In ancient time, people applied various ways in our practice. Sometimes they meditated on a white skeleton;
sometimes they meditated on water; or sometimes they practiced zazen to obtain
detachment -- thinking filthy bag containing [laughs], you know, lung and
stomach and many nasty things within it. Even the beautiful [laughs] person
contains many things [laughs] in her. So we are all a bag of filthy [laughing] things [laughter]. Actually they did it. There are many kinds of practice for us. You are just
laughing at them, but if you were in that situation, you would do it. But in
America, this kind of thing will never happen [laughter]. All those practices,
when it based on the true way of zazen, work. But as long a practice is directed to one way only, it doesn't work. --------------------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 67-12-05-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC - Many Shunryu Suzuki lecture ex/cerpts on cuke.com - from there links to much more. Going slowly through Suzuki transcripts featuring whatever is next that seems okay.