Necessary

If you want to practice this kind of practice as a good example of everyday life, you need your friends, you need your teacher, you need the precepts we have. Even though it is almost impossible to observe them, they are necessary. And some form is necessary, and some way of working or some way of taking breaths is necessary.

—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.

Enlightenment Is Everywhere

Enlightenment is not some certain stage. Enlightenment is everywhere. Wherever you are, enlightenment is there. Whatever you do, if you do it with your best effort, that is enlightenment. This point is very important for our Zen practice and for our everyday life. So, to practice Zen is a part of everyday life. In everyday life we should make our effort. Without our effort in everyday life, just coming to sit here for forty minutes, that is not Zen at all.

—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.

Best Effort

Our effort is to observe precepts. If we give our best effort each moment with confidence, that is enlightenment. Don’t ask whether a way is perfect or not. When we do our best to observe precepts, to practice Zen, then there is enlightenment. There is no other way to attain enlightenment.

—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.

That Effort

Dogen Zenji actually was enlightened when he heard a disciple being hit by his master. “What are you doing? You have to make hard effort. What are you doing here?” His teacher slapped a person who sat next to him, and he was enlightened. That effort is Zen.

—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.

The Secret

The secret of observing precepts is to practice Zen. Because if you practice Zen, the dualistic idea of to observe or not to observe takes place within your mind. You have no one to blame, and there is no one who is violating precepts. When you make an effort to observe precepts, even though it is not complete, that effort is Buddha-Mind’s effort. If you yourself are outside of the precepts or Buddha-Mind, there is no time to observe completely. But if your activity is involved in Buddha’s big activity, whatever you do is Buddha’s effort. Then even though it is not perfect, you are manifesting Buddha’s mercy and activity.

—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.

Richard Baker Recovering

 Here's a page on cuke.com for Richard Baker's recovery from his stroke. Nothing new. A few photos. Will add to it.

Zen Practice and Precepts Is One

We say, “Zen practice and precepts is one.” To observe precepts is to practice Zen. It is the same thing. In precepts we have—not moral code—but we have many rules. Most of the rules or commandments are almost impossible to observe completely [laughs]. I don’t think that you can observe them. But if you practice zazen, you can [laughs] observe them.

—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.

Featured Cuke Archives page

Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler is the abbot of Green Gulch Farm as a co-abbot of the SF Zen Center. In the podcast he talks about Becoming Yourself, an upcoming book of Shunryu Suzuki lectures that he worked on with Mel Weitsman. First he talks briefly about Nicole Baden and Richard Baker's recent stay at the City Center and Green Gulch and Baker's stroke of a week ago. He reads selections from Becoming Yourself: Teachings on the Zen Way of Life and we talk about that and more. Most enjoyable. Listen to the podcast and read more about him.

Big Mind

If your effort is based on big mind, you cannot get out of it. It is so big that you cannot get out of it. But if your small self starts to act without any care of big mind, that is not Zen. What you do should be well taken care of by big mind. So, our practice should be based on big mind. Then the pain we have in our legs is the same, but how we handle it is quite different.

—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.

Buddha’s Practice Should Be Better

All those difficulties you have in zazen should not take place outside of your mind. All those efforts should be kept within your mind. In other words, you have to accept it. You should not try to make a particular effort based on your small self like: “My practice should be better,” [laughs] “my practice.” Buddha’s practice should be better, but not yours.

—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.