PZI Teacher Archives

Bankei's Miracle

KOAN:

Bankei was approached by a priest who boasted that his master possessed miraculous powers. This master could take a brush and write Amida in the air and the word would appear on a sheet of paper in the distance. Challenged to equal this, Bankei replied, “My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink.”

—From Dazhu Huihai: The Record of Questions Asked by Disciples from Everywhere

Video February 17, 2023

In Front of the Dead Tree Cliff, Flowers Are Always Blooming

John Tarrant

Gifts are outside of usual commerce and exchange. What is it to receive one? What comes with that? Something is always vast and still, something is always blooming. Includes the story of an olive tree delivery, Denise Levertov’s poem The Gift, and music from PZI musicians. Complete Sunday Zen session.

61' 40"
Video February 15, 2023

Something Is Always Blooming

John Tarrant

Something is always vast and still, something is always blooming—the joys and pains of life, of forgetting and remembering. Gifts are outside of usual commerce and exchange, and life is a gift. Just accept it, like the flowers at the foot of the cliff. 17-minute excerpt from Sunday Zen on February 12, 2023.

17' 22"