Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shunryu

Every person is a philosopher by nature; however, we are quickly dissuaded from this delightful activity by those who call philosophy impractical. But there is nothing more practical than knowing who you are and what you think. Try it sometime.

Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:58 am

Wherever You Are, Enlightenment Is There
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sesshin: First Night Lecture, “I Don't Know Zazen”
September 1969
Tassajara
(title from book: Not Always So, p. 127)

In our practice, the most important thing [is] to-- to know-- to know. “To know” is that we have buddha-nature. Our practice-- real practice happens when realization of buddha-nature take place. Intellectually we know that we have buddha-nature, and that is what was taught by Buddha.

But to know buddha-nature-- when you know that we have buddha-nature, at the same time you will know that even though we have buddha-nature, you know, it is rather difficult to accept it. At the same time, we have various evil nature. And buddha-nature is something beyond good and bad, but our everyday life is going [on] in realm of good and bad. So there is-- there is two-- twofold of duality. One is duality of good and bad, and the other is duality of good and bad-- realm of good and bad, and realm of the world where there is no good and no bad.

And our everyday life is going [on] in realm of good and bad-- the realm of duality. And buddha-nature or our absolute nature is found in the realm of absolute where there is no good and bad. Our practice is to go beyond the realm of good and bad and to realize the one absolute world-- to enter the one absolute world is our practice. If I say in this way it is rather-- it may rather difficult to understand.

Hashimoto Roshi, the famous Zen master who passed away last year or 1967, I think, explained this point. “It is”-- I think I told you once-- ”It is like a-- to-- to prepare a food,” you know. We prepare food-- various food-- you separate: rice is here, and pickles are here, and soup is in middle bowl. We don't cook like a gruel all the time [laughs]-- soup and rice and everything in one bowl. Even though, you know, to cook-- to prepare food separately, you know, in each bowl is the-- our usual world-- world of seeming. And-- but when you eat it, you know, in your tummy, you know, soup and rice and pickles and everything-- gomashio-- and everything [gets all] [laughs] mixed up and you don't know what is-- which is gomashio or rice. That is the world of absolute [laughter]. As long as gomashio is gomashio, and separately prepared on the plate, it doesn't work-- like your intellectual understanding of Buddhism. It doesn't work. [Laughs, laughter.] That is book knowledge.

But, you know-- so zazen practice is, you know, to mix various understanding in our practice and let it work. How to let it work is our practice. The other day, by some chance, I talked about kerosene lamp. You know, when it-- when kerosene lamp is just oil, you know, kerosene oil-- it doesn't work. Kerosene lamp will work when it become-- when it is in a state of combustion by aid of air. And even though you have kerosene lamp and air, it doesn't work. When you using it-- use matches, you know, it will work-- it will start to work. And this flame of matches is our practice which is transmitted from Buddha to us. By aid of matches, and by aid of air, kerosene will start to work. This is actually our zazen practice.

You may think, you know, “You are just kerosene oil,” you know [laughs]. It doesn't work. Even though you have-- you say, “I have buddha-nature,” you know, it doesn't work. If you have no buddha, it-- it doesn't work. If you have no friend, no sangha, it doesn't work. When we practice zazen in this way, by the aid of sangha, helped by Buddha, we can practice our zazen in its true sense, and we will have bright light here in Tassajara zendo.

We will have question/answer the last day of the sesshin-- last day of sesshin. Question and answer will be going this kind of question and this kind of answer. Back and forth we should discuss this point. We should know clearly what is our practice and what is our everyday life, and how to apply zazen p- [partial word]-- how to extend our zazen practice in everyday life. When you are practicing zazen in this way, actually you have true practice in its true sense. But why it is difficult for you to extend our practice in city life is because of lack of precise understanding of our Zen teaching.

If you-- when you know-- when you know why you practice zazen and what is the most important point in our practice, you can practice our way even though your practice is not perfect. You have direction. And you know how to do it. So you will not-- you will not be mixed up.

Our life, in short, should be always in complete combustion, you know. We must-- we should aim at complete combustion in our life. If the flame become little bit smoky, you know, you should know how to adjust the flame, you know. If it is too long, you should make it shorter. You know, if it's too small, you should make it brighter. Actually, you know, in your practice, I think you know your practice is-- what kind of practice you have-- whether your practice is good or bad. You yourself know. But instead of being discouraged by it, you should know how to adjust the flame [laughs].

Before you ask questions, you know, you should know how to adjust the flame. To have a so-called-it enlightenment experience is of course important. But more important thing is to know how to adjust the flame-- flame of life in zazen and in our everyday life. When the flame is in complete combustion, you know, you don't smell the oil [laughs]. When, you know, it is smoky, you will have a kind of smell. You know the, you know-- you may realize there is kerosene lamp [laughs]. When, you know, your life is in complete combustion, you have no complaint. And there is no need to be aware of your practice. But, you know, we should know that if we talk about too much-- like me-- about zazen, it is already smoky kerosene lamp [laughs].

If I-- if you see me, you may ask, “Is there lecture tonight?” Maybe I'm very smoky kerosene lamp [laughs]. I don't want, you know, to give lecture. I-- I-- what I want is to-- just to live with you, moving stones, having nice hot-spring bath [laughs], and eat something good [laughs, laughter].

Zen is there, you know. When I start to talk about something, it is also smoky-- it is already smoky kerosene lamp. As long as I [must] give lecture, I have to explain it in term of right or wrong: “This is right practice. This is wrong. How to practice zazen.” It is like to-- to give you recipe [laughs]. Recipe doesn't work. You cannot eat recipe [laughter]. Maybe after having a long, long practice in hot summer weather, it may be good to enjoy to say something [laughs] and to listen to something. This is, you know, our [a?] purpose of practice.

I said just now [that] to know how to adjust the flame is important. This is actually what Dogen Zenji worked so hard for-- for us descendants. Not just-- not-- usually Zen master-- a Zen master will give you: “Practice zazen! Then you will attain enlightenment. If you attain enlightenment, you will be detached from everything and you will see things as it is. So if you want to see things as it is, you have-- you must practice zazen hard and attain enlightenment.” That is usually [what] a Zen master will say.

But our way is “not always so.” That is, of course true, but we, you know-- Dogen Zenji told us how to adjust back flame-- back and forth, he told us in his Shobogenzo-- this point. This is one of the characteristic of Soto Zen.

In-- in Soto, people say in Soto-- Soto priest doesn't-- Soto school doesn't use koan, and they have no koan practice. But Dogen Zenji, after studying koans, and he simplified all the koan in a-- in a quite simple forms, as-- like Tozan Zenji in China did. Tozan Zenji used five ranks-- five ranks of practice, or five ranks of seeming and reality. But Dogen Zenji did not use five ranks in practice or five ranks in seeming and reality because Dogen Zenji's understanding or teaching of Zen is much simpler than that. Quite simple. The point of Soto Zen-- Dogen Zenji's zazen is to live on each moment in complete combustion, like a kerosene lamp or like a candle. So how to live in each moment, and how to become one with everything, and attain oneness of the whole universe, is the point of his teaching and his practice.

I don't think you have not much pain in your legs. Do you have some? It is pretty painful for you to sit now? It doesn't, you know, looks-- looks like so. Pretty good, I think. Maybe some pain-- some pain.

And Zazen practice is very subtle thing. When you are working, you know, something which you do not realize will mentally and physically will-- will be realized if you practice zazen. You know, I have been moving stone pretty [?] [laughs]-- for a long time, and I didn't know that I was tired. And I didn't realize my muscles, you know, were tired. But, you know, today, as I, you know, sit in this way calmly, so I realized, “Oh! [Laughs.] My muscles are in pretty bad condition.” I felt some pain all over. Here [probably points], and in my arm, not in my back so much, but here [sounds like he is rubbing an area]. I have not much flesh here, so I haven't not much muscles to be painful. But my bone is painful, maybe [laughs, laughter].

You know, if you have no problem, you know, then you may think then you can practice your zazen very well. But actually it is not so. Some problem, you know, is necessary. Not much, but some [laughs, laughter], if possible. Then, as he said-- as Dogen Zenji said, by the problem you have-- by the difficulty you have, you can practice zazen. This is very, I think-- very meaningful point of zazen, especially in our everyday life. He put great emphasis on this point. So he says, you know, “Practice and enlightenment is one.”

Practice is something, you know, which you do consciously, which you do with effort. There there is enlightenment. Most Zen masters missed this point. They didn't know how important this point is. They were striving, you know, for-- to attain enlightenment-- perfect enlightenment. But actually, you know, the most meaningful point of zazen is to have enlightenment in our imperfect zazen

That is, you know, his [Dogen's] teaching, and that is how everything exist in this world actually. Things [that] exist are imperfect. Nothing [is] perfect. Whatever we see, whatever we hear. Things are not perfect. But [in] that imperfect things there is a perfect reality. This is not just, you know-- this is true intellectual understanding. Intellectually it is true, but in realm of practice it is also true. It is true on paper, you know [laughs], but it is true also with our body. We can-- we can realize how true it is by-- through our physical practice and emotional problems.

So according to him [Dogen], you know, our practice should be established in delusion [laughs]. Do you understand? We are all deluded people, and before we attain enlightenment we should establish our true practice in our delusion.

Usually, you know, after you attain enlightenment, you may think you can establish true practice. But it is not so, according to Dogen Zenji. True practice should be established in delusion, in frustration [laughs]. If you make some mistake, you know, you should stand b- [partial word]-- you should establish your practice thereby. There is no other place for you to establish your practice.

“Enlightenment,” we say, but in its true sense perfect enlightenment is our-- is beyond our understanding, beyond our experience. That is true enlightenment. That kind of enlightenment-- if so, that kind of enlightenment is in our imperfect practice, actually-- or even in our imperfect practice there is enlightenment. But-- but the problem is that we don't know [laughs].

And here, again, I want [to] put emphasis on this point. People usually do not trust anything if they do not actually-- if they cannot actually experience it, actually think about it.

There are two types of people. Someone-- some of them cannot trust anything until they understand things in term of right or wrong, good or bad. After they analyze reality in various way, they understand things and trust things. But some of them become more uneasy, you know, if someone explain something so well [laughs], you know. If someone talk about something-- analyze something eloquently and very precisely, you know, the more he explain about it, [the] more you may doubt it [laughs, laughter]. “Oh! Is that so?” That --

[Sentence not finished. Tape turned over.]

