Good morning. Green Gulch, we are in the third week, beginning the third week of our practice period. And the theme of the practice period is right speech, right speech, studying the practices around right speech. And yesterday, at the city center, we had a memorial service for Mitsu Suzuki Sensei, who was our great teacher, the wife of Shinryu Suzuki Roshi.

[01:27]

She was a tea teacher and a haiku poet. in her own right. And speech and words were extremely important for her and was one of her main teaching vehicles. So I wanted to weave together today a tribute to Suzuki-sensei Okusan, we called her, which was an affectionate and respectful way to say wife or honorable wife or missus. We called her Oksan or Suzuki Sensei. So I wanted to weave together right speech and a tribute to her with you this morning. Right

[02:28]

is one of the eight folds or the eight limbs of the Noble Eightfold Path. Right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. Right speech is one of these eight ways to practice the middle way and was taught by maybe in the first teaching that the Buddha did in a public way 2,500-plus years ago. So when we — all these rights, right speech, right view, right intention, right speech — the right, in this case, is translating the Sanskrit word samyak, or in Pali, samma, And the meaning is not so much right and wrong, like a comparative, this is wrong, this is right, but right in the sense of upright and complete, upright and true, like we say about a board when you're a carpenter, that the board is true, that it's straight.

[03:44]

There's some coherency. Everything's flowing in the same direction. also part of the meaning is wholesome and wise and skillful. So when we say, when we use this samyak, vak, or this right speech, the right is this kind of a right, this right in all ways. And the definition of right speech, according to the Buddha, is... that one abandons false speech or lying, one abandons divisive speech, which includes slander and tail-bearing and any kind of speech that will break the fellowship or break a family or a sangha. This is divisive speech. And the third

[04:48]

in the definition of what is right speech. The third is abandoning, abstaining from, letting go of abusive speech, harsh speech, and all that that entails. And the last is abandoning or abstaining from frivolous talk and idle chatter, or as Dogen calls it, or another translation is hollow speech. So speech that is where our mind gets just scattered and there's no intention there. It just fills space. Frivolous speech and idle chatter. So for Suzuki Sensei, for Oksan, words and speech were really, really important. And she, just to say a little bit about her life, I think this will be weaving back and forth from the right speech and our practice of right speech and Suzuki Sensei.

[06:07]

So this is the first weave. Suzuki Sensei was born in 1914, and she died January 9th, 2016, short of her 102nd birthday, which is coming up in April, April 23rd, I believe. And she had many big challenges in her life, many sad sufferings of many kinds. Her mother died when she was 11, and she took a lot of responsibility for her family and caring for her family members. Her first husband, they married in 1936, and in 1937, the war between Japan and China broke out.

[07:07]

He was a pilot, he was in the Air Force, and he was killed very soon in the beginning of the war. So she was young, in her early 20s, 22 or so. She had a baby, they had a daughter together, And she was now, it was the war, she was single mother, young child with responsibilities. And the war was not easy for anyone, and in particular, her hometown, Shizuoka, was burned to the ground. So it's hard for me, really, to even imagine what those challenges were like for someone, a young single mother, And all of these adversities and sufferings strengthened her and made her who she was.

[08:14]

Some of the keys to right speech, so I named these ways What is right speech? The definition, abstaining from false speech and lying, divisive speech and slander, abusive, harsh speech, idle chatter, and so forth. So the keys, how do you practice that? And the keys are, when certain conditions are met, then you speak. And that will help us to stay with the practices of right speech. So the keys... to this kind of speech, upright and complete speech, is that when you speak it's true, it's beneficial, it's affectionate, it comes from a mind of compassion, and that the time and place are right.

[09:14]

So something might be true, it might be beneficial to tell someone about it, and you want all the best for them, but it's right in the middle of the wedding or right in the middle of working in the kitchen. It is not the time or the place. So all those conditions need to be met before one speaks, and those are wonderful rules of thumb. So Ok San, this is one of her haiku, Leaves of speech, unable to put words in order, I stamp through fallen leaves. Leaves of speech, unable to put words in order, I stamp through fallen leaves. The word in Japanese for leaves of speech is kotoba, and that means words and speech.

