Difficult

Student A: What do you mean we don't have anything to surrender?

SR: I mean when you find it difficult to surrender, that is surrender. But you should know that is not complete surrender because you find it difficult. So that much you should be aware of, you know-- yourself, what you are doing [laughs].           --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Daya Goldschlag - Jailbird

Kelly Chadwick posted this photo on Facebook of Daya Goldschlag getting arrested in New York City for draft protest. Then a week or so later she was arrested again - on October 21, 1967 at the Levitation of the Pentagon. It's now on Daya's cuke page with further explanation and much more about Daya. 

Surrender

We say “absolute surrender.” But you have nothing to surrender. If you have something to surrender, it is usual way. But we have nothing to surrender. But you should find out always yourself.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Child

You should be like a child who draws things whether it is good or bad. Sometime doing things without much reason. If that is difficult, you are not actually ready to practice zazen.            --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

David Schneider has a new book out

 

Goods: Short Stories

Linked, fictional, short stories, set in Zen centers and Tibetan vajrayana meditation communities. What happens when Westerners—young, earnest, often amorous women and men—set out on the Buddhist spiritual path? What happens when scores of them end up living together in the same building or neighborhood for meditation? In these uncensored tales of the practice world, such seekers often have to make it up as they go, integrating classical wisdom with modern reality. This includes their own playful or unruly energies. Guided by (mostly) Asian teachers, they do what they can to faithfully live the tradition, learn about themselves, and about one another. What results is a comedy of manners.

- Amazon link

Goods is a Cuke Press-DE book - DE stands for Germany

David Schneider cuke page

Fundamental

In this sesshin I feel very sorry for you that I cannot help you so much. But the way you study true Zen is not through some verbal things. You should open yourself, and you should give up everything. And whatever it is, you should try, whether you think it is good or bad. This is the fundamental attitude to study.           --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Suzuki's Famous Enso

Was looking for the first use of the enso Suzuki drew that's so well known. It was hard for me to find on cuke - because I didn't think clearly and write the right stuff in the site search box. Once I had it I realized it should have been easy but I also realized that others will give up looking for it. So I gave it its own page and linked to it from a few places. He drew it at Mike Dixon's request for a poster for an art exhibit and sale to raise money for a Zen Mountain Center early on before we even knew we could buy Tassajara. The show started December 16, 1966 and ran for a month. Just before New Years we learned that the money that was raised by this and other means would go for the down payment on Tassajara. It's all explained here on the new ZMC Benefit Art Exhibition and Sale poster - Enso First Use page.

Thanks Mike and thanks Suzuki Roshi!

Advanced

For the beginner, maybe, instruction is necessary, but for advanced students, we don't give so much instruction, and they should try various ways.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Some Advice

Wrote this for a professional reader who's going to be reading quotes from Shunryu Suzuki. The reader was born and raised in Tokyo and speaks English like he was born and raised in the US - with Japanese parents so there's a hint of that. - DC

Suzuki had a natural, relaxed way of talking. There was no hint of the more usual way Japanese priests gave lectures which had more drama, sense of importance, oratorical. Suzuki was low key. Soft spoken. Made people feel comfortable. One of the most common things to hear about him is that he was normal. Didn't put himself above them. Frequently laughing. It would be awfully hard to convey his sense of humor and lightness. Not lofty. Down to earth. Not like a wise person speaking down to those with inferior understanding, he spoke straight across. Always respectful of others. But he held his own. Always two sides. There's "Sometimes I'm the teacher and you're the student, and sometimes you're the teacher and I'm the student." Then there's (to a student who quoted Suzuki back to him to make a point): "When I said it it was true. When you said it it was false." 

Instruction

If possible, we should give instruction one-by-one. But because that is difficult, we give some instruction or lecture like this [laughs]. But you shouldn't stick to lecture. You should think more what [laughs] I mean-- what I really mean.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Let Them Not Say

Let Them Not Say is a powerful poem by Jane Hirshfield herein set to music by a Scottish composer, Christ Hutchings, a climate activist and founder of Choirs For Climate. He did this video for Earth Day.

Do listen and, something I don't recall having urged before, please pass it on to wherever you feel so moved. - dc

Let them not say is a poem in Jane's Ledger, published last year. See more at her cuke page.

