Fold

So, I don't think all of you can practice our way with a teacher always. Some of you must go to your own home and practice alone. In such case, when you have some new experience, you should continue your practice folding the new experience within yourself, and act bravely according to the new experience. This kind of make-shift is necessary for you. We should not, you know, bound by same old way always. We should be always ready for a new experience. You may say that is kensho, or you may say—whatever you may say, this is quite new experience—experience both intellectual and emotional.              --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 67-08-20 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC Comment: Suzuki's comments about how to deal with unusual experiences for the last few days were surely given during the sesshin at the end of the first practice period and directed at Tim Burkett who'd had a great experience. He talks about it in his recent podcast and describes it in answer to a question at the bottom of his cuke page.

Andy Ferguson's great Zen Lineage Chart

This map was created to show the descent of the Zen ancestors, starting with Bodhidharma, and going down through the traditional five schools. The index not only allows locating a particular ancestor on the map, but also indicates where they can be found in the Blue Cliff Record, the Book of Serenity, and the Wumenguan (Mumonkan). Each ancestor is shown with their names in the Wade-Giles, Pinyin, and Romaji forms, along with their dates of birth and death (where known).

Andy's great Zen Lineage Map

Andy's cuke page

Susan Moon's got a New Book out

 

Congratulations Susan!

Alive till You're Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch

Read about it, choice of where to order it from  

Here's one of a number of impressive blurbs:

“Reading this book is like finding a friend, someone who is a bit wiser and more clear-sighted, honest and plain-spoken, someone who faces her fears and will help you face yours. Alive Until You’re Dead should be required reading for all mortals.”—Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness

Doing a cuke podcast with Susan in a few days. It will go online the weekend of May 7th. - dc 

Wonder

So, before you become afraid of it, or before you wonder what it is, you should practice more under the new experience, following the new experience. This is also a very important thing. You may see your teacher when you have a new experience, but teacher will say, "Practice more with the new understanding."              --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 67-08-20 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

An Art Exhibition not to miss

WILLARD DIXON 

APRIL 30 — MAY 27 —  Solo

Opening reception: April 30th, 5-7pm

ANDRA NORRIS GALLERY
311 Lorton Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010 USA
gallery: 650-235-9775
Info@andranorrisgallery.com

Andra Norris Gallery page for Mike's show

New

When you experience some new experience, at first you may be, you know, even afraid of it. And you may cry over the new experience even, because it is so different from the experience you have had, and the experience is too real to you. But that is because your practice is still wanting. You have to practice in other words until you get accustomed to, you can digest the new experience and you can act properly according to the new experience. This kind of understanding is necessary.              --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 67-08-20 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Instagram Cuke Archives

 

cuke_archives

lives online at cuke.com, cukenew.blogspot.com and ShunryuSuzuki.com. This is an excerpt edited from lecture 67-08-24-B at shunryusuzuki2.com/Detail1?ID=173. For links try: cuke.com/ig — contact: cuke-ig@sonic.net.

https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/

thanks Peter Ford

Continuing from Yesterday's Time talk

Student: Well then how do you interpret change? Or is there change, at all?

==Suzuki: Didn’t I explain about time? I thought I did. Time is something continuously change. And time is something -- idea of time is some continuous -- idea of continuity. And at the same time, idea of discontinuity.

When I say it is thirty-five past nine, time is idea of discontinuity. It is going [laughs], but we say it is thirty-seven minutes after nine. We cannot say so, but if we cannot say so, there is no reason why we have [laughs] a clock. When we use clock, we have the idea of time, and the idea of discontinuity of time. But actually, it is going, so time is idea of continuity. So, time is something is idea of continuity and discontinuity. So, you understand one reality in two ways: continuity and discontinuity, which is, you know, a pair of opposite ideas and contradict each other. So, in contradiction, you know, there is reality. So, to enjoy our life you need to have your past and future as your own. But each time you have your past and future, maybe past in this moment will be the same, but we are independent.             --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

A Song about Tassajara

Fooled by Everything 1980

On April 15th, I put an old music project online, the fifth album from the Defuser Music basket published through CD Baby and available on various platofrms like Spotify. I link to the ones on YouTube because they don't need an app to access.  

