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Shunryu Suzuki and points of interest
in early SFZC Board Notes
 with link to PDF of source and some brief notes on some made in 2013 on this page: SFZC board notes
 1962-3 - 1964 - 1965 - 1966 - 1969 - 1970

1962

 

November 3

62-11-03 - scrapbook album being kept. Surprised to see "Roshi Suzuki."

 

Machine generated alternative text: Since the collection box wag stolen, whether or not it should be replaced, there was discussion as to how nmch the Center should spend for another one, and what kind of a box they would buy. It was decided an antique box at Cost Plus would be the one. Its cost Wag very reasonable.

 

Machine generated alternative text: tion about the Center in an Album. The second point wag discussion about whether or not the Zen Center should have Its own telephone 11 sting. The additional expense Of a commercial 11 sting weighed with the pos Of benefit�ng those who wanted to reach the Center, but did not Imow Rosh1 Suzuki or tm t the Center's telephone wag listed under his name. The final point

 

 

December 8, 1962

 

62-12-08 - Interesting type: Sogoki for Sokoji. Love the budget figures.

 

Machine generated alternative text: Rich-rd Baker said he would like the group to deoide the amount to be donated to Rev. u and S0kogi temple Lifter each gesshin. Much discussion fill owed but it was decided that Richard should talk over the problem v,'ith Riv. Suzuki and decide thereof. 3 ) He also $288.38 income was$ stated that the total incorne for the month of September and the total expenditure $281 for November the total 318.55 and expenditure 294. 20.

 

 

1963

 

January 5

 

63-01-05 - I love reading these minutes. I remember how when I interviewed students from back in these days, they tended to miss these simple intimate times. Suzuki Roshi expressed a bit of that himself at times saying "Zen Center is getting too big," and comments like that.

 

Machine generated alternative text: 2) Gra.hame Petchey reported -that he had obtained copies Of the articles of Incorporation and the By—Laws from Mr. Mal loch. He said that Rev. had kept past co-cies of the Windbell and therefore his ous request for past copies wag unecesgary. He said he had started to rebuild the records.

  

Machine generated alternative text: 6 ) Reverend Suzuki said that Dr. rns would give z lecture on Psychiatry and Zen on W ednesday Aebruzry 6 and wednesday March 6th.

 

 

April 6, 1963

 

63-03-07 - longer note with info on Douglass Burns who Suzuki had speak at ZC occasionally.

 

Machine generated alternative text: Reverend Suzuki. requested that we do not accept new member snip in Zen Center while he is in J CLpa.n. Associat,e membership will Suauki remain open and anyone may join us in sit i, ing- also requested Lha,t any newcomers co bbe temple be directed to either, Betty Warren, Bill Kwong, Gr Petchey, or Richard Baker for instruction. In Reverend Suzuki's Absence, t,he sundu,y lectures and service at a.m. Will be given by Dr. Wako wednesday evening lectures. wednesday from : CO p. m. No priest, Reverend. Suzuki for the t,heee months Kato . There will be no we will hold regular zazen on WI 11 come to replace he will be away.

 

 

63-05-04 - Ah - we see that sometime between the last meeting and this, the ZC got listings in the phone book under Zen Center, Soto Zen Mission, and Reverend Suzuki. This clears up the conflicting reports of it was and wasn't in the phone book.

 

63-07-06 - Not much to say about this meeting.

 

August 3, 1963

 

63-08-03 - Discussion of Soto Zen meeting stressing zazen for all, support for Vietnamese Buddhists, MacDonough's Middlebar Monastery. Trudy still spelling Suzuki as Susuki.

 

 Machine generated alternative text: Reverend Susuki spoke the meeting planned by Bishop Yamada in Los Angel ep on Friday and August 16 17th. This meeting is for%hembers of Soto Zen Buddhlsm in the United States and will be concerned with the nature development of the Soto Zen Way. The meeting will stress importance of Sitting in Zazen for all members, Japanese ard American. Reverend SAsuki said that a good translator would be present to translate all speeches into English or Japanese

 

 Machine generated alternative text: Reverend ansuki told us a little about Middlebar, and the plans of Mr. MacDonald to build a monastery- there 0 Soto Zen Headquarters in Japan will be zinirw their permission as soon as the title to the land IS cleared. Meanwhile we Should help them in every possible way.

