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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250526T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250526T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T153250Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250523T150100Z
UID:10002053-1748282400-1748287800@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: Zen and the Ways: Searching for a Master Swordsman
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nFor thirty years I searched for a master swordsman.\nHow many times did the leaves fall\nand the branches break into bud?\nBut from the moment I saw the peach blossoms\, I’ve had no doubts. \n—Entangling Vines\, Case 8 \nThe above poem was written by the 9th century Chan-Zen master Lingyun Zhiqin\, on his becoming awakened while turning a corner in the road and seeing across the valley peach trees in bloom. What did he realize? For a moment he dropped his search for mastery and realized the intimate\, personal beauty of the blossoms. \nSome five centuries later\, the Japanese priest Keizan Jokin wrote: \nThe village peach blossoms didn’t know \ntheir own pink\nbut still they freed Lingyun\nfrom all his doubts. \nOur search for a master swordsman in Chan-Zen is not so different from the search for mastery in the traditional East Asian arts of self-defense. Both seek to drop the self and find the Way. \n“Archery\, therefore\, is not practiced solely for hitting the target\,” writes Eugen Herrigel\, in his classic Zen in the Art of Archery (1953)\, “The mind must be attuned to the Unconscious. If one really wishes to be master of an art\, technical knowledge is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an ‘artless art’ growing out of the Unconscious.” The master swordsman must forget the sword. \nThere is probably no martial art more closely associated with Zen Buddhism in recent years than Aikido (合気道)\, sometimes translated as “The Way of the Harmonious Spirit.” Developed by Morihei Ueshiba (honorifically called\, “Osensei”) in the 1920s to defend oneself against an attacker without seriously injuring the assailant\, the defender actually uses the momentum of the attack against the attacker himself. \n“It’s a lot like dancing\,” says Lance Sobel\, who has just returned from a three-day Aikido training period. Lance\, a fourth-degree black belt\, has been practicing Aikido for fifty years and Zen meditation for nearly as long. He got into martial arts in his early 30s\, and decided to try something other than Karate after breaking bones in both hands after a training session. He notes that early training in Aikido is structured: one partner attacks\, the other partner moves out of range and as the attacker comes closer\, immobilizes or throws them across the mat. More advanced training is spontaneous and free-form: the defender looks for openings with energy\, redirects that energy\, the two enter that dance. \n“When the dance starts happening in a dynamic way\, there is an incredible sense of the universe\, of expanded awareness\,” says Lance. “Where can I safely move? Where can I move them? You are not locked into a predetermined response; it moves more like an organism.” \nTodd Geist\, a Head of Practice at Pacific Zen and a second degree Aikido black belt writes\, “What I loved most about Aikido training was the sense of absolute ease that could come even when being tossed head over heels across the mat. There would be this moment of contact with your partner\, and your body just reacts. Suddenly you are in the air. Not because your partner overwhelmed or hurt you\, but because that was the best way to resolve the situation and dissipate the energy of conflict\, and your body just knew how to do it. It wasn’t always\, or even often like that\, but when it was\, I felt completely free.” \n“We are doing Aikido in order to become freer ultimately\,” writes Seishiro Endo\, 8th dan and elder in the original Aikikai school. “We must savor the circumstance at this moment now as it vibrates from the partner\, open our senses regarding the whole situation around us\, and be able to give rise to function. I hope that we will continue to practice while valuing the vibration in this moment\, now\, now\, now…” \n—Jon Joseph \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-on-break-5/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Aikido500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250525T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250525T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T210627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250527T002053Z
UID:10002032-1748169000-1748174400@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: Calming the Mind\, Protecting the Mind\, Trusting the Mind
DESCRIPTION:  \n\nIf you try to calm the mind\, you just make waves. If you don’t practice\, well you are just lost in Delusionville. What to do? \nChangqing Da’an said\, “I lived with Guishan for more than thirty years. I ate Guishan’s food\, I shat Guishan’s shit\, but I didn’t study Guishan’s Zen. All I did was look after an ox. If he got off the road\, I dragged him back; if he trampled the grain in others’ fields\, I trained him with a whip. For a long time he was so pitiful\, at the mercy of everyone’s words! Now he’s changed into the white ox on the bare ground\, always right in front of my face. All day long he clearly reveals himself; even if I chase him he doesn’t go away.” \nJoin us on Sunday\, Friends\, to examine the question of meditation. \n—John Tarrant \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-60/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rhino500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250524T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250524T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250515T211145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250516T000149Z