On this album is a song about Tassajara. Here's the YouTube link:

Where the World was Born

That's Liz Tuomi upper right, my mate for nine years and a superb pianist. Middle left is Alan Stone, son of Barton and Martha. Sadly, both Liz and Alan are not with us anymore. 

Here's a page for the album on Defuser Music dot com.

 

Beyond Time

Student: I can say now that I am 21 years old, and that my body is young, and it’s not giving me too much trouble. But when I get to be 65, it may be giving me a lot of trouble. And science would say that the reason that this is happening is because my body is getting older. And what I would like to know, is for a person who has gone beyond time, how would this person interpret the change that’s occurred to his body?

Suzuki: [Laughs] Beyond time! [laughs, laughter]. Beyond time does not mean [laughter, laughs] to be some quite different experience, departing stage or celestial being. [laughter] 

Student J: Maybe without time would be better than saying beyond time.

Suzuki: Beyond time means to live in each moment. To enjoy or to appreciate your life, day by day, is how to live beyond the idea of time. Actually, there is no time, you know. Time is something which is happening. Day after day is time. There is no measurement of time. You may say clock is measuring but that is not true.            --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Cannot

The truth is something which we cannot bring perfectly into our everyday life.             --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Whatever

Whatever you say, or whatever you do, or whatever you think, that is not absolutely -- absolutely right.            --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Help Others

And how enlightenment happens to you is -- there may be two ways. By all of a sudden attaining enlightenment, or by long practice. When you become more and more aware of what you are doing in its true sense, and when you become sympathetic with people’s misunderstanding of our practice, and when you have found out how you can help them, you have come to some point where you can help others, even though you do not attain enlightenment            --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Mike Dixon Show coming up

 

Some new sky paintings Mike will be showing in a one man show at Andra Norris' gallery in Burlingame, opening April 30.

"Ann's Skies" (triptych) 65''x 60'' each.

Mike Dixon online gallery --- his cuke page

Goal

 We are practicing actually, you know, aiming at a goal. But that goal, "what is the goal?" is the point. To find goal in each moment is the goal. And that is enlightenment.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Continuing from Yesterday

  

We're more than a part of the one. If we say, we are part of it, the true relationship to the absolute one, will be lost. If we are a part of it, then what is the real relationship to the absolute one? And if everyone of us is unfolding of the one infinite absolute, or deity, then the meaning of each person will be lost. We are just unfolding of one infinite being. So, each one of us loses our sense of meaning of being. So, we are not even the unfolding of the absolute one. Or we are not even a part of it. If you think to this extent, you will, you know, find out what is the absolute one. Okay? Not part of it. Or we are not unfolding of the one being. So, [laughs] say something! [Laughs, laughter] Who are you? [Laughter] No words! [laughs].          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Hypothesis

Student F: Doesn’t the second principle depend on the first principle?

Suzuki: Depends on, but the way it depends on is different. Even though you extend the second principle, you cannot reach the first principle. If you add one and one and one, no matter how many ones you add, it will not reach to infinity. So, infinity, or the first principle, is something beyond the second principle. Or you may say the viewpoint is quite completely different. But if you divide the absolute one as much as possible, that is, infinity. When we understand in this way, we can say, we are a part of it. But we are not. Our understanding is not based on one or two. Our understanding is based on something absolute [laughs], which we don’t know. But we may be a part of it. When we understand in that way, we are a part of it. So, it is a kind of belief, you may say. But it is more than belief. It should be fully true, or else we cannot exist here. Big hypothesis [laughs]. Yet, there is no other way.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Principle

 Student E: You talked of the first principle and the second principle. What is the difference?

Suzuki: The second principle is ordinary common sense. Or the teaching which is for patients is the second principle. But people know this is just for some particular patient. So, there must be some absolute teaching which is for everyone. People, Buddhists look for some teaching which is permanent. And what is that permanent teaching? That was a problem for them. And we need general teachings that whatever it is that is told by someone is not the First Principle. Then what is the First Principle? The First Principle is something which you cannot understand, to which there’s no approach. That is the First Principle.         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC: Student E is Tim, either Burkett or Buckley. Would have to listen to know. They were both there then at Tassajara.

