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Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen
Practising the true spirit of Zen. Not Always So is based on Shunryu Suzuki's lectures and is framed in his own inimitable, allusive, paradoxical style, rich with unexpected and off–centre insights. Suzuki knew he was dying at the time of the lectures, which gives his thoughts an urgency and focus even sharper than in the earlier book. In Not Always So Suzuki once again voices Zen in everyday language with the vigour, sensitivity, and buoyancy of a true friend. Here is support and nourishment. Here is a mother and father lending a hand, but letting you find your own way. Here is guidance which empowers your freedom (or way–seeking mind), rather than pinning you down to directions and techniques. Here is teaching which encourages you to touch and know your true heart and to express yourself fully, teaching which is not teaching from outside, but a voice arising in your own being.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
80 people are currently reading
2911 people want to read
About the author
Shunryu Suzuki
35books651followersSuzuki Roshi was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center, which along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 10, 2019
For me Shunryu Suzuki is the ideal dharma instructor. I also find very good. IMHO, your first book by Suzuki should be . This is a useful but inconsistent attempt to match the felicities of that first book.
August 7, 2008
I love Suzuki because he does not ask that you not be yourself in order to transcend yourself to achieve zennie inner peace. In fact, he suggests you "enjoy" your problems because they are part of the structure of your life, show you who you are, allow you to grow and change, and/or may not even actually be problems.
He's of the school where you sit and meditate your ego away for periods. I don't follow with that at this time. Yet, I read his books right after the most important person in my life died and I was unable to breathe or be in my own skin. His descriptions of how to regard one's own pain or joy or struggling were transformative for me. I was able to access his concepts of living in the present, enjoying moments, butterflies, whatever was around me, and forget the painful roar of grief for a few moments or even minutes.
This skill has never left me since reading his books. I find them to be absolutely the most accessible of any on zen. They consist of transcriptions of lectures he gave in the 70's & 80's on his practice, lectures he thought might be helpful for others. They are mostly about experience rather than buddhist doctrine. They are an excellent place to start if you are interested in knowing what zen is like as a day-to-day thing versus a religious or historical bent.
He's of the school where you sit and meditate your ego away for periods. I don't follow with that at this time. Yet, I read his books right after the most important person in my life died and I was unable to breathe or be in my own skin. His descriptions of how to regard one's own pain or joy or struggling were transformative for me. I was able to access his concepts of living in the present, enjoying moments, butterflies, whatever was around me, and forget the painful roar of grief for a few moments or even minutes.
This skill has never left me since reading his books. I find them to be absolutely the most accessible of any on zen. They consist of transcriptions of lectures he gave in the 70's & 80's on his practice, lectures he thought might be helpful for others. They are mostly about experience rather than buddhist doctrine. They are an excellent place to start if you are interested in knowing what zen is like as a day-to-day thing versus a religious or historical bent.
November 7, 2018
ไม่เสมอไ� (not always so) ชุนริว ซูซูกิ บรรยาย อุษณ� นุชอนงค์ แป� สน�. ปลากระโด� คำนิยมโด� ปราบดา หยุ่�
รื่นรมย์ เป็นบรรยากาศการอ่านอันรื่นรมย� เข้าใจไม่เข้าใจเป็นอีกเรื่อ� แต่อ่านแล้วรู้สึกร่มเย็� เรียบง่าย และงดงาม
ผิดที่เราตัดสินไปก่อนล่วงหน้าว่านี่ก็คงเป็นแค่หนังสือเซนอีกเล่มหนึ่ง ความคิดดิฉันช่างตื้นเขินยิ่งหนั� นี่มันหนังสือแห่งความคิดสร้างสรรค์และอิสรภาพเลยล่ะค่ะ
เราวา� 'ไม่เสมอไ�' ไว้บนโต๊ะอาหาร อ่าน 1 บทหลังทานข้าวเช้าเสร็จ เป็นการเพิ่มความร่มเย็นในจิตใจ เตรียมพร้อมการเริ่มต้นวันใหม่ด้วยพลังบว� หนังสือเล่มนี้เต็มไปด้วยพลังงานดี� อ่านแล้วเป็นการเสริมสิริมงคลก่อนเริ่มต้นวัน
ชอบมาก ต้องหยิบมาอ่านซ้ำเรื่อยๆ แน่ค่ะ :-)
รื่นรมย์ เป็นบรรยากาศการอ่านอันรื่นรมย� เข้าใจไม่เข้าใจเป็นอีกเรื่อ� แต่อ่านแล้วรู้สึกร่มเย็� เรียบง่าย และงดงาม
