Work

To work on something is not difficult but not working on anything is rather difficult. When we have an idea of self, we cannot stay still. Because we have an idea of self we find a reason why we work on something. But if you do not have any idea of self, you can remain silent and calm as you work on something. You will not lose your composure whether you work or not.

Sandy Watkins working with Chino Sensei

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-12-11-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Just To Sit

Most of you are beginners, so it may be rather difficult to understand why we practice zazen in this way. We always say, “just sit.” That’s all we say. But if you sit, you will find out Zen practice—just to sit is not so easy. Just to sit may be the most difficult thing.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-12-11-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Day by Day

You should just say, “Yes, I will” [laughs]. That is the secret of observing our precepts, and that is how you follow our rules. Then day by day your practice will mature.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Tatsudo Nicole Baden is a Dharma Successor of Zentatsu Baker in the Dharma Sangha Soto Zen Lineage. Last September Richard Baker passed on the abbotship of Dharma Sangha in Germany and the US to Nicole. In this podcast she will be talking about the Launch of the Dharma Academy with a free and open event on the weekend of May 23-25, “Engaging the Heart of Wisdom: Pathways for Meeting Uncertainty.” Participating dharma teachers include Zentatsu Richard Baker, Joan Halifax, Jiryu Rutschuman-Byler, Valerie Brown, Ryuten Paul Rosenblum, Rahshaana Green, Sarabinh Levy-Brightman, Ravi Welch, Lien Shutt, and Tatsudo Nicole Baden. Learn more about the event and sign up at courses.dharmaacademy.com/launch-event. Listen to the podcast and read more about her.

Pretty Good

Bodhidharma at first did not accept his disciple’s practice. But after he tried very hard, and he gave up the practice of perfection—then, okay he’s pretty good. His practice was mature enough. So, he didn’t say anything.

Drawing by Stan White

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Same Quality

The moon in the sky, the moon in the water; it is the moon. It has the same quality. Although it is small, even a bodhisattva mind of the moon is there. Dogen Zenji points out this point.

Image generated by Google Gemini

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

O Mother Gaia: The World of Gary Snyder

An excellent film called O Mother Gaia: The World of Gary Snyder has been completed just in time for Gary's 95th birthday. The 100-minute film by Colin Still features extensive footage of Gary himself along with Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Peter Coyote, Jane Hirschfield, Carol Koda (his late wife), and Jack Shoemaker (his publisher).

You can view the film for free at this link any time before midnight this Sunday (May 11). After that time it will presumably be available only through ordinary film distribution. I encourage you to see it now while you have a chance.

I assume that most of you know who Snyder is. If you don't, you may want to check out these two essays at my website:

• Gary Snyder: "Buddhist Anarchism" 
• Kenneth Rexroth: "Gary Snyder: Smokey the Bear Bodhisattva" 

Thanks, Ken Knabb, for sending this.

Incessantly

A bodhisattva mind will make its effort to save life. And because it is almost impossible that bodhisattva mind will continue with our teaching forever and will not stop. It will incessantly be working on everything. So, that kind of mind of course is not our dualistic small mind. But the relationship between our mind and this mind is very close. You cannot separate.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Tassajara Stories by David Chadwick - Kirkus Reviews

First review of the forthcoming Tassajara Stories: A Sort of Memoir/Oral History of the First Zen Buddhist Monastery in the West―The First Year, 1967 by David Chadwick and it's by Kirkus Reviews! Here's what they concluded: “An engrossing account of the people and antics that defined the Tassajara monastery in 1967.”

• kirkusreviews.com
• amazon.com

Buddha Is There

Even in our dualistic thinking mind, bodhisattva mind will reflect like the moon on water. That is, you may say, inspiration for the future. Even in your confused mind, Buddha is there. Even in muddy, wavy water, the moon will be there.

Image generated by Google Gemini

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Continues Forever

Someone may say, “Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to save them. If they are innumerable [laughs], how is it possible to save them?” But the bodhisattva way continues forever. So, a bodhisattva will go with bodhisattva mind forever. This kind of mind is not, of course, our thinking mind. It is beyond our thinking mind.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Buddha or Bodhisattva

Because you want to be a perfect Buddha instead of a bodhisattva, you have problems [laughs, laughter].

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

May Go to Hell

When you work in your garden, there may be various insects. What will you do? If you understand what you are doing is bodhisattva activity, then sometimes you will kill. By killing insects, you will go to hell [laughs, laughter]. But it doesn’t matter. You will go to hell with insects [laughter, laughs]. You will have many friends. You are stealing our vegetables, so I have to kill you. But because of killing you I may go to hell. Because of stealing our vegetables, you may go to hell. Let’s go to hell [laughs, laughter]! That is bodhisattva precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Even Our Confused Mind

To understand the evanescence of life will be at the same time how to arise bodhisattva mind. Bodhisattva mind is not dualistic thinking mind. This point is also Dogen Zenji’s point. Dualistic, confused mind is not bodhisattva mind, but even our confused mind is good enough to receive inspiration from the truth, from the Buddha toward you. So, when your dualistic mind receives that inspiration, at that time you are Buddha.

Drawing by Stan White

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Engaging the Heart of Wisdom

Live, Online & Free:  

An Invitation to the Dharma Academy Opening Event 
https://courses.dharmaacademy.com/launch-event

Pathways for Meeting Uncertainty

May 23–25 (all times in MST / Mountain Standard Time)

“Leaving self-centeredness behind, the world awakens — and calls us into a sense of shared aliveness. This calling is where wisdom begins, unfolds, and returns to its source: in stillness.” -Tatsudo Baden Roshi

Join us for this weekend of inspiration, exploration, and exchange.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Jean Ross began studying with Shunryu Suzuki very soon after he arrived in San Francisco. In this podcast, the second of two on her, I read more from her accounts in the Wind Bell publication of the SFZC about her experience studying Zen in Japan in the early sixties - and more. The podcast concludes with a piece I wrote about her for the Wind Bell in 1997 - DC.

Yes, I Will

Each moment includes its own past and future. A moment will be extended in four directions and past and future. So, as you practice zazen, you should say, “I will,” without being involved in doubting whether you can observe it forever or not. There’s no need from the beginning [laughs] to say, “No, I cannot.” You cannot say so. When you are really seeing things as it is, there is no position for you to say, “No.” The only way is, “Yes, I will.” That’s all that you can do.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Moment After Moment

No one can say in its ordinary sense, I can observe this precept forever [laughs]. You cannot say so. Even if you attain enlightenment, that is not possible. No one can be sure about anything. Moment after moment it is possible to say, “I will observe it.” At least in that moment, you should say, “Yes, I will.”

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Everything Changes

If it is possible for us to arise bodhisattva mind and to receive bodhisattva precepts, then you should, even if your practice is not so good, and you are always involved in dualistic thinking mind by emotional activities. Actually, as I always repeat, our practice is not a practice which you can explain completely. Our practice is something beyond our understanding. And Dogen says, we arise bodhisattva mind by knowing the teaching that everything changes.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 70-08-03 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.