Mountain

Student M [Ed Brown]: Docho Roshi, big mind and small mind are equally without size. The Buddhist practice is no practice. Can it be that-- is there any practice which is not Buddhist practice?

SR: When you involved in dualistic idea in your practice, that is the non-Buddhist practice. There is no alternative way for us -- it means to sit alone on the top of mountain. Whatever happens in the mountain, that is part of your practice. To sit on the mountain means to be a boss of the mountain. That is our practice. And try to climb up to the top of the mountain is not our practice. So you can say various practice is nothing but the Buddhist practice because we are boss of the mountain. But for the people who are trying to climb up to the top of the mountain, there may be various way to the mountain. So we must not forget that we are center of the universe, and sitting in the center of the universe or top of the mountain.     -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC

Barrie Mason

On coming Zen Center and Suzuki Roshi from Barrie Mason - at the bottom of her cuke page.

Robby Pellet

Robby Pellett's memorial page has been updated. Sorry not to see you next time in Seattle Robby. Such a sweet guy. - dc

Pitch Dark

Student L: Docho Roshi, love is love, and hate is hate, and love is empty, and hate is empty.

SR: There you will have a great sorrow or longing -- loneliness of emptiness. Until you get accustomed to this experience, you cannot get out of the trouble, or fear, or whatever it is. When you can remain still with some composure in pitch dark, you will have deep true composure.     -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC

Memorial page for Robby Pellett

Memorial page for Robby Pellett

Photo from Seattle School of Aikido

RIP Sogyul Rinpoche

I loved Sogyul Rinpoche's Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and read it twice to Ananda Dalenberg when he was in a convelescent home toward the end of his life. He died at a hospital in Thailand at 72.

Fear

Student K: Docho Roshi, what should I do about the fear that causes small mind or limited mind?


SR: Fear looks like something which will cover your entire being, but if you wait, and if you watch it -- watch the fear, watch yourself, that will not be fear anymore. Whatever it is, it is necessary to break it as your motor [motive?]. It is necessary to drive your fear.
  
Student K: Thank you very much.
SR: Attack your enemy by his horse [laughs]. You understand? All right.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC

RIP Ryuzen Robby Pellett

Robby Pellett died of a heart attack last week at the age of 62. He was Hoitsu Suzuki's dharma heir in America. Robby was a sweet guy who lived in Japan for years and started One Pine Hall in Seattle as his zendo. His student Nat Evans posted this memorial tribute to Robby.

Two Paths

Student J: Docho Roshi, how are we to know how to behave when a strong dualistic situation arises in our life? It seems as though we can only take one of two paths.

SR: Don't hesitate to-- to take one-- just one choice. Don't think which is good or bad. When you do not think about it, you will intuitively know which way to go and which is better.    -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC

Attach

Student I: Docho Roshi, for my practice, I believe that the hardest and deepest teaching of Buddhism for all men is to know not to be attached to any thing. Can you explain why this is so?

SR: Not to attach to any thing. Why you asked this question is, you know, it is impossible not to attach [laughs] to anything. So it means that in your mind you have the idea of attachment and detachment. But true non-attachment means to get free from the idea of attachment or detachment, knowing that attachment and detachment is the two side of one reality.    -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC

Another Shosan Question

Student H: Docho Roshi, if desires are inexhaustible, how may we put an end to them?

SR: Inexhaustible. To put an end to it, you know, does not mean to annihilate it. When you do not try to put an end to it, it is actual put an end to it. Desire is not-- evil desire is not an evil any more. Because you think or you treat it in an evil way, wrong way, or, you know, try to stop it, it change into evil, and it will be a disturbance of our practice.

Student H: Is this how we can vow to put an end to desires without expressing another desire?

SR: We should know the nature of the desires before we try to stop it or control it. To know what is evil nature is to know to stop evil desire. When you have no idea of evil, evil desire is not evil desire any more. That is how you stop it.

Student H: Thank you very much.    -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  ["I usually leave the Thank You very much out but they all say it."]

I = you et al

Brad Warner's video linked to yesterday makes the point the his I and all other Is are the same I. That I thing really unites Hinduism and Buddhism too, found in the insight types like Zen and Advaita Vedanta which focuses on that point - and in other traditions as well. To me it's in the core of the perenial philosophy. The Who am I? koan goes way back in India.