ผิดที่เราตัดสินไปก่อนล่วงหน้าว่านี่ก็คงเป็นแค่หนังสือเซนอีกเล่มหนึ่ง ความคิดดิฉันช่างตื้นเขินยิ่งหนั� นี่มันหนังสือแห่งความคิดสร้างสรรค์และอิสรภาพเลยล่ะค่ะ
เราวา� 'ไม่เสมอไ�' ไว้บนโต๊ะอาหาร อ่าน 1 บทหลังทานข้าวเช้าเสร็จ เป็นการเพิ่มความร่มเย็นในจิตใจ เตรียมพร้อมการเริ่มต้นวันใหม่ด้วยพลังบว� หนังสือเล่มนี้เต็มไปด้วยพลังงานดี� อ่านแล้วเป็นการเสริมสิริมงคลก่อนเริ่มต้นวัน
ชอบมาก ต้องหยิบมาอ่านซ้ำเรื่อยๆ แน่ค่ะ :-)
September 1, 2014
Far from a beginner's book to understanding the practice of Zen. Much of Suzuki's lectures seem to be attempting to transfer the ungraspable nature of the world into more concrete forms for our understanding. This, of course. proves difficult. Instead we are left with short parables that present the novice Zen learner with contradiction after contradiction. Practice zazen but don't practice zazen, enlightenment is here but not here, you are not you but also entirely you. Zen often leads itself to this type of phraseology, but having it occur so frequently in such a condensed book makes the reader want to throw up their hands in despair.
However, there were a few passages that helped better elicidate basic Zen tenants. One passage used the movie screen as a analogy for enlighlentment. We watch horror, sad dramas, and a variety of movies which provoke difficult feelings in us. Yet, we still enjoy these movies and seek them out. We do this because we are aware that beneath the scary or depressing scenes is a white screen. Our enlightenment is the same as this baseline white screen. All the suffering we experience daily can be viewed differently if we remember the emptiness that is at the root of everything. We can then "enjoy" the diffculties we are confronted with.
There are a few short lectures like this scattered throughout the text. Mining them from the rest of the writing made this book a bit of a chore. Still, it is a very quick read, so don't let my rather harsh rating discourage you.
However, there were a few passages that helped better elicidate basic Zen tenants. One passage used the movie screen as a analogy for enlighlentment. We watch horror, sad dramas, and a variety of movies which provoke difficult feelings in us. Yet, we still enjoy these movies and seek them out. We do this because we are aware that beneath the scary or depressing scenes is a white screen. Our enlightenment is the same as this baseline white screen. All the suffering we experience daily can be viewed differently if we remember the emptiness that is at the root of everything. We can then "enjoy" the diffculties we are confronted with.
There are a few short lectures like this scattered throughout the text. Mining them from the rest of the writing made this book a bit of a chore. Still, it is a very quick read, so don't let my rather harsh rating discourage you.
April 8, 2019
Wonderful sermons by Suzuki. The book left me in a very peaceful, calm state.
December 14, 2016
Sometimes while reading these talks of Suzuki I thought, "He can go straight, he can show the straight path so clearly, ah yes, it is so." Reading further I'd realize, "ah, but not always so."
December 27, 2022
I wish I could have liked this book more. It’s, well, confusing. I have struggled with Zen all my life, but that I have thought is more due to my obdurate stubbornness in understanding it rather than difficulties with the practice of Zen itself.
Shunryu Suzuki is a fantastic teacher, but this book, which is a compilation of his talks over a retreat, comes across as rather hard to follow. In the context in which he uttered these words, it would have made sense. But reading it here, without practicing zazen, it just seemed like a lot of shoulds and donts. Sigh. Ah, as he suggests, it is as it is. So is this book.
Shunryu Suzuki is a fantastic teacher, but this book, which is a compilation of his talks over a retreat, comes across as rather hard to follow. In the context in which he uttered these words, it would have made sense. But reading it here, without practicing zazen, it just seemed like a lot of shoulds and donts. Sigh. Ah, as he suggests, it is as it is. So is this book.
January 14, 2015
A wonderful little read filled with short Zen talks; easy to pick up and set back down without losing the flow of the book. I enjoyed reading bits of this at night before falling asleep, and would like to think some of that Zen seeped in to my unconscious somewhere :) Simple and accessible. I'm planning to read it again to write down a few daily reminders and meditations for mindful living; as a yoga instructor, I also appreciated the many ways this wisdom links to my practice. Highly recommended.
