PZI Teacher Archives
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Allison Atwill -
David Parks -
David Weinstein -
Eduardo Fuentes -
Jesse Cardin -
John Tarrant -
Jon Joseph -
Michelle Riddle -
Tess Beasley
Changsha Wandering in the Mountains (BCR36)
KOAN:
One day Changsha went for a walk in the mountains.
When he returned to the temple gate someone asked, “Where have you been?”
Changsha said, “Wandering about the hills. I went out following the scented grass and came back chasing the falling blossoms.”
—Blue Cliff Record, Case 36
Dharma Theme: In the Wild – Mountain Koans & Poems
PZI Teachers
Eventually you come to a place where you can’t go on and you can’t go back. You have arrived at the base of cliffs; you can’t scale them, you can’t get around them, and there’s no handy tunnel through them. It’s a daunting place—that’s the point of it. And when you arrive here your life and your journey can become your own.
Free & Easy Wandering Series: Following the Scented Grass
John Tarrant begins with a wild Daoist story from the Zhuangzi, about a giant fish named Kun. The freedom is in your own breast and the koan path opens the way. Includes meditation segments, music from Michael Wilding, vows from Jordan McConnell & Amaryllis Fletcher, Cantor. PZI Zen Online. As recorded May 2, 2021.
I Went Out Following the Scented Grass
Sensei Allison Atwill gives a teaching on an old teaching story, a koan, handed down from more than a thousand years ago in China. Changsha was a student of Nanchuan and he was a contemporary of many great teachers, Linji and Zhaozhou among them. It was the golden age of Zen Buddhism. Recorded June 29, 2012.
Death Poem
Roshi David Weinstein continues with the koan for Summer sesshin, “Where have you been?” “I went out following the scented grass and came back chasing the falling blossoms.” June 26, 2012.
Stepping Through a Door
Roshi John Tarrant presents on the koan, “Where have you been?” “I went out following the scented grass and came back chasing the falling blossoms.” Going on retreat is like stepping through a door. You never know what you will find on the other side of the door: scented grass, falling blossoms, or the vastness. June 28, 2012.
Where Have You Been?
Opening night dharma talk Summer sesshin on the koan “Where have you been?” “Wandering about the hills. I went out following the scented grass and came back chasing the falling blossoms.” June 24, 2012.