Going Total Anarchist

Rules are only needed when we have not much time or when we cannot help others more closely, more kindly. So you should do that [laughs]. This is easy to do. But that is not our actual way. So to give each student some instruction is not so good, you know.         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Says it Again. Just Wait for the Other Side

But when you say, “This is a rule,” you are forcing something on others. So actually, there is no rules.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Mike Dixon portrait

of Dan Welch

Dan's cuke page (in progress)

Mike Dixon's page

Rules

You say “rules,” but rules is already some selfish idea. Actually, there are no rules.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Don't Give Up

And if you sit, you know, balcony without much help [laughs], you may easily give up to practice. “Maybe better not. It is not possible,” or “It may be foolish to practice under these circumstances [laughs]. You may easily give up. But in such case, you should try hard. If you are very sleepy you may say, “Oh, maybe better not to practice zazen. Maybe better to rest.” Yeah, sometime it is better, but at the same time, that may a good chance to practice.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

DC comment: At Sokoji the balcony was a place to sit zazen for people who came late or overflow. Sometimes people would sit there intentionally. If a new student did that, he noticed that they didn't feel the support of the group that we got all sitting together in the zendo and could get discouraged. So when one feels alone and discouraged one should make an effort to persevere,  

Buddhism and the Martial Arts: A Conversation with Scott Park Phillips

I've known Scott Phillips since he was a kid due to the fact that his father is old ZC friend and mine more importantly Michael Phillips. I'd see Scott at Michael's now and then and hear he was into marshal arts. When Elin, tot Clay, and I lived in Gerstle Park in San Rafael, CA, I'd find Scott teaching some sort of marshal arts class in the park at least once a week - that was 93 to 96. I'd lost touch but now Michael sends me this impressive conversation and visual presentation.  - dc

Scold

I don't scold you so much, but if I were a strict Zen master I shall be very angry with you [laughs], you know, because you give up quite easily. “Oh, no. There is not much equipment to clean.” Or, “There is nothing to do.”         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Edward Brown by Mike Dixon

 

Here's another Mike Dixon portrait, this time the subject is Edward Brown

Edward who used to be Ed Brown page

Mike Dixon cuke page

Try Hard

For instance, you know, in morning time we clean our room. But we don't have enough rags or brooms, so it is almost impossible to participate in our cleaning. So what you should do is to find out something to do [laughs]. You may think, “There is nothing for me to do.” But there is, if you, you know [laughs], if you try hard to find out what you should do.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Appropriate

So each one of us must have each one's own way. And according to the situation, you should change your way and to find out some appropriate way. So you cannot stick to anything. The only thing we have to do is to find out some appropriate way under new situation.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Mel

 

Here's a Willard Mike Dixon painting of dearly departed Mell Weitsman.

Mel Weitsman cuke page

Mike Dixon cuke page

Different

There is no particular way for us, because each one of us are different from the other.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Portrait of Shunryu Suzuki

 

by Willard Mike Dixon  His artist name is Willard Dixon but friends know him as Mike. He did this in 2013.

Sent this note to Mike: You nailed it man. That's as effective as any photo I've seen in bringing him to life. Good for you.

 

I've got some more to share. And I'll get them on his page and on their pages on cuke. 

Mike Dixon cuke page

Without being told

We have perhaps too many students in this zendo. But even if some master has two or three students, he will never tell you what our way is in detail. The only way is to eat with him, to talk with him, and to do something-- to do everything with him. And to help him without, you know, even being told how to help him.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

You talkin to me?

Good or bad, small or big, we should find out the true reason why something is so big and why something is so small, why something is so good and why something is not so good. But if you [laughs] only are trying to find out something good, you know, you will always lose something. And you are limiting your faculty. So you always live in limited world. You cannot accept things as it is.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Tassajara and a Sunflower

Annie Schliffer got hold of me recently when she listened to the podcast with Roovane Ben Yuhman. He told a couple of stories that included here. Now we've got one of them from her point of view - plus how it read in Crooked Cucumber. Read about it on Annie's cuke page.

