Week 18 · eastern

Shunryu Suzuki

When Shunryu Suzuki arrived in San Francisco from Japan in 1959, he expected to find a Zen center. Instead, he found a handful of Americans who couldn't sit still and had no idea what they were doing. He loved them for it. He said they had beginner's mind, and that was the most important thing a Zen student could have. He stayed, built the San Francisco Zen Center, and wrote a book that has introduced millions of people to Zen.

“"When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself." He said that about everything, not just meditation. His point was don't hold back, and don't leave a receipt.”