Episode 6: Put Out the Fire Across the River
By John Tarrant
Fire is a vital element of transformation.
In this episode, Roshi John Tarrant discusses the Zen koan, Put Out the Fire Across the River, which originally arose in response to seeing the camp fires of Genghis Khan’s army burn brightly through the night.
Fire has a terrifying power for destruction but also a sacred role in connecting us.
Like the old alchemists, we must immerse ourselves in something to transform it, and thereby we, too, cannot help but be transformed in the process. We cannot achieve much without a fire inside us, and meditation becomes a vessel by which we cultivate our capacity to become a living flame.
Listen in to hear stories of all kinds of fire and also how koans come into existence.
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Fire burns the barriers.
— John Tarrant
Show notes:
- What is the symbolism behind fire
- Who is Bukko
- What is the metaphor behind “putting out the fire on the other side of the river”
- How do koans come into existence
- When to take a break from meditation
Without fire there is no awakening.
— John Tarrant
Links mentioned:
- Learn more about koans
- Learn more about Zen
- John Tarrant’s books: