Your mind pervades all over your body. And all the parts of your body are participating in one activity. Dogen Zenji says, “like a mountain” in his instructions. Which means your body should be like one big mountain.
Painted by Dan Welch
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-08-25 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
And I always explain how you do it: That is to have right posture. Having some strength here [hara], and having a perfect mudra like this, and you feel as if you are trying to open your arms a little bit. And pull your chin and stretch your neck as if you are supporting something on your head. And you have strength in your hara, especially when you inhale. In other words, your inhaling comes to the bottom of your tummy. At that time you feel as if you are opening your arms. Actually they shouldn’t move. And you exhale without losing your power in your tummy.
You practice our way as one unified activity, mind and body, and each part of your body from the ends of your nails to the [laughs] top of your head.
Bob Walter in Tasmania doing yoga
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-08-25 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
The mysterious power of showing the appearance of the Buddha in each world in each pore of the body: that is actually zazen practice. When you practice zazen in its true sense, actually you are Buddha himself, and in each pore of your body you have so many worlds [laughs]. And in each of the worlds, there is Shakyamuni Buddha. This is an explanation of our shikantaza.
Photo by Meiya Wender
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-08-25 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
Emptiness is in usual activity; it’s not the goal of practice or the purpose or aim of activity. The only way to realize the absolute is through our practice in its true sense.
All that we do or all that we think is not absolute itself. So, there is no reason why we should attach to it. The only thing we should observe as absolute is emptiness, which is the absolute in its true sense, which is quite different from somethingness [laughs]. All that you do is somethingness, and you cannot understand emptiness. So, that is why it is called emptiness.
First of all you should be able to accept things as it is, and you should be able to help others in various ways, not just by sitting. So although we have no koans, we have various kinds of ways of helping people, not just by sitting.
—cuke.com/ig
for links to the source of the photo.
Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-24 as found on
shunryusuzuki.com,
edited by PF. Go to
instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
Even though we are all Buddha, there are some who are actually aware of being Buddha and some who are not aware of it. So, for the enlightened person, everyone is Buddha. But for those who are not aware of it, you know, they are not Buddhist.
—cuke.com/ig
for links to the source of the photo.
Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-07-24 as found on
shunryusuzuki.com,
edited by PF. Go to
instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
Joanna Bull was a student of Shunryu Suzuki became a psychoanalyst and, as a result of having Gilda Radner as a client, went on to be a founder of Gilda's Club and the Cancer Support Community. She's got a neat ghost story too which led to her coming to the Zen Center.
Joanna was Joanne back when she was at Tassarajara.