March 10, 2012
3.2012 re-reading this wonderful selection of talks. It is like having personal contact with Suzuki whose humanity, kindness, and gentle humor is endearing and encouraging. I'm finding it all very valuable.
June 12, 2007
I love this guy. Suzuki helped me find my true spirit of Zen. A deep read.
January 11, 2017
This is a wonderful book about the art of finding happiness “without being fooled by things." I deeply enjoyed learning about how to cope with the inherent problems of life using no other means than personal willingness. The book touches breathing techniques helpful for reaching the calmness of mind, explains the importance of experiencing moments of atemporal living which requires total detachment from any sort of expectations and thoughts about fame or profit, and gives us insights about real freedom, clarity of mind, and personal improvement. I loved very much Suzuki’s ‘Letters from Emptiness� –a deep introspection into the 'world of emptiness' which refers to the unaltered vibrations of the material and spiritual worlds.
"All descriptions of reality are limited expressions of the world of emptiness. Yet we attach to the descriptions and think they are reality. That is a mistake because what is described is not the actual reality, and when you think it is reality, your own idea is involved. That is an idea of self."
.......
"We “empty� ideas of big or small, good or bad from our experience, because the measurement that we use is usually based on the self. When we say good or bad, the scale is yourself. That scale is not always the same. Each person has a scale that is different. So I don’t say that the scale is always wrong, but we are liable to use our selfish scale when we analyze, or when we have an idea about something. That selfish part should be empty. How we empty that part is to practice zen and become more accustomed to accepting things as it is without any idea of big or small, good or bad."
"In nature itself there is beauty that is beyond beauty. When you see a part of it, you may think this rock should be moved one way, and that rock should be moved another way, and then it will be a complete garden. Because you limit the actual reality using the scale of your small self, there is either a good garden or a bad garden, and you want to change some stones. But if you see the thing itself as it is with a wider mind, there is no need to do anything."
“So improvement is based on comparative value, which is also the basis of our society and our economy. I understand that you are rejecting that idea of civilization, but you are not rejecting the idea of improvement. You still try to improve something. Perhaps most of you sit to improve your zazen, but Buddhists do not hold so strongly to the idea of improvement... Psychology will tell you about certain aspects of yourself, but it will not tell you exactly who you are. It is just one of many interpretations of your mind. If you go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, you will endlessly have new information about yourself. As long as you are going, you may feel some relief. You may feel released from the burden you carry, but in Zen we understand ourselves quite differently.�
“Usually our society works in a superficial, frivolous way. The controlling power is money or some big noise. Our eyes and ears are not open or subtle enough to see and hear things. Most people who visit Zen Center find it a strange place: "They do not talk so much. They do not even laugh. What are they doing?"
"All descriptions of reality are limited expressions of the world of emptiness. Yet we attach to the descriptions and think they are reality. That is a mistake because what is described is not the actual reality, and when you think it is reality, your own idea is involved. That is an idea of self."
.......
"We “empty� ideas of big or small, good or bad from our experience, because the measurement that we use is usually based on the self. When we say good or bad, the scale is yourself. That scale is not always the same. Each person has a scale that is different. So I don’t say that the scale is always wrong, but we are liable to use our selfish scale when we analyze, or when we have an idea about something. That selfish part should be empty. How we empty that part is to practice zen and become more accustomed to accepting things as it is without any idea of big or small, good or bad."
"In nature itself there is beauty that is beyond beauty. When you see a part of it, you may think this rock should be moved one way, and that rock should be moved another way, and then it will be a complete garden. Because you limit the actual reality using the scale of your small self, there is either a good garden or a bad garden, and you want to change some stones. But if you see the thing itself as it is with a wider mind, there is no need to do anything."
“So improvement is based on comparative value, which is also the basis of our society and our economy. I understand that you are rejecting that idea of civilization, but you are not rejecting the idea of improvement. You still try to improve something. Perhaps most of you sit to improve your zazen, but Buddhists do not hold so strongly to the idea of improvement... Psychology will tell you about certain aspects of yourself, but it will not tell you exactly who you are. It is just one of many interpretations of your mind. If you go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, you will endlessly have new information about yourself. As long as you are going, you may feel some relief. You may feel released from the burden you carry, but in Zen we understand ourselves quite differently.�
“Usually our society works in a superficial, frivolous way. The controlling power is money or some big noise. Our eyes and ears are not open or subtle enough to see and hear things. Most people who visit Zen Center find it a strange place: "They do not talk so much. They do not even laugh. What are they doing?"