From Reed College to Goshawk friend

Len Brackett was a recent Cuke Podcast guest. 

That's Len's Goshawk with a baby and next he helped to build. 

He also builds traditional Japanese homes.

He and a buddy started the Zen home at Reed College from which came so many Zennies.

Here's a cuke page for him. 

Check it out.

Outline

What we are studying in our lecture is to have some outline of Buddhism intellectually. Without some outline of teaching, or suggestion, you cannot practice. You cannot study. That is why we give you some advice or framework of Buddhism. And to point out some important points in your practice.           --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC: In editing this post, you know, cut out "you know" five times, you know.

Links added here this time

 Links came off of the prior post for the festschrift book for Richard Baker, Roundabout Zen.

Sometimes the links come off in posting. Ugh. Pisses me off when it happens. - dc

Here they are - PDF of the book ---- Cuke page for the book

Beginner's Mind

Student C: Would you explain to us again what you mean by the beginner’s mind.

Suzuki: Beginner’s mind is, you know, when you started, just started your study, you have no prejudice, you know -- no preconceived idea. You don’t know anything about Buddhism. And you open your whole mind to the Buddhism. That is beginner’s mind. After you study our way, you feel as if you understood Buddhism, and as if you attained something special. That is quite usual. But at that time you just lose your beginner’s mind. So, even though you study Buddhism, you should like to study more. And your study is not good enough. Then what you study is Buddhism. Do you understand? That is beginner’s mind. And that beginner’s mind is also big mind. Is my answer is acceptable?          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC: He shows a little beginners mind at the end by asking if his answer is acceptable. 

A Festschrift Book for Richard Baker

Roundabout Zen: 
Recollections in Celebration of the 70th Birthday of Zentatsu Baker Roshi 

Edited by Paul Lee
Compiled by Tenryu Paul Rosenblum
Crestone Books, 2006.

cuke adds another hard-to-find but relevant book to its collection

cuke page for this book

Silk

Student A: The other night you compared practice to an unbroken band of pure white silk for ten thousand miles. 

Suzuki: Ah, hah.

Poison

We have a saying, Buddha gave us poison [laughs]. Buddha started some poisonous religion against religion.  [laughs]. But that is not his fault[laughs], his followers hold fault. All the religions are good, if we studied with sincerity for the people and not for the religion, and through and through, it is good. And we need various religions because there are many different types of people. So, each one of us needs his own religion. So, strictly speaking, religion should be our own. And, when we have our own teaching, mysteriously enough it becomes a true teaching, and we can communicate with each other. This is also true.           --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Devices

Even though for people we describe Amida Buddha's word in a mystic way, a peaceful way, a fantastic way, it is just, you know, good devices of Buddha. In this way, before Bodhidharma came to China, people were already prepared for accepting Zen Buddhism. And after five hundred years since Buddhism came to China, Buddhism become more and more stronger and stronger and at last Zen Buddhism almost covered whole China, from end of Tang Dynasty. But it took pretty long time, you know, maybe seven, eight hundred years of time.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC: I'd say devices meant skillful means, upaya.

Tree Talk

Rocks to Roots conservation site podcast with Kelly Chadwick, my eldest son, who spent a lot of time growing up at Tassajara, the Page Street City Center, and Green Gulch. The podcast focuses on his career as an arborist and his company in Spokane Washington, Spirit Pruners. In recent years he's brought a crew down to work on trees at Jamesburg and Tassajara.

Kelly's cuke page

A Tassajara Scrapbook delux!

David Roger's new edition of A Tassajara Scrapbook is a greatly improved presentation of the writings, photos, and newspaper clippings from as far back as they go to the purchase of Tassajara Hot Springs by the San Francisco Zen Center. Available in printed form from the SFZC bookstore. 