There are actually two types of people. Like an artist, you know: If people say, “Oh, that's very good [laughs],” some of them will-- some of the artist will be very glad if someone says, “That is very good. It may be-- it may [be] worth ten thousand [laughs]-- hundred thousand [dollars].” But some of them will not, you know, will not be so happy. Some of them will be happy-- will be happy even though no one buy it-- no one say something-- anything about his art. But he can enjoy his art.

There are two kinds of people. And there may be two ways of helping people also, you know: to help people by giving something-- by giving some actual help to help others. That is one way. The other way is, you know, without giving anything, without saying anything, without doing anything we can help others too.

The joy of enlightenment experience is actually-- because that joy is beyond our comparison to our usual experience, you cannot say that is good experience or bad experience-- but something unusual experience, that's all.

It is like a-- it is like to push, you know, something-- to push round ball on the top of the mountain, you know. It is very difficult, you know. When [laughs] someone who cannot [be] satisfied [with] his work until he push it up to the top of the mountain, you know, he may lose the ball, you know, because it is the top of the mountain. If he push [laughs], you know, too much, it will go [laughing] the other side of the mountain. “Oh!” [Laughter.] That will usually, you know-- something what will happen to you. If you, you know, push everything, you know, up to the extreme, you will lose whole thing [laughs]. We are doing same thing over and over again. You may think, “We should not do that again.” But, you know, in-- within one month you will start same thing again, and you will lose whole thing [laughs].

You practice zazen, or you study Buddhism, and you help people. But if you don't know how to help people in its true sense, you cannot help people. The more you help people, if you help people in usual way, to the extreme, you will lose the friend, that's all. We say-- ah-- the other day, Dana -- Dana Frazer said, “Something too much is worse than too little.” “Something too much is worse than too little.” Actually what it means is to find the true meaning of practice before we attain enlightenment, not-- not to try to, you know, attain enlightenment completely-- not to try to have complete enlightenment. Why that is wrong is when you try to have complete-- complete enlightenment, then you started your practice. It means that your practice is not real practice. Your practice is already started-- you already started to analyze your practice-- complete practice or [?] enlightenment, whether it is complete or not.

So complete enlightenment should be, actually-- before you attain enlightenment there is complete enlightenment in its true sense. Dogen Zenji also says the more you have good practice and good enlightenment in its true sense, you may feel you haven't enlightenment-- you haven't-- your practice is not good enough. When-- only when you-- not-- I cannot say “only”-- but when you-- most of the time, for human being, when you feel in that way, you have at least better practice and deeper understanding-- actual understanding of enlightenment, which is beyond the realm of good and bad.

So enlightenment will be attained in easy time and in adversity. Wherever you are, enlightenment is there. And if you stand upright where you are, that is enlightenment. Try to stand up-- up-- upright. There is our practice. It means that to accept things as it is, to accept yourself as you are.

When-- Soto way is also called-- Soto practice is called “I don't know zazen.” [Laughs.] “I don't know zazen.” We don't know what is zazen anymore. “I don't know who I am.” That is Soto way. “I don't know.” [Laughs.] To find complete composure, you know, when you don't know who you are and where you are, what is-- what are they-- that is Soto way. And that is, you know, to accept things as it is. Even though [laughing] you don't know who you are, you accept yourself. That is, you know, “you” in its true sense. When you know who you are, you know, that you will not be real you. You may overestimate [laughs, laughter] yourself quite easily. That is-- that is not you. When you don't know: “Oh-- oh, I don't know,” you know. Then when you feel in that way, you are you, and you know yourself completely. That is enlightenment.

Maybe, even though I say so, I think you feel, “He is talking something unusual, and he is fooling us.” [Laughs.] But actually it is not so. Only thing I can say is you like to be fooled by me [laughs]. If I don't fool you, you know, you will not listen to my lecture. Dogen Zenji says people does not like something real [laughs], and they like something which is not real. That is very true [laughs]. Why I am-- if I am strict with you-- I am strict-- very strict with that point. Even though you make some mistake, I-- I-- I will not say anything. But if you have some false, you know, unreal confidence or unreal self, I shall be very strict with you because you are in danger.

I think our teaching is very good-- very, very good. But if we become too arrogant, and if we believe in ourself too much, we will be lost. There will be no teaching at all, no Buddhism at all. So when we find out our joy of life or composure, when we, you know, don't know what it is, you know, when we don't understand anything, then your mind [is] said to be very great, very wide. Your mind is open to everything.

From what should we, you know, [be] relieved [laughs], you know, is this point. We should be relieved from this kind of arrogance, this kind of selfish way, this kind of immature childish, you know, way. And our mind should be big enough to know before we know something, you know. We should be grateful before we have something. Without anything, we must be very happy, you know-- not after you have something, but before you have something, we should be very happy. Before you attain enlightenment, we should be happy to practice our way, or else we cannot attain anything in its true sense.

Thank you very much.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:58 am

Not Sticking to Enlightenment
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sesshin Lecture, Day Seven: Closing Words
Friday Evening
February 12, 1971
San Francisco
(title from book: Not Always So, p. 131)

The Sixth Patriarch said: “To dwell on emptiness and to keep calm mind is not zazen,” he said. Or he said, you know: “Just to sit in squatting-- sitting position is not Zen.” But we say, you know, you-- you have to just sit [laughs]. If you don't understand what is our practice and stick to those words, you will be confused. But if you understand what is real Zen, it is quite usual warning, you know-- a kind of warning for us.

Now our sesshin is almost [at an] end. But-- and some people, maybe, you know, go back to their home and participate or involved in previous everyday activities. But if you practice-- if you have been practicing true zazen, you will not, you know-- you may be happy to go back to your everyday life. You may be encouraged, you know, by our practice to-- in going back to your everyday life. But if you feel, you know, if you feel hesitate [hesitant] to go back to your or-- go back to your city life or everyday life, it means that, you know, you will still stick to zazen.

So that is why the Sixth Patriarch said: “If you,” you know, “dwell on emptiness and stick to your practice, then that is not true zazen.” When you practice zazen, moment after moment, you accept what you have now and what you have in that moment, and satisfying with everything you do, and you don't-- you do not-- you don't have any complaint because you just accept it, then that is zazen. Or even though you cannot do that, you know what you should do. Then sitting zazen will encourage you to do some other thing. Just as you accepted your painful legs, you accept difficult everyday life. Because city life may be more difficult than your zazen practice, so zazen practice will encourage you to have more difficulties.

If you understand in this way what is zazen, that is right understanding. If you have, especially in your seven-days practice, having some taste of real practice, without losing the taste of practice, and continue your busy activity, then that will be great encouragement. Even though you are [it is] difficult, and even though you are busy, you have always, you know, taste of calmness of your mind, not because you stick to it but because you enjoy it. There is some difference [between] “to stick to it” and “to enjoy it.” When you enjoy it, you don't have to stick to it, you know [laughs, laughter]. So if you have real, you know, taste of our practice, you can enjoy it all the time, incessantly. Whatever you do, that taste is not something you have to stick to it, something you have to recall it. That is, you know, true enlightenment. But even though you think you attained enlightenment, you know, when you are busy, when you are some-- in some difficulty, and you think you need, you know, to have that experience again [laughs], that is not real enlightenment because that enlightenment is something you have to stick to it [laughs]. But real enlightenment is always with you, and [there is] no need for you to stick to or for-- there is no need even to think about it. It is always with you. So difficulty itself is enlightenment. Busy life itself is enlightened activity. That is true enlightenment.

But even though expect-- you-- even though you want to have this-- have a taste of true practice, you know, it may be difficult to have it. Only way to have it is, you know, just to continue right practice according to-- following the right instruction and right teacher. That is the only way. If you follow right schedule in your practice, you know, naturally or some day you may have a taste of it. Nowadays, you know, you make date [laughing], you know, young people are making date, but, you know, enlightenment is not something which you can meet by date.

But if you, you know, follow-- if you organize your life, if you get up at some certain time and pick up bag lunch at certain time, and go out for the work, then if you have some girlfriend or boyfriend, you know, you will meet her, you know, without any date. There is no need for you [laughs, laughter] to make date. At some certain time, she will come to the corner. You will usually see her, you know. That is our way, you know. It is rather foolish to make phone call, you know [laughing, laughter]. It is, you know-- it is troublesome, you know. And you sh- [partial word]-- even though you meet her, if you meet her by date, you know, by telephone call, you know: “Hey! I am leaving now,” if they-- if she doesn't come to the corner, you know, you will be irritated. If you do not make any date, you know, and if she come at some certain time to the corner, you will be really happy. That is, you know, how you attain enlightenment [laughing, loud laughter]. It is not a laughing matter. I am talking about something real, you know. I think you will agree with me.

That is, you know, how not to stick to enlightenment. Not to make any date means not to expect enlightenment or stick to enlightenment. Being encouraged by enlightenment, by seeing her even though you don't say anything-- you don't talk with her, just have a glance of her is enough. And all day long you will be happy [laughs]. But if you, you know, are demanding too much of her, then already it means that you stick to enlightenment.

That is what he-- the Sixth Patriarch meant when you-- when he said: “Just to,” you know, “dwell on emptiness is not true practice.” Originally he attained enlightenment by one famous statement: “Without dwelling on anything, you will have true mind.” If you d- [partial word]-- so it means that if you stick to something, you will lose your enlightenment. Even though you try hard, you know, in making an appointment or date, it doesn't work. If you attain enlightenment in that way, you know, it may not be-- most of the time it may not be true enlightenment. The enlightenment you will have in that way is enlightenment which you will stick to, and which-- and is not something which is always with you, which will always encourage you.

This point is very important. So even though we finish our sesshin, we should continue well-organized life and to-- to have real enlightenment. When you practice hard according to the right instruction of your teacher, then that is how you have real enlightenment experience.

In this sesshin-- this sesshin was very fruitful sesshin, and some of you already had a good taste of our practice. Even though you haven't real taste of practice, I think, you knew-- you have understood how you practice zazen. So what you should do from now on is to continue our true practice.

Thank you very much.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:59 am

The Teaching Just for You
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sesshin Lecture No. 1
Saturday, June 5, 1971
San Francisco
(title from book: Not Always So, p. 134)

First of all, I want to explain, you know, I want you to understand what is our practice. You know, our practice we say, “just to sit.” It is, you know, “just to sit,” but I want to try to explain as much as possible what do we mean by “just to sit.” Practice is usually, you know, practice to expect something: at least, if you practice, you know, some way, some practice, your practice will be improve. And if there is a goal of practice, you know, or if you practice aiming at something, you know, you will-- your practice supposed to reach, you know, eventually, the goal of practice you expect. And actually, you know, if you practice, your practice itself will be improved day by day, you know.

