universe at play

David shares his incredible life journey, being carried from a 3-month meditation course in Nepal with Lama Yeshe to Seoul, Korea, and back again to Japan, meeting Koun Yamada in Kamakura, and eventually coming to California and PZI. Complete talk from Winter Sesshin 2023.

PZI Zen Online: Zhaozhou’s message to a novice, “Wash your bowls.” A zendo plaque, “Look under your feet.” A focus on what’s hidden in plain sight, right under you, obvious and overlooked. That the Golden Crowned Sparrows always return in fall. Ikkyu’s “Attention!”

PZI Zen Online: An Invitation to Life – Deshan with his bowls coming in at the wrong bell without distress, his complete integration. The universe is always inviting us and it is in that subtle moment ‘before’ the invitation. Koan practice helps us – we are grabbed by a piece of the koan – the universe talking. Play is key, and a willingness to accept that invitation to embrace life. As recorded Aug 3 2020.

PZI Zen Online- Dongshan’s 4th Rank-‘Two crossed swords..’a timely image for unrest, protests, the dance of the vast and undifferentiated natural order of the universe is always calling us even in distress. Everything is expressing itself, demonstrators are streams moving in flow to a river. Not a thing out of place. As recorded June 8, 2020.

Audio: PZI Zen Online – ‘Layman Pang asks: ‘What about the person who does not keep company with the 10000 things?’ Sarah Bender, Roshi muses on Mayday as a distress call that in French simply means Help Me! and other implications of the day as labor strike. The multiple nature of our existence now in lockdown. Stillness vs online connections. As recorded May 1 2020