PZI Teacher Archives

2018 fall retreat

Text August 25, 2020

You Know Nothing (of Zen) – The Woman at the Inn

John Tarrant

You can trust that the thing that you are doing is going to work. It’s underground. There’s a growth happening in the dark. You don’t even have to see it. But, after a while, you start to notice it. It’s kind of a cool thing, actually. You think, “God, even me! Even I have some part in this.”

3157 Words
Text May 8, 2020

The Method of Zen

John Tarrant

In the evening dharma talk John introduces us to an ancestor in the koan tradition, Dahui Zonggao 大慧宗杲 (Ta-hui Tsung-kao, Daie Soko), 1089-1163 and his disciple Wuzhuo Miaozong (無著妙宗; 1096–1170 CE), Miaozong lived during the Song dynasty and was one of the first nuns to be included in an imperially sanctioned Zen lineage history. The conversation between Dahui and Miaozong is instructive of his early method of using only the head of the koan and become one with it. His method was formulated for his culture like we are for ours.

4731 Words
Text May 8, 2020

Joy, Mosquitoes & Zen

John Tarrant

Joy and peace don’t stop the mosquitoes from biting. All these things have their source in meditation.  So you want to open your heart.  You want to –whatever it is – during meditation.  That’s what he’s saying.  Right.  It comes from within.

2815 Words
Text May 8, 2020

Your Life Is Right Here

John Tarrant

John Tarrant talks about the great koan “NO,” and other koans that Hakuin and Hakuin’s friends have handed down to us. “They are a treasure for you, and they’ll keep you company. Don’t worry about how you’re doing it. It doesn’t actually matter how you’re doing it. It is doing you, and the koan world is doing you, and the light is doing you. It’s going to be okay, and the light will appear and dawn in your own heart.” Transcript of an excerpt from Fall Retreat 2018.

833 Words
Video October 24, 2018
17' 2"
Video October 24, 2018

The Method of Zen: Dahui & Miaozong

John Tarrant

In the evening dharma talk John introduces us to an ancestor in the koan tradition, Dahui Zonggao 大慧宗杲 (Ta-hui Tsung-kao, Daie Soko), 1089-1163 and his disciple Wuzhuo Miaozong (無著妙宗; 1096–1170 CE), Miaozong lived during the Song dynasty and was one of the first nuns to be included in an imperially sanctioned Zen lineage history. The conversation between Dahui and Miaozong is instructive of his early method of using only the ‘head of the koan’ and becoming one with it. His method was formulated for his culture.

35' 7"
Video October 24, 2018
16' 3"
Video October 24, 2018

You Know Nothing (of Zen) – The Woman at the Inn

John Tarrant

Hakuin’s “Woman at the Inn,” the woman is unknown but kept the inn where pilgrims coming to study with Hakuin stayed. Hakuin’s dharma talk spoke of the pure land of mind and the buddha of light in your own body. When that buddha of light appears, everything glows with a great light. The woman meditated day and night and one day while washing a pot she has a breakthrough.

0' 0"
Video October 24, 2018
29' 40"
Video October 24, 2018

Your Life is Right Here

John Tarrant

John’s evening talking is brief, yet poignant. There is a light and a joy and they are here now. It doesn’t wait until you improve yourself, your partner, enemy, or live in a different colored state.

6' 58"