That is very true, you know, but there is another, you know, one more, you know, understanding of practice, you know, like, you know, our practice is, you know, another understanding of practice. We practice it-- our zazen-- with two, with different, you know, understanding from this. But we cannot ignore the-- our imp- [partial word]-- progress in our practice. Actually, if you practice, you know, day by day, you make big progress. And actually it will help, you know, your practice will help your health and your mental condition, you know. That is very true.

But that is not, you know, full understanding of practice. Another understanding of practice is, you know, when you practice, you know, there there is-- goal is there, you know, not, you know, one year or two years later. But when you do it right there, there is goal of practice. When you practice our way with this understanding, there is many things you must take care of so that you could be or you will be-- you can-- you will be concentrated on your practice. You will be completely involved in the practice you have right now. That is why you have various instruction, you know, about your practice, so that you can practice hard enough to feel, you know, the goal of practice right now, when you do it.

You may ask me, you know, then, “My practice [laughs] usually-- even in sesshin, my practice is not good enough to feel the goal of practice or to feel full meaning of my practice.” You may ask in that way. Here you should apply another idea of practice, and you should know there is, you know, progress in your practice. But even though your practice is not good enough, you know, even though your practice is, you know, bad, you say, “My practice is bad,” but even so there is no other practice for you [laughs] right now, you know. Good or bad, you know, that is your own practice, you know. There is no other way to accept yourself, to have, you know, approach to the perfect practice. There is no other way. If so, you know, you shouldn't say your practice is good or bad, you know. Even though you feel your practice is bad, that doesn't help your practice. Even though you say, “My practice is excellent,” it doesn't help so much [laughs]. Your practice is same, you know. You are talking about your practice in various way, good or bad, that's all. We should know this point first of all.

Actually, this is how you understand Buddhist teaching. For us, you know, whatever it is, whatever you see, whatever you hear, that is actually Buddha's teaching. That is very true. And all the teaching Buddha or patriarchs taught us is interpretation of the truth we see, you know. Interpretation of the actual reality is the teaching, you know, although according to the situation, according to the time, there were many ways of explaining it, you know. Buddha explained it in his own way, according to the people with him. Bodhidharma, you know, gave instructions to Chinese people, you know, in his own way. But Buddha and Bodhidharma, you know, understood his friend is buddha and his follower is-- were buddha, and buddha is nothing but what he-- what they saw.

That is very true, but there is another side of the teaching. Without Buddha, without Bodhidharma, without people, you know, who may see things, you know, who live in this world, there is no beautiful flower or bright star. Because we are here, and because Buddha was there in India, there were teaching. That is another side of the truth. It means that there is, you know-- what you see is expression of, you know, embodiment of the truth. But at the same time, for us, you know, subjectively, it is your own understanding of the truth, you know. When the understanding of yourself and embodiment of the truth, you know, become one there is real, you know, truth. Even though, you know, scientist, you know, explain the reality very carefully, you know, that is not truth we mean. The truth we mean is, you know, truth which is experienced actually, you know. The fact-- through the fact you are facing to it come together, that is, you know, actual truth which will help us, which is our own.

So we say, “just to-- just sit,” you know, “just sit.” And why we say “just sit” is because we have buddha-nature. So you just sit, you know. Then there is buddha-nature. So you just sit, you know [laughs], we say so. But that is not, that is, you know-- if you understand fully that is good explanation, but there must be-- there is misunderstanding. Most people will misunderstand “just to sit,” you know. And moreover, we say, good-- ”Even though your practice is not so good, you know, that is perfect practice [laughs], so just to sit. Just sit.”

But what you will understand will be, you know, because of your scientific mind, you know. Way scientific mind will understand is you see, you know, you objectively observe your and understand your practice, or see your practice or someone's practice, you know, “Oh anyway, they are sitting in the Buddha hall,” you know, “so that is good practice [laughs]-- perfect practice. There will be no need to encourage them,” [laughs] you know, “and there is no need for them,” you know, “to sit all day long. Maybe if, as much as possible, if they sit, that is okay. Even one hour is okay. One period is enough.”

If-- you may understand in that way. That kind of understanding is, maybe you could say, superficial understanding. But more clearly, if you want to understand this point, it is, you know, understanding of, you know, truth-- as a[n] embodiment of the truth, you know. You don't understand-- you have no understanding from the viewpoint of your subjective side.

Truth is there-- always there. But if someone who do not observe the truth accept the truth, that is so-called-it, “painted cake,” you know: cake on the paper which you cannot eat [laughs]. Even though you are actually sitting, you know, you are eating paper, you know, cake on the paper. So there is no taste, and you will give up because it doesn't mean anything, actually.

Or [you may say], “Zen is no good,” you know, “it doesn't mean anything. Even though we sit seven days [laughing]. Doesn't result [in] anything, so may be better to go to downtown and to eat something, instead of,” you know, “food Zen Center provide.” That will be, you know, exactly, you know, what you will understand. But you, you know, you, you know, maybe you fool yourself, you know. And you are pleased, you know, when people call you Zen student [laughs]. That's all. So your practice is encouraging your ego, you know. You are not practicing Zen. If “just to sit” is like that, Zen does not mean anything. This is more-or-less intellectual understanding plus something, you know, plus some physical effort.

But our true zazen cannot be like that. If Zen is like that, Zen will not survive, you know, couldn't survive so long time [laughs]. Long time ago, Zen must have vanished from this world. Why Zen, you know, [is] still alive, you know, is because of the other side of the truth, you know: to accept the truth as your own. Various, you know, and patriarchs and great, you know, sage of Buddhist or various religion said, you know, “Buddha,” you know, “left teaching just for me,” [pats himself] you know, Nichiren said, you know. “Buddha left Lotus Sutra just [pats himself] for Nichiren. Just for me. Not for anyone else. Just for me.”

If that side is forgotten, you know, the Buddha's teaching is nothing, you know, nothing but waste paper. “Just for me” means, you know, it is not arrogancy, you know. “Just for me” means, you know, because-- when he has full appreciation of the teaching as his own, you know, he says, “All the teaching is just for me.”

That is a side-- that is the spirit we need in our zazen practice. Everyone can be, you know, Nichiren. Everyone can be Dogen or Bodhidharma. Because I practice, you know, zazen, there is Buddha, there is Dogen, there is Bodhidharma, and there is Buddha's teaching.

Actually, you know, we should realize that, you know, I am-- you are only, you know, one being in this world. No one else exist. You are the only one who exist in this world. And that is very true. No one can take over your position. And that is very true, so all the teaching is just for you.

When you are young, you have no such feeling, you know [laughs]. You think you live fifty more or one hundred more years [laughs], so today is not so valuable for you. If you become my age, you know [laughs], you will really feel, “I am just one being, you know. No one can take over my position,” you know, “so I must not fool myself,” you know. This is very important point for Zen student-- maybe for everyone, but, you know, especially for those who practice our way this point is very important.

Without this confidence or this understanding, you know, your practice will be involved in, you know, various, you know-- you will expose your weakness in your practice, you know. “Oh, no, I am not,” you know, “I am not good enough,” you know, “to practice zazen,” you know. “Look at me. What I have been doing?” you know. “I cannot practice,” you know. “Zen is so beautiful and so perfect. How is it possible for me to join,” you know, “their practice?” You will expose your various weak points, and you will, you know, feel, actually feel, various weakness of your character and of your conduct or habit, you know, you have. And, you know, in calm sitting, this kind of, you know, feeling will occupy you, and you cannot sit. But whatever you say about yourself, you are only one, you know. You cannot escape from this world, because the whole world is yours. That is, you know, that is very true-- more than-- it is more than truth, you know, which we can talk about. This is ultimate truth, you know.

How you can deny this fact that you are, you know, only one person? Even though you can criticize yourself-- that is easy. But how you can deny this fact? That is, you know, that is the point we should face. If you understand this point, you know, you have no time to say good or bad-- good practice or bad practice. Because you turn deaf ear to this truth, you have time to criticize yourself. When you realize this point, you can hear or you can see the truth, and you can practice zazen. You can accept the truth, whatever it is, you know. Whatever you see, that is truth. That is expression of the truth.

How you, you know-- we say our practice is to open up yourself for everything-- everything you see as a embodiment of the truth, as a bodhisattva, as a buddha-- to open up yourself and accept buddha. [A car pulls up outside the Buddha Hall, with its radio loudly playing “Baby I'm Yours.”] This is why we practice zazen and why, you know, everyone can join our practice and why this practice include every activity you have in your everyday life.

This kind of practice-- our practice is so-- not usual practice: cannot be, must not be usual practice which could be compare to various kind of practice as a means of, you know, attain something, to acquire something. By long, long experience of many people, you know, form we take and the way we take breathing, various instructions was accumulated-- human experience.

So it is, at the same time our practice can be accumulation of human experience as, you know, scientific knowledge is. But the difference between scientific knowledge and Buddhist wisdom is Buddhists put emphasis on more subjective side of the truth. Not-- objective-- it is not only objectively true but also subjectively it has, you know, point which could be, you know, everyone's point. Each one of us have had this point and have been practicing our way. That is why we say every one of us is Buddha, and this is how we transmitted Buddha's teaching to us all. It is not just, you know, paper transmission. Subjective side has been always with us, and this point was emphasized always without losing objective, you know, side of the truth. Sometime, you know, people ignore the objective side of the truth-- people who call themselves “spiritual” person who, you know, ignore the objective side of the truth. That is also a mistake.

But if we, you know, [are] caught by, you know, the objective side of the truth and rely on the truth, you know, with idle attitude, the objective truth will not help you, as we human being already start to experience, you know. Even though we can go to the moon, it doesn't help so much. As long as we rely on objective truth, scientific truth, you know, it doesn't help. Only when we, you know, each one of us feel the truth, appreciate the truth, and when we-- each one of us, you know, appreciate truth, accept the truth, and ready to, you know, follow the truth, it will work. Putting themselves outside of the truth and study the truth, you know, then when something happen to him, you know [laughs], he doesn't know what to do.

[Laughs.] Do you know the story of the dragon, you know? The Chinese person liked a dragon [laughs] very much. And he talked about dragon to his friend, and he painted [laughs] dragon, and he bought various kinds of, you know, dragon [laughs]. So dragon thought, “If I,” you know, “if real dragon like me visited him, he may be very,” you know, “happy.” So one day [laughs], the real dragon sneaked into his room [laughs, laughter]. He couldn't know what to do! Waah! [Laughs, laughter.] He couldn't even run away. He couldn't even stand up. Waah! [Laughs, laughter.]