June 6, 2013
This took me a while to read because a little zen goes a long way... towards melting my brain out my ears into a puddle on the floor. While I don't consider myself a Zen student, Suzuki Roshi has some really awesome things to say. And also some things that left me with no clue what was happening. But sometimes I feel like that's the whole point of Zen. The organizations of the segments seemed a little weak in this book. In Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind I remember feeling like each segment was loosely held together, but here I missed the connecting threads for the segments if there were any. But that's an editing issue and not anything to do with Suzuki's lectures themselves. There's certainly a lot of wonderful quotes in here, and it's definitely worth the read for those alone.
September 13, 2017
This book is a series of chapters that are edited Dharma talks of Suzuki Roshi. Incredible and extremely profound simple corrections to our distortions. While reading this book, I had a month of difficulty, let's just say I was encountering everyday life suffering that was a bit heavier than the usual. When I would pick up the book and read the next chapter, it always was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment to help my situation. This is extraordinary Zen reading, that is incredibly helpful to remember on your path as a Zen Buddhist. I do recommend reading "Zen Mind, Beginners Mind" first.
September 14, 2015
Another absolute favorite that I revisit on a regular basis. Less rigid & confined that Suzuki's justly-famous "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," this collection of dharma talks offer countless insights into the subtle mechanics of meditation & contemplation. Given how many writers have struggled with this incredibly elusive topic, this is no faint praise. If you're a serious student of meditation or Eastern thought in general, this is another must-read....
December 6, 2014
Simple. Generous. To the point. Not one spare or over-used image. Did I say, "deceptively simple"? Suzuki roshi is one of the people I would have over for supper if God every granted me the wish to dine with five famous people, living or departed. Caution: this book is really designed for people who have a meditation or contemplative prayer practice. I don't mean that it can't be read outisde that context, but it is designed for people who are engaging that larger context.
November 16, 2017
an optimistic zen perspective for daily going abouts. midway, there appeared the inevitable lesson about trusting in the good of others, followed immediately by a few paragraphs about how the japanese are japanese and how "americans" will somehow find some fault in JP's attire. expecting the rest to be wishy-washy. 43%
July 24, 2021
This book helped me know more about the author & about Zen in general. Shunryu is a true master of Zen & he is worth delving into for those students interested in Zen.
July 10, 2018
I read this book over the course of a few years. I have to admit - part of me is entranced by the irrational circular logic that so often appears in this type of writing but part of me is irritated at liking it (?). Am I truly understanding this or am I just falling for something temporary and in the moment? Most religious text makes you fall asleep with all its references to history and liturgical blahblahblah- this however keeps you questioning and on your toes. Should it be lumped in with all the other religious texts out there? No, I don't think. So maybe my expectation - to be bludgeoned and lulled into dubious religious / spiritual submission - is incorrect and because of that I am taking it all in like a zippy Adderall pill. Who knows. But I enjoyed the ride and would recommend.
I will keep this book for re-reading. I did that a lot along the way. Everytime I re-read a passage, it was like peering into another angle to the same reality. Like David Hockney's chair - or looking into a shattered mirror. Or circling a sculpture or 3D structure to get the full view of it.
Then again I am feeling tricked - by Shunryu and his clever words. Does he mean them all the way they are written or is there some calculated ambiguity in there? Does that make it any less sincere or true? I will never know.
I will keep this book for re-reading. I did that a lot along the way. Everytime I re-read a passage, it was like peering into another angle to the same reality. Like David Hockney's chair - or looking into a shattered mirror. Or circling a sculpture or 3D structure to get the full view of it.
Then again I am feeling tricked - by Shunryu and his clever words. Does he mean them all the way they are written or is there some calculated ambiguity in there? Does that make it any less sincere or true? I will never know.
April 5, 2024
Not Always So is a collection of lectures by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. His teachings center on living in the moment and accepting reality as is. Suzuki Roshi might have known his time was short since he constantly commented on his health in the lectures.
I assume they recorded the lectures. The editor describes his process of putting Suzuki Roshi's words to paper at the end of the book. Suzuki Roshi was from Japan, so I assumed his English wasn't polished, though he did spend 12 years in America.