[10:20]

and also literally speech leaves. Speech leaves is the word for language and speech. So this particular haiku has these images stamping through leaves, stamping through words, trying to put words in order. The practice of finding coherence and samyak uprightness in our speech, in our poetry. Oxana lived a long life and she was asked, what is the secret of your longevity? We always want to know this. What are you eating? But I think she was asked in her late 90s, what is the secret? And she said three things. Walk every day. Don't hate anyone. And have good conversations. And in I'm kind of reflecting on these three, for this talk, those three keys to a long life.

[11:27]

Two of those are about speech. I think don't hate anyone. You know, hatred comes up in the mind and through the action of our thoughts and our mind and our speech and our body, the three actions, the three karma of body, speech, and mind. And if we have this affliction of hate, that's how it will come out, in hateful words and abusive language, harsh speech. So this is the secret to longevity. Don't hate anyone. And I thought, you know, here's a person who lost her husband, who lost her whole community when the city was burned and so forth, and to... to be actively working with letting go of hatred. And she taught that. And I'll tell you a little bit more about how she taught that.

[12:29]

Do not hate anyone. And this was also Suzuki Roshi's teaching. Okusan, or Mitsu Suzuki, Before she was Mitsu Suzuki, before she was married to Suzuki Hiroshi, she became a Christian. She felt that was a more loving, I think, way of expressing her spirituality at the time. And she became credentialed as a kindergarten teacher and became principal of two kindergartens. and was wonderful with children. She had many children who were friends with her at Zen Center. And Suzuki Roshi, not too far away from Shisuoka in Yaizu, about 15 minutes on the train, was where Suzuki Roshi lived at Rinso-im.

[13:40]

I believe, wanted to establish or have a kindergarten connected with the temple. And she was recommended. And he asked her to come and take a look at the school or the possibility of a school. And she had many duties and many responsibilities, but was persuaded to at least come and see. And she made the decision to come and take care of that school. And so the two of them were colleagues in some way. He taught at the Sunday school, and they worked together in caring for children in this way. And when asked, what was the most important thing to teach children, she said, ga sho, which is palms pressed together. And it's kind of a universal, I would say, expression of gratitude. and thanks.

[14:41]

That was what she said was the most important thing to teach children. After the tragedy of Suzuki Roshi's wife and the mother of his children being killed, which I'm not sure if you all know that story, but it really is a horrific tragedy. She was killed by a mentally ill monk who Suzuki Roshi had allowed to stay in the temple. And he was left with young children in the temple, being by himself. And there was a lot of encouragement for him to marry again, and maybe in a culturally different way than we're used to, where you need a temple wife, someone to help with all the business and care of the laity.

[15:43]

And somehow with the laity encouraging, he and Oksan, he and Mitsu were married in the late 1950s after having been colleagues. And very soon after, like Three months later or so, Suzuki Roshi came to the United States, which was a dream. He had to be at San Francisco working in the temple in Japantown, Sokoji, and ministering to that congregation in San Francisco. And she helped with Rinsoen and children and taking care of the school. And then a couple years later, she joined Suzuki Roshi here. And it was very clarifying to have his wife here with him and their partnership and how they worked together and taught students together.

[16:59]

She in her simple, quiet, impeccable way that she was with us. So looking at this definition of what is right speech, the abandoning of false speech and divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter, I wanted to look at Suzuki Sensei's practice of these samyak, vak, this right speech. So false speech and lying, And, you know, obfuscation and shining it on and all sorts of ways that we can utilize false speech, often for our own benefit or self, a reward for ourselves or somehow where we benefit by it.

[18:03]

So abandoning false speech and being honest and upright. And I think that was her way. And after Suzuki Roshi, in 1970, knew that he was sick and probably, and in 1971, knowing he would be sick, he asked Oksan, he asked her to stay at Zen Center and be here after he died with the students and to help the students. And she said to him, the only reason that I can help the students is because I'm with you. And that's why I can help them is because you're here with me. And Suzuki Hiroshi said, you are a fair and honest person.

