“The vastness isn’t somewhere else. It’s right here, embodied in the most ordinary activities.”

I traveled to Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, near San Francisco, to chat with Jiryu Rutschman-Byler. Jiryu is the abbot of the Zen Center there and he is also the co-editor of the new collection of Shunryu Suzuki’s lectures titled ‘Becoming Yourself: Teachings on the Zen Way of Life.’

We talked about Zen practice, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and what it actually means to “be yourself” without turning that into yet another self-improvement project.

Jiryu shared his own early spiritual (mis)adventures — chasing vastness, losing the ground beneath his feet — and how finding Zen practice helped him discover that the boundless isn’t somewhere else at all. It’s right here, in sweeping leaves, in breathing in and out, and in inhabiting the actual space of our lives, however that looks.

We spent a lot of time on ethics and the Bodhisattva precepts, especially Suzuki’s refreshingly non-moralistic take. What happens when ethics don’t come from “should,” but from intimacy? From trusting our own loving nature instead of rules, guilt, or ideology? In a world desperate for moral clarity while allergic to dogma, this felt both timely and quietly radical.

We also talked about Suzuki’s enduring influence, his humor, his lightness, and the editorial work behind Becoming Yourself — including the delicate task of letting the teachings stay alive.

“If you try to get out of your limitation to be free, you miss it. The limitation is what gives life its shape.”

AUDIO CHAPTERS

00:00 Exploring Zen: The Legacy of Shunryu Suzuki

03:35 Finding Ground: The Embodiment of Spiritual Practice

06:38 The Nature of Freedom: Embracing Limitations

09:27 Intimacy and Aliveness: The Essence of Being

12:22 Becoming Yourself: The Journey of Self-Discovery

15:20 Ethics in Zen: The Precepts and Their Importance

18:19 The Enduring Influence of Suzuki Roshi

21:31 The Intimacy of Being: Connecting with Life

23:36 The Radical Nature of Letting Go

25:45 The Interconnectedness of All Life

28:34 Trusting Intimacy: The Path to Ethical Living

31:25 Exploring the Structure of the Book

32:14 Understanding Bodhisattva Precepts

35:35 Suzuki Roshi's Unique Perspective

38:09 The Nature of Ethical Principles

39:55 Moving Beyond Moralism and Legalism

44:11 Trusting Our Loving Nature

48:29 The Inherent Goodness in Human Nature

52:24 The Role of Faith in Ethical Practice

56:04 The Timeliness of Suzuki's Teachings

59:48 The Process of Editing the Book

Becoming Yourself is published n 2025 by Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is also available at The Dewdrop's Bookshop Page.

OTHER RESOURCES

shunryusuzuki.com