Jenny Wunderly on her Shunryu Suzuki precept project

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12-18-12 - Jenny Wunderly on Sticking with It. - part two of four she wrote after the December Sesshin at Green Gulch. - - on her work with Suzuki Roshi's use of the word precept(s) and cuke.com. Thanks Jenny. I blush. - dc

11-30-12 - I began sitting sesshins at Pacific Zen Institute three years ago. In time, I wanted to take refuge but had little concept of what that meant. Eventually, a two-part plan developed. I would sit with each precept like a koan and bring it to interview with my teacher, John Tarrant Roshi. I also worked on expressing the precepts in my own words for the refuge ceremony at PZI last June.

About a year ago my husband, Michael Katz, was helping David Chadwick raise funds to support the work of Cuke.com. When I asked David to suggest a Suzuki Roshi lecture on the precepts I could read, he showed me how to search the archive. I jumped at the chance David offered me to compile the results into short excerpts for him to post on Cuke – a new one every few days for a year. There turned out to be 1346 occurrences of the word precept sprinkled through the recorded lectures. I’m not a big reader and without David’s invitation I doubt I would have come to feel as close to Suzuki Roshi’s way or as well-grounded in the path as I do now. I have deep gratitude for this.

I sent in the last of the posts on the precepts only days ago and I’m about to drive down to the Bay Area and on to Green Gulch Farm to sit Rohatsu sesshin. It will be my first sesshin at SFZC. I am especially excited to make this detour after trailing Suzuki Roshi around for a year. I can hear and feel his words inside me and yearn to let them soak deeper in silence.

12-11-12 - I made a plug for Cuke.com and my project. This was in the zendo in front of at least 30 people [at the end of the Rohatsu sesshin]. Linda [Ruth Cutts who'd lead the sesshin] noted Crooked Cucumber and thanked me for creating such a wonderful resource for them to be able to go to when preparing students for refuge etc. It made an impression on some when I said I had spent a year, found 1346 incidences, and came to sit there as a way to mark the end. At the end of sesshin several came up to me to talk to me about taking precepts. I had a great time sitting Rohatsu at GGF and will write something more about the precept project and about my experience at Green Gulch Farm.

Thanks Jenny. Look forward to receiving more from you to post on cuke. - dc

Jenny on Green Gulch Sesshin

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