Handing Things on in the Dark

Tess Beasley “Opens the mouth of the dead,”— a quote from Carl Jung—and contemplates the big questions at the heart of Zen, like,”‘Who am I?” and “What is the Way?” through the turning words of Zen masters that were handed down at the Blue Cliff.

Markers of the Way. Stepping into the field of the heart mind —the koan field. John reads his poem, “Setting out under the Golden Gate in the Rain.” The intimacy of doing tasks together. Mazu’s koan, “The purpose of your whole life is contained in the current matter.” Epiphanies—the Greek showing of the god, and the Japanese kensho: when you see your true nature. Curiosity is part of awakening. Whose life is it? Discovery must be lived through your own deep work. Everything strikes the heart. Our monastery is the practice. Music with Michael Wilding and Ryan McCoy. PZI Zen Online, as recorded Feb. 7, 2021.

Guided meditation with John Tarrant. Who is sitting? Who hears the bell? Always a good start for a meditation. John shares Master Ma’s comment on “the current matter”— this very moment of your life as a most important gate. Audio excerpt recorded Feb. 7 2021, PZI Zen Online. 25 minutes.

Michael Wilding offers his original musical response in the Meditation and Talk on January 31, 2021. Audio excerpt from the Sunday session, PZI Zen Online. 4 minutes.

Zen is about meetings, the courage to meet and be a friend. Even the gnarly bits of friendship are part of it, the mystery of connection. You don’t have to be good at love—better to be in it. In the field of connectedness we discover things we can’t discover on our own. Audio excerpt from Sunday Zen with John Tarrant, Handing Things on in the Dark, PZI Zen Online. As recorded January 31, 2021. 18 minutes.

PZI Zen Online: Excerpt from John Tarrant’s Sunday Talk—Handing Things On in the Dark. A 10-minute meditation on finding a face at midnight. As recorded Jan. 3rd 2021.

PZI Zen Online: Excerpt from Handing Things On in the Dark. The freshness of the new year, the dark silent time of the year. To be deeply in zen is to be deeply in how to express it. The mysterious freedoms of the dark. As recorded Jan. 3, 2021. 2 minutes.