Embracing Inclusive Presence for Effective Life Navigation

Key Quotes

"Shunryu Suzuki Roshi was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century. He was a founding father of Zen in America. A fascinating dude and you'll learn a little bit more about him."

This quote introduces Shunryu Suzuki Roshi as a pivotal figure in the establishment of Zen Buddhism in the United States. The speaker highlights Suzuki Roshi's significant influence and describes him as a "founding father," indicating his foundational role in bringing Zen practices to a Western audience.

"There is a critique that I think is fair and accurate critique of people like me who tend to tell the story of Buddhism in the West as being largely if not wholly the result of the so called Jew boos young Jewish kids mostly from the New York city area who ended up in Asia in the late 60s and early 70s and then came home and became prominent teachers."

The speaker acknowledges a common narrative about the introduction of Buddhism to the West, which often focuses on a specific demographic of teachers. This quote suggests a self-awareness and a willingness to critically examine historical accounts, implying that this narrative might be incomplete or overlook other significant contributors like Shunryu Suzuki.

"The point of the sitting is to help us balance the bike just to help us live our life so the sitting is a kind of a good practice area practice range for us to experiment with and take even tentative steps into what's it like to relax the mind a little bit to soften some of the thinking can I trust that can I try that."

This quote clarifies the purpose of Zen seated meditation (zazen). The speaker, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, explains that zazen is not an end in itself but a tool, like "training wheels," to help individuals navigate and improve their daily lives. The practice is presented as a safe space to experiment with mental relaxation and to build trust in one's ability to manage thoughts.

"Suzuki Roshi says when you're in that kind of separation it's going to be really hard to help people because you're not actually letting them help you. It's a little bit of a different topic but a beautiful thinking says you can't help somebody if you're not letting everything be helping you. It's like no either the window is open or it's closed."

Jiryu Rutschman-Byler uses this quote from Suzuki Roshi to illustrate the importance of interconnectedness in helping others. The speaker emphasizes that true assistance requires a reciprocal relationship, where one is open to receiving help and influence from others and the environment, rather than operating from a place of perceived separation and superiority.

"So becoming yourself in a practical way in the most kind of basic way just means oh I get to be who I am I don't have to try to be anybody other than who I am like I can't anyway. You know this is like typical advice right it's just be yourself and stop trying to be something else and then you can kind of like more fully be with what's here and be more creative and be more spacious and be more present."

This quote explains the concept of "becoming yourself" from a practical Zen perspective. Jiryu Rutschman-Byler suggests that it means accepting one's authentic self without pretense or the need to conform to external expectations. This self-acceptance, he argues, allows for greater creativity, presence, and spaciousness in one's life.

"The point is that being alive doesn't have any handles that being alive is it's like the feeling of I so for me to say what I am who I am is just life itself that's not like an accomplishment or that's not like a special fancy thing it's just the obvious fact I am life."

Jiryu Rutschman-Byler articulates a core Zen idea about identity. He posits that "being alive" is not something to be grasped or defined by external achievements or labels. Instead, he suggests that the fundamental truth of our existence is simply "life itself," an obvious fact that is not separate from any other life.