PZI Teacher Archives

June 13 2022

Text June 23, 2023

We Are Interwoven

John Tarrant

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.

3004 Words
Audio February 14, 2023

Taking Part in the Gathering: Opening Talk

John Tarrant

John Tarrant’s opening dharma talk in Summer Sesshin at Santa Sabina. Recorded June 13, 2022.

33' 34"
Video August 25, 2022

Summer Sesshin: We Are Interwoven – Welcome to Sesshin

John Tarrant

John Tarrant welcomes Summer Sesshin participants and introduces a stanza of Shitou’s long poem: Taking Part in the Gathering, as an opening koan. The poem comes from the inception of Chan and is described as a Daoist current on the nature of reality – how emptiness pervades form. Koans, Art, Meditation & Conversation are part of waking up together in PZI Culture. June 13, 2022.

26' 48"
Audio August 25, 2022

Summer Sesshin: We Are Interwoven – Welcome to Sesshin

John Tarrant

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.

26' 48"
Video June 15, 2022

Summer Sesshin: Opening Dharma Talk

John Tarrant

Great Summer Sesshin, opening eve: Our first in-person sesshin in over 2 years, due to Covid. John Tarrant introduces Shitou’s song, Taking Part in the Gathering, his translation together with Joan Sutherland. In this sutra, Shitou is trying to say what reality actually is. The myriad things are your own self—you look at the world and the world looks back. Whatever appears, enter there! No being for countless eons has ever fallen out of Buddha nature. Recorded June 13th, 2022, at Santa Sabina Center.

26' 48"