c/shunryu-suzuki
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi was a pivotal Zen monk and author who founded the first Western Zen monastery. Discover his legacy of "nothing special."
…philosophy is religion. But science or philosophy. In science or in philosophy there is no religion. This relationship is very important. Dogen zenji said: our ordinary way although you know our ordinary way in our ordinary worldly life, there is no buddha's…
…and religion and from cultural science and from natural science, or else you will be mixed up. You cannot discuss properly. Dogen zenji had a clear distinction between those kinds of studies, not only dogen zenji but also all Buddhist Saints. There is…
…cover on your pen you can use it whenever you want to use your pen. So it is very important to have a cover to it. Dogen thought that, as he wrote, it is not the time to make them understand what is Buddhism in Japan right now it is not. It was…
…a day of enlightenment. Enlightenment is on each day, on each practice you do, as long as you have clear understanding of buddha nature. Dogen tenshi looks like giving its bark for a desert a resort pathway but it is not so it is not philosophy at all.…
…thing we thought of for us, a completed, a deep meaning, a todaiji temple. For the memory of the fifth paper from in Japan, Dogen is the first paper and fifth one, fourth one we call it keigan and the fifth one is gassan jinji. Gassan jinji had many…
…big activity, whatever you do buddha's effort, Zen, even though it is not perfect, you are manifesting buddha's mercy and activity. Dogen zenji actually, according to his record, he was enlightened when he heard a disciple was killed by his master. What are…
…in just one picture. But if I say that unconditionality is eternal present or now, you may be surprised by unconditionality. Dogen zenji means now, this moment. So this unconditionality is the eternal being in which buddha lived, in which we live, but…
…about mudra in your hand. The most important thing is, we say to stop thinking or to keep your mind on your breathing. Dogen zenji says: think non thinking, think non thinking. This is very important and at the same time this is very difficult practice…
…will find out the true meaning of it. It means self Lessing. It means not to move your body, your clock, ahead of time. Dogen zenji, early in the spring, would watch the plum coming up in cold winter, cold morning. In Japan, you know, plum comes up in…
…later than dogen but this kind of deeper understanding was understood by many ancient thinkers more than 700 years ago. Dogen observed things in this way and this is, surprisingly enough, the traditional understanding of things of Buddhists in ehege…
…you start to seek for something better and you are going round and round same place. Here is the translation of kanza Zen. Dogen zenji worked on for 20 years. Right after he came back from china he wrote this kanza Zen recommending the rules for…
…So what we see, just what we see, is not true without background of the reality. I will stop this kind of interpretation. Dogen zenji found out a very good Chinese word to Express this kind of truth in Chinese Chinese word: yinmo, yinmo. I don't know…
…word there are not so many. You know, posture is right. When your posture is right, your mind is also right. Some more questions. Dogen mentioned that mind and body are one, the way to change your body. What do you mean by that? True, not true. Mind…
…this word, not that word. This kind of discussion is still going on so that we should be faithful to the original text. Dogen zenji did not translate it commentary: yes, he expressed, you know his way of understanding this sutra and almost all the time…
…strong self, the toughness of the self, and which is always free from personal attachment, which is immutable. That is selflessness. Dogen the founder of Soto School of Zen, explained this point. You should not think firewood becomes ash. Firewood does. Not…
…do you whip? And he explained about this corn which do we? Should we hit a cart or the horse? The cart or the horse? Dogen denji said usually there is no person who hits the cart when the cart does not go. Usually people hit a cow instead of a…
…to speak and for my students there is no need to receive any lecture. There are many stories like this in shobo Genzo Dogen zenji dogen told us a very interesting story. There was a famous Zen master named isan isan and Kyo San formed and established…
…you know we are now, I don't think we are even human now, we are just, you know I don't know what it is. Dogen zenji said when he received the powerful robe from the emperor, although he refused it second time. But the emperor said you must receive…
…drive wave. Follow the wave and drive wave. It means that you know to follow the wave and actually you should drive the wave. Dogen zenji says we should be like a boatman. A boatman is on the boat you know, but actually a boatman is carried by boat,…
…much as you can still it broken, broken. It is so hard, like to break lotus root in two. I think that is very true. Dogen zenji was so kind to explain this point in one of the fascula of shyobo gensho sansuike, the sutra of mountain and water sutra:…
…combine various sight, various view of the world, he feels quite lonely, lonesome. It is a kind of fear for us too. Dogen zenji also described this kind of sorrow. You know, yeah sorrow, sorrow or maybe, maybe sorrow of enlightenment you may say sorrow,…
…a result of pure practice, as a result of real practice, that result will not vanish at all, because that is so. Dogen then said: wisdom seeks for wisdom, buddha, you know, because of buddha, buddha will appear. So buddha, you know, results buddha. Same…
…be dead or to be alive. Which is more real? Most people think to be alive is more real than to be dead. Which is real? Dogen zenji says people like which is not real and does not like which is real. Which is more real? Think which is more real. Our…
…to help others. So our dozen is not just a matter of form. The spirit we practice is the most important. In three monkeys. Dogen zenji is talking about when we are asked to do something, for instance, when you are asked to write a letter for your…
…trouble. I think he said still you should write a letter or not, but still he should write a letter for him or not. Dogen zenji says yes, even so you should. But whether a businessman a will businessman will help him or not is his you know, problem.…
…you know obtain this kind of freedom from things? So later, you know, dogen zenji did not use this kind of words so much. Dogen zenji rather put emphasis on to get out of those words. How to get out of those words is to appreciate things moment after…
…first patriarch. Ehe dogen is dogen's name. The monastery he founded is named ehe, so dogen is called after the monastery he founded. Dogen is called ehe dogen, ehe dogen dayosho. And we here we recite sutra in zendo. In zendo, as you know, we have…
…you must study. You must spend your time in sitting meditation or reading sutra. He said: that is more appropriate practice for you. Dogen said: but that monk said: you don't know what is practice. You, a venerable priest from Japan, do not know what is…
…is very long. But our transmission should be very long, very long long, long one should be, and our transmission is special noodle. Dogen zenji said: when we realize buddha's nature, you are a teacher, a teacher of your master. Too, and you will be even…
…said before here we recite sutra first of all buddha and the first padre. Of china, Bodhidharma, and first padre of Japan, Dogen zenji, that is padre recites sutra for as a most formal dedication. The next is for the arahats, buddha's disciples, which is…
…we do: we dedicate to our patriarchs and we recite names of the patriarchs. Here I have some reference to this lecture. Dogen zenji said in his shobo genso, paschal of the patriarchs, my teacher, tendo nyojo daisho, when I waited for my teacher, tendo…
…said is very true. I think the world situation is something like that. But we should know the right entrance for zendo. Dogen zenji says in shobo Genzo: the right entrance for the buddha is zazen. Zazen practice is the right entrance. So everyone should…
…help. Many teachers help. More and more. We will be concentrated in this direction. To make our practice stronger and clearer. Dogen fortunately zenjutsu, dogen zenjutsu's way of study is not just study of Zen, his study covers all the Buddhism. So it…
Dogen zenji said: sickness does not destroy people, but no practice will destroy people. Sickness does not destroy people, but no practice destroys people. What does it mean? No practice destroys people. If we have no idea of practice, sickness even sickness…
…nothing happens, it is okay, something will happen anyway. So you are always you know happy and you will not be discouraged. Dogen zenji explained this kind of feeling you know in tenza kyokun instruction to the head cook, even though you think I cannot…
…least we we can find, maybe in Japan originated by dog or more older. Every school has this kind of set, each school. Dogen zenji studied in various schools and he had some confidence in the way he observed those literatures and the background of those…