June 7th, 1971
Monday, June 7th, 1971Shunryū Suzuki-rōshi
SESSHIN LECTURE NO. 2
Sunday, June 7, 1971
San Francisco
Listen to this talk: Suzuki-roshi 71-06-07
Shikantaza, zazen, is—our zazen is just to be ourselves. Just to be ourselves. We should not expect anything, you know, just to be ourselves. And continue this practice forever. That is our way, you know. Even, we say, even in, you know (what do you say?) [laughs], even in, you know [snaps fingers], [student: “Snap of the fingers?”] [laughs, laughter], you know, in snapping your fingers there are millions of kalpas—no, cetanās. [1] The unit of time. You know, we say “moment after moment,” but in your actual practice, moment is too long, you know. If we say “moment,” you know, or “one breathing after another,” you still involved in—your mind still involved in, you know, following breathing, you know, to follow breathe. We say “to follow breathe,” “to follow our breathing,” but the feeling is, you know, in each, you know—to live in each moment.
If you live in each moment, you do not expect anything. With everything, you know, you become you yourself. If you, you know, feel strictly yourself [your self?], without any idea of time even, you know, in smallest particle of time you feel yourself [your self?]. That is zazen.
Why we say so is if we are involved in idea of time, various desires will, you know, start to act some mischiefs [laughs]—they will become mischievous, you know. So—but if you, you know—when you have no idea of time, with everything, you know, you bec- [partial word]—your practice will go on and on.