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Geese

Wild geese is wild geese. If they flew away, they flew away. [Laughs.] You cannot say, “They are there,” and “They flew away” [laughs]. Wouldn't make any sense, you know. Master will ask you which do you mean? Is it here or there? [Laughs, laughter.] You have no answer. No answer is right. [Laughs, laughter.] ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Mysterious

Here the translator's translation is "mysterious.” Mysterious does not mean, you know, something [laughing] mysterious. Mysterious means beyond words. It is not possible to say various understandings from all angles. If you say from one side, you cannot say, at the same time, from the other side. So that is why we say mysterious. So even an enlightened master cannot say anything properly.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Rock

As Dogen Zenji said in his poem, it is like letters. It can be letters written on high rock-- high rugged rock on the seashore. No waves can reach. Even though you try to see it, you cannot see it because it is too high. But the high rock on the rugged seashore is always there, giving various teaching to us. This kind of teaching is true teaching. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Outside

So we say: “teaching outside of letters”-- teaching which will be understood if we have ears to listen to it, eyes to see it. But if we do not have eyes to see it, we cannot see it. That is the teaching outside of letters. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Me

Gold or salt is not actually the power of me -- me. Something you cannot understand what is it -- what it is. Something which is beyond our understanding. Something which you cannot put it in words.---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

A Brief History of Tassajara available

Tassajara Zen Mt. Center now has copies of
A Brief History of Tassajara: from Native American Sweat Lodges to Pioneering Zen Monastery
The SFZC City Center will have them in a few days and they'll get some to Green Gulch Farm
The can be ordered from the SFZC Bookstore - details at that link.

from Cuke Press
194 pages - 260 photos and images - $20

Unusual

Even though they say “this is unusual,” for us Zen students it is not unusual. Only unusual thing is the thing which can be everything, like, you know, money or gold. You know [laughs], you can buy everything with that. Maybe like salt, you know: Whatever you eat, there is some amount of salt [laughs], you know. In this way our power is something like this, figuratively speaking.---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Jordan Thorn funeral

Zoketsu Norman Fischer will officiate for Shokan Jordan Thorn’s funeral on Sunday, August 5 at 10 am.

The ceremony will be held in the Buddha Hall at San Francisco Zen Center, 300 Page Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

For practical queries, call the Front Office at 415-863-3136.

from SFZC Great Leap page

Jordan Thorn cuke page

Everything

The power we will gain by our practice is not common power. It is some special power. By “special” It is special because it can be everything. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Anything

If your practice is right, you will be ready for various activity. [various activity = anything] ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Wild Geese

Where are they going? They are going somewhere, you know. Even though they are going somewhere, they are there. They cannot escape from the buddha-nature, from our power of practice. Wherever they go, they are right here, with us. [Laughs] ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Precepts

Before Hyakujo, almost all the Zen masters lived in precepts temples and observed Indian precepts. But it is not appropriate for Chinese people who live in China where the climate is different and way of life different from India. Even though teaching changed into Mahayana, precepts did not. They didn't change precepts, which they should do. But Hyakujo did it and organized a monastic life. Since then we observe our precepts. Of course after Hyakujo, we changed our precepts many times. Precepts is the way of life.. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

A talk by Bhikkhu Moneyya (audio)

The Duration of Buddha Sasana


Moneyya cuke page

Everyday

 True practice should be everyday life. And everyday life should be the true practice. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Sitting

The power itself is not something you can catch or you can understand. If something happens, you will find out the power is there. But when you sit in this way, you have no idea of power. You are just sitting, that's all. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Caught

Just to sit is to be ready for various activity or stimulation which will come from outside. But if your mind is caught by something you will lose your true mind. So without being caught by anything-- just to sit without thinking-- even thinking is our true practice. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Appreciate

[Our Zen practice power] is not something to acquire, but it is something to appreciate. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Power

Our inner power of practice will appear according to the situation and  will respond to the situation you have like a bell. If you hit strong, the sound will be strong. If you hit it soft, the sound will be soft. But our true nature or-- or true power does not make sound, but actually whatever you do, the power is there. In this way, we should understand our Zen practice power. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Think

I hope you [laughs] have understood what I said. But if you don't, you should think more. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Hidden

We should make hidden effort. Not secret, but effort which cannot be found by anyone. This kind of effort is true zazen. ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Shift

When you have some object, somehow your effort is directed to that object. It means your effort is working on one way only. In that way, you cannot understand how to change the direction of effort. But just by practice of pure Zen, you will practice how to make shift in your effort.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-02 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.

Nothing

Without practicing zazen [laughs], just to make your effort means nothing. You think you did something, but actually you didn't do anything. It has nothing to do with other people. A person might think they did something, but [laughs] actually it is not so.---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Mile

The power to pull is the power to push. There is no power just to pull or just to push. So that you can go one mile means that you can go one mile backward. So in your everyday life, if you want to go one mile, you should practice zazen and go back one mile. .  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Equal

We say, “To go eastward one mile is to go to westward one mile.” Even though you make great effort, you cannot go back one mile. You cannot go forward one mile-- always equal.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Point

If you do not know the point of the practice, even though you have good Zen master, you cannot study Zen because you cannot appreciate the true activity. If you know why you should practice zazen and what is zazen, you will find out the way we should be and how to achieve something without much effort.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Appropriate

We should not be too enthusiastic, you know. Because I am caught by something in work, I lose the complete freedom from the work. Without much zeal in your practice, to practice it quite naturally in appropriate way, without trying to be appropriate, is the way it should be.   ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.

Revised Edition of Moneyya Chronicles

A new edition of Moneyya Chronicles This edition has new poems and an author photo and blurb from me on the back. Check it out on his cuke page. - dc

Evaluate

Although it may be difficult to understand if I say you do not take your bath because you are dirty,  you do not wash your face because your face is dirty. What it means is your everyday activity should not be involved too much in some restrictive idea. You should obtain freedom in your way. And you should realize limitless meaning of our activity. You should not over-value-- or what do you say?-- should not evaluate too much or too less.  ---------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-01=B 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.