Abbot Suzuki Roshi • SHUNRYU SUZll{I ROSH! As,one by one,Engli•h-speaking By Mary Farkas persons desirous of studying sought I thought to write .som-ething about him out,he told them,usually,that he Shunryu Suzuki Roshi,the individual did every morning and that any­ who _died at sixty-nine December 4th, one could join him who wished to do so. 1971 in San Francisco, after spending This particular congregation was twelve years in this country teaching. somewhat known to us from the letters After looking over the material I of a former member,who attended there found in my files about him,I was regularly. It was typical of many struck with several things about it. such congregations, composed largely The first is that almost nothing has of Japanese-speaking persons. Their been mentioned about his life prior head priest also spoke Japanese only. to his coming to the United States. The services in such templ e s,though For us, then, the twelve years of his differing in content, are noticeably American stay are substantially his like those in Western churches, show­ life;his significant work was accom­ ing elements of both Catholic and plished in this brief span of years, Protestant influence.The congregation one round in the Chinese way of count­ usually sits in pews or on seats, and ing years by twelves. their buildings are ~estern in style The second is that everything told and arrangement. Often meeti ng rooms about him and said by him(exemplified may serve multiple uses for the com­ in his one book,Zen Mind,Beginner's munity. Mind,published in 1970 and his remarks Some few non-Japanese- speaking and lectures that appeared in the Wind Americans were regularly attending Bell, Zen Center's excellent pub.Ii ca­ the services at Sokoji Temple. One of tion) represent the Soto Way so per­ these, a former Institute member,who fectly and impersonally that his twelve had gone to San Francisco in 1951, as years here are clearly its manifesta­ I re cal 1, was ordained a priest there, tion, the man merged in the Way. he wro t e u s i n t he f a 11 o £ 19 5 5, The third is that through the ef­ and was influential in adopting some forts of this 3111all quiet manathriv­ of the practices at the Institute for ing Soto Zen organization has sprung English-speaking members. I think our full- fledged into bei ng in our land. Hannya-folders,which recorded this The second phase of Zen's superhis­ ubiquitous chant in Roman transliter­ torical history (the pioneer phase ation from the time of Miura Roshi's was its first) commences here. To visit earlier that year,were dis• speak about Suzuki Roshi, therefore, i s patched from New York to enable those to speak about Phase Two of Ze n i n members to chant at zazen meetings J\ne ri c a. something l i ke ours, and our former In the spring of 1959 Shunryu Su­ memb e r read Sokei• an' s lectures a t zuki Roshi cam~ to lead the Japanese these meetings on Frida.ya. Miura Ro­ Soto Zen congregation at Sokoji Tern~ shi had spoken there on his way back ple, 1881 Bush Street, San Francisco, to Japan in the spring. where he was e xpected to remai n f or In December 1959 our correspondent about two years. wrote: "We have a new priest who I , speaks English fairly well,and he is looked to l.en for firmer footing.When a grand p~rson.Everyone at our temple ~z~ki Poshi vijited the tn-stitute in is more than happy to have him as a 1969, we asked him for his .views about teacher." In December 1961 he wrote the Zen-drug tie-up we 'ept he~ring ag a i n : " Si n c e t h e a r r i v a 1 o f o u r of. From his reply,we ~at,ered that priest, a year and a half ago,I have students who had been on drugs gradu­ not read Zen Notes to our group, as ally gave them up a~d that highly Rev. Suzuki has a fairly good command structured and supervi se.d ·aritivi ti es of English and everything has taken left little opportu.nity an·d lessened the Soto approach. On three sides of inclination. In an interview in the our temple we have a raised dais with Village Voice, July 6,1967, Peter tatami and cushions and even Charlie Schneider (one of the leaders) said, (another old Institute member) sits "Many people coming to Zen nowadays lotus posture, (we sit facing the wall), have used or use acid.Once they become all lights out except the candle on really involved in Zen though--say by the altar. Sens e i walks around with the time they're ready to come down the big stick--quite a f ew get some here--they've stopped.Acid can't heip good whacks . I haven't a s yet,Sensei you reach truth the way meditation says my posture is good. We have sev­ can. Meditation takes you far beyond, eral boys that look like beatniks if you're willing to accept the dis­ with b ear d s, s we at sh i rt s a nd some cipline." with sandals, but I must s ay they are That discipline was provided when well behaved and seem sincere. We us­ in 1967,at Tas~ajara,in ihe Santa ually have twelve or fifteen and of­ Lucia Mountains below Carmel Valley, a ten twenty-nine of a Wedn e sday ni g ht. " monastery was established·, to be 1 at er Within a year the gro up,needing presided over by a s~cond Zen ma'ster more room, separated from Sokoj i Temple invited by Suzuki Poshi,who organized and incorporated as Zen Center. it,point by point,on a modified model During the middle sixties the of traditional monasteries.· "well-behaved beatniks" along with The first ~umme~ abou~ se~eniy the usual assortment of personality students qualified by accepting, •f"ter types that take up Zen were augmented six months practice in San Francisco by hippies. With LSD and marijuana or other qualified zendos, three days prominent everywhere in San Francisco, of tangaryo (continuous ~riinte~rupted interest in consciousness altering" sitting from 4 a.m. ~o 9 p.m. with methods grew phenomenally high. By only short breaks after me~l;) were 1970 the sitting group had g ro wn to permitted to remain there from periods more than three hundred students who ranging from a few days to three ·' practiced daily at a residence and months. When asked abo~t the makeup zendo at 300 Page Street as wel 1 as of this group, Di ck Baker gave a random at independent but affiliated zendos sampling--college students,many from in Berkeley,Mill Valley and Los Altos. Minnesota and Texas, professors, a As the drug craze progressed through psychiatrist, an importer, a bookshop the normal phases,many young people owner,a former naval commander, and a who had turned away f~om drugs also few housewifes. Some remained after the summer as students and di re ct ors. The day, however, is not cut down.Be­ A few stayed for years. ginning at 4:40 a. m.,it combines medi­ Volume IX,Fall-Winter 1970-1971 tation, work and study until 10 p.m. And of the Wind Bell vividly described bows have been increased to nine in­ the communal life at 300 Page Street, stead of the usual three. the large building into which the At both establishments,city and city group- had moved in 1969. country, the Soto emphasis on the Those living in the b~ilding(about careful performance of daily acts seventy can be accommodated) were prevails. "Kitchen work and meal asked to attend a minimum of one zazen practice," Suzuki Roshi said, "are period a day and to share the house very important.This is the first step cleaning and kitchen work." The major toward the practice of non-duality. requirement is that you have c om­ Those who have non-dualistic meal pleted three months of zazen prac­ practice can extend that practice tice, that your effort is seen as sin­ endlessly into various practices. The cere, and that you can meet the month! y way we take care of kitchen work payment,now $90. This includes a $30 should be the same way we take care pledge fee for Zen Center staff and of our posture and breathing and ev­ maint ::; nance and teaching expenses." ery part of our body in our zazen. Turnover was high. After 16 months of No detail was left to chance. With full occupancy,one-fourth of those considered forethought even a cemetery who originally moved in remain ed. was laid out. Suzuki Roshi prepared Several more Japanese priests ar­ his students for the time he perhaps rived to help out and a growing br oth­ knew would be soon at hand, the time erhood of American teachers are being hardest for students:" If when I die, developed, severalof whom have been the moment I'm dying,if I suffer that ordained. as priests, thus establishing is all right,you know;that is suffer­ an American line of succession. In ing Buddha. No confusion in it. Maybe 1969 Suzuki Roshi ordained six young everyone will struggle because of the Ameri..,ans as first order priests. physical agony or spiritual agony, too. Richard Baker, the founding director, But that is all right,that is not a and one of the prime movers in the problem. We should be very grateful whole project, received trans­ to have a limited body •.. like mine,or mission in 1969. The ritual, from an like yours.If you had a limitless life American view extraordinarily struc­ it would be a real pro bl em for you." tured, has been s.omewhat trimmed, Baker Suzuki Roshi' s personal example stated in a Time article,Oct., 1968, will be remembered in every part of to fit the American attention span. the establishment. "The only reason "The Japanese like huge ceremonies we' re here," a student said,''is that that go on for a week. Now the ro shi we are students of Suzuki Roshi. The will take a two- or thre ·e-day c ere­ only reason Zen Center or Tassajara mony and cut it down to t .wo hours. exists is because of Su:mki Roshi." Recent! y I told him that if he doe sn' t Suzuki Roshi was a true inspiration cut it down to half an hour,I won't t o all who knew him. He did not spare come. himself but gave freely,working and living his own Way before their eyes. take monastic living ·. and training as His non-ego attitude gives us no ec­ part of their education? · centricities to embroider upon.Though A ~ore mixed fo;m exists i~ the he made no waves and left no traces lay-zendo se~f-awakening . method which as a personality in the worldly sense, we ourselves somewhat lazily exempli­ the impress of his footsteps in the fy. Regular za zen, periodic se sshins, invisible world of history lead with prof-essional leaders when ~vail­ straight on. His monument is his es­ able,plus visits to prof~ssional cen­ tablishment of the first Soto Zen ters here or in Japan is an.other an­ monastery 1n the We s t,wi th its city swer for national and e:v~n interna­ adjunct. tional cooperation,with groups of all The pioneer period of Ze n in Amer­ sizes interacting, as ~rojeeted by ica, Rinzai in essence, e xemplified by Sokatllu Shaku and his descendants. Shaku Soyen,Sokei-an Sasaki,Nyogen While (mostly) young Americans have Senzaki and Daisetz Suzuki,offered been throwing themselYes ·into the Zen to Americans by lecture s, writings, monastic meld,one questioning voice and sanzen. So en Nakagawa Ro shi, and has been heard, that of Alan Watts, his distinguished disciple,Eido Tai though, as he first says, in a 1 etter Shimano,continuing in the line first published in the November 1971 issue trod by Nyo gen Sen zak i in Los Angeles, of The , he "would not for have now established a traditional a moment wish to impede the excellent center here, with a country zendo. In work now being done in Western Zen Rochester,New York, the establishment monasteries,of which there are · at of Philip Kapleau,of Three Pillars of least six (includi~g the second larg­ Zen fame,is also flourishing.An Eng­ est in the world) in the. U.S.A.· •• it lish-born woman,Jiyu Kennett Roshi, is not generally realized by Western established a Soto monastery on Mt. Buddhists that the majority of stu· Shasta in 1970.In the Los Angeles dent-monks in J ap ane se Zen mon aster ie.s . area, a Myoshinji man,Joshu Sasaki Ro­ are sons of priest&,or - ~t ·her ' · . ~~ry shi, who arrived on the scene some young men, who have been sent. to these ten years ago,is energetically com­ institutions by their fathei,-s. This muting among his growing Rinzai-ji h.as probably been the case for some branches as he develops teachers to centuries, and it follows th~t the lead them. Two Chinese monastic es­ style of ·discipline imposed is de­ tablishments,one in San Francisco, signed for youths. barely ou.t of ado­ one in the Bronx,are also under way; lescence who have no natural . and in· though not specifically Zen,their dependent interest in . The teachings tend to overlap Western equiYalent would be an ,ec-. with it. Tibetan centers also exist. clesiastical boarding-school for boys Will Phase Two Zen,with its struc­ or a pre- seminary training school for tured monastic regime under strict Catholic priests ••• It is therefore supervision be the way of America? somewhat humorous,and a little sad, Will we be drawn to a system like that that Westerners sincerely and deeply in Southeast Asia where young men and interested in Zen submit to these (attention Fem Lib ) wo'~ en will under- di sci pl ines under the impression that f I the}' are very esoteric and essential Way, which is beyond sects to Buddhist wisdom ••• May I cautiously and applies to all who take The Vow. an~ respectfully suggest that many Our practice is to help people, Oriental masters, in their training of and how to help people is to practice Western student~,are simply following our way in each aoaent. That is how custom and habit, and have not seri­ to live in this world and how to ously considered how to deal with ma­ practice zazen. To have absolute re­ ture adults,coming to them with a fuge,we do not have emotional activ­ nuine and urgent interest in the ity or thinking activity in our prac­ ~arm a. " tice. To stop thinking,to be free from At this time, what I personal 1 y feel emotional activity when we sit does most urg·ent is to express the utmost not mean just to be concentrated, but gratitude to those teach­ to have coaplete reliance on our­ ers who· have taken ·the trouble and in selves, a.lso. We are just like a baby some cases given their lives to ad­ who is on the lap of its mother. That vance Zen in this country. Their re­ is zazen practice,and that is how we markable and selfless kindness :nust should extend our practice to our never be forgotten. As an Ameri can everyday life. ?-en Buddhist,my gratitude is not lim­ Of course, there are no special ited to those who have been my own rules on how to treat things or how teachers, nor of my own sect, but in­ to be friendly with others. How we ~ludes al~ those who are truly bring­ find the way in each moment is to ing Japan s greatest treasure here. think about how to help people prac­ Today, particul arl '!'.•I feel like saying, tice a religious way. If you don't to use an expression of Paul Reps, to forget this point,you will find out S.;'.'\uki Roshi,thank you for your life. how to treat people, how to treat It has benefited us all. things,how to behave yourself and that In conclusion,I'd like to quote Su­ is at the same time the so -called zuki Roshi once more, this time on the Bodhisattva Way.

If there were a Buddha-, that i s , one in whom Buddha-nature and Mara-(evil)nature are inseparably combined, like the mixture of wa­ ter and milk from which the Goose King,Hamsa­ raja,drank the milk alone, one who has the true Dharma Eye would distinguish the Buddha and Mara. But if you favor the. sacred and abomi­ nate the secular you sink or swim in the sea of birth-and-death.

If you examine Rin zai' s words pared with the Tang Dynasty, when such carefully,you will see that he was a simple Buddhism was being pro - trying to simplify the Buddhism of claimed. Such simplicity is difficult his time,which had become so compli­ for our minds to understand. When I cated during the Tang Dyn asty. He was read this Record,! always feel that really trying to popularize Buddhism if someone were to cal l "Ah'" and so that everyone in China might unde r­ another were to answer " Ah!" that stand its true principl e . But today, would be the whole story of Ri nzai' s when we read the Record, we feel as Buddhism. Perhaps we might find some­ though we are climbing a mou ntain one with such a simple mind in t he instead of coming down from its top Anerican Far West . In the deep woods to the town below. We realize that where no a x has touched a tree,if we our time is an intellectual o ne com- called to him, "Hey!" he would j ust answer " Ha!" He would not be afraid fact that while animals live in na­ to look at anything, he would not hes­ ture,man must live In his brain, itate to answer, he would be ver y kind We enjoy. a landscape, but we 'value a and very simple. In the city,if you landscape that is 'painted more; we call "Hey!" they'll think you a pick- see the beauty of the human body on pocket. When I was in the West I canvas, in marble or iTory, bettel'. than thought America was the natural ground in the Ii ving body of a human being for Zen Buddhism. C.Omparing American because the beauty of the form is ab­ students with ours,ours are putting stracted from natural con.ditiona.· on rouge and white paint and hanging It seems to me that the human be­ trinkets on themselv e s. The Oriental ing who lives abstracted from nature has lived so long in complicated is like someone who intoxicates him­ thoughts that his mind is enwrapped self with alcohol,which is abstracted with artificial affectations,while from a natural source·. There is a the American is very simple.Of course real drama on every street corner,but in the cities there are many compli­ we do not see it as drama; we can ap­ cated people,but I cannot believe preciate it only on the stage,where that any artificial,sophisticated, it is simplified. My friend asked me metaphysical type of religion will to go to the country,but I prefer to fit the American heart. observe human life rather than nature•• In striving to understand many it is nature abstracted from the wild things in my own past (and I haven't state,love represented. I draw a line had much time to come to a conclusion) dis·tinctly between a being who lives I feel now that I would rather make a in nature and one who iives in his solid foundation on the same ground brain. Standing upon that Yiewpoint,I than spread new branches from the see what is called evil or virtue, but trunk of this tree. My nature demands to me there is no mixture. It .is a that I converge my effort to the cen­ shortcoming of the human being that ter, to the root,to simplify life.Per­ he always mixes up nature and -art. Th-e haps I have become lazy- -lazier than human being took the food from nature, in my youth,though I was lazy then ate it and created art;then he abom­ also--but I like to see everything inated returning to bis · natural home. going on as it is without analysis by When we think of nature,we think of philosophy or logic. art, but do not mistake n•ture for art. I hold my glass in my hand and know Art is abstracted natu.re. that its colors--white,yellow,bl ue !f there were a BudJh~-llara: If and red--come from various sour c es Buddha is Wisdom,what is Buddha~Mara? that I can observe logically, but this A word like this gives us a portrait obserTation has nothing to do with of Rin1ai. Of course he is confessing the fact that this is that, what he is,someone who has creative Even when we know this simple Real­ and destructive pow~r at the same ity, however, our life never stands time, who understands and evil. upon it,but upon the results of our He is in darkness (avidya) and under• artificial brain activity. Perhaps we stands entire annihilation--in other should not blame ourselves for the words,Buddha.The evil of which Rin1ai speaks is entire darkness. ness and .leaves the. clear water o~ · In Mahayana theory, the Alaya con­ Buddha-nature. The Buddha teaches the ~ sciousness comes from the hidden con­ same--by destroying the darkness in ~ sciousness, as heat that has not per­ the mind, one .leaves the Bu. ddha nature , meated the air,or light th~t has not ··the real enli.ghtened nature. It i.s come into the circle where light may in all naturally when the cloud of be seen. In interstellar space,light illusion is blown off the mind; then is not shining--there is no air,no the sun shines naturally in the mind. light,no heat--it is a latent force So Buddha is the " Goose King'.' drink­ to be manifested materially. In con­ ing the milk of ignorance and leaving sciousness there is the part that is the clear water of enlightenment. hidden, amara, al so. One who has the true Dhar/II.a Eye The Buddha called this Nirvana and would distinguish the Buddha and Mara. also avidya; before we understand it, The has three supernatural fac­ it is darkness, and when we understand ulties that enable him to know his

it,it is Nirvana. past, his present and his future state. o:l Someone said, "What is it that In what stage was your conscious­ >< makes the difference? If you know, ness in the past? In what stage will ::~ then you are emancipated ..,. ·Som .eone it be in the future? now?Is your mind WC"l else said, "Though you do not know emancipated? Where is the trouble in "'l:'l"'l .... "' ::0 where you came from, anyway you will your mind? Is it in darkness or not? ("t ....,(FJ w he emancipated." If Rinzai has experienced all the dif· ON ("t !:Tl In Sanzen,when I real~zed entire ferent stages of his own conscious­ ::r :z annihilation,! felt as though I had ness, he knows the consciousness ~f (FJ .... ("t :z ., (FJ broken through the bottom of a bucket others. "'"'...., .... and I understood the poetry of the If you favor the sacred and aboai­ ("t o-J 2~ ancient Buddhists describing the bot­ nate the secular,you sink or swim in ,; ['l ~ tomless pail holding the full moon. I the sea of life and death.You have 0 appreciate it; I have broken through experienced all the different stages o<"'l the bottomless pail of my mind. and are nothing but consciousness-­ ~~ 2~ Buddha-nature and Mar~-natute are the tip of your finger,toe,nose,or ><:>-< ("") >-> inseparably coabined,like the.aixture tongue--all is consciousness. From 0- of TDater and ai lk fro/II. whic'h the Goose Rinzai' s standpoint, you must ~ot love ...... Ol-4 :z King,Haasaraja,drank the nilk alone. the condition called sacred nor abom· °'("") Rinzai borrowed this statement from inate the eondi ti on called secular. an old . Water is enlightenment Why sacred? .Why secula.r? No reason-­ ~~ r-> and milk is ignorance. We come from for these exist in the human mind but r- .,"' .- '< >< ::0 .... original darkness (avidya)and there­ not in the true mind. If you attach ...... ""'l>< C:> fore do not know the Real in us;we to such ideas you " sink or swim." ::i:: .,"' -:z ...., :><"O use it unconsciously,not kn?wing how This is the " sea of birth- and-death." (Fl ... ::0 "' ...... we do it. Using this instinct from Here you cannot attai'n absolute under­ l:"l .... (Fl !:Tl .. the darkness of avidya,we make many standing·· you always live in the rela­ rrl c.., :ti ...... ~ mistakes without realizing it--for we tive; you have to live in your mind ...... tii 0 0 ., ...,'° are a mixture. Hamsaraja,the Goose and cannot reach a stage higher than "" King,sueks the milk of original dark- that.