Limiting

You may try hard, may study something if you like it, you know. If you don't like it, you ignore it. That is not only a selfish way, but also the limiting your power of study.     --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

A Comment on the Samgha situation from Yesterday's blog post

Samgha published Japanese translations of

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Not Always So, Crooked Cucumber, Zen is Right Here
and has gone bankrupt

Learn more in English and Japanese about the Samgha situation

Concerning the bankruptcy of Samgha, Hideko Oga (Petchey) writes:

I am sorry about this disappointing business ending.

I have no other friends in Japan with the western style Buddhism like Sangha Publisher but all belong to the Japanese preset structure.  I can imagine getting the new wave to the old establishment is hard.

It’s like opening a Japanese green tea business in UK.  That’s interesting and inspires some but not enough to sustain it as a business.

I wish I could help but I guess it’s beyond me.  I wish I could say or do something!

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DC comment - They had an inventory problem. If the staff starts up a new company, it should consider going all POD - print on demand - and online - ebooks, audiobooks, etc. 

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Study

So it is not a matter of what you study, but of gaining the faculty to see things as it is, to accept things as it is, to understand things as it is.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Save Samgha!

 

Samgha published Japanese translations of

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Not Always So, Crooked Cucumber, Zen is Right Here
and has gone bankrupt

Learn more in English and Japanese about the Samgha situation

Cover

Whatever you do, you will not waste your time. But when you do something with some limited idea or some definite purpose, what you will gain are some concrete things which will cover your inner nature.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Dan Welch Art

 Lots of Dan Welch art on cuke.com. Putting a link to the main hub for it on the new DW cuke page. Will check later to see if that page links to all of it we have therein.

Waste

It looks like waste of time [laughs, laughter], but it is not so, you know. That attitude [of to study with no purpose] is important. If you continue to try to seek in that way, more and more you will gain the power to understand things.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

DW at Crestone

Two more pics of Dan Welch at Crestone (with a star-studded cast of others) at Crestone ZMC, the 2nd installment for his new long overdue cuke page.

Sake

If some Zen master drinks a lot of sake, you may think the best way to obtain enlightenment is to take a lot of sake [laughs]. But even though you take a lot of sake as he does [laughs, laughter], you will not attain enlightenment [laughs, laughter].          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcrpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Suzuki's Scientific Method

If you want to study something, it's better not to have any purpose, better to study without, you know, knowing how to study or knowing what is Buddhism.         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

A Mondo

Just started a cuke page for Dojun Dan Welch who's all over cuke.com and is long overdue for a hub.

Check out the first installment.  

Barbara Lubanski Wenger's Flickr Photo Albums

 1577 Photos from the world of SFZC 1973 on - and more

thanks for reminding Laura Burges

Seeking

But if you don't know where is the pillow, you are just seeking, worried, and your mind is open to everything. In that way, you will see things as it is.         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

More on Barrie Mason

On Barrie Mason's cuke page there's now a nice letter from Chris Fortin on Barrie and Barbara Wenger sent this cool photo of Barrie holding Lichen Brown at a ZC pre-school event around 1974.

Seeking

So when you are seeking for something, your true nature is in full activity, even when you know what you are seeking for-- like someone who is in the dark seeking for his own pillow because he lost it. At that time, your mind is in full function. But if you know where the pillow is, your mind is not in full function. Your mind is acting in a limited sense.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

RIP Barrie Mason

Barrie Mason died Wednesday evening. Farewell dear friend. She came to the Zen Center first in 1968. In recent years she's been practicing with Chris Fortin's sangha in Sonoma County.

More later. Just learned. No details.

Barrie Mason cuke page

Jewel Mirror

Twenty years ago Charlie Pokorny did a study of the Jewell Mirror Samadhi

You can find that and other random sutra stuff at this cuke sutra page which could be better organized and presented

Understand

The moment you think you understand something, you will stick to it. And you will lose the full function of your nature.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. 

Eureka!

 I have finally awakened to the answer to all my hopes and dreams and the pracice and searching. Read on.

Find Out

You should always try to find out what really mean by “buddha-nature” or by “practice” or by “enlightenment.” In this way, you will have a more subtle attitude towards everything until you understand things as it is.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-15 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not lookig for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these e,xcerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching.