Conclusion of Shunryu Suzuki's 65th birthday lecture

So we must, you know, step by step, we must make mule step [laughs]. Better than horse, maybe. The cow step is best for us, but that is too slow for American people [laughs, laughter]. Let's make our, you know, practice sure, you know. Sure and steady. Thank you very much.    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.

Cuke Podcast with Shohaku Okumura

 

He's a good man. Check it out.

Here's his cuke page

Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana

So we can forget everything he's said up to now in this lecture

But before I think we talk about or worry about those things, we should do-- do it, you know. We should practice real practice, without counting others' treasure, you know. It doesn't, you know, mean anything to count someone's treasure.   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.

Continuing on from previous posts

In Japan, scholars and teachers study Zen and Buddhism from various angle. But if they ignore those points, it may be like counting sands of Ganges. It doesn't work at all [laughs]. They will create more problems [laughs]. So Buddhism will be lost. I think this is very serious problem.  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.

DC Comment: Gosh - ignore what points I'd wonder when hearing him say this in a lecture. What points was he making a minute ago? If I don't remember and figure out what not to ignore, nothing will work, I'll create more problems, even Buddhism itself will be lost. A serious problme indeed.

Sex, Gossip, Religion

Ken Ireland's Jesus Koan blog hits on a thorny subject. He's a former Jesuit Zennie living these days in Dharamsala near the Dalai Lama's place there. 

Ignore

If you are in Tassajara, you are comparatively in good situation. Although those things [difficulties in breath counting and following] look like very minor problemz, but actually, if we ignore them, even though we try to achieve something great, we will not be able to do it.                    --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.

Correction

 The part of the video featured today with Reuven Ben Yuhmin starts at 33:40, not 38:40. My bad. - DC

Reuven in a Video

Reuven (Roovane) Ben Yuhmin, Robert Front, has a segment in this 2017 video called Spiritual Journeys of Monks at 33:40. Reuven went in 2010 to Bodhinyana Monastery, a Theravada monastery near Perth. - thanks Koji Acquaviva Dreher

Reuven's cuke page 

More on Counting Breaths

If you find out some physical or some other reason why you cannot count your breaths, you will notice the reason why, and you can organize your everyday life more.                   --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.

Taking Care

 If you count your breathing, you will easily notice that you are not taking care of your everyday life.                  --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-05-18 - 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. Go to https://www.instagram.com/cuke_archives/ for more daily Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpts - with a photo.