Just Follow Our Breathing

In its strict sense, koan Zen or shikantaza is for very advanced students, not for us. Before we can practice koan Zen or shikantaza, we should be able to practice counting breathing practice or following breathing practice which is very close to shikantaza. Just follow our breathing. And then, maybe we can say our practice is shikantaza.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Enter Sincerely

For every one of us, the most important point should be our practice. As long as we enter the zendo, we should practice our zazen sincerely. And we should devote ourselves to beginner’s practice like counting breathing.

Summer 1970 - Alan Marlowe, Mel Weitsman, Shunryu Suzuki

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Should Be Able To Do It

Many people have asked me, “I tried counting breathing practice for one year. So, how about just following my breathing, without counting?” I always said okay, but I think I was not so kind to you. Even though he tried for one year, he may not be able to do it. It may be because he forgets to count, or he may go to ten, eleven, twelve [laughs, laughter], thirteen, fourteen, and forget. I said it would be all right. But recently I don’t think so [laughs]. We should be able to do it. After you are able to do it, you should start another practice, one by one. In that way we should practice.

1970 - Mel Weitsman’s shuso (head monk) ceremony at Tassajara

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

More on Dennis Marshall

Dennis is 3rd from left at Tassajara long ago.

From the Crestone Mt. ZC news. 

We would like to let you know of the passing of long-time practitioner and Sangha member Dennis Marshall. Dennis died on November 26th, just two days before what would have been his 93rd birthday. His time in the Sangha dates back to the early days of the San Francisco Zen Center. He moved to Crestone in the early 90's, and since then had a continuous presence at CMZC. He was a resident here for some time, and then steadily continued to attend Sesshin and other events after leaving. He was well known in the small Crestone community.

On the morning of November 30th, Baker Roshi led the Cremation Funeral Service for him here in Crestone. Members of the Crestone community, some of whom had known Dennis for years, and some who were new friends, joined with the resident CMZC Sangha to remember him. We bow to Rei Un Mitsu Zen.

Dennis Marshall's cuke page

Dennis Marshall January 2022 podcast encore presentation

RIP Dennis Marshall podcast 

Featured Cuke Archives page

RIP Dennis Marshall | Podcast - Dennis Marshall first showed up at the SF Zen Center in 1970. He died in November two days short of 93. In this brief podcast I read the Crestone Mt. Zen Center news obituary for him and then emails between us that became his Cuke Interview. His January 2022 Cuke Podcast will be presented next, hopefully tomorrow. - dc

Something to look forward to

Monkfish Publishing Company's lead book for the fall season will be

Tassajara Stories: A Sort of Memoir/Oral History of the First Zen Buddhist Monastery in the West—The First Year, 1967

by David Chadwick

Pub date: September 23, 2025

Hardcover: 978-1-958972-89-2

eBook: 978-1-958972-90-8

The audiobook is almost ready.
This image will be used in the cover. 

Counting Exhaling

Since old times, many people tried counting practice. Just counting inhaling only, or exhaling only, or both inhaling and exhaling. So, there are three ways. You can try any of those three ways. I am practicing on counting exhaling only. And I want you to try this practice more.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

Counting Breathing Practice

We have many students now. That is, I think, very good. But it is difficult for me to take care of you because you are so many [laughs]. I am always thinking about what to do with so many students. While I was in bed, I thought it may be better for us to be concentrated on a more simple practice. I think the most simple practice is counting breathing practice: susoku. This is a very old style of practice that was for Theravada Buddhists and Mahayana Buddhists and for Bodhidharma’s zazen and for various teachers’ practice. It is very simple but is pretty difficult: just to count from one to ten, over and over. [Laughs.] That is the practice.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.

RIP Dennis Marshall

 More on Dennis tomorrow. Just learning as I go to sleep.  Gya te gya te. Farewell dharma bro. - dc

Equal

Joshu said, “If someone is good, I will study under him. If I am better, I shall be a teacher wherever I go. Whether he is old or young is not the point.” So, we should always be equal. If you know better than I, you should teach me. If I know something which you don’t know, I should teach you. This is how we should practice our way.

Shunryu Suzuki with Bishop Togen Sumi and Kobun Chino

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-05-18 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.