Wheel

Student G: Docho Roshi, the wheel of dharma turns in our life in many ways. It'll go from sickness to health to sickness again to health. Should we try to master this dharma? What is its nature?

SR: Wheel of dharma. When it is turning means to master it. Because it is always turning, it is difficult to tell how it turns in detail. Only when we allow it to turn, or we can keep up with the turning wheel, we can master it actually. But-- but actually we are turning with it. We are actually a part of the wheel. In this way, we should master the wheel without trying to master it.    -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Collision

Student F: Docho Roshi, if the president of the United States were to come to Tassajara and say the earth and the sun were on a collision course, and ask us what we could do, some of us might say that we could not change what has already collided in this man's imagination. Actually, the least we could do would be to tell him, “No moon, no sun,” and show him your wonderful garden.

SR: Yeah. No moon or no sun. But the sun is the sun, the moon is the moon, so the moon-- when moon is really moon, there will not be any collision. There is no need for the moon to be a sun or vice-versa.    -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Brad Warner

A while ago Brad Warner posted this video from Glascow. Well said Bad Brad!

His YouTube channell for more is youtube.com/hardcorezen

Here's his blog: http://hardcorezen.info/ 

Brad Warner on cuke

And if you Search for his name on web, there's lots.

Hi Brad.

Merit

Student E: Docho Roshi, why does man's work bring so little merit?
SR: May be no merit, but when you realize that there is no merit, that is great merit. All the merit accumulated by all the people is your merit. So that is why the merit is not yours and actually at the same time yours. So when you forget all about you or others, the merit will be great.   -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Sorrow

Student D: Docho Roshi, you are you, and I am me, and you are not you, and I am not me, and the river keeps moving by. Where is the medicine for this sorrow?

SR: Medicine. The going river and the evanescence of life or ingraspable things is itself medicine. Sometimes it looks like poison, but actually those are only medicine we should take.   -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

RIP Michael Canright

Got this message from Barrie Mason - I just got a call from Jesse, Michael Canright's daughter, saying that he died of MS in February. I tried to call him recently & his # wasn't good any more, so I had sent him a post card. She lives in Pittsburg PA, Michael was living in Colorado. He continued to sit on his own.

question

Student C: Docho Roshi, how can being in sesshin be practicing the middle way?
SR: Middle way? When you forget all about the middle way, there you have middle way.
   -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Echo

Student B: Docho Roshi, although you can only clarify an outline, and we can only hear what we realize, please say something about echo.
(after estabishing that the question refers to echo and not eko which are recited after sutra)
SR: Mm-hmm. Oh, echo. Echo, oh. Everything is echo of your mind or of your activity.   -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Stones

There are many stones in Tassajara Creek. Each stone has some very mysterious strange shape which will tell us various things. Kumazawa Zenji wrote something about stones, in Japanese. If you go to Sokoji, you may have seen it already: The Five Virtues of Stones. Even though you see a stone, there is still our practice. That is everyday mind. So everyday mind is not just a kind of mind which is always involved in dualistic sense.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Bell

Every morning we hit our bell when we practice zazen. That will encourage our practice. But sometime it may be disturbance,. But when your practice is filled with true spirit, it will encourage your deep feeling. That feeling is dao or everyday mind in its true sense. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Bird

When you are involved in dualistic idea, you know: “What time we sit?” or “What bird we see?” [laughs], and more and more useless to sit in such a dark room instead of enjoying this beautiful sunshine at the foot of the mountain with bird [laughs]. The moment we hear the bird, usually, we will be involved in this kind of, you know, life. But when you hear the bird in your sitting, without trying to hear it, you know, then your practice will be encouraged by the bird.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Dao

“Everyday mind is Zen”: This was very important koan. “Everyday mind Is dao.” And this is, you know, pretty difficult. Maybe many people have misunderstanding about it. “Everyday mind is dao.” First of all, we should know what is dao or true mind, and this is again the promblem of true mind and everyday mind. Dao is the back something from which everyday mind arises.

Moneyya Chronicles

Moneyya Chronicles: Selected Poems and Musings, by Bhikkhu Moneyya, with color illusratrions by Bali artists, is now a Cuke Press book. It can be ordered from your favorite independent books store or through Amazon.

Here's the Cuke page for Moneyya Chronicles where you can learn a bunch about it and here's the Amazon link.

