Danny Parker writes:

Dear Friends,

This year, 2014, I am beginning a new book project that will include about thirty of Ed Brown's talks, some recipes and anecdotes.  Sally Sange, in my little practice group in Florida, is helping with transcription.

The working title is See What You Can Find Out:  The Zen Teachings of Edward Espe Brown

I am now beginning to solicit his long time students and the many wonderful people associated with his practice to point me to any of his talks over the years to which they have found particularly helpful or compelling. Given the vagaries of memory, this may even be a subject matter, anecdote or topic.  Hit me.

There are well over a hundred talks I am currently reviewing-- listening to several talks each week and trying to decide on these, the material and organization.  I'm also dealing with technology challenges as the format has changed from cassette to CD and now MP3....I am looking for good coverage of the earlier years so I'm investing in cassette equipment!

All of you are welcome to participate in this process in any way you would like-- or not.  I just wanted to invite each of you to the party.

Also, please don't be affronted if I missed someone whom I should contact.  My memory is sieve-like too.  Let me know or better yet, pass this along.

Warm Regards,

Danny Parker

And a little bon-bon:

Suzuki Roshi on 2 December 1969:

"To accomplish something is difficult. And, you know, the difficulty you have moment after moment, which you have to work on, will continue forever.... I thought if I say so, you may laugh.... And you are...you know...entrapped.

We have a saying: to—to attain enlightenment may not be so difficult, but to continue our practice is difficult. So after all, you know, why we practice zazen is to continue our practice. Or else, I think, our practice doesn’t make much sense. We say we have to live on each moment, and we have to make our best in each moment. And moment after moment, our practice continue[s] with pain, with difficulties, it doesn’t make much sense. Even though you have wonderful practice moment after moment... what will become of it? What is the purpose of life, then?

The purpose of life is not, actually, to accomplish something, but to continue our Buddha way. So to continue our Buddha way forever is to accomplish our way.'To accomplish' does not mean to reach some stage where we don’t need to work anymore. So the most important point and most difficult thing is to continue our way and to have good successor for us who may succeed our way. That is the meaning of the transmission."