PZI Teacher Archives

Bodhisattva of Compassion

ARCHETYPE:

Guanyin—she is the Bodhisattva of Great Mercy, who hears the cries of the world. Ancient Sanskrit called her Avalokitesvara, the embodied compassion of all buddhas. Some myths say she has one thousand hands and eyes. Others whisper she was the mother of the Buddha. Yet, her true nature goes beyond her many names and faces. She is part of the very fabric of the universe itself.

—John Tarrant Roshi

Video January 11, 2020

All Those Hands and Eyes

John Tarrant

John talks about the warm intimacy of the ‘the dark’ – the uncolonized zone where koans work with us. Intimacy in teachings is used often as an equivalent for enlightenment. Koans open gates and bring us inside that mystery. Some categories of koans: Predicament koans, Heart Changing koans, Inquiry koans and more.

33' 55"
Video July 18, 2014

The Bodhisattva of Great Mercy

Allison Atwill

Allison Atwill gives a Summer retreat talk on the koan, How Does the Bodhisattva of Great Mercy Use All Those Hands and Eyes, telling stories of shifting precarious family relationships from sibling rivalry toward greater intimacy.

59' 7"