PZI Teacher Archives

disorderly karmic consciousness

Text March 26, 2023

Falling with the Koan NO

John Tarrant

John Tarrant gives a talk on Zhaozhou’s NO: This koan is often offered as a first “gate,” but I think you need to already be in trouble and falling before it’s useful. Life is always offering us that cliff—that door of falling. When you’re falling, you can’t screw it up because actually there’s not a lot you can do. But what you do will be very free and won’t be constrained by the usual. From a recording made in Fall Sesshin 2022.

5207 Words
Audio March 9, 2022

Disorderly Karmic Consciousness: Sax Solo

Michael Wilding

Michael Wilding adds his original music on saxophone to John Tarrant’s meditation session. As recorded live on Sunday March 6, 2022. 6 minutes.

6' 2"
Text September 13, 2021
2191 Words
Text July 31, 2020

Disorderly Karmic Consciousness

John Tarrant

We stop relying on the worry—on knowing who we are, on sorrow, on anxiety, on “if only I could get something.” Or get through this time. We stop relying on those things, and start relying on being here. A koan is something to put in your mind so that you have that there. So instead of Fox News or “Oh my god, I’m afraid,” or “I’m sick of being confined”—gradually freedom starts to appear by itself.

3318 Words