Sleepy Soto

The people say Soto Zen is “sleepy [laughs] zazen.” Soto priest, even though their posture is good, but they are sleepy. That is true [laughs, laughter]. We become easily sleepy-- especially, you know, when we are completely involved in some heavy-- physically heavy work or when we are want of sleep.                  --------------------------- 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.

The only example of Shunryu Suzuki using the word Thanksgiving in a lecture that we can find

When I came to America, I found some special food for me and I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it very much-- that was potato. Potato was delicious to me, but I don't know if it is so for you or not. I don't know what kind of nourishment potato has, I haven't studied anything about potato, but I like it very much. The reason why I like it is-- I don't know why-- when I was in Japan, of course, I liked it, but I didn't think I liked potatoes so much!

But after I came to America, having various foods and I haven't not much chance to eat potatoes: maybe once a month or so. When I was invited for Thanksgiving, I had mashed potatoes-- that was delicious. But usually I haven't mashed potatoes, or even baked potato. At Tassajara I told Ed I like potato [laughs]. Sometimes, as we have various food-- various kinds of food, so Ed cannot give me always potato. So only once in a while I had potato.

As soon as I come back from Tassajara I go to the grocery store and buy three or four potatoes. And as it takes pretty long time to cook it, I cut it and fry it. My boy doesn't like it, but I like it. My wife doesn't like it much. So I cook it just for myself. Do you know why? Potato was-- when I was young I-- my hometown produced a lot of potatoes, so I was eating potatoes always when I was a boy. So that is why I like it. When I was eating I didn't like it so much because I had it almost not everyday, but four times or more a week.

This kind of experience characterized our character. I think you may not like zazen so much, but you think this is good, so you may practice it. But you may not realize how much progress you made in your zazen practice. Some may do, but most of you don't, I am afraid. But that is all right. This kind of experience which is not just reading or listening to lecture and something which you experience, both physically and spiritually, without thinking about it. Without trying to find out the meaning of it, beyond our intellectual understanding, to practice our way without any gaining idea. To practice our way is valuable and you will have real power of digesting things.  - a special thanksgiving day Shunryu Suzuki lecture excerpt from 68-12-21 on shunryusuzuki.co

And happy Thanksgiving from DC and the gang at Cuke Archives

Follow

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.                 --------------------------- 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.

Devote

 So for every one of us, the most important point should be our practice. As long as you enter zendo, you should practice our zazen sincerely. And we should be involved-- we should devote ourself for beginner's practice like counting breathing.                 --------------------------- 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.

Three Ways

From old time, many people tried this way. Just counting inhaling only, or exhaling only, or both inhaling and exhaling. Can you hear me? Inhaling and exhaling. So there are three ways. So you can try, you know, any of those three ways. I am practicing on counting exhaling only. And I want you to, you know, try this practice 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.

A New Minimum Edit

 of a Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 67-08-21 - for your reading pleasure

Susoku

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 don't know what to do with so many students. I am thinking always on that point. And while I was in bed, what I thought was it may be better for us to be concentrated on more simple practice. I think the most simple practice is counting breathing practice: susoku . This is very old style of practice. This practice was for Hinayana Buddhist and for Mahayana Buddhist and for Bodhidharma's zazen and for various teachers' practice. And which is very simple but which is pretty difficult: just to count from one to ten, over and over. [Laughs.] That is practice.                  --------------------------- 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.

Ken Knabb strikes again!

The BUREAU OF PUBLIC SECRETS now offers

TRAVEL DIARIES 

Illustrated Accounts of Ken Knabb’s International Trips, 1971-2018

The BPS website features Ken Knabb’s writings, his translations from

Guy Debord and the Situationist International, and a large archive of

material by and about Kenneth Rexroth.               

Ken Knabb's cuke page            

But what about those who think they know everything?

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 point,” Joshu said. So we should be always equal, you know. If you know better than I, you should teach me. If I know something which you don't know, I should teach you. In this way, we should practice our way.                  --------------------------- 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 his 65th birthday talk

Tassajara I am lucky to have, and I am lucky to have good teachers visiting Tassajara. But if I could make a trip, you know, it may be much better: as an unknown humble priest, you know, to visit teachers and to ask question and to receive instruction. In this way they [the old masters] studied.                   --------------------------- 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.