Shambhala Errata                                    - hit back arrow to get out of here

for the May 2002 Shambala Sun piece called Wherever You Are, Enlightenment Is There - Two talks by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. which are excerpts from the upcoming book of his lectures, Not Always So, Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, edited by Edward Espe Brown to be released in June by Harper Collins. Due to a software error four lines were covered by the graphics, an unfortunate error because it's confusing to the reader who cannot tell where they've landed and that there's only one line missing.

Here is a note with the complete paragraphs from the Shambala Sun :

Dear Reader,

We regret that in our April/May 2002 issue, a technical error resulted in missing text from the article by Suzuki Roshi, "Wherever You Are, Enlightenment Is There," at the tops of columns on pages 32 and 33. We include in this email the missing text, and apologize for the error.

Best wishes,
Andrea McQuillin
Managing Editor
Shambhala Sun Magazine

complete paragraph starting at the end of page 31 and ending first column page 32:

Besides the world which we can describe, there is another kind of world. All descriptions of reality are limited expressions of the world of emptiness. Yet we attach to the descriptions and think they are reality. That is a mistake because what is described is not the actual reality, and when you think it is reality, your own idea is involved. That is an idea of self.

complete paragraph starting at the top of second column, page 32:

"To empty" water from a cup does not mean to drink it up. "To empty" means to have direct, pure experience without relying on the form or color of being. So our experience is "empty" of our preconceived ideas, our idea of being, our idea of big or small, round or square. Round or square, big or small don't belong to reality, but are simply ideas. That is to "empty" water. We have no idea of water even though we see it.

complete paragraph starting at the end of second column page 32 and ending first column page 33:

We "empty" ideas of big or small, good or bad from our experience, because the measurement that we use is usually based on the self. When we say good or bad, the scale is yourself. That scale is not always the same. Each person has a scale that is different. So I don't say that the scale is always wrong, but we are liable to use our selfish scale when we analyze, or when we have an idea about something. That selfish part should be empty. How we empty that part is to practice zazen and become more accustomed to accepting things as it is without any idea of big or small, good or bad.

complete paragraph starting at the end of second column page 33 and ending top of second column, page 33:

The thing itself is emptiness, but because you add something to it, you spoil the actual reality. So if we don't spoil things, that is to empty things. When you sit in shikantaza, don't be disturbed by sounds, don't operate your thinking mind. This means not to rely on any sense organ or the thinking mind and just receive the letter from the world of emptiness. That is shikantaza.


Here are the missing lines from the top of each column on page 32 and 33. 
[thanks to Bill Redican]

Page 32, Col. 1: actual reality and when you think it is reality, your own idea is

Page 32, Col. 2: "To empty" water from a cup does not mean to drink it up. "To

Page 33, Col. 1: something. That selfish part should be empty. How we empty that

Page 33, Col. 2: on any sense organ or the thinking mind and just receive the letter

 

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