 

 

September 7, 1963

 

63-09-07 - Letter of support for Vietnamese Buddhists sent to US government. Grahame Petchey leaving on Pan American for Japan and Eiheiji Sept. 14 at 10am to return Dec. 15th.

 

Machine generated alternative text: 6) The next issue considered was whether or not to charge money for fhlture gegghing, and If so how much. Some people evidently did not come to the last one because they could not afford it, despite assuranoes from severel trustees that anyone who wants to should come even if they could not pay. Reverend felt that everyone should offer at I east some money, that is, that there should be some standard minimum charge (Of, say, one or two dollars) In addition there shouldbe a bulle tin board notice explaining the entire cost of the sesshin and Indicating amounts to be paid by those who can afford to do so, in order to helo towards covering the sesshin expenses. The three main alternatives to the problem of gegshin charge seem to be:

 

Machine generated alternative text: I) 2) 3) welcoming all to the sesshin with no mention of any set fee, but requesting contribU tions of any amount the individual participant would like to give . Secondly, welcoming all, 'out specifying some low minimum fee, such as Reverend Suzuki suggested above, with an added note, explicitly exempting from payment those unable to afford i t. Thirdly, welcoming all, but specifying the full amount necessary for each person to pay in order adequately to costs, with an added note to the effect cover sesshin — that those unable to afford the full amount should pay what they were able, and that it was not obligatory to pay anything should a person be unable to do so. A further suggestion was made by Margaret Ikeda that the bulletin board notice should simply direct each participant personally to eon tact one Of the three head officers of Zen Center who would then explaiL to each the financial situation. It was agreed that the issue would be further didussed and decided upon at the next meeting.

 

Machine generated alternative text: 9) Zen Center is in the new phone book: in the white pages listed under "Zen Center" in the yellow pages under 'ISOkoji . 10) Richard Baker suggested that a much —needed phone in the kitchen be installed for Mrs. S arrangements towards this end. and agreed to make further

 

Machine generated alternative text: 11) Ernie Davin suggested that perhaps tea ceremony studies could be instituted — gay every �riday night. It was felt that this would be good idea to keep in mind for the future, but that the time was not now ripe, what with the probability of vacating the present building in the near future. Reverend Suzuki said that when he gets an assistant priest here to help him, he will perhaps be able to develop more areas such as the tea ceremony practice and calligraphy. Reverend Suzuki said that there would be no Sunday services th in English on Sept. 15 and 22 On the former date we all should come at 9 am to participate in a general hall — cleaning initiated by Rev. Suzuki with prime regard to the edification and instruction of a group of young boys connected with the temple, but not -as yet active perticipants. Afterwards there will be a meeting to discuss the problem of the Sokoji Temple Building. We are going to have to move as the city would require extensive repair — work to the present structure which would be very ex at the corner Of Laguna and office; 2nd — general hall: 3nd: The new location would be ensive . and would have 3 floors : 1st: me ditation room.

 

 

October 5, 1963

 

63-10-05 - with a long note mainly on MacDonough

  

Machine generated alternative text: 3) Reverend S told us that {rchbishop 2akaghina is coming on Thursday, October 17th at 12 0 'clock noon. He will hold a gervice for World Peace and a special ceremony for the ancestors buried here at 7 : 30 p m that evening at the Sokoji Temple. He left Japan on Sept. 14 with a party of twelve, the "Messengers of Peace 2 They have Visited the Soviet Union and other counties through Europe and stopped at York to visit the Archbishop of Canterbury. In America they will stop at New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and perhaps Archbishop nakashina is trying to organize other places. one hundred religious peace workers scattered throughout the world in different countries and different religious groups, who would meet annually. The and his party will be in S. F. on Oct. 17th and 18th and will leave on the 19th at 11 am for Los Angeles. Betty Warren offered to spread the news of his visit to the Quakers and other groups interested in peace. Reverend Suzuki agreed to try and provide an English translator for the Archbishop's speech, or to translate himself. Reverend MacDonald v�,n-ts the Lrdhbishop to visit his property at Middlebar. But first, Reverend Suzuki felt, it should be made clear I). th� title to the , Ehd, 2) the suggested organization of the monastery which Rev. MacDonald proposes to build and 3 ) the name of the organization. It is particularly

 

 Machine generated alternative text: important that the title to the land -oe sure and clear before the Archbishop," g visit. After some discussion of the complex problems involved, Richard Baker agreed to call Rev. MacDonald today, in an attempt to clarify the situation. Reverend Suzuki said we should help Rev. NacDona1d all we can.