There are 35 lectures in all. They cover how to practice Zen and other topics. For example, he gave a lecture about the Moon Landing. Suzuki Roshi died in December 1971. His legacy lives on as a humble, unassuming man, and a great teacher.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
I assume they recorded the lectures. The editor describes his process of putting Suzuki Roshi's words to paper at the end of the book. Suzuki Roshi was from Japan, so I assumed his English wasn't polished, though he did spend 12 years in America.
There are 35 lectures in all. They cover how to practice Zen and other topics. For example, he gave a lecture about the Moon Landing. Suzuki Roshi died in December 1971. His legacy lives on as a humble, unassuming man, and a great teacher.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
August 11, 2020
How could I not give five stars to a Zen master’s lectures as a beginner meditator? This collection of lectures by Suzuki Roshi will not fail to influence the practice of an open-minded Zen student. The simple, short lessons open the mind to see more clearly what Zen is, and how to practice. Personally, it has influenced me by illuminating the mental tendencies I resort to day-to-day, moment-to-moment, that are not required, not necessary or inevitable. The alternative—meditation, or a kind of Zen mindfulness—is more calming, comforting, inspiring, and confidence-producing.
March 22, 2025
Excellent follow up to Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Take one chapter a day and live with it for the day. Not Always So is a bit harder to grasp than Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. While Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is clear as a mountain stream, Not Always So is muddy like the home of a lotus. Both books are excellent reads and practice guides. I think Shunryu Suzuki is one of the most accessible Zen Masters and his writing are the ones I tend to go back to, maybe along with Thich Nhat Hanh and Dogen Zenji. I can highly recommend Not Always So.
September 6, 2021
“When you know the secret of how to use your intuitive sense, your activity will be free from various restrictions, and you will find your way in everyday life�-Sitting Like a Frog.
Many insightful and sometimes confusing words of wisdom by Shunryu Suzuki. Reading this book each night before sleep brought me such calmness and reflection. I will be reading this book again and again to internalize his key thoughts.
Many insightful and sometimes confusing words of wisdom by Shunryu Suzuki. Reading this book each night before sleep brought me such calmness and reflection. I will be reading this book again and again to internalize his key thoughts.
January 11, 2023
One of my friends told me that after reading and loving the author's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", he was disappointed with this. I actually like this less popular book. As with the book mentioned above, the content is taken from talks meant to encourage participants before zazen practice. If you are into meditation or zazen, this is a great book to read. Whenever I read from it, It makes me want to do zazen.
February 18, 2019
This is the B side, so to speak, to the A side that is "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind". If you liked that one, you'll like this one. As with many talks of this kind, they take on far more perspective and significance when you come to them as a Zen student rather than as just a casual reader. But recommended all the same.
May 22, 2020
Didn't find it as meaningful as Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
"To develop your well-polished eye, or clear, unbiased judgement, it is important to give up, or be ready to give up everything" (117)
"If you cling to an idea you create, like a self or an objective reality, you will be lost in the objective world that you create with your mind" (109)
"To develop your well-polished eye, or clear, unbiased judgement, it is important to give up, or be ready to give up everything" (117)
"If you cling to an idea you create, like a self or an objective reality, you will be lost in the objective world that you create with your mind" (109)
September 25, 2017
The last two collections of dharma talks have a coherency and beauty that is difficult to describe. Suzuki Roshi's words often demand meditation on their multi-layered meanings, but on landing, they cut through ignorance and open space that lets in much light.
June 5, 2019
I had to read this book with a very open mind in order to grasp just some of the information. It's more symbolic in so many ways and extremely repetitive but I did gain some knowledge from reading it.
September 16, 2019
Humorous and challenging. Zen to me is incredibly frustrating, yet rewarding at the same time. Zen Buddhism is itself a koan or a great riddle that does not need an answer. The process and practice is so much more important than any goal.
January 12, 2021
Absolutely love this book!
I love how it doesn’t impose.
I may feel that it is such a wonderful book because it gave me the affirmation I needed at this time.
In another time, I may or may not feel the same about it but it remains what it is.
I love how it doesn’t impose.
I may feel that it is such a wonderful book because it gave me the affirmation I needed at this time.
In another time, I may or may not feel the same about it but it remains what it is.
October 3, 2022
Simple, accessible Zen lectures that were calming to read. They were occasionally pretty deep in the weeds of zazen and monastery practice, so not always so applicable, but I appreciated the calming voice of the teacher throughout.
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