David Rogers cuke page - a lot more there

Continuing from yesterday's post

Even according to the Shin school, who believe in Amida Buddha as a saver of sentient beings, this is also true. Amida Buddha. When we say Amida Buddha, Amida Buddha includes every one of us. The mouth we repeat Amida Buddha's name is also Amida Buddha's mouth, not our mouth. When we practice, when we repeat his name with this idea, then that is to believe in Amida Buddha. It is not because we repeat his name that Amida Buddha saves us. But because all of us are originally Amida Buddha, a part of Amida Buddha, so the only thing is, we should believe in him. That is how we believe in Amida Buddha.          --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Diamond

According to Shingon school, the something which is told by Buddha is not -- we cannot authorize anyone, or any teaching by what was told teaching -- what was told by Buddha. According to Shingon school the Diamond Sutra, Diamond Sutra is the supreme teaching which was told by Buddha and which told by Buddha without any audience. This is very funny [laughs].The teaching which was told by some special person, according to his character, or his ability, is not absolute teaching because it was told by him, like a medicine to the patient. If the patient changes, the teaching will change, so it is not absolute teaching. But the Diamond Sutra, which was told by Buddha to himself, is the only teaching which we can depend [according to the Shingon school].   But this is not a complete understanding. That is why Zen puts emphasis on our practice. Whatever the teaching is which was told by someone, is not absolute teaching. This is traditional understanding of our teaching. Not only Zen, but also for every school of Buddhism.      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Tendai

According to the Tendai school, there are, the aspects of being and non-being, and the third aspect includes aspects of viewpoint of being and non-being, and it is something beyond being and non-being. That is the third aspect. And according to Tendai school, according to the third aspect, you cannot arrange our teaching this way or that way. To arrange the teaching this way or that way, a time span or a space span in the teaching which is in maybe the third dimension. But the absolute teaching which we transmit from master to the other is not this kind of teaching. According to the Tendai school it is so.         --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Transmit

All the teachings which was written is the second principle [laughs]. The first principle is the principle which you cannot talk about and which we transmit from master to master, from patriarch to patriarch. So how to transmit it is the point we should study [laughter].        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

One and Two

So since then, when Nangaku called him for the first time, "Where are you from?" he said, you know, that is already a question about the first principle: "Where are you from?" "Who are you?"

 "I don't know" is right, you know.

This kind of question and answer started from Bodhidharma, and intellectually, this point was discussed by many teachers, even before Bodhidharma came to China. According to the Sanron school they classify our teaching in two: the first principle, and the second principle. The second principle is the principle which we can study and talk about intellectually. And the first one something which we cannot talk about. If we talk about it, it is already the second principle. So we classify our teaching in two.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Don't Know

In the Bodhidharma story -- if the Emperor thinks he is the holy one, that is not true. When -- especially when the Emperor asked him "What is the first principle?" you know. First principle is not something holy, or not holy. Whatever you say about, it is not right. So he said "I don't know." [laughs] No, not a matter of holy or not holy. "Who are you?" he said. If I am Bodhidharma, that is not perfect, so he said, "I don't know."      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

Tassajara Tales

 A SFZC program hosted by Diane Renshawl. Check it out.

Not Usual

And this, you know, "I don't know," "Who are you in front of me?" you know, "What is the first principle," the Emperor asked. "I don't know," [laughs] he said. "I don't know," "There's no holy person," or "Nothing sacred -- no sacred teachings," that was his answer. "Then aren't you the teacher from India?" the Emperor asked. Bodhidharma said, "I don't know." [laughs] This "I don't know" is not usual "I don't know."      --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 68-07-23 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com, from one of the newly discovered (2021) lecture tapes. 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo

DC: This is verbatim what Suzuki said, running through the Bodhidharma and Emperor exchange like a dream sequence. The key is that the "I don't know" is not the usual meaning.

Learn the low down on Bodhidharma

 

Counterpoint Press page for this book with a good synopsis of the book.

Andy Ferguson cuke page

Listen to the recent cuke podcast with Andy (and another coming up soon).

On thing Andy points out is that there had been Zen in China for hundreds of years already when Bodhidharma arrived. Bodhidharma is the first patriarch of Zen in China because only his lineage survives.

Bodhidharma story continued from yesterday

And there were more -- more questions and answers. "Bodhidharma, I helped building temples and supported many -- patronized many teachers. What is the virtue of my deed?" And Bodhidharma said, "No merit." [laughs] That was his answer. So the emperor couldn’t understand what does he mean by "no virtue."