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Shunryu Suzuki quotes and excerpts


Shunryu Suzuki and others on Peace & War                
Lots more on war in Current Events/Engaged Buddhism


1-12-15 - Suzuki on Killing


1-02-15 - A question and answer to Suzuki about war and peace


10-22-09 - Shunryu Suzuki and the war. What did he do? It's a question that keeps popping up so here's the latest exchange on the subject. - DC


12-07-07 - Happy Pearl Harbor day (which was already the next day, December 8th, Buddha's Enlightenment Day, for the Japanese). As with every other day, today is a day to create a world without war, without tyranny, without poverty. Sounds idealistic, possibly counter-productive. Granted. I remember Suzuki once saying, "There will always be war." Sure, I agree - and there will always be hell and innumerable states of mind. We just don't have to go there unless we choose - that's how I see it. - DC


2-18-02 - Ellen Stuebe from Australia is doing a piece for ABC radio there on Zen and peace and she asked what Suzuki Roshi had to say about that. There's lots more in the lectures and my archives about this and maybe more will follow, but here's what I came up with tonight.


Excerpt from Crooked Cucumber - chapter 6, Wartime.

Excerpt from Crooked Cucumber from  chapter 7, The Occupation.

Excerpt from Crooked Cucumber from chapter 8, Family and Death. See Shunryu in Peace March

Excerpt from Crooked Cucumber from chapter 16, The City.

Excerpt from Crooked Cucumber from chapter 18, The Driver.

Suzuki's explosive answer page

Also - see the interview with Art Atkinson 

and the interview with Barton Stone. 

and Art & Bart - a chapter cut from the book

An Interview with a Rinsoin neighbor

Brian Victoria Page

Suzuki disciples tell stories Jan. '98 part II

4/28/03 - Don't expect democracy this time: Japan and Iraq, a paper that contains much important background material relevant to the wartime and post-war sections in Crooked Cucumber. Thanks to Dr Alastair J. Reid, Girton College, Cambridge, for this link. See brief correspondence between Dr. Reid and DC on Crooked Cucumber.

2-13-03 - A note on something Suzuki said on this subject  from my old high school friend, Lindsay Sharp in Austin: 


(Read the whole article on the Myth of the Zen Roshi from Dark Zen at darkzen.com) - with some comments related to the war and peace issue.

DC reply to Stuart Lach's comments on darkzen.com about Suzuki, Baker, ZMBM, war and peace and his reply to DC then some DC replies back.

Andrew Main on Lachs' article.
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A note: On page 316 of Crooked Cucumber I said, "Ironically, in Japan Buddhism had never been pacifist, and all Buddhists supported the government's wars." As Brian Victoria pointed out in his excellent Zen at War, there were Buddhists who openly opposed the war, but they were few. I also received a letter that I don't think I have yet put on this site that informed me of some Nichiren priests who went to jail rather than support the war. The next time I notice that note I'll put it up here. - DC
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NY Times article on Brian Victoria called "Meditating on War and Guilt, Zen Says It's Sorry."

Brian Victoria - "Behind the Facade of Holy War"
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from the Acknowledgements of Crooked Cucumber - And [thanks to] Brian Victoria, who commented on the sections about Shunryu Suzuki and Japan's militaristic period, with thanks for his skeptical tolerance of my unscholarly narrative method.


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