[19:06]

Therefore, you will be able to help them. And she was. And she did stay. After he died in 1971, she stayed on living at City Center, San Francisco Zen Center, for 23 years in the same little apartment in the building. And this honest, unpretentious, deeply caring and devoted way that she had expressed itself in her speech. And she could say things very openly and honestly and maybe bluntly that maybe you couldn't hear from someone else, but she could say to you. And it came from affection. There was affection and caring not put down. There's a story about a Japanese monk, Ryuho Yamada, who was staying at Zen Center helping and also, I think, did some medical massage and things for Suzuki Roshi when he was dying.

[20:23]

And he couldn't speak English that well and spoke to Okusan about maybe he shouldn't stay. It was really hard for him. and maybe isolating. And she told him, if you're serious and enthusiastic, you won't have anything to worry about. Serious and enthusiastic. And there's a word in Japanese that combines this seriousness and enthusiasm and energy, which he said in Japan was kind of taken as a matter of course. That's how you, you know, contributed with that kind of spirit. But in the States, it wasn't so usual. And her honest saying to him, you can do this, you can be here with enthusiasm and this seriousness. And this became a key to him. It had a new meaning. He knew about it, but he took it for granted. But her saying, act this way, was very, very helpful for him.

[21:27]

And he was able to stay She was said to not hide anything when she spoke to Suzuki Roshi, which he liked very much. She was a powerful person, and in the United States I think she could really express that, and her equalness, and wasn't just deferring all the time as maybe a more traditional person might be. So this honesty and straightforwardness was part of her way. Abandoning divisive speech or slander is so, so important. I think in this breaking up of a fellowship, the power of our words and the power to destroy relationships and destroy a family or a nation with

[22:40]

divisive speech. And I think Oksan knew this very well. And during some difficult times at Zen Center in the early 80s, there was a kind of atmosphere at Zen Center with lots of criticism of one another and name-calling and speaking And I think the Sangha did divide. I think there was a division and a breaking up of the fellowship. People who had been together for years, practicing together, ended up, you know, splitting off and factions happened. But Oksan, during that time, was absolutely... She did not take sides. She... And one could feel that. Anyone who felt... On either end of the spectrum, you could talk with her and she could hear you and understand where you were coming from.

[23:47]

I don't even think it was a refusal. That was not her way. And when she saw people criticizing one another and using this kind of harsh speech, she commented on this that... Instead of criticizing one another, what about the practice of seeing one's own contribution and what you need to study about yourself and where you have been part of the problem, perhaps? So she thought people maybe, in their pain and upset, had forgotten how to study the self and just criticized others. So this was her kindness to everyone during this time was unusual.

[24:53]

And because of her position and that everyone loved her and cared for her, she was not, she could say these things without somebody saying, oh, you're being, you know, you're taking sides. She just spoke the truth of our practice, and Suzuki Roshi's way, and she lived it. That was a huge... She was so steady during those times when it really was tumultuous, tumultuous. Dogen, in a collection of his things that he said taken down by his student, Kowowun Ejo, One of the things he said was, monks must not be scolded and castigated with harsh words, nor should they be held up to scorn by having their faults pointed out. Even if they are evil men or evil women, they must not be despised and abused.

[25:59]

This is from Dogen, the ancestor in this lineage, who many of you are familiar with. And this teaching that you should teach and guide in this manner and don't hold yourself up. If you see weaknesses of others and consider these bad, and if you wish to guide such people with compassion, you must do so without speaking directly of their errors so that you do not arouse anger. I think this is... This is a kind of skillful means instead of just straight out criticizing. How do you skillfully bring these things up? And I think Oksan was a master at that. It wasn't that she avoided it. She was able to do it lovingly. Abandoning abusive speech, which is the second part of the definition of right speech,

[27:07]

completely dovetails with this admonition she has of do not hate anyone. Do not hate anyone. And she heard people actually hating and talking about hating and the anger born of this pain during these years, these difficult years at Zen Center. And she said, could say, Suzuki Roshi's way is not to hate, and instead she used kind speech. These, you know, what is right speech, what is divisive speech and false speech, and they all slander and divisive and abusive, it all comes together almost and then we can look at it in different ways. So kind speech is what she practiced, not abusive speech.

[28:11]

And she had many opportunities where she could have been, you know, she had T students who, and in talking with other teachers where, you know, you tell them or show them the way to lift the whisk or place it down, hundreds of times maybe, and someone forgets or can't do it. And with patience and kind speech, but firm, she would say over and over, you know, I've told you many times, this is the way it is. But it was coming from kindness and compassion, not harsh and abusive and out of hatred or She came back to kind speech, which is also truthful speech. Not telling lies is also kind speech.

