Handy

The way to help others as Nirmanakaya Buddha is to take various forms and give them some handy help. But as the Sambhogakaya Buddha we should realize that there is no “I” or “you”-- it is all one being. When we realize this nature, which is universal, we can help others without trying to help them, because whatever we do, that is our activity.  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC

Podcast Report

Last Saturday, 9-19, our guest on Cuke Audio Podcast was Jack Elias, a Shunryu Suzuki and Chogyam Trungpa student. Jack was at the first practice period at Tassajara. If you look on the home page of cuke.com at the group photo taken in the fall of '67 just after the first practice period, you'll see him in there second from left 2nd row down. There's a link below that photo to a version of it with names if you wish to make sure. Sunday was our usual day off. Monday was a mini podcast, another vignette from Zen Is Right Here - #58. Wednesday will be #59, Friday #60. Tuesday today was the last post from Crooked Cucumber, which has been read chapter by chapter once a week since early April. Today's, as last week's, was an outtake from the book - A Visit to Massachusettes, about Suzuki's first East Coast trip to be with John and Elsie Mitchell, founder of the Cambridge Buddhist Asso. Thursday will be the weekly episode of Life in Bali, a diversion from all this Zen nonsesne. Check 'em out if you're of a mind. - dc

Ri and Ji

The Japanese term for truth is ri, and the Japanese term for various beings is ji. Ji and ri are very important, key technical words in Buddhism. When we realize ri in its true sense, we are Sambhogakaya Buddha. When we observe things as we observe the objective world, and when we want to help people involved in the objective or materialistic world, we are Nirmanakaya Buddha.  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC

China aims for 'carbon neutrality by 2060'

 Good climate news - BBC

this was meant for Cuke nonZense Blog but it slipped in here

Kokyo Henkel again!

 Posted a link to a piece by Kokyo in Lions Roar a few days ago and have since learned that Kokyo is no longer at the Santa Cruz ZC. He's now in Crestone coursing through the Prajna Paramita en solo for a Covid while. And here's his website.

Water

Ri means “truth,” and ji means “event” or “being,” something which exists, like a stone or like water. Ri means, not “water nature,” but how it becomes water from air. So another side of water is truth, and that truth is not something which we can see. You can see the nature of water: it flows from a higher place to a lower place.  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC

Photo Essay of Three Temples in Japan

The three Japanese temples where Shunryu Suzuki was born and lived  - photos by Bill Schwob

See yesterday's Cuke nonZense post on Bill's sculpture.  

Bill's website

xSometimes

 So sometimes “Dharma” means “teaching,” sometimes “reality,” and sometimes “being,” just “something,” just “there.” --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC

Figure it out this way

 Buddhists figure it out in this way: because many people ask us, “What is Dharma Body?” we must say something about it, so we try to figure out what we should say. In this case, we give a very difficult explanation. If I don't say anything, you may say, “He doesn't know anything about the Dharma Body. He is not such a good teacher.” So I must make a narrow escape. The way to do it is to talk about some truth. Nature and truth are not exactly the same. Truth is nearer to the Dharma Body. The idea is also pretty close to the Dharma Nature, but it exists just in between the Dharma Nature and the Dharma Body.        --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-10-00-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching. - DC

Tassajara area and fire

 Fire Updates from the SFZC 

Note that it reports: For information specific to the fires in the area of Tassajara, we have found the blog site Big Sur Kate to be very helpful.

thanks Linda Ruth Cutts and Ed Sattizahn