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Monday, September 2, 2024

Carrying a Big Board

We call someone who understands things from just one side, tamban-kan. In Japanese it means a man who carries a board on his shoulder. Because he carries a big board on his shoulder this way, he cannot see the other side [laughs]. He is always carrying a big board on his shoulder. Almost all people are carrying a big board, so they cannot see the other side. He thinks he is just an ordinary man, but if he takes off the board, he will understand, “Oh, I am buddha, too [laughs]. It is amazing,” he may say. That is enlightenment.

Erik Storlie and his brother

cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-30 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.