photo by Lisa Law

Brief Memories
of Shunryu Suzuki,
Zen Center
back then, etc.

 


Ken Schnell


I was there one summer, Brit Pyland had brought me down, my roomate was Kim Boyle - it was when Trungpa Rimpoche was visiting, maybe 1969. I was overwhelmed by the whole experience - I was new to the practice and Alan Marlowe was an attendant of Suzuki Roshi and I asked to see Suzuki Roshi but I couldn't get the meeting I wanted but I ran into him before I left and I said, "Roshi, I wanted to say goodbye, but you're surrounded by all of your students like those black bumblebees around those white hollyhocks in your garden and I want to thank you for zazen but how can I ever thank you?" and he said, "Do zazen." That was it.

I've applied to fall training period to Tassajara this year (1995) to express my gratitude and I'm sewing my robes and hope to get ordained by Kobun Chino.