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
2016 Summer Retreat
The Nature of Practice
Practice. The notion of practice, as something you embody, and you walk through, and you are—rather than something you add, like something added to gasoline. There’s also a sense of moving in the dark, in some way that’s positive. So that in a practice, “not knowing” is on your side.
The Nature of Practice
In practice you are traveling, you are on a path. It is different from a plan because you are on uncertain turf. Practice also has more love in it because you are moving in the dark in a positive way. The koan is like the dog that follows you around with a bowl – it foils your serious plans.
The Brightness of the Blockage
The experience of being blocked, a major or minor imprisonment, and of help arriving from unexpected sources.
That Solitary Brightness Is You
A discovery that all the Linji koans we are working with during the retreat are variants on Linji’s “There’s nothing I dislike.” They all appear from this core. The solitary brightness with no fixed shape or form is yours. If you “only don’t object” or exclude reality, the brightness is there. As recorded in Summer Sesshin 2016.
There’s Nothing I Dislike!
The construction of a “me: and the positive experience of losing it. The strategies of “me” allow the universe to come in and establish our true place in it. There is nothing to dislike. When the world comes to meet us we realize there is only this.
Who Are You Anyway?
John inquires, Who are we anyway? Linji’s words on how the perspective of “not knowing” eliminates dislike. John asks, When did you become a You? How did you know?
Hosting the Life You Have
“We’d give anything for the life we have,” says poet Tony Hoagland. Take the role of host wherever you are; no special undertakings are necessary. From Summer Sesshin. As recorded June 13 2016.
10,000 Things
I like having a roomful of things and a roomful of people. So my plan for this talk is to say a little bit of some of the things I’ve
been thinking about as I sit with this koan, and talk a little bit about retreat, and then to have some time for conversation and questions and observations.
Loving This Life
June 2016 Retreat – You might have noticed that we started out with music and then saying a
koan. The koan is from the great old Chinese Master Lin-ji Yixuan and it’s
not so important what – When something confronts you, don’t believe it.
How Will You Get Out?
John Tarrant gives a talk on Wednesday evening. (2016)
The Nature of Practice
John Tarrant gives a talk at the 2016 Summer retreat.
I Was Only Two Hands
John Tarrant gives a dharma talk on Monday evening of the summer retreat. 2016.
Just Act Ordinary
Rachel Boughton gives a talk on Monday morning of the summer retreat. 2016.
Unmaking Through Retreat
John Tarrant gives a talk on Sunday evening of the summer retreat. June 2016.