[29:15]

So these were all part of her way. She guided people without insulting, without disparaging, without criticizing. and yet was firm and showed the way. Part of this kind speech I think of as not hating anyone, kind speech, and the way she taught us to take care of things, even the smallest things, a flower, a cloth. Whenever you gave her a gift, She didn't just rip open the package and, oh, thank you so much. It went on the altar first. She offered it to Buddha first. And I remember being so struck by that. I'd never seen everybody else. You give them a gift and, shall I open it now? But no, it would be offered first.

[30:21]

And this is a small thing, but a training. that came through, and in her quiet, steadfast, simple way, the way she handled it. Well, she would take care of Suzuki Roshi's, the Founders Hall and City Center, and arrange the flowers. And I can picture her kind of arranging those flowers with attention, but a light hand, and a joyful heart, and the kindness of caring for the flowers and caring for the altar. There's a story in Tenshin Roshi's book, Being Upright, talking about the precepts where this importance of speech and the power of speech in her life came through. Reb tells the story of her, which she told him.

[31:22]

She was at an awards, some kind of an awards dinner, awards event in Japantown where a Japanese prominent Japanese person was being given some award for the fine work that he had done. And she realized, as he was being honored, that if it were in Japan, not only he would be honored, but everyone knows that you can't do it by yourself, that everyone contributes when you do a wonderful thing. Your family helps. All the support is there to allow you to do the wonderful thing. And she was feeling that she wanted to thank and honor the family as well at this big dinner. But she didn't just take it upon herself to do that. She decided to check it out with other people who she was with.

[32:23]

And she happened to have two friends there, one a very traditional a woman with traditional cultural sensibilities, and she told her what she thought should happen, and that person agreed. And then the other lady, I picture her on the other side, who was a more modern person, also agreed that that would be a good thing, that the family should be honored. So then Oksan, with full confidence, born of having the community weigh in on this, her little community of friends there, that this was right, got up and spoke joyfully and boldly and with confidence and thanked the family. And everyone in the audience, as Reb said in his book, was in thunderous accord. So everybody, yes, yes. But the care with which or not much, the care with which she, it wasn't impulsive, it wasn't, I think it should be this way, she took the opportunity to check and see, because that's a very powerful thing to do, to speak out like that.

[33:39]

So this respect for words and speech The last part of the... Oh, just to read a little bit about kind speech. This is also from Dogen, from the Four Methods of Guidance for Bodhisattva. Kind speech means that when you see sentient beings, you arouse the heart of compassion and offer words of loving care. It is contrary to cruel or violent speech. So you see sentient beings, even if they've done something harmful or hurtful, you arouse this compassion and speak from there. And this is powerful. In fact, it has the power, according to Dogen, kind speech, to turn the destiny of the nation.

[34:45]

And I think in our... the nation right now, as if you're listening or watching or hearing, reading some of the speech that's being offered in the public platforms and forums, it gives one pause. Is this how We want to speak. Just like cruel speech can turn the destiny of a nation, so can kind speech, the power of it. And it arises from this compassionate heart. So the two come together. When there's compassionate heart, the action of speech is compassionate. The last...

[35:49]

part of the definition of right speech. So we have abandoning false speech, divisive speech, harsh, abusive speech. And the last is frivolous talk and idle chatter. Anne Oaksants, the third of her longevity keys, walk every day, don't hate anyone, and have good conversations. And this was a practice of Oksans, having good conversations. And one of her places for good conversations was her kitchen. And at the ceremony yesterday at City Center, her granddaughter, who's all grown up now in her 30s, I think, talked about coming to the City Center when she was a little girly girl, coming into the building, which... I never, I mean, when I came, I was a young adult in my early 20s. But to come into that building, for those of you who've never been there, it's these shiny red floors and, you know, altars.