Pain

At San Francisco, Many times I told them that even though you feel you do not make any progress in your practice, and even though you have many problems in your practice, it may be better not to quit sitting because if you quit sitting you will not have the pain in your legs, but instead of that pain you will have another pain [laughs]. So this pain in your practice will be much better than the pain or problems you will have in city life in some other way.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Problem

If you can accept yourself completely [laughs], then you will not be in this world any more [laughs, laughter]. So that you have problem means you are still alive. That is our way. And even though you make a trip to another world, same problem [laughs] you will have, as long as you have your body and mind. That is how things exist in this world.   -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-04-23-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Shadows

St 3: Docho Roshi. The year that I have lived here at Tassajara has gone by very quickly. But it’s been a very wonderful time for growing up. But the path ahead seems to be a dream or shadows –

SR: Yes. That is very true. We always feel that we uh started to study something right now. Especially when ah Christmas or New Years Day come. We start our practice right now or we must start some practice today. We always feel in this way. That is I think very good. And that is so called beginner’s mind. We should be always beginners.  -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-G2 as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Weak

Student 2: Docho Roshi – At times during this training period I have felt very strong. But the feeling of weakness always returns. What can I do about this feeling of being weak.

SR: Hmm. Hmm. Ah. It is not only you.

Very weak. It’s alright for you – you should be very happy to feel weak – with everyone.

Student 2: And… [laughter] I would [laughter] - I would be much happier [laughter] – if everyone felt strong.

SR: Oh – oh no. [laughter] When you feel weak and everyone feels strong?

St 2: If we all felt strong together.

SR: That may be very dangerous situation

 -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-G2 as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

You fill in the blank

Bill Shurtleff: The Shingyo [sutra] on other points though like ignorance, shows us both sides...
SR: Umhum.
BS: Saying “no ignorance” and also “no annihilation…”
SR: Umhum. Yes.
BS: In that sense, there seems to be a completeness…
SR: Ah – yeah.
BS: In the words (?) and in the same way, it would seem to be no attainment and yet, constant effort for…
SR: Yes, attainment.
BS: Attainment. Something like that. I mean it seems to come out really strongly on only one side…
SR: Umhum.
BS: No attainment.
SR: So in our practice, you know, actually… [cough]… um
[audio ends]

 -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Sides

When we describe something, we should follow the logical sequence. That is one side of the practice. But Dogen Zenji says, "When one side is described, the other side is dark." We cannot describe both ways at once. That is why we describe just one side of the Truth. But if you have ears to listen to it, eyes to read it, you should be satisfied with one description, because you know there is the other side. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Attainment

Thank you very much for listening to my tedious lecture. If you have questions, please ask me. Hai.

Speaking on the Lotus Sutra

The next chapter will be the interesting one, maybe. So if you read it, you will be very interested in it, because it has this kind of understanding. It is called the chapter of "Good Devices" or "Skillful devices". In this sutra devices are more important than the First Principle. Usually people respect the First Principle rather than skillful devices. But in this Sutra, Buddha put emphasis on skillful devices instead. This means that Buddha put emphasis on mercy. The way to help people with skillful devices is the most important point. And to find each one's own position, responsibility, and meaning of life, and to find the joy of life in the activity near at hand, or the previous attainment, is the most important point. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Unhappy

This is possible if you understand this truth. But most people think it is not possible. "If we become friendly with each other, we will be lost. The only way is to have hard competition. If it is necessary, we should even fight or reject others' opinions. And we should stick to our own way." That is what we are doing, actually. Before you actually practice our way, you have this fear, but if you practice our way, there is no such problem at all, as you must have seen. If you have even the faintest idea of this truth, then it will be a great help for you, I think. Because you don't have this kind of idea, because you have never made this kind of effort, we are so unhappy. For a bodhisattva, to be unhappy is also good. For the usual person, to be unhappy is a terrible thing. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Emphasis

This sutra, the Lotus Sutra, especially, puts emphasis on each one's own way, and on the meaning of each one's own being. At the same time, as you must have understood already, this sutra provides every one of us with a big, common ground where we can enjoy each one's own way. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC 

Confusion

When we don't know that everyone's effort is supported by the same ground and are attached to our own way, rejecting or ignoring the others' ways and insisting on our own way, that is confusion. So we Buddhists put emphasis on each one's own way. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-F as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC