The point of zazen, says Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, is to live each moment in complete combustion, like a clean-burning kerosene lamp. In this talk at the Tassajara sesshin in the summer of 1969, the great Zen master explains Dogen’s teaching on practicing within imperfection and warns against the arrogance of the false self.
The Enduring Teachings of Suzuki Roshi
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi‘s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, we present two teachings from the book, alongside testimonials from Buddhist teachers.
10 Great Buddhist Books, Recommended by 10 Buddhist Teachers
In this archive article from the Fall 2007 issue of Buddhadharma, ten Buddhist teachers, scholars, and writers recommend great Buddhist books.
New San Francisco Zen Center Abbot talks “dharma for the 22nd century”
An interview with David Zimmerman, the newly installed abbot of San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center.
This Life, Which is Wonderful and Evanescent
Blanche Hartman explains one of the Buddha’s most significant teachings—impermanence—and discusses how it can bring great happiness.
Just Sitting, Going Nowhere
The Zen practice of just sitting, says Lewis Richmond, doesn’t help us to reach our destination. It allows us to stop having one. But how do you “go” nowhere?
Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness
What is shikantaza? Suzuki Roshi, the great Zen teacher, says that it is the experience of receiving a “letter from emptiness”
Remembering Shunryu Suzuki
Lewis Richmond remembers the great teacher who founded the San Francisco Zen Center and played a historic role in the establishment of Buddhism in the West.
Recipes for an Autumn Dinner
Edward Espe Brown serves up a recipe for the perfect Autumn Dinner, along with some memories serving food to Suzuki Roshi.
The True Dragon
If you are carving your own dragon, you will never see the real one. That’s why true zazen requires giving up your personal style of practice.