 

 

November 2, 1963

 

63-11-02 - Note the Susuki spelling. More on Takashina and McDonough

 

Machine generated alternative text: 5) Reverend MacDonald, who is trying to establish a monastery at Mic?dlebar, California, talked to Richard 'Baker about it, when the latter went to Sacramento to see him. Later Reverend MacDonald came Gown to San Francisco himself and talked with Reverend :heuki and Jean Ross. Reverend MacDonald agreed that it was not the time for Arch-Bishop Takaehina to visit Middlebar, ( which in fact t,he Archbishop Cid nut, do,) because title to the land was not yet clear. Reverend MacDonald felt that it v•jas fairly sure that the title would be cleared, but might be quite some time. he plans himself to study further with Bishop Yamada in Los Angleos. he invites us all to visit h!iddlebat as often as possible

 

Machine generated alternative text: 7) RicharC Baker, treasurer, reported that the income for October fell below the outgo, because only coven of the nineteen active pledges were forthcoming. The ses�in cost $20.50, plus probably some hidden coets for '.vhich individuals (epecifically Mrs. Susuki) , may not have been reimbursed. It v:as agreed that the Zen Center would pay $5.00 to Susuki and 05.00 to the Sokoji Temple for the eeeehin. Q he total unsolicited contributions towards the sesshin cane to $16. CC.

 

Machine generated alternative text: 8) Jean Rose suggested that Zen Center help pay Or the which will be built in the ar future '"ill cost ?-ichard Eo,ker ZEE t Zen Centcr increase its new termle eeoo, oot.oc. monthly con— Z. -al rx zes of the ZYovember eecon�, 1363, bueiness rneeting cont.) Z.everenc_l eusuki �'ibut,ions to Sok_ojl 2empIe from . CO +.„o $1COaCC. that each of us coulc pay a dollar a r.onth each, ? s the J 4-•anese congregation is doing. It was decidec would wait to decide and how much we should give, until Reverend Susuki confers Perk-.acs 1 e-ter - :hen it is •finished, there lanning the teracle. those ill -ne some -new equipment, or furnishings for it that we could con- tribute .

 

Machine generated alternative text: 9) Villeon aekee if eonehow some the reeponeibilities beam ng upon Reverend Sueuki, especially r: uring critical Zimes, could not be shifted upon our shoulders. Phillip reported that it i e not at all urnrual for fieverend •asuki to stay up until twelve or one o'clock at night in oreer to finish his 'hi,zork for the day, anc that it toes not seem that he should get sick from overv,'ork. Phillip eugqeete� that he be ordered to refrain coming to early morning zazen. It seemed apparent that euch an injunction would pre— sent insuperable problems of' enforceroent. Reverend Susuki said that we could not directly assume any of his jobs, for they nearly all require his personal attention, •out that he hoped that for next year, an assistant priest would be coming to help him. Dixon suggest- ed that perhaps at parti cui arly busy times he ehoulc. not, give us nesday evening lectures; instead we could meet among ourselves at t nose times and Ciecusg tre stories in the Blue Cliff Records. Nothing Cefinite was decided upon, but it is sure that the problem is kept in tYE minds of all those present.

 

Machine generated alternative text: 11) 2he chant for morning breakfast is not yet ready to be printed, Reverent reported. He also 'O i Ehes to have printed the 'tshi— shogi!', one of Dogenrs chants recited at large eerem�nies.

 

 

December 7, 1963

 

63-12-07 - note

 

Machine generated alternative text: 2) Lixon and Du. er reported on a letter from Lonnie Slider of Charleston, Illinms, who hac requested information about becoming. a .2u��-hist. In reply to his letter, we sent him Reverend •usuki 's acvice to begin practicing mec,iation on 111 s own in order to become accustomed to the posture, to continue reading and studying and to concentrate on what he is presenuly engaged in. If ever he fines the opportunity 00 come to San Francisco, we will be glad to welcome him at the Sokoji 'i ernpxe. 3) Reverend SAsuki reported on the prospective new temple. He said that next April the city will give information on places available to build the temple, and until then not much can be cone except to collect rnoney.

 

 

1962-3 - 1964 - 1965 - 1966 - 1969 - 1970