For long, long time we have been like, you know, like him. That is not our attitude. We should be always dragon-- not only, you know, more than his friend, we should be always dragon himself. Then you will not be afraid of any dragon. But, you know, you may not know what is dragon [laughs] either [even?]. So that is another, you know [laughs], side of that, you know-- another difficulty, you know, because [laughs] it is difficult to appreciate, you know, dragon.

So from various angle, we should be ready to study our way. With this kind of, you know, understanding you will practice zazen. Zazen become zazen, and zazen become your own zazen, and you are buddha. And, you know, you can, you know, express your true nature in various way. That is freedom from the form of practice, you know. Whatever you do, you can, you know, express your, you know-- you will be really you, you know. Whatever you do, you know, you will be buddha in its true sense. The difference between this kind of practice with this understanding and, you know, the, you know, lazy practice with poor, superficial understanding of form and instructions and teaching, you know. There is big, big difference. After all, as Buddha said, you know, you should only rely on yourself. There is no one you can rely on. You should be relying on yourself. It means that you should be boss of everything. You should see, you should understand, you know, Buddha's teaching and our practice, you know, as your own, you know.

[Sentence finished. Tape turned over.]

-- or bad, you know. Don't stick to your own karma you created. You should be free from the karma, you know, and plunge into the practice on each moment. Then, you know, there is no karma, you know, who will control you. You are free from karma in our practice. And if your everyday life is based on this practice, then your life is not karmic life. It looks like, you know, the way of life of non-Buddhist and Buddhist [is the] same, but it is completely different. One is karmic life, and other is the life, you know, free from karma.

In short, you know, if you can say, “Hai” [laughs], at that moment you are free from karma. If you can say, “Hai! Yes I will!” you know, then there is no karma. When you say “bad” [laughs], nevertheless, wait a moment [laughs, laughter]. At that moment you will, you know, be bound by your own karma. Quite easy [laughs]. “Yes, I will,” you know. That is how you keep our precepts.

When you receive precepts, you know, I may say:

“Can you,” you know, “are you sure to keep this precepts?” you know [laughs].

If you think:

“Oh, 'Don't kill.' I may kill many things [laughs]. Better not to say 'yes,'” you know [laughs].

Then you cannot receive precepts. Anyway, you should say, “YES!” [laughs]. Then you can-- you are keeping precepts-- you kept precepts. When you keep precepts, at that moment, you know, whole world are keeping precepts in its true sense. You know, scientific mind will not accept what I say [laughs], but, you know, as Buddha said, as you accept it or not is, you know, my problem-- your problem [laughs, laughter], you know, so ideal [?] say, if you say, “Yes, I will,” you know, then you are free from karma.

Even though, you know, you shouldn't say-- even though you say “Yes,” you know, you don't mean “Yes” [laughs]. That will be-- someone may say, you know, but, you know, actually, if you say “YESSS” [laughs, laughter], if your mind is tender enough to say “YESSS” [laughs, laughter], I may look very, you know, look like, you know, children-like, maybe [laughs], but that is the way, you know, that is the way how you keep precepts.

So after giving various precepts to you one by one in this way, and after you accept-- various priest, maybe 250 or 500 [laughs] you know, one by one, and what I should say after is, “You should keep our precept always in that way,” you know. The way we keep precepts should be like that, you know. You say our, you know, ceremony to give precepts is, you know, just form-- formal practice. It is not so. First of all, you know, I may say, if you receive precepts, you will be a son of Buddha and you will sit with Buddha. You will be sitting with the Buddha if you receive precepts. If you don't, you know, if you are always involved in, you know, karmic life with superficial understanding of subjective or objective side of the truth, you know, you are not Buddha. But receiving precepts or practicing zazen-- true zazen, true precepts-- and when you actually receive it from me, from teacher, then you are Buddha, and, you know, there is no difference between, you know, accepting precepts and practicing our zazen. There is no difference.

So, you know, your teacher may say, “You should,” you know, “keep our precept in this way.” So when you practice zazen, your teacher may say, “You are really Buddha.” It is so. And your teacher may say, “You should practice zazen always in that way.” That is the way you practice zazen. So it is not just form. It include, you know, truth, and attainment, and, you know, progress in your practice. You have, you know, all kinds of, you know, virtue in your practice.

That is the spirit, you know, you must have in your practice. Not difficult at all. If I say “spirit,” you know, “good spirit” or “bad spirit,” maybe someone like Eka can be a [laughs], you know, Bodhidharma's disciple. But everyone can be Bodhidharma's disciple, you know, without cutting [off] your arm [laughs].

Ahhh. Okay?

Ah? Maybe one hour? Okay. Thank you.

Thank you very much.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:59 am

Stand Up by the Ground
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sesshin, Second Night Lecture
September, 1969
Tassajara
(title from book: Not Always So, p. 139)

We have been talking about-- discuss-- discussing about reality, actually, and how we practice our way in our zazen and in our everyday life. And Dogen Zenji talked about the reality in-- by using the Japanese or Chinese word, inmo. Inmo means-- inmo has two meaning. It is-- it means like this, you know [probably gestures]-- and also it means question: “What is that?” Or it is, you know, “it,” you know. “It” means-- sometime it is question mark, and sometime “it” means-- pointing at something, we say, “it.”

In English, you know, you say, “It is hot.” That “it” is the same words-- same meaning when you say, “It is nine o'clock,” or “It is half-passed eight.” You know, it-- you use [”it” for] only time or weather, you know. Time or weather is “it.” But not only time or weather. Everything should be “it”-- can be “it.” We are also “it,” you know, but we don't say “it.” Instead of “it” we say “he” or “she,” or “me” or “I.” But actually it means “it.” So everything is-- if everything is “it,” you know, it is-- at the same time, question mark, you know. When I say “it,” you know, you don't know [laughs] exactly what I mean, so you may say, “What is it?” [laughs] you may ask.

“It” is not-- it does not mean some definite, special thing, as it does not mean when we talk about time, it is not-- it does not mean some special time, or meal time, or lecture time. We don't know. So “it” is-- it means also ques- [partial word]-- it may be question mark for everyone. If I say “it,” you know, you may say, “What time is it?” you may say.

So “it” or inmo means-- has-- mean, you know, has two meaning: definite-- some definite thing is “it,” and at the same time “it” may be a question. And this is very important for us to know. “It” has always-- maybe it has-- it means always-- it has two sides of it: “It is hot now,” but it-- it is-- it may be sometime cold,” you know [laughs]. “Right now it is hot, but it is not always hot. Sometime it will be cold.”

When we say-- when we talk about time, “it” means some, you know, some special time. But at the same time it means, you know, some continuous time. Time is always-- time is continuous thing, and, at the same time, time is some special, definite, discontinued [discontinuous] -- some certain hour. When we say it is half-passed eight, we point out at some certain time. At that time, time mean discontinue-- discontinuity. And-- but time, by nature, it is something continued-- continuous thing, so one words has two side: continuity and discontinuity. That is the nature of reality to us.

So we have been talking about things for tonight in term of discontinued-- some special discontinuous, specialized being which has form or color, you know. That is inmo. That was inmo.

But Dogen Zenji again talked-- talks about our practice in term of something continuous, not special-- something which is mixed up [laughs] with everything. If we are not ready to discuss things, we will not have a complete understanding of our teaching. As he says: “Those who,” you know, “fell on the ground should stand up by the ground-- by the earth.” I don't know if it makes some sense to you. What do you say? “To fell on the ground”-- ”to fell,” or--[?]

Student: Fall.

Another student: Fall on the ground.

SR: Hmm?

Student: Fall on the ground?

SR: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like this [probably gestures]. Fall on the ground? Should stand up by the earth-- by the ground at that place. And he also says, “If you fall on the ground,” you know, “you should,” you know, “stand up”-- what should I say? It is rather difficult-- ”by emptiness [laughs], by nothing.” Actually we-- actually we stand up by the ground like this [probably gestures], you know, but he says we shouldn't stand up by the ground. What does it-- it means is if you think, you know, you can stand up by the ground always, it would be a big mistake. If you rely on, you know, ground, if you rely on the ground-- on ground and don't mind to fall on the ground, you know, you will fall on the ground quite easily. “It's all right. I can stand up by the ground.” [Laughs.] So he said you shouldn't-- you shouldn't think you can stand up on the ground-- by the ground.

And this point is important, you know. It is like enlightenment. If you rely on enlightenment, you know, and practice zazen, it is someone who easy-- who easily, you know, make mistake or fall on the ground, relying on the help of the ground. Do you understand? It is rather-- do you understand? There is very subtle point. To stand up by the ground-- of course we have to stand up by the ground at the time, but if you stick to the idea of help of the ground all the time, you know, you lose the true meaning of fall on the ground. In other word, we should not make same mistake [laughs] many many times. Even though you make mistake-- you may think, you know, even though you make some mistake, it is all right. We know how to get up.

That is not what we mean when we say “reality.” Things happen-- things does not happen many times in the same way. Even it doesn't happen same way twice. But if we say, if you fell-- fall on the ground, you should stand up by the ground, then you-- you will have this kind of idea: “Okay, I know how to stand up, so it's all right, even though I fall on the ground by mistake.” With this kind of prejudice or easy idea, if we practice our way that is wrong practice.

You recite each time in lecture, you know, “Even one hundred kalpas of time, you cannot meet with the teaching.” That is the true, you know. Truth is-- exist-- truth is true only when you listen to, you know. And when you try to repeat what someone said, that is not truth anymore. When he said so, it is true. When someone said so, it is true because the ground is already-- has two meaning. It is, you know, at that time ground, but ground can be-- can be a stick sometime, can be a stone sometime, can be a water sometime.

Ground is “it,” you know. “It” means everything, not just ground. It means that you should renew your way of practice. Each time you practice, you have-- must have fresh new feeling. With fresh and new feeling, you should practice our way. Try not to have same experience, you know. Your experience of practice should be always new, and should be always “it.” It should not be some definite particular experience.

So there is nothing to rely on in our practice. But on the other hand, there is always something provided for you, always. According to the circumstances, you will have some aid to practice our way. You know, even pain in your legs is help, you know. By the pain you have, you should practice our way. The pain is “it.” It is, at that time, some definite experience or definite trouble or thing. But “it” can be drowsiness [laughs]; “it” can be hunger; “it” can be hot weather. So hot weather or cool weather-- nice and cool weather, or hunger, or mosquito [laughs], or pain in your legs can be a h- [partial word]-- aid of your practice by which you can stand up-- establish your practice.