[36:58]

And she would come in, as she said, past the shadow of my grandfather. There's a... art piece that's on a very light screen of just a silhouette of Suzuki Roshi. And when you pass it, it kind of moves, and it looks like just a shadow, as if Suzuki Roshi had just walked by you and was heading down to the zendo. And she'd say, pass the shadow of my grandfather, she said yesterday. And up the stairs, pat the frog. There's a big stone sculpture of a frog. Pat the frog. Say hello to my grandfather in the kaisando. There's a statue of him. and then go to my grandmother's kitchen. And when she said that, it evoked in me what it was like to go to Oksan's kitchen, which was like a haven. It was like a sacred space, which kitchens and kitchen tables are often like this. And when you were invited into that sacred space,

[38:03]

the healing power of being in her presence with her completely listening to you, seeing you, acknowledging you and your troubles and your confusion and your efforts and your sincerity. And sitting there, she would invite students to come into the kitchen, into her kitchen. It wasn't a doksan room, private interview space. And I remember the first time I was invited, it was like, oh, she's invited me to come. And I had never been in there. But in my mind, it was like a zen kitchen, you know, like spare and, you know, flower arrangement and this. But it was kind of a messy old space, little piles of stuff here. And she'd get out the cups and find them and the pickles. She made homemade pickles. So it wasn't, it wasn't, it didn't match my ideal style. sort of Zen or the popular view of some Zen kitchen, but it was the heart, the heart of Zen, her loving way and watching her make the tea.

[39:17]

The cup, I remember the cup, it had two, it had like an inner cup that you drank out of, then the outer part, the ceramic had like holes in it like Swiss cheese kind of it was I don't know what the somebody is nodding they remember the cup it was just the cups that she had but it was so special and green tea and then you would talk we would have good conversations and she would ask things and she would ask about you and she would tell you things and stories this is after Suzuki when Suzuki Roshi was live alive and after for those years. She also had her tea ceremony and her tea room for teaching tea, but the kitchen was another kind of space. So her language, how she spoke, giving space for good conversations, giving space for one-on-one with us.

[40:23]

intuiting, seeing, I think, our doubts and our troubles. And as I've been reflecting on this, there's so many, the depth of who she was for us, really, I don't think we even know who, how she touched us and who she was. She was our parents' age. She was my mother's age. But my mother didn't really understand what I was doing at Zen Center and maybe was afraid a little bit that I was involved in a cult. This is still going on today. There's students here in the practice period who's, you know, how can I talk with my parents about what I'm doing? This is always the case as one chooses a new... road that's unfamiliar. I think our parents and family and friends are afraid they're going to lose us and they won't have access anymore.

[41:27]

We'll be some other person, you know. So that was, you know, most of the adults of that age in my life thought that. I mean, my uncle, when I visited home, said to me, how are things in your world? And I remember thinking he really did like, he was trying to make some overture, you know. But he didn't even know what to ask. And he was kind of afraid, I think. Anyway, what world did he think I was in? But Oksan knew. Oksan practiced with us in that world, understood our hearts. And she was of this generation. And also saw where we needed to put effort and where we may be going astray. and tried to convey that to us. And she couldn't help everybody. You know, I think some of the people who could really have benefited by hearing what she had to say didn't have the time or inclination.

[42:39]

So here was someone who practiced the heart of the practice with us and lived it. So I wanted to end with two of her haikus that reminded me of some of these things. She has two books that are published if you want to get them. Temple Dusk, which I hope is still in print, and the new book, A White Tea Bowl, Hundred Haiku from a Hundred Years of Life. And these were, many of those are about growing older and what it's like. I chose these two, which reminded me of having good conversations and especially having and wanting the need, the blessing of speech

[43:50]

and write speech among humans, how we need it, how healing it is, and how it supports us to thrive and to be able to practice. So this is a haiku which just caught the spirit. She was probably out walking, walk every day. Good morning. I greet one tree after another, valley path. And this last one, no friend to share news of my teacher's death, spring rain. No friend to share news of my teacher's death, spring rain. This last one, you know, really evokes what it's like to grow older.

[44:54]

And your family and your friends, those that you'd shared a life with, are no longer there. No one to call who knew that person, maybe this teacher, probably a tea teacher. They're all gone too. And that welling up of wanting to, speak those words together with someone and there's no one. Spring rain. Thank you very much. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our programs are made possible by the donations we receive. Please help us to continue to realize that and actualize the practice of giving by offering your financial support. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click Giving.

[45:58]

May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[46:01]

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