Cannot Help Doing So

We say even though Buddhism is impossible to attain, we should attain it. This is big patience, knowing that it is impossible. But with big patience we cannot help doing so. That is not patience even. That is to do something because you cannot help doing so.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Small Patience, Big Patience

Small patience is like even though you have physical suffering or mental suffering, to be patient is small patience. And big patience is something different from to be patient with your physical or mental distress or suffering. That is small patience, but big patience is to be patient about not knowing anything, or for not to achieve anything. This is big patience. Just to sit is big patience for not achieving anything [laughs]. Just to sit. And to repeat the same thing over and over again, day after day, just to repeat things over and over.

Image generated by ChatGPT

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-D 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.

Shobogenzo

As we are human beings, it is impossible to keep Dogen’s pure teaching always fresh and in use, but everyone agreed that his cover was the best cover, anyway. No dust [laughs] can enter the pan; it is so perfect a cover. So, we have to have some Soto priests who can understand what Shobogenzo is. And there must be many Zen masters who are actually practicing zazen. But those who practice zazen will make some mistakes, you know. So, we should have a cover. By mistake I mean dust [laughter]. Soon we will be dusty. There may be many, many misunderstandings of Zen. When we enter some dead end, we should find out what we are doing. That is Shobogenzo.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.

Still Exists

As he was writing, Dogen thought it was not the time to make Japanese people understand what Buddhism was right then. It was not possible. So, he trained several disciples, and he prepared a perfect cover [laughs], so that someday people would be able to use the pan of the Soto school. Before they could use the Soto way, it was necessary for him to make a cover for it. That is Shobogenzo. That is why the Soto school still exists seven hundred years later. It still exists because of the cover he made.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.

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A Cover

The most important point is not to be one-sided. Practice and study are both important. But it is not possible for anyone to achieve everything. So, as I said, to have the same cover [laughs], is very important. The cover should not be used. When you do something, you should take off the cover [laughs]. If you want to boil something with a cover [laughs], you will get confusion. For us the cover is the Shobogenzo. This is perfect understanding of our way. But perfect understanding will not work [laughs]. It’s too perfect [laughs]. But it will keep dust from the pan [laughs], and if you put a cover on your pan, you can use it whenever you want to use your pan. So, it is very important to have a cover for it.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.

Right Understanding of Practice

Now here in Zen Center we are practicing a very rigid way after the example of the Japanese way, but it does not mean we are forcing our way on you. But it will give you some suggestions, and it will take, I think, a pretty long time before you establish your own way. So, for you, a pioneer [laughs] of Buddhism, it may be pretty difficult. But if you have right understanding of our way, you can explain why we have this kind of practice and why you should do this kind of practice.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.

Truth Is The Same

In the East and in the West, the truth is always the same, and we are coming to the same conclusions, I think. Although the way is different, but more and more your philosophy will become like the Shobogenzo, and our way will become more and more scientific. And in this way, I hope we will achieve something very good.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.

Inexplicable Actual Practice

In a logical or philosophical way, philosophers found what our true nature is. But no one had brought it into practice. That is why Buddhism has the practice of zazen. To bring something which is inexplicable to actual practice is Zen practice. This is one of the noble truths. That is why Zen is so important in Buddhism. Without Zen the teaching of Buddha cannot be understood by us.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 65-07-28-C 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.