Not only, you know, Buddha's teaching, but also everything can be aid of practice. So we say inmo. Inmoji. Inmoji means “things.” And those who practice zazen is also inmo-nin. -Nin means “person.” -Nin in Japanese means “person.” Inmo-nin-- ”someone-- someone practicing something.” That is reality. [Laughs.] Even though you are practicing actually, right here, but in its true sense you should understand “someone practicing something.” Or “someone doing something.” Not only practice. “Someone doing something.”

So if-- if it-- it is so, “doing” is not necessary, you know. “Someone” and “doing” and “someone” and “doing” and “something” is same thing, you know. Doing-- someone which will practice zazen, include everything. He cannot be separated from this world. And some action cannot exist without background of whole world. Something cannot be special thing from this world, so “something, something, something.” [Laughs, laughter.] Then, what is that? That is complete realization. So one thing, you know-- everything happens in that way. So if you understand-- stick to the idea of help or experience or enlightenment, that is already mistake.

As I am Soto [laughs]-- Soto-- I belong to Soto, if I say so: “Oh, he,” you know, “deny enlightenment experience.” [Laughs.] It is not so. We Soto student do not stick to one thing. We don't stick to anything. We should have always freedom. In Japanese we say shusshin-- shusshin-no-katsuro: complete freedom. Complete freedom of practice, complete freedom of expression. Our practice is expression-- a vivid expression of our true nature or reality.

So for us it is not possible to stick to anything. So one after another, we have to practice our way in a quite renewed area and quite refreshed way. And our practice should be independent from past practice and future practice. We cannot sacrifice our practice for future attainment, because all the buddha who passed-- attained enlightenment in this way, and all the buddha in future will attain enlightenment in this way. “In this way” means, you know [laughs]-- ”this,” means “not any”-- I do not, you know, mean Soto way or Rinzai way. Sometime Soto way. Sometime Rinzai way. Sometime some other school's way, according to the circumstances. The way we-- how we attain enlightenment will be different. Someone will attain enlightenment when he see some flower or hear some sound like bamboo. Or someone may attain enlightenment when they take hot bath [laughs, laughter] there.

And there were many kinds of people in Buddha's sangha. There was a twelve, you know, disciples who came from a rich family. And Bhadrapala Bodhisattva, who attained enlightenment in a hot bath, is [laughs] one of the boy who came from very rich family. And rich and poor may attain enlightenment in various way: in hot bath, in rest room [laughs]. There is no Soto way or Rinzai way, actually. So we say “it.” And “it”-- that “it” means-- and that “it” ha- [partial word]-- means two-- two side. “It” has two side: positive side and negative side.

In short, what do we mean? You know, we-- you know, we discuss very abstract way so that discussion include various way of practice. But in short, what it means is: whatever it is, we should accept. And by means of various things, we should practice our way. And there is no other way to attain enlightenment.

Do you have some question? It may be rather difficult to make question, you know [laughing], because, you know, it is like to catch fish by net, you know. We talk something, you know, in this way so that you cannot escape from it. It is lucky to catch a fish by net. After throwing net, you know: “Is there some question?” is-- doesn't mean much, but, you know, you escaped from the net. Okay.

Student A: When I fall down on the ground, who is it that makes effort to get up?

SR: You. Or Buddha.

Student A: I have a problem-- or it feels like it. Whenever I make effort, it-- it seems to come from some sense of “I,” maybe some pride or some very strong sense of self. Could you tell us about effortless effort?

SR: Effortless effort. Effortless effort means the effort, knowing that there is no “I” or no ground, you know, and then something which is going with everything is effortless effort. The effort you make is not your effort, because there is no “you,” you know. What is that effort? That effort is-- the effort comes out from-- from your mother body of whole being.

You, you know-- that you stand up means that everyone stand up, and everyone feel very good when you stand up. And when you st- [partial word]-- when you attain enlightenment, everyone attains enlightenment with you. So if the practice does not include everyone of us, it is not true practice, we say. It is tainted practice by the idea of self. And you may have this kind of doubt or-- after you do, after you do something as-- like you-- whether this is, you know, selfish, you know, things or not: “Why did I do this?” I think you will have this kind of-- some uncertain feeling about what you do or what you did. I suffered from it [laughs] pretty much.

Especially when you do something good, you know-- supposed to be good, you suffer more [laughs]. When you did some-- something by mistake, you don't suffer, you know. “This is by mistake, so I will not make same mistake again.” That's all, you know. But if you try to do something good, after-- or you did something which is supposed to be good, because you did something with some idea of good and bad, you suffer more. Especially by the idea of good, you suffer more [laughs]-- you should suffer more [laughs]. That is good experience. Okay.

Student B: Roshi, I'm walking along, and everything's intact [laughter], and then I--

SR: Walking?

Student B: I'm walking along, and everything seems to be okay, and then thud!-- I'm on the ground. I look around, and there's a small rock. So with a roar, I can pick up the rock and throw it off into the woods. But what if the rock is so big I can't lift it? So what am I going to do?

SR: [Laughing.] Rock is so big?

Student B: Yeah. It's stuck in the ground and I can't pick it up.

SR: Yeah. You-- no need to take it out. [Laughs, laughter.]

Student B: But I feel some need to take it out-- some strong need. [Loud laughter.]

SR: That's deep ego [laughing]-- too big. Your ego is too big. I thought if the rock is a great big one, it is more beneficial to, you know, stand up by it, you know. Small rocks will not help you so much, but if it is too-- so big, it is easy to, you know, stand up by it. If you stand up, you know, you should work [walk?] off the rock. And there is no need to take-- take it away.

Actually, you know, problem-- your problem is when you feel guilty, you know-- when you feel guilty is the point. After you did something, you feel, you know, selfish. But before you feel selfish, you didn't feel, you know, anything. But after-- after you did something, you start to feel bad. So when you did it, it was all right. But after you did it, and when you think about it, the way you think about it was not-- is not right. Do you understand? When you did it, you were not selfish. But when you think about it, you became already selfish. You expect something to be good. So don't think too much about what you did. Okay? If you think too much about what you did, it is-- most of the time, it is, maybe, conscientious thing, but it is sometime very selfish idea is involved in it. So one after another, you should continue your practice, you know, without thinking, without being involved in so much selfish idea or dualistic idea. Okay? [Sentence finished. Tape turned over.]

When I w- [partial word]-- I had-- I suffered a lot about it when I was at school, you know. And I was staying at dormitory, you know. And restroom was always dirty [laughs]-- dormitory restroom was always dirty. So I, you know, made up my mind to clean it, you know. But I didn't want to clean it when people, you know, see [laughing]. So I get up early in the morning before they get up so that no one can find out me in cleaning, you know, restroom.

It was pretty good, you know, for several days, but even though early in the morning someone get up [laughs]. I have very difficult time to hide myself [laughs, laughter] while doing this kind of thing, you know. Sometime, you know, our dean of the-- head of the college or university-- whatever it is-- Nukariya-- Nukariya is his name-- and he was very strict person. And he stayed in our dormitory with student [laughs]. And Saturday night was the night when he go home. He was so strict, in summertime when all the students went home, he would stay at dormitory, taking care of things. So most people who visited the dormitory to see-- to see him, thought he was a garbage man [laughs] on the dormitory. He was so, you know-- he was pretty good.

And sometime, you know, I saw a light in his room, you know. I was very much scared of [laughing] him getting-- coming to the restroom. So as soon as I saw the light in the dormitory, not only his room but also some room, I escaped from the restroom, and I was quite, you know, upset or, you know-- I don't know what to say, you know. I was very much mixed up. At first, I-- I felt very good, you know. And more and more, I had many things to think about. And I have too much to think about. So finally I-- I have to think whether I should continue it or give up.

But my nature-- I was pretty stubborn, you know. I didn't like to give up something so easily. So I wanted to continue it, but I-- I didn't want to have that kind of silly problems. But anyway I continued it. And I had-- I studied psychology, you know. And he-- the professor, you know, talked about our psychology, you know.

And he said it is not possible to have same experience again, you know. Even though you think you did this kind of thing, but what you think about it and what you have experienced is not same-- different, quite different. So actually you cannot have same experience again, in its strict sense. So it is not possible to, you know, to have same feeling again or same experience again. So I was enlight [?], you know. “Okay! It is not possible to think about it, so forget about it, and I will try-- I will continue to do it. Whatever happen, it's-- it is all right. And whatever they may say, that is all right.” I continued my practice in that way, for I don't know how long.

So don't think too much about it, you know. What you do is not selfish, but what you think-- that you think about it is maybe selfish. So if you can forget all about it, you are not so selfish. Hai.

Student C [Bill Shurtleff]: I think I understand what you mean when you say that what we do is not selfish, in the way that it affects other people.

SR: Uh-huh.

Bill: But it seems like there are some problems which cause us pain directly, and we think about them because they cause us pain directly, for example, during eating. And I have a problem that keeps happening again and again. And I think about it very often-- each time that it happens, and I can see it happening even before it happens. And it still happens. And it's a problem with eating-- like things-- there are certain things that if I eat them, I know they will cause me suffering.

SR: Mm-hmm. Yeah. [Laughs.]

Bill: And every time that I eat them, I suffer. I get sick. There is an “I” afterwards who says: “You should never, ever eat that again [laughter] because every time that you've eaten it you've suffered and gotten sick.” And yet, another “I” sees himself approaching that plate of food, and he can say eat it anyway [pervious six words are a guess-- obscured by laughter]. And then afterwards, the other “I” comes along and says, “Now, you see!” Twenty times-- the same thing happens every time. And every time I think about it, and think about it, and think about it.

SR: That is karma. [Laughs, laughter.] Yeah, we are-- we have that kind of problem always. We know that this is not good. But-- I don't know why, but, you know, something makes me doing something wrong. But, you know, some people may say that is a kind of destiny-- fate, or, you know-- it is not so. You can improve it little by little. We have no idea of, you know, fate or karma in-- karma in that way.

Bill: You emphasize accepting it, and my emphasis always seems to be on improving, and not doing it next time, rather than accepting it this time [student laughs].

SR: Yeah. But before, you know, you try to improve yourself, you have to accept it, you know, or you have to see it clearly, you know. If you have idea of improvement first, you will miss the clear sight of the reality. So you have to see it first and try to improve it. Hai.

Student D: I get the feeling, after sitting here for the last few days [1-2 words unclear]-- a habit of sitting. And as I sit, I forget about it more. So it becomes a new habit. Maybe-- maybe then that's sort of like an answer to Meg's question and Bill's question.

SR: Yeah.

Student D: It becomes a habit-- a new habit. And you don't think about your habits.

