March 28th, 1970
Saturday, March 28th, 1970Shunryū Suzuki-rōshi
WAY-SEEKING MIND:
SATURDAY LECTURE OF MARCH SESSHIN
Saturday, March 28, 1970
San Francisco
Listen to this talk: Suzuki-roshi 70-03-28
[First 1-2 sentences of lecture may be missing.] Way-seeking mind is the most important. This kind of chance is—usually in some difficult situation—when you have some difficulty in your everyday life, I think you will have, you know—there you will have chance to arise way-seeking mind. Once you arise the way-seeing mind, your practice is on the track.
Watanabe—Watanabe Genshu-zenji,[1] who passed away several years ago, arise way-seeking mind when famous Arai-zenji[2] came to his temple. He [Watanabe] was—he was a chest-maker or what do you call?—he was making, you know—he is—he is not a carpenter—was not a carpenter, but he was—hmm?—[comments from students]—oh, cabinetmaker. He was cabinetmaker. And he—when he went to his temple, you know, to hear Arai-zenji’s lecture or to—to see him, maybe [laughs], to see the zenji—famous zenji, he arosed way-seeking mind. And he made up his mind to follow him, and asked his family to let him go. And he joined Arai-zenji’s order.
He [Watanabe] had—when he was young, he had a very difficult time at his home always. But he didn’t complain about it. He rather enjoy his—to make cabinets. But Arai-zenji was so great Zen master that he, you know, made up his mind to follow him. And so, you know, he doesn’t forget his—his life in his—when he was young.