PZI Teacher Archives
interwoven
The Harmonies
I can’t shed the thrill of being, breathing, seeing, and hearing. This is what we came for. Everything we ever wanted appears.
The Harmonies
I’m restless and my body hurts, and in the middle of the night, I come out to the living room and it’s been waiting for me; the night is so happy to see me, and the owl opens its door and I can hear the conversation of the winter stars.
We Are Interwoven
It’s a noble thing to gather together for the Dharma. It has hidden effects, that if we thought about it from afar, we’d think, Ah, I don’t know. But when we’re together, we can feel, Oh, yeah, it’s happening. I can feel it in my heart and my soul and my fingers.
Summer Sesshin: We Are Interwoven – Welcome to Sesshin
John Tarrant welcomes Summer Sesshin participants and introduces a stanza from Shitou’s song-poem, Taking Part in the Gathering, as an opening koan. The poem comes from the inception of Chan as a Daoist current on the nature of reality. Koans, art, meditation & conversation are part of waking up together in PZI culture. June 13, 2022.
Summer Sesshin: Journey of Refuge
Tess Beasley describes touchstones of the journey for participants taking refuge vows at Summer Sesshin. Refuge entails committing to the vows as koans, a ceremony with teachers and community, and receiving the rakusu. Complete talk in Summer Sesshin on June 18, 2022.
Noticing What Is Sharp & What Is Round
We are more interwoven when noticing and appreciating the particular qualities of things. When you see yourself in all things, you are seeing with your ears and hearing with your eyes. From a talk in PZI’s Summer Sesshin, June 16, 2022. 11 minutes.
Jiashan Meets the Boat Monk
David tells the story of Jiashan’s awakening after being sent by Daowu to find the Boat Monk. From a talk given in Summer Sesshin, June 16, 2022.
Where Do You Go, Oh Where Do You Go When You Die?
Article by John Tarrant for Lion’s Roar magazine. A traditional Chan way to approach the question of death is to stroll, stumble, hurry, struggle, fall accidentally through the gates of samadhi—the deep concentration of meditation—and look around. When you really enter this moment, it has no end, no beginning; it is older than the universe that seems to contain it. Then it will inevitably occur to you: “I’ve always been here.”
Spring Sesshin: The Interwoven Journey of Sesshin and Life
Tess Beasley invites our voices into the room, acknowledging the interwoven yet not-interwoven vessel of sesshin. We are each a unique presence, yet it is when personal identity and ambition recede that feeling and empathy emerge. PZI Digital Temple. As recorded April 11, 2021.