SR: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Habit. Yeah. That is-- that is habit. But habit is very important, you know, in our practice. That is why, you know, we do same thing over and over again: to make some good habit. But difference between the habit, in usual sense, and our habit-- good habit is we, you know, we are trying to make something a habit, you know. That something is, you know, the way to attain liberation. Usually habit is, you know, habit of smoking, habit of drinking [laughs]-- something, you know-- some habit directed to the other way.

So our habit is to be free from things, we have this kind of practice. By practicing, we will have habit of being relieved from everything, to have more freedom from everything. This kind of habit is-- the nature of habit is different. Do you understand? We, you know, bow to the Buddha. We observe ceremonies in the same way over and over again. But this habit will result complete freedom from-- for you. Zazen practice will give you the power of being free from things. So we-- if I use “habit” in usual sense, we practice our way to destroy various, you know, habit in its bad sense. Okay?

Student D: Sesshin seems to break some of my habits-- thinking in the past of, say, my habit of overeating.

SR: Mm-hmm.

Student D: And sesshin comes and I just cut it off, and it's gone for seven days. And-- but at the end, there's always-- I-- I guess the longer I practice, the more I will be faced with this choice between keeping the habit broken or over-reacting, you know. I think, “Well, seven days of not overeating! Wow!” [Laughs, laughter.] [2-3 words unclear.]

SR: Yeah. Right. Yeah, that is very true. We say, “One hundred lecture [laughs] end in,” you know, “one poo.” [Laughing, laughter throughout rest of paragraph.] What do you call it? After giving you one hundred times of lecture, and you make big poo-- big one, you know! That's worse-- make me worse. If I haven't given-- gave lect- [partial word]-- given lectures, you know, to you it was all right. Because I gave lecture, you know, to-- to make poo is very-- makes me worse. That is not actually laughing matter [laughing].

Okay.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:00 am

Just Enough Problems
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sesshin Lecture, Lecture 7: Page Street Apples
Friday Morning
February 12, 1971
San Francisco
(title from book: Not Always So, p. 143)

This is the seventh day of the sesshin, and you came already too far. So you cannot, you know, give up [laughs, laughter]. So only way is to stay here. And I feel I had a very good crop [laughs]. You may feel you are not yet ripened. But even though you are still ripening, but if you stay in our storehouse anyway, it will be a good apples [laughs]-- Page Street apples, ready to be served [laughs, laughter]. So I have nothing to worry [about], and I don't think you have any more worry about your practice.

Perhaps some of you started sesshin because you have too many things to solve, or some of you must have thought if you come and sit here, maybe your problem will be solved. But, you know, the problem which you-- which is-- any-- whatever problem it may be, something which is given to you could be solved anyway because Buddha will not give you anything-- any more than you can solve and you need. Whatever it is, whatever problem it may be, the problem you have is just enough problems [laughs, laughter] for you.

So I think you should trust him, you know, just enough-- not too much. And, you know-- and his-- if it is not too much, Buddha is ready to give you some more problems [laughs, laughter] just to survive, you know, just to appreciate problems. Buddha is always giving you something, because if you have nothing to cope with, you know, it may be terrible life-- as if you are, you know, it is like-- problem without life [life without problems] is to sit in this zendo for seven days without doing anything.

But, you know, I think you have had many problems to cope with in this zendo, or maybe more problems than you had in the city. You think it is easy to solve problem in zendo than in the city, but actually it is not so. You will find out more problems which you have had. But why you didn't feel so is you are fooled by something, and because of that you couldn't find out the problems you had. And if you do not, you know, know what kind of problem you have, the result will be terrible, you know. Unexpected problem will appear, you know, but it is not something which you didn't have, you know. Nothing will happen-- no problem will happen if you do not have, you know-- originally if you do not have problems. Because you had problem, only result came out when you did not expect it. So it is better to, you know, find out problems earlier-- as soon as possible.

But in our practice, there is no need-- you don't have to worry what will happen to us, because Buddha will give you, you know, just enough problems. I think that is, you know, to-- to sit-- we Soto students sit, you know, facing to the wall-- in other word, facing to Buddha with your back-face [laughs]-- back-front face and back-face [laughs]-- I don't know how to say-- how to express it, you know. You-- you sit, you know, like this. Buddha is there [behind you], and [you are] trusting him, you know. If you make some mistake, Buddha may say [laughing], “turn over.” It means that you are involved in some dualistic problem, you know. You have some problem in the-- in sense of duality, you know. So Buddha says, you know, “turn over.”

And you should listen to him, you know [laughs]. But usually, if you trust him completely, you know, there is no need to face the Buddha. This is the attitude of complete trust, you know. Your enemies or some problems, you know, will, you know, come through the back, not from the, you know, the front. So to expose your back to the Buddha means to express the complete trust with Buddha.

And even though you have problem which you-- you don't need, which you feel you don't need, or too much-- which you feel [are] too much [of a] problem-- problems, but trusting him, you should sit with problems. And, at the same time, you should be ready to refuse it if it is too much. But this will not be necessary, you know. There will not be no need to refuse it, because more and more the problems you think [are] problem will change into something you need.

So you know that, “If I refuse problem, I may regret. So I must keep-- anyway I must keep this because I am not so sure if this is real problem or Buddha's help,” you know. [Laughs.] “Maybe better to keep it.” And you sit in this way, you know. “Okay. [Laughs.] Anyway, it will-- we will understand what Buddha give-- gave us.” And Buddha may say, “If you really don't need it, any time I will accept it. [Laughs.] Give it back to me.” But if Buddha say so, you may think, you know, “Oh, may be better [laughs, laughter] to keep it. There may be some meaning,” you know, “in this problem. Oh, better to keep it.” And you should sit. If you sit in this way, you will find various problems as a kind of valuable treasures which is indispensable for you and especially indispensable for Zen students.

So before you sit, before you accept yourself as you are, and before you-- so-- before you accept the problem you have, your position, you cannot sit in its true sense. But if you fix your mind, trusting him, and sit, then in it-- there is no confusion or problems any more.

What you should do is to wait. Be patient enough and wait until the problem will make some sense to you, until you can appreciate your being here and your being-- your position, whatever it is. That is how you practice zazen.

So if you only practice zazen, there is no need to expect Buddha to help you. Buddha is always helping you. But usually what we are doing is refusing Buddha's offer. For an instance, if you, you know, ask help-- ask some special help from special person, you know, it means that you-- you are refusing, you know, Buddha's offering and asking for some other things which is not here yet. So you are refusing him. You are refusing what you have already. And you are refusing to accept treasures you have.

You are like a pig, you know. When I was young, as my father was very poor, he raised many pigs. And if you give pigs a bucket of food, you know, if you are not there he will eat it. As long as you are there, he will not eat it, expecting me to give more food [laughs, laughter]. So you must be very careful. And you-- if you put, you know, if you move, he will kick out the food from the bucket [laughs]. I think that is what you are doing, you know [laughs, laughter].

Just to cause more problem for you [laughs], you seek for something. But there is no need for you to seek for anything. You have plenty. And you have just enough problem. This is mysterious thing, you know-- mystery of the life. We have just enough problem: not too much or not too little. So there is no need to ask something for anybody-- there is no need to ask anyone's help if you are patient enough, if you are strong enough to accept it. But when you are not strong enough to accept you-- accept problem, or strong enough to sit calmly and peacefully, trusting Buddha. Yeah, I said “trusting Buddha,” you know [laughs]. I already give you the answer. Only way may be to trust Buddha, you know, to trust your being-- why you are here, how you are here, you know. Because you are helped, and because the way you are helped is perfect, you exist here. If it is too much, you will die. If it is too little, you will die. You are, you know, receiving something, you know-- as much as you need-- just as much as you need. So only way is, you know, to trust him, or to trust your being here. That is, you know, spirit of Zen.

Zen master-- you may think Zen master is-- all the Zen master is very tough. [Thumps the ground and laughs.] It-- he looks like very tough, you know, when you need him to be tough. [Thumps the ground and laughs.] But, you know, he is not tough-- so tough. He is just tough enough for you, that's all! [Laughs, laughter.] Actually, you don't need your master if you really-- if you know how to practice zazen.

It is already, you know, the last day. Perhaps if you have this kind of understanding, I think if you have problem still, you know, if you are blue apple yet [laughs]-- blue or green apple-- not blue [laughing, ongoing laughter]-- after being red, you will be blue. That is [?] too late. Maybe better than green-- to stay green. If you feel you are still, you know, green, but, you know-- even though you feel you are still green, you want-- maybe you want to continue this sesshin more, I think [laughs]. I am so sure about it.

Last day will be the day for-- to-- to have-- to make our practice meaningful, you know. How to make our practice meaning[ful] will be the-- will be our schedule. So I want you just to sit, you know, and to be ready to go to market [as ripe apples], for-- to be ready to be served for Zen students.

That is all what I wanted to say this morning. So let's, you know, sit more and-- to have full appreciation of our practice.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:00 am

Sun-Faced Buddha, Moon-Faced Buddha
Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Sunday, March 9, 1969
Sokoji, San Francisco

I am glad to see you from here [laughs]. My organ [?] may not be so good yet, but I am-- today I'm testing, you know, just testing. [Laughs, laughter.] I don't know if it works or not. Whether it works or not, or if I speak or not, is not such a big problem for us. Whatever happen to us, it is something which it should happen-- which should happen. So purpose of our practice [is] to have this kind of complete composure in our everyday life.

Some of Japanese member, you know, thought because I am-- I am practicing always zazen, “He not-- he will not be catch cold. [Laughs.] He will not suffer from flu. But it was funny for him to stay in bed so long.” [Laughs.]

But purpose of zazen is to makes-- to make our-- to make ourselves physically strong or to make ourselves mentally healthy or strong, maybe to make our mind healthy and body healthy. But healthy mind is not just, you know, “healthy mind” in its usual sense, and weak body is not weak body in its usual sense. Whether it is weak or strong, when that weakness and that strength is based on so-called-it truth or buddha-nature, that is healthy mind and healthy body.

As you know, there is a koan in Blue Cliff Record. It was the third koan in Blue Cliff Record and 30-- maybe 35 in Shoyu Roku. Soto use mostly Shoyu Roku, and Rinzai use mostly Blue Cliff Record, but subjects we find is same. We find same subject in a different order, with different commentary.

