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: Just This Is It – #1 Equanimity
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One day the World-Honored One ascended to the rostrum. Manjusri struck the white gavel and said, “Contemplate clearly the Dharma of the King of the Dharma. The Dharma of the King of the Dharma is just this!” The World-Honored One then stepped down from the rostrum.
—Book of Serenity Case 1
When I started keeping company with this koan, the first thing that came along was the conversation between Dongshan and Yunyan on Dongshan’s departure:
Dongshan asked Yunyan, “Later on, if I am asked to describe your teachings, what should I tell people?” Yunyan replied: “Just this is it.”
While I was at KoKo-An Zendo in Honolulu, Aitken Roshi would invite a professor, David Kalapuhana from the University of Hawaii philosophy department, to give a talk. His field of interest was what he called “Original Buddhism,” what others know as Theravada Buddhism. What interested Aitken was Kalapuhana’s feeling that Chan, and later Zen, were movements back towards the original teachings of the Buddha. An example of that is Donsghan, an 8th century Chan teacher, echoing a teaching of the Buddha.
I also remembered that in China—and I’m assuming also in India—there are records of people traveling great distances to seek teachings: hundreds and even thousands of miles. I found myself imagining being one of those people having walked many miles to come for the teaching of the Buddha only to have him ascend the rostrum and then descend without saying a word.
I’m sure there were those who appreciated the inexpressible nature of the teachings and the Buddha’s demonstration of that, who understood that Manjusri was pointing to it. I think Manjusri was equally pointing to the experience of those who were terribly disappointed at having come so far only to the Buddha’s voice.
That’s when Hakuin came along and asked,
Is it in the shit and the piss?
In one version of the Book of Equanimity, there is text below the title which reads,
When a dragon appears as the dragon of having a flat tire.
Had any flat tires lately?
—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
