strategies

PZI Zen Online Audio: Allison sits with the beautiful preface to the Blue Cliff Record, before Bodhidharma’s encounter with Emperor Wu. Noticing our strategies for controlling experience, which shut life out. Issa’s story of love and loss. As recorded April 21 2020.

John Tarrant on working with different koan types. Predicament koan—Stone Crypt. Situational—Taking the form of Guanyin. Mysterious—A well that has not been dug. John talks about his early work with koans; tactics and strategies that weren’t working until he found himself laughing at his own mind, “Going straight on the road with 99 curves.” There’s no difference between “Life” and “MY Life.” What we can do for each other is open our hearts and be there together. Recorded January 2014.