D. T. Suzuki

 Through his books and popular lectures, D. T. Suzuki – a student of Soyen Shaku – was largely responsible for introducing Zen to the west.

Alan Watts told of an incident at one of Suzuki’s presentations when “—a member of the audience asked him, ‘Dr. Suzuki, when you use the word “reality,” are you referring to the relative reality of the physical world, or to the absolute reality of the transcendental world?’ He closed his eyes and went into that characteristic attitude which some of his students call ‘doing a Suzuki,’ for no one could tell whether he was in deep meditation or fast asleep. After a minutes’ silence, though it seemed longer, he opened his eyes and said, ‘Yes.’”

[D T Suzuki portrait by Molly Macnaughton]

The Third Step East: 23-39; 9, 10, 21-22, 43, 56, 59, 66, 68, 78, 79-80, 82, 88, 95, 97,98, 101, 102, 103, 112, 113, 121, 127, 135, 147, 148, 158, 168, 172, 203, 204, 237-38

The Story of Zen: 5-6, 13-14, 160, 216-25, 231, 233, 234, 237, 244-47, 249-50, 252, 255, 265, 270, 280-81, 296, 302, 320, 337, 345, 370, 399, 424