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
Yunmen’s Medicine and Sickness Cure Each Other (BCR87)
KOAN:
Yunmen said to the assembly, “Medicine and sickness cure each other.
The whole earth is medicine. What is the self?”
—Blue Cliff Record Case 87
(transl. by John Tarrant & Joan Sutherland)
The Nobility of Having a Practice
It’s not so hard to realize that practice is immediately beneficial. But there’s a deeper thing: meditation is a way to befriend your life and befriend reality. Some days just seem harder than others, right? And you come home and think, Oh, god. Practice is a good thing then. Practice, practice, practice.
The Nobility of Having a Practice
Meditation gets us away from reaching and grasping and winning and losing and honor and disgrace. This lack of ulterior motive makes meditation a friendly time. All our daily reaching and grasping and getting somehow sticks to us and when we meditate it unsticks and falls off. With music for meditation from Jordan McConnell & Michael Wilding.
Dharma Theme: Sickness and Medicine
Usually, casually, I think of myself as being well. When I am sick, wellness is the me I imagine I’ll get back to. I can’t always be sure what is healing and what is the opposite.
The Nobility of Having a Practice
Meditation gets us away from reaching and grasping and winning and losing and honor and disgrace. This lack of ulterior motive makes meditation a friendly time. All our daily reaching and grasping and getting somehow sticks to us and when we meditate it unsticks and falls off. With music for meditation from Jordan McConnell & Michael Wilding.
We’ve Never Lacked for Salt & Sauce
The salt and sauce is the invisible component of practice, of life. It is the place in which we are held when disaster strikes, or there’s chronic illness, or you find yourself at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. You might not need what you think you do to get by. What is salt and sauce for you? We can be at peace in the midst of the madness of events – this is our main work in zen. Music for meditation from Micheal Wilding on flute and then on drum. Complete Sunday Zen session from March 12, 2023.
We’ve Never Lacked for Salt & Sauce
The salt and sauce is the invisible component of practice, of life, the place where we are held when disaster strikes or you find yourself at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. You might not need what you think you do to get by. We can be at peace in the midst of the madness of events—this is our main work in Zen. Complete Sunday Zen session from March 12, 2023.
Mowing the Grasses – April First Wise Foolishness
David Parks Roshi of Bluegrass Zen in Kentucky enters spring with mowing grasses and contemplating weeds. Zen online dharma talk as recorded April 1st, 2021.
1 The Whole World Is Medicine – The Zenosaurus Course in Koans
Zenosaurus Curriculum 1: When the Buddha was growing up, his father kept four sights from him. The forbidden sights were a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a pilgrim dedicated to the meditation path.
Spirit of Love, Joy & Play in Koans
Value a sort of play and see if you can break the koan—the koan will be amused. And see it and let it into your heart, and see what comes, or follow it around, or have it follow you. And finally you’ll realize, “Oh, I’m here. I’m free.”
The Whole World Is Medicine
Jon welcomes far flung participants on Zoom, and remembers the original Earth Day walks and festivities. Teachers and others comment on the vast implications of Yunmen’s koan. Recorded on April 27th, 2020.
How Is It That Sickness & Medicine Heal Each Other?
The dark things shine as brightly as the bright light—we don’t need health to shine.
Mind of Awakening, Mind of Suffering
John Tarrant gives a talk on July 19, 2014. A final tale and conversation about awakened mind and delusional mind of suffering. At summer retreat we sat with the koan, “Sickness and Medicine are in accord with one another, the while world is medicine, what am I?”
Spirit of Love, Joy & Play in Koans
John Tarrant gives a talk during Summer Retreat: July 14, 2014.
Taking Care of Yourself on Retreat
Rachel Boughton, Sensei, talks about working with koans and being kind to yourself at a long meditation retreat. July 14, 2014.
The Spirit of Love, Joy, and Play in Koans
John opens the first evening at summer retreat talking about the spirit of a koan. We were nestled in the lovely redwood mountains of Land of the Medicine Buddha in Soquel California. We were meditating, walking and diving into the great koan, Sickness and Medicine. It is based on a koan which goes like this, “Sickness and Medicine are in accord with each other. The whole world is medicine, what am I?” July 14, 2014.
Teacher Panel Conversation on Sickness and Medicine
A panel discussion on the final evening of the retreat with four of the PZI teachers at this Summer retreat at the Land of Medicine Buddha. Four Roshis gave the evening talk together. July 18, 2014.
Someone with Nothing to Do
John talks about sitting with the koan, “Sickness and medicine are in accord with each other, the whole world is medicine, what am I?” This is the second day of retreat at Land of the Medicine Buddha in Soquel, California.