Not Always So

by Suzuki, Shunryu; Brown, Edward Espe

• ISBN13: 9780060197858
• ISBN10: 0060197854
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-05-09
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

<p align="left">Shunryu Suzuki's first book, <I>Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind,</I> published in 1971, continues to be one of the world's most valued books on Buddhism. Now the long-awaited companion volume, <I>Not Always So,</I> has arrived.</p><p align="left">Chosen and edited by Edward Espe Brown, bestselling author and student of Suzuki's, the lectures are taken from the last three years of Suzuki's life. His maturity as a teacher with a deep commitment to conveying his message is warmly and fully expressed.</p><p align="left">In <I>Not Always So</I> Suzuki voices Zen in everyday language, with humor and good-heartedness. While offering sustenance much like a mother and father lending a hand, Suzuki encourages you to find your own way. Rather than emphasizing specific directions and techniques, his teaching encourages you to touch and know your true heart and to express yourself fully. Suzuki's words do not seem to come from outside, but awaken a voice arising from your own being.</p><p align="left">Topics in this volume include living in each moment, being kind to yourself, and "wherever you are, enlightenment is there." Whether speaking about changing your karma or walking like an elephant (<i>Slowly, without any idea of hasty gain</i>), Suzuki's guidance empowers freedom rather than prescribes thought. This extraordinary new collection allows Suzuki's presence to enter your life in the form of a wise, warmhearted friend. <I>Not Always So</I> is a wonderful gift for anyone seeking spiritual fulfillment and inner peace.</p>

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Shikantaza: Living Fully in Each Moment
Calmness of Mind	5	(3)
Express Yourself Fully	8	(4)
Freedom from Everything	12	(4)
Jumping off the 100-Foot Pole	16	(5)
Changing Our Karma	21	(4)
Enjoy Your Life	25	(4)
Walk like an Elephant	29	(6)
Letters from Emptiness
Letters from Emptiness	35	(5)
Brown Rice is just Right	40	(2)
The Zen of Going to the Rest Room	42	(5)
Caring for the Soil	47	(2)
Everyday Life is like a Movie	49	(4)
Resuming Big Mind	53	(5)
Ordinary Mind, Buddha Mind	58	(7)
Practicing Zen
Supported from Within	65	(4)
Open Your Intuition	69	(3)
Find Out for Yourself	72	(5)
Be Kind with Yourself	77	(4)
Respect for Things	81	(4)
Observing the Precepts	85	(4)
Pure Silk, Sharp Iron	89	(6)
Not Always So
Not Always So	95	(4)
Direct Experience of Reality	99	(4)
True Concentration	103	(4)
Wherever I Go, I Meet Myself	107	(4)
The Boss of Everything	111	(4)
Sincere Practice	115	(5)
One with Everything	120	(7)
Wherever You Are, Enlightenment is There
Wherever You Are, Enlightenment is There	127	(4)
Not Sticking to Enlightenment	131	(3)
The Teaching Just for You	134	(5)
Stand Up by the Ground	139	(4)
Just Enough Problems	143	(3)
Sun-Faced Buddha, Moon-Faced Buddha	146	(5)
Sitting like a Frog	151	(4)
Notes about Editing the Lectures	155	(4)
Further Reading	159	(2)
Acknowledgments	161