Anyway, the story is the-- Baso-- Baso-- Zen master Baso, the grandson of the Sixth Patriarch-- Baso Doitsu-- the Sixth Patriarch Eno and his disciple-- his-- one of the two main disciple is Nangaku, and Nangaku's disciple is Baso. So the other-- the other important disciple is Seigen. Those are the most important lineage from the Sixth Patriarch because, under those two disciples, Zen Buddhism flourished, and we have many and many good, famous Zen masters under two-- those-- two of those teachers: Seigen and Baso-- no, Nangaku.

Nangaku's disciple is-- was Baso. Baso was a big-- physically he was very strong and great-- a man of great physique, like this, you know [draws in air the figure of a large man]. 1 And when he speaks, his tongue covered [laughing] his nose. Maybe he was very fluent speaker [laughs, laughter]. But he was-- once he was, you know, ill, so temple acolyte or temple master, who take care of the temple, asked him, “How are you, recently? Are you well or not?” And Baso said, “The sun-faced buddha and the man-- the moon-faced buddha. The sun-faced buddha and the moon-faced buddha.” Nichimenbutsu gachimenbutsu.

Nichimenbutsu is supposed to live for one thousand and eight hundred-- eight hundred years. And the moon-faced buddha lives only one day-- one-- one day, one night. That is the “one-faced buddha.” So, you know, when I am sick, I may be the moon-faced buddha [laughs]. When I-- I am healthy, I am the sun-faced buddha. But “the sun-faced buddha” or “the moon-faced buddha” has no special meaning. It means that, whether I am ill or healthy, still, you know, I am practicing zazen. There is no difference. So you shouldn't worry about my health, you know. Even though I am in bed, you know, I am buddha. So don't worry about me.

And this is quite simple, you know. This is actually what we are doing every day, you know. But the difference between Baso and we ordinal [ordinary] people are-- is for Baso, you know, whatever happen to him, he can accept things as it is, as it happens. But we, you know, we can not-- we cannot accept everything. Something which you think is good, you may accept it. But something which you do not like you cannot-- you don't accept it. And you compare one to the other. And you may say, “this is the truth; this is not true.” And “he is a true Zen master; and he is not a true Zen master.” And “he is good Zen student; but I am not.” That is quite usual way of understanding. With this kind of understanding you cannot, you know, figure out what kind of-- with what kind of idea we can-- we sit every day.

To attain enlightenment means to have this kind of complete composure in our life, without any description-- discrimination. But, at the same time, if we stick to this kind of attitude of non-discrimination, that is also a kind of discrimination, you know. So how we practice zazen-- how we attain this kind of complete composure-- is the point, you know, you should have when you start our practice.

First of all, you should know that with ordinal [ordinary], you know, effort you cannot practice our way. When I was in Japan, I also had, you know, some Zen students. Some of them are very rich, and some-- and some of them are very influential people. And some of them [are] just, you know, students. Some of them are-- were carpenter, you know, and some of them were other workers. In Japan, you know, still we have some-- not, you know, class, but some, you know-- we respect, still, we treat some-- someone-- or mayor or teachers in some different way. We, you know, we have-- we use some special-- we-- we have some special way of addressing them and we have-- we have some way-- special way to talk with him. And we-- we have also special manner to them. As you say, “Yes, sir.” [Laughs.] That is a kind of thing you have. But nowadays I don't think you have this kind of difference in your way of communication. But I always, you know, told them, “If you want to-- if you are Zen students, you should,” you know, “forget all about your position, or work, or title, and you should be just,” you know, “Zen students, or else,” you know, “we cannot practice zazen in its true sense.”

When we-- actually, when you sit I say, “Don't think,” you know. “Don't think” means don't treat things in term of good or bad, you know, or heavy or light. And just, you know, accept things as it is. So even though you do nothing, you may hear, you know, and the moment-- usually the moment you hear, your reaction is, “What will it be? Yeah, that is a motor car, or that's very noisy,” you know. “That may be the motor cycle.”

But in zazen you should not, you know, react in that way. You should just, you know, hear the big noise or small noise, and you should not be bothered by it. It looks like impossible, you know, for you, for especially for a beginner, because the moment you hear, you know, some reaction follows. But if you practice zazen-- if you try-- if you continuously try not to do so, just accept “things as it is,” you can do it eventually.

Of course it is difficult. That difficulty is not some difficulty to-- like to carry some heavy things, or to work on mathematics, you know. That difficulty is that very [?]-- wants some special effort. How you can do it is to be concentrated on your posture, or breathing, or perfect physical practice. That is the only way to-- to have right reaction.

That is why, you know, Zen and samurai, you know, is not-- in Japan samurai practiced zazen to master, you know, sword martial art. Martial art is not just physical things. It is, you know, the matter [of] whether he k- [partial word]-- he is lose or win. So [laughs]-- so long as you are-- you are afraid of losing their life [laughs], they-- they will be-- their, you know, ability-- they cannot act in his full ability. When-- only when he is free from “to kill or to be killed,” you know, and only when he react [to] his enemy's activity, he will-- that is only way to win. If he try to win, he may lose. [Laughs.] So, you know, if he-- how he can act without this kind of fear, which will-- which will keep himself in limited activity is the most important thing. Because they had this kind of problem, they practiced Zen very hard. It is matter of, you know [laughs], whether he can survive or he cannot in battlefield. So he fought his fight in zendo, not in battlefield [laughs].

But we have not much, you know, need in our every day life, so we don't feel the necessity of this kind of practice. But our human problem we have in this world is created-- are created this kind of-- want of [desire for?] this kind of activity. Because we make our effort just to achieve something in its materialistic sense, or spiritual sense, we cannot achieve anything. We must achieve nothing [laughs], so that is the real meaning of nothingness.

So at first, I think, you should observe, you should understand your own everyday activity in two ways. And-- and then you should be able to understand or react in one way without problem. One is, you know, dualis- [partial word]-- to understand our life in dualistic way: good or bad, right or wrong. We should be-- we should try hard to understand things in term of good or bad. And sometime you should unders- [partial word]-- you should be able to ignore the understanding from the viewpoint of good or bad. “Good” or “bad” is just superficial understanding. But when you understand things, everything is one. Everything is one. Or all things are one. Then that is the other understanding: understanding of oneness. The understanding of duality.

At first you should be able to understand-- accept things in two ways, but this is not enough. It is still dualistic. So you should be able to understand in one of the two ways without thinking, “This is one of the two understanding.” So it-- here you come back from starting point, but actually it is not starting point because you have freedom from-- from one to the other. So you will not be bothered by it. And whatever you do, that is the great activity of the practice.

The sun-faced buddha is good; the moon-faced buddha is good. So whatever it is, that is good-- that all things are Buddha. And there is no Buddha, even. But usually [when] you say “no Buddha,” [laughs] it means that you stick to one-- only one of the three understanding: that is, you know, “no buddha,” the opposite of “buddha.” [1] Buddha, [2] no buddha, and [3] no buddha and buddha or buddha or no buddha. Whatever you say, it is all right. If you have complete, you know, understanding of it, whatever you say, it is all right. Only when you are not-- you don't understand buddha, you know, you concerned about if I say there is no-buddha. “You are a priest,” you know, “why-- how you can say there is no buddha?! And why do you chant? Why do you bow to buddha?” [Laughs.]

To bow to buddha is “no buddha” for us. There is no buddha, so we bow to buddha. [Laughs, laughter.] If you bow to buddha because there is buddha, you know, that is not true understanding of buddha. So whatever you say, it is all right. If you say, “The sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha”-- Nichimenbutsu gachimenbutsu-- no trouble. [Laughing.] Whether I am [at] Tassajara or Sokoji, that's no trouble. [Laughs.] Should not be any trouble. Even though I die, with me it is all right, and with you it is all right. And if it is not all right, you know, you are not Zen student. [Laughs.] It is quite all right. That is buddha.

If I, you know, when I die, the moment I am dying, if I suffer, that is all right, you know. That is suffering buddha. [Laughs.] No, you know, confusion in it. Maybe everyone will struggle because of the physical, you know, agony or spiritual agony too. But that is all right. That is no-- that is not problem. We should be very grateful to have limited body like me, you know, or like you. If you have limitless life, it will be a great problem for you. [Laughs.]

I'm, you know-- my wife's favorite TV program is [laughs]-- start from 4 o'clock and 4:30. I don't know the-- what was-- is the title-- in Channel 7. Some ghost, you know-- problem. Some of them has, you know, has very, you know-- the monsters, the people who lived, you know, long, long time ago and appear in this world, and creating many problems for people, and creating problem for himself. [Laughs.] That is what will happen.

And we are almost reaching to the moon now, but we cannot, you know, create human being in its true sense. We can create robot, but we cannot create human being. Human being is human being. We can enjoy our life only with our limited body and limited life. This limitation is vital element for us. Without limitation nothing exist, so we should enjoy the limitation. Weak body, strong body; man or woman. We should-- the only way to enjoy our life is to enjoy the limitation which was given to us.

Whatever it is, you know, the limitation has some meaning-- not some meaning-- it has absolute meaning in it. It-- that is most important point: for us to know [the] limitation. So, “the sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha” does not mean, “I don't care the sun-faced buddha or the moon-faced buddha.” It means that the sun-faced [hits table with stick] buddha, the moon-faced [hits table with stick] buddha, you know. We should enjoy the sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha. It-- it is not indifference. It is the more than attachment-- strong, strong [laughs] attachment to the moon-faced Buddha or the sun-faced buddha. But usually our attachment-- we say “non-attachment.” When our attachment reach to the non-attachment, that is real attachment. So if-- if you attach to something, you should attached to something completely [laughs]. The sun-faced buddha, the moon-faced buddha! “I am here,” you know, “I am right here.”

This kind of confidence within ourselves is important. When you have this kind of confidence in yourself, in your being, we can practice true zazen, which is beyond perfect or imperfect, good or bad.

Thank you very much.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:07 am

Sitting like a Frog

"A frog is a good example if our practice. When you have been practicing for a pretty long time, you will laugh, partly at someone who is involved in the wrong idea if practice, and partly at yourself who is always sitting, without doing anything, without making much progress."

Recently on a calendar I saw one of Sengai's drawings of a frog along with Sengai's saying, "If we can become a Buddha by the practice of sitting. . . ." He doesn't say anything more, but we can imagine what the frog is thinking: "If people can become a Buddha by the practice of sitting, then I too can be a Buddha." [laughs] For those of us who have some understanding of practice, when we see someone sitting to attain enlightenment, we may think, "Oh, he is sitting like a frog."

Actually a frog's way of sitting is much better than our zazen. I always admire their practice. They never get sleepy. Their eyes are always open, and they do things intuitively in an appropriate way. When something to eat comes by, they go like this: Gulp! They never miss anything, they are always calm and still. I wish I could be a frog.

