PZI Events Calendar
W E L C O M E to the PZI Events Calendar! Here you will find all upcoming events and registration links for PZI Zen Online retreats, sesshins, and weekly meditations & talks. Search by individual event, day, or month. Save to your Google Calendar or iCal Calendar. No experience required to participate. All event times are Pacific Time. Questions? Contact Lucas at PZI Support.
F E A T U R E D
April 26: What Is This Light That Everybody Has? – Deep Sit Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Tess Beasley
May 7–10: Say A True Word & I Will Stay The Night – Open Mind Retreat with John Tarrant, Tess Beasley, & Allison Atwill
June 8–14: Dragons & Tigers, Oh My! – Our Great Summer Sesshin with John Tarrant & PZI Teachers
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TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Hugging the Golden-Haired Lion
A student asked Yunmen, “What is the pure and everlasting body of reality?”
Yunmen said, “A fence of flowers and healing herbs.”
The student asked, “What’s it like when I reach there?”
Yunmen said, “Golden haired lion!”
Another time when Yunmen was asked a similar question, his reply was “dried shitstick.” Reminds me of Zhaozhou’s response to a similar question, which was, “Oak tree in the garden.” That’s what the pure and everlasting body of reality looks like, sounds like, acts like. That the image of a golden haired lion is used in reference to the intertwined nature of the real and the provisional, emptiness and form, is interesting, but I doubt Yunmen had that in mind when he said it. I doubt he had anything in mind when he said it.
I receive an inordinate number of videos featuring people hugging, being hugged by, rolling around with and generally being amazingly intimate with big lions, tigers, and all manner of big cat. I love seeing them and wish I could have a big cat with which I could to do that, too.
What if Yunmen felt that way, and saw the student who asked the question as a golden haired lion that he wanted to roll around with? The verse to the case would appear not to be so kind to either Yunmen, or the student:
A fence of flowers and healing herbs. Don’t look so stupid!
The pointer is on the scale arm, not on the measuring pan.
“…When one goes on that way…” —What a foolish thing to say! A golden-haired lion. Everybody look!
Indeed, everybody look! Here are a couple of ways that a golden haired lion can look.
—David Weinstein
COME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation, dharma talk and conversation.
Register to participate. All are welcome.
David Weinstein Roshi, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community
