PZI Teacher Archives
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Tess Beasley
Ordinary Mind Is the Way (GG19)
KOAN:
Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, “What is the Way (the Dao)?”
Nanquan said, “Ordinary mind is the Way.”
Zhaozhou asked, “Should I turn myself toward it or not?”
Nanquan said, “If you try to turn yourself toward it, you turn away from it.”
Zhaozhou asked, “How can I know the Way if I don’t turn toward it?”
Nanquan said, “The Way is not about knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blank.
If you actually reach the Way, you’ll find it as vast and boundless as space. How can you talk about this in terms of right and wrong?”
With these words, Zhaozhou had a sudden realization.
Wumen’s Verse
Spring comes with its flowers, autumn with the moon,
summer with breezes, winter with snow.
When useless things don’t hang in your mind,
that is your best season.
—Gateless Gate Case 19, with Verse
My Average Life
“I like finding features of popular culture that point the way out of the mind’s prison. It is as if a trail of breadcrumbs had been left where least expected.”
Ordinary Life Is the Way
It is natural to look for the things you want outside of where you are now. That is the whole point of a journey. Yet this moment is all anyone has. So if freedom, love, beauty, grace, and whatever else is desirable are to appear, they must appear in a now.
Unexpected Gifts, Unexpected Help Along the Way
What is the gift of the universe? We receive unexpected help when we are “living down a level,” living things before we construct them. Not constantly consulting your “me,” you open to the invitations and gifts that appear; trusting in the Dao.
The Case for Ordinary Mind – What Makes It So Hard to See?
The PZI enlightenment firm of Atwill, Riddle & Beasley makes a case for Ordinary Mind. Stories of what gets in the way, the nearness of “It” and a season of laughter. Music from Michael Wilding & Jordan McConnell. As recorded March 28, 2021.
If Ordinary Mind Is the Way, What Makes It So Hard to See: What Gets in the Way?
Tess Beasley’s portion of the PZI enlightenment firm Atwill, Riddle & Beasley’s case for Ordinary Mind. As recorded March 28, 2021.
If Ordinary Mind Is the Way, What Makes It So Hard to See: It’s Closer Than You Think
Michelle Riddle’s portion of the PZI enlightenment firm Atwill, Riddle & Beasley’s case for Ordinary Mind. As recorded March 28, 2021.
If Ordinary Mind Is the Way, What Makes It So Hard to See: Our Best Season
Allison Atwill’s portion of the enlightenment firm Atwill, Riddle & Beasley’s case for Ordinary MInd. A story of a best season when everything went wrong in the community kitchen. As recorded Mar. 28, 2021
The Plainness of the Heart
John Tarrant presents a dharma talk at summer sesshin on the inherent nature of the heart. June 22, 2011.
Ordinary Mind is the Way
David Weinstein gives a dharma talk at the 2011 spring sesshin, on “Ordinary Mind” as path of awakening.