If you understand what Sengai is saying in his picture of a frog, you have already understood what Zen is. There is a lot of humor in his picture and a good understanding of our practice. Even though our practice is not better than a frog's, we continue to sit. When you have been practicing for a pretty long time, you will laugh, partly at someone who is involved in the wrong idea of practice, and partly at yourself who is always sitting, without doing anything, without making much progress. You will laugh at yourself. When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment.

Still your zazen may be a beginner's zazen or sometimes worse than a beginner's. Sometimes I am ashamed of myself when I see a student who is practicing very well: "Oh, he is very good." I wish I could be that young again, but it is too late. Anyway, our practice cannot be better than a frog sitting, but that is okay. To see someone practicing good zazen is inspiring, not only for me, but for everyone. If your zazen is good enough to give a good impression, then your zazen is pretty good even though you don't think so. Likewise, even though you think your zazen is very good and you are proud of your enlightenment experience, if your zazen does not inspire anyone, it may be wrong practice.

When we talk about the precepts we say not to do this or not to do that, but if you are doing something good like zazen you cannot do something bad at the same time. If you continue to do something good, that is how to observe our precepts. So the point is just to sit, forgetting all about fame or profit. Just sit for the sake of zazen. That is to have real way-seeking mind, to find out your inmost desire.

The practice of way-seeking mind will sharpen your intuition. Then you will have less difficulty knowing what to choose. To make a choice you try to know what is good and what is bad, so that by comparing one thing to another you can buy or get something good. Maybe you are trying to pick out fabric from all the various colors and materials, but even though you spend two or three days you may end up getting something that is not appropriate for you. You will return to the same store. If they exchange it for something else, you are lucky.

Don't say this kind of practice is useless. It is actually the first step on our way. How to have good practice and how to buy something appropriate for yourself is the same. When you are not overly involved in it and shopping too much, then you can get something appropriate.

When you know the secret of how to use your intuitive sense, your activity will be free from various restrictions, and you will find your way in your everyday life. Until you understand why we practice zazen and what is actually true activity, intuitive activity, free from various desires and restrictions, it is difficult to figure out what is good practice. Still it is okay to continue practicing, and little by little without knowing how to acquire that kind of intuitive activity, you will get it anyway. So it is rather foolish to be involved in some hard special practice. Zazen practice is hard enough, and only through zazen practice have various teachers attained -- there is no other word, so I say attained -- enlightenment and become real Buddhists.

If you understand real practice, then archery or other activities can be Zen. If you don't understand how to practice archery in its true sense, then even though you practice very hard, what you acquire is just technique. It won't help you through and through. Perhaps you can hit the mark without trying, but without a bow and arrow you cannot do anything. If you understand the point of practice, then even without a bow and arrow the archery will help you. How you get that kind of power or ability is only through right practice. Dogen Zenji says that to have right practice is to have a good teacher and to receive right guidance. Otherwise you will not understand Zen.

Just to continue this right practice or fundamental practice is the most important thing.

Thank you very much.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:07 am

Notes about Editing the Lectures

Several years ago the Zen Center in San Francisco invited me to work on editing Suzuki Roshi's lectures. At first 1 was hesitant since I do not consider that I have any unique or special understanding of Roshi's words. Eventually I did agree. I decided to trust in people's trust in me.

I began reading transcriptions of the lectures, and picked out ones which appealed to me, not especially aiming to accumulate good examples of various teachings, but to have lectures which were evocative -- often focused around a particular image, whether it was that of a frog, a turtle, or an elephant; that of brown rice or the ground; or that of sincerity or concentration. Then little by little I began editing. It was a slow process. I decided early on to preserve the integrity of individual lectures and not cut and paste.

First I went through making minimal changes: removing the "urns" and the "you knows," and making one sentence where Suzuki may have begun a sentence two or three times before settling on a way to say what he wanted to say. From this I edited out the repetitions, which work so well in a lecture, deciding that with the written word readers could always go back and re-read anything they hadn't gotten the first time. A third time through the lectures I tightened up the structure of the talks, aiming to preserve Suzuki's idiosyncratic use of language: "shoulds" and "musts"; many "kind ofs," as in, "this kind of practice" or "this kind of understanding"; a great deal of switching around between "you" and "we"; tense changes; frequent use of "some," usually to indicate an article: "a," "an," or "the."

Although I wanted to preserve Suzuki Roshi's voice as much as possible, I eventually began to edit many of his Japanese-isms and put them into more commonly used English. For instance, many of the should statements became "you" statements or simple imperatives: "You should wake up" might become, "Wake up." Before I got very far in this process, I began working with Sojun Mel Weitsman, another of Suzuki Roshi's disciples, and together we went through the lectures, clarifying the use of "we" or "you," standardizing verb tenses, inserting appropriate articles. Again, although we intended to preserve as much of Suzuki Roshi's language as possible, at the same time we aimed for clarity and readability, hopefully without sacrificing content.

Working together, with both of us agreeing to any changes, gave us the confidence to proceed, and we discovered that we shared a similar sensibility for how to present the material for this book.

Eventually other people read the manuscript: Linda Hess, Carol Williams, Laurie Schley, Norman Fischer, Michael Wenger, Michael Katz. After each reading I would go through the editorial suggestions, then Mel and I would go through them and decide whether or not and how to respond to them. Again, our intention was to preserve Roshi's language while making the minimal number of "corrections" or "clarifications." Sometimes there was nothing we could do to answer, "This isn't clear" or "I don't get this." Sometimes it seemed best simply to let people ponder the Roshi's words.

Now that the process is near completion, I realize that the final results are quite different from the original transcriptions. I hope and trust that we have done justice to the original talks; but while I have no way to make an independent evaluation of our efforts (and Suzuki Roshi suggests more than once that an objective approach may not be especially useful), I do know that I (with Mel's gracious and generous assistance and support) proceeded with care and caution, going slowly, step by step. For those who wish to study the lectures in their most unedited versions, these are available in the library at Zen Center, and we may eventually publish them in that format.

In my efforts to preserve and present Suzuki Roshi's teaching to the public, I felt confident that I was continuing his efforts to present Buddhism to those of us who were his students. However, if there are errors, lapses, or inconsistencies, I accept responsibility. I trust that readers will be forgiving.

Any added comments that are not Suzuki Roshi's words are marked off with brackets.

Some Japanese words used often throughout the manuscript -- notably shikantaza, zazen, kinhin, sesshin, and zendo -- are not italicized. Brief explanations of these words are in the Introduction. Other foreign words are italicized and explained in the text.

Perhaps my previous experience with The Tassajara Bread Book was useful after all. When I set out in 1985 to revise the book, which had originally been published in 1970, I discovered that I had unknowingly written the whole book in Suzuki Roshi English: "Put bread on board and knead with hands." As with a number of students who spent time with him, I had unconsciously learned to speak the way he spoke. I had unknowingly left out most of the articles and pronouns. In fifteen years no one had said anything to me. I decided to put the articles and pronouns back in: "Put the bread on a board and knead it with your hands." In the more than fifteen years since then, no one has said anything to me. What to do? Is one truer? or more direct? Or is it a manner of speaking that I or Suzuki Roshi would correct if we knew better? I cannot say for sure, but I followed my heart and my love for Roshi and his teaching.

Jusan Kainei (Longevity Mountain, Peaceful Sea)
Edward Espe Brown
May, 2001
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:07 am

Further Reading

Brown, Edward Espe. The Tassajara Bread Book. Shambhala, revised 1986.

___ . The Tassajara Recipe Book. Shambhala, revised 2000.

___ . Tomato Blessings and Radish Teachings: Recipes and Reflections. Riverhead Books, 1997.

Chadwick, David. Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki. Broadway Books, 1999.

___ . To Shine One Corner of the World: Moments with Shunryu Suzuki. Broadway Books, 2001.

Suzuki, Shunryu. Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Lectures on the Sandokai. University of California Press, 1999.

___ . Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Weatherhill, 1970.

Wind Bell: Teachings from the San Francisco Zen Center, 1968-2001. North Atlantic Books, 2002.
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Re: Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shu

Postby admin » Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:07 am

Acknowledgments

I began practicing zazen at Zen Center in 1965, so I am profoundly indebted to hundreds of people with whom I have sat silently over the years. It's not easy being a human being, and the support of others sitting quietly -- perhaps we could say, "sorting through their stuff" -- seems imperative for the work of "settling the self on the self."

Several people at Zen Center: Mel Weitsman, Norman Fischer, and Michael Wenger, among others, expressed confidence in my editing Suzuki Roshi's lectures. Without their support I never would have started on my own. We have all known each other for thirty years or more. In a variety of contexts and circumstances we have encountered one another's strengths and weaknesses, clarity and dark spots. I embarked on this project because they believed in me.

During the process of selecting and editing lectures I have kept in touch especially with these three people. Mel and I have together gone through every lecture at least once and sometimes three or four times. After our sessions we would enjoy lunch and each other's company. Michael has followed the project all the way through and with surprisingly small gestures and comments has had a profound effect. Norman read through an early version of several lectures and supplied editorial comments with his usual good humor, honesty, and straightforwardness. And his confidence in my abilities has been infectious. Michael Katz, who has been the book agent for both Zen Center and myself, has in his idiosyncratic way nursed the project along. When we visit on the phone it may or may not be about Suzuki Roshi -- usually it isn't -- but I feel alive, awake, and revitalized.

Linda Hess, Carol Williams, and Laurie Schley read through the manuscript at various stages (a year or more apart) and offered editorial comments. Each had a particular perspective which has been indispensable in refining my own eye and ear for the material. I feel very grateful.

I studied with Reb Anderson for several years and appreciate his wisdom and support. I have also been a student of Jack Kornfield from time to time, and Jack's warm-hearted enthusiasm for my work has been a big encouragement.

Bill Redican's work on the Suzuki Roshi Archive, cataloguing, transcribing, and tracking has been invaluable. His amazing eye and ear for detail and accuracy have considerably improved the manuscript. And of course the archive project is happening largely because of David Chadwick's passion for making Suzuki Roshi's life and teaching available to a wide audience.

Hugh Van Dusen and David Semanki at HarperCollins have been wonderfully supportive.

While not participating in this project directly, Mitsu Suzuki, Suzuki Roshi's widow, will always have a special place in my heart. She has been an inspiration, a teacher, a caretaker. How unfathomable the depth of her devotion and warmheartedness -- no green tea has ever tasted better than at her table.

Blessings to everyone,
Edward Brown
Jusan Kainei
May, 2001
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