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Thursday, December 14, 2023

One Finger

Do you know the famous story of Gutei? When Tenryu pointed up one finger, Gutei attained enlightenment. What do you think about this one finger?

When he became pretty old Gutei said, “I received Tenryu’s one finger, which I have been using for my whole life. What do you think this is?”

[Laughs] the one finger Tenryu pointed does not mean “one.” What he actually meant is our practice, our shikantaza.

Stained Glass by Narcissus Quagliata

cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-10-12-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.