Work in the room is an encounter between a teacher and student. The idea is that it’s possible for two people to step outside of the usual prison of the mind and meet directly. When you do this you are meeting not just the teacher but your own nature. Everything appears in a larger, more breathable air and brighter, more vivid relief. So that’s the idea that work in the room serves — it offers a sample of freedom. The only method of work in the room is to bring up a koan, something to do with your practice, something you have discovered, something you have difficulty with in life or in meditation. Then you’ll find out what happens when you bring your attention to bear upon that subject.

It doesn’t seem kind to pretend that such a meeting can be effective if we don’t bring full attention to it. We have a couple of requirements that seem to help. We ask that you be a member of PZI, that you have a commitment to the community that maintains the vessel in which transformation happens. The other requirement is also practical: We ask that you meditate every day.

— John Tarrant