August 1964

　　Originally offered: August 1st, 1964 | Modified October 27th, 2009 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

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　　THE TRADITIONAL WAY

　　Summary of Reverend Suzuki”s Sesshin Lectures

　　by

　　Nota bene.-Trudy Dixon

　　Zen Center”s annual week Sesshin (concentrated period of meditation) was held this year from August 10 through August 15th. During the Sesshin, the main theme of the daily lectures given by Master Suzuki was The Traditional Way of Buddhism transmitted from Buddha down through the Patriarchs to the present day. His opening talks concerned the sutras and rituals which are part of the daily zazen practice in the zendō of Soko-ji Temple. The following is a rough paraphrase of some of what Master Suzuki said.

　　To understand what the “Traditional Way” of Buddhism is and to actualize it in one”s own life are the most important points in being a sincere Buddhist. The Traditional Way of Buddhism, although it is dependent upon no particular form for its expression, the sutras and rituals handed down to us from the Patriarchs are a great help to us. A part of the ritual which may be particularly difficult for Americans to understand and accept is the bowing. After zazen (sitting meditation) we bow to the floor nine times in front of Buddha”s altar, each time touching the forehead to the floor three times and lifting the palms of the hands. (The story of the origin of this practice is that during Buddha”s lifetime, there was a woman who wished to show her respect for Buddha, but who was so poor that she had no gift to give. So she knelt down and touching her forehead to the floor spread out her hair for him to pass over. The deep sincerity of the woman”s devotion inspired the practice of bowing to this day). In our American culture there are no traditional forms through which we are accustomed to show respect towards a Buddha–a human being, who was not a god and who nevertheless attained perfection. Lacking such forms, there is a danger of neglecting or forgetting to respect Buddha, the Perfect One. This kind of respect is an essential part of the Traditional way. If we practice zazen just for the sake of our own self-improvement or to attain Enlightenment, our practice will be one-sided, and the true spirit of Buddhism will be lost. Because in America there is particular danger of this one-sidedness, we bow nine times to Buddha after each zazen practice, when in Japan it is customary to bow just three times.

　　Reverend Suzuki”s own master, Ian Kishizawa, greatly stressed the importance of bowing in practice. (He himself developed a visible callus on his forehead from his practice of bowing!) Bowing to Buddha is actually to bow to oneself-to one”s true nature. You, yourself, are Buddha. In a later lecture, Master Suzuki said that a common misunderstanding of the practice of bowing arises from our dualistic analyzing of the experience of bowing. We always think, “I bow to Buddha.” But actually, when you bow, as Buddha himself did, there is no you and there is no Buddha; there is only the independent act of bowing which covers unlimited time and space.

　　But to say that you and Buddha are one can lead to another misunderstanding for someone who does not have the experience of zazen practice. It is true that you yourself are Buddha, and yet at the same time you are also Buddha”s disciple. In the sutras, this is expressed by the words: “Not one; nor two.” You and Buddha are one and at the same time two. If your tendency in practice is to there is no good or bad, right or wrong, then the sutras say to you: “Not one

　　” (i.e., you are not just Buddha, but also Buddha”s disciple; you are taking the lazy way out of practice and not trying hard enough; your understanding of Buddha nature and the deep truth of “no good, no bad” …

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