45 Facts About Shunryu Suzuki

Shunryu Suzuki was a Soto Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia .

Shunryu Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States.

Shunryu Suzuki grew up with an older half-brother from his mother's first marriage and two younger sisters.

Shunryu Suzuki became aware of his family's financial plight when he began school.

Shunryu Suzuki was kind and sensitive, but prone to quick outbursts of anger.

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Shunryu Suzuki was ridiculed by the other boys because of his shaved head and because he was the son of a priest.

Shunryu Suzuki preferred to spend his time in the classroom rather than on the schoolyard and was always at the top of his class.

Shunryu Suzuki arrived during a 100-day practice period at the temple and was the youngest student there.

Shunryu Suzuki was given the Buddhist name Shogaku Shunryu, yet So-on nicknamed him Crooked Cucumber for his forgetful and unpredictable nature.

Shunryu Suzuki began again attending upper-elementary school in Mori, but So-on did not supply proper clothes for him.

When Shunryu Suzuki had first come to Zoun-in, eight other boys were studying there.

Shunryu Suzuki followed him there and helped whip the place back in order.

Shunryu Suzuki had failed an admissions test at the nearby school, so So-on began teaching the boys how to read and write Chinese.

Just before the ceremony marking their departure Shunryu Suzuki went to the Rinzai teacher and blurted out his answer.

In 1919, at age 15, Shunryu Suzuki was brought back home by his parents, who suspected mistreatment by So-on.

Shunryu Suzuki helped out with the temple while there and entered middle school.

In 1924 Shunryu Suzuki enrolled in a Soto preparatory school in Tokyo not far from Shogan-ji, where he lived on the school grounds in the dorm.

From 1925 to 1926 Shunryu Suzuki did Zen training with Dojun Kato in Shizuoka at Kenko-in.

In 1925 Shunryu Suzuki graduated from preparatory school and entered Komazawa University, the Soto Zen university in Tokyo.

Shunryu Suzuki's father retired as abbot at Shogan-ji this same year, and moved the family onto the grounds of Zoun-in where he served as inkyo .

Later that year Shunryu Suzuki spent a short time in the hospital with tuberculosis, but soon recovered.

Shunryu Suzuki went to visit a teacher of English he had at Komazawa named Miss Nona Ransom, a woman who had taught English to such people as the last emperor of China, Pu-yi, and more so his wife, the last empress of China, Jigoro Kano, the children of Chinese president Li Yuanhong, and some members of the Japanese royal family.

Shunryu Suzuki's hired him that day to be a translator and to help with errands.

Shunryu Suzuki's respected it very little and saw it as idol worship.

Shunryu Suzuki mentioned to So-on during this period that he might be interested in going to America to teach Zen Buddhism.

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Shunryu Suzuki realized that his teacher felt very close to him and that he would take such a departure as an insult.

In September 1930 Shunryu Suzuki entered the training temple and underwent the Zen initiation known as tangaryo.

Shunryu Suzuki was one of the founders of Zenshuji, a Soto Zen temple located in Los Angeles, California.

Shunryu Suzuki saw a humble man who gave clear instruction, and Shunryu realized that his father was very wrong in his assessment.

Shunryu Suzuki was assigned to Ian Kishizawa-roshi, a well known teacher at the time who had previously studied under two great Japanese teachers: Sotan Oka and Bokusan Nishiari.

Shunryu Suzuki was a renowned scholar on Dogen's Shobogenzo, and was an acquaintance of his father from childhood.

Shunryu Suzuki learned much from him, and Kishizawa saw a lot of potential in him.

At Soji-ji Shunryu Suzuki travelled back to Zoun-in frequently to attend to his temple.

Shunryu Suzuki went to Gyokuden-in for his instruction, where Kishizawa trained him hard in zazen and conducted personal interviews with him.

Shunryu Suzuki's went back to live with her family while he focused on his duties at Zoun-in.

Shunryu Suzuki reportedly was involved with some anti-war activities during World War II, but according to David Chadwick, the record is confusing and, at most, his actions were low-key.

Shunryu Suzuki took over for the interim priest, Wako Kazumitsu Kato.

Shunryu Suzuki was taken aback by the Americanized and watered-down Buddhism practiced at the temple, mostly by older immigrant Japanese.

Shunryu Suzuki's sleeping quarters were located upstairs, a windowless room with an adjoining office.

Kato had done some presentations at the academy and asked Shunryu Suzuki to come join a class he was giving there on Buddhism.

Shunryu Suzuki had the class do zazen for 20 minutes, sitting on the floor without a zafu and staring forward at the white wall.

In closing, Shunryu Suzuki invited everyone to stop in at Sokoji for morning zazen.

Group that sat with Shunryu Suzuki eventually formed the San Francisco Zen Center with Shunryu Suzuki.

Shunryu Suzuki left his post at Sokoji to become the first abbot of one of the first Buddhist training monasteries outside Asia.

Biography of Shunryu Suzuki, titled Crooked Cucumber, was written by David Chadwick in 1999.

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