UID:10002067-1748080800-1748088000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sábado Meditación y Perfección con Eduardo Fuentes (En español)
DESCRIPTION:Sábado Meditación y Perfección con Eduardo Fuentes (En español)\n\nPráctica guiada por Sensei Eduardo Fuentes\nSábado 24 de Mayo 2025\nde 10:00 a 12:00 hrs (Hora estándar de Chile)\nPresencial y online\n\nRegistrarse: shambhalapucon@gmail.com\n \n\n\n\n\n\n \n  \nÚnanse a nosotros el sábado 24 de mayo para meditación con koans\, charla dharma y conversación. Todos son bienvenidos. \n—Sensei Eduardo Fuentes
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sabado-meditacion-y-perfeccion-with-eduardo-fuentes/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EduardoFuentes_CALENDAR500x375.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250524T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250524T100000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T213433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250516T162005Z
UID:10002048-1748073600-1748080800@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:SATURDAY ZEN: For PZI Members – Conversations with David Weinstein
DESCRIPTION:About Saturday Conversations \nDokusan is the Japanese word for these conversations about meditation practice. It means “to go alone” or “to practice alone.” It is to have a conversation so intimate\, that for both participants it is as if you were talking with and listening to yourself. \nThe word “conversation” (in place of the Japanese word dokusan) has its own way of speaking to the experience. \nEtymologically\, it means “to turn around together.” Meditation is often referred to as a turning around of our attention towards the inside. These conversations about meditation practice are an opportunity for a mutual turning the light around and exploring what’s there. \n—David Weinstein \n\nSaturday Conversations with David Weinstein Roshi\nOnline on Zoom from 8–10:00 am Pacific Time\nEvery two weeks \nIf you are a PZI Member and would like to have a conversation with David\,\nbook your 15-minute online meeting for May 24th here. \nDana gratefully accepted \nQuestions? Contact David
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/saturday-zen-for-pzi-members-conversations-with-david-weinstein-21/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:Saturday Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Buddha-laying-down.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250520T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250520T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T212803Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250516T165923Z
UID:10002041-1747764000-1747769400@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Fayan’s Hairsbreadth
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nFayan asked Xiushan\, “‘If there is the tiniest separation\, it’s the distance between heaven and earth.’ How do you understand that?”\nXiushan said\, “If there is the tiniest separation\, it’s the distance between heaven and earth.”\nFayan said\, “If that’s your understanding\, you have not realized it yet.”\nXuishan said\, “It’s like that for me. What is it like for you?”\nFayan said\, “If there is the tiniest separation\, it’s the distance between heaven and earth.”\nXiushan bowed. \n—Book of Serenity Case 17 \nLast week’s koan about Magu comes to mind: There was a hair’s breadth difference between what he presented to Changqing and what he then presented to Nanquan. Then there’s Fayan’s “god of fire seeks fire\,” and how there was a hair’s breadth difference between the way the student said it and how Fayan said it. \nThen there’s Fayan with Dizang and the hair’s breadth difference between Dizang saying\, “The boulder is in the mind\,” and Fayan saying\, “The boulder is in the mind.”  And there’s when Fayan pointed at the blinds and two monks raised them\, and Fayan said\, “One gains\, one loses.” \nThere was a hair’s breadth difference there\, too. \nThen there’s the way my spell-checker kept writing “hair’s breath” instead of “hair’s breadth\,” and the inquiry that ensued. \nSee you on Tuesday. \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-40/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Pens1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250519T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250519T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T153141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T203441Z
UID:10002054-1747677600-1747683000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: Yes. My Dog Has Buddha Nature.
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nA student asked Zhaozhou\, “Has the dog buddha nature\, or not?”\nZhou replied\, “Yes.”\nThe student said\, “Then why did he jump into that skin bag?”\nZhou responded\, “Even though he knew better\, he just couldn’t help it.” \n—Book of Serenity\, Case 18 \nSo opens Zhaozhou’s Dog\, the well-known dharmakaya koan\, one often given as a first koan to practitioners. In the second half of the koan\, when asked again if a dog has buddha nature\, Zhou replies\, “No!” \nFrom Zen’s point of view\, the universe is utterly simple: there are only two bits. One is form\, or phenomenon\, and the other is no-form\, or emptiness. Presence and Absence\, as translated by David Hinton. \nBut these two parts are not in the least separate. Rather\, they are dependent on each other for their existence. The Heart Sutra\, Zen’s foundational text\, reads: “Form is emptiness and emptiness is form/Form is exactly emptiness and emptiness is exactly form.” What a lovely painting of a rice cake! \nAs soon as we say “form” or “emptiness\,” we divide the universe into two with ideas of how things should be. And we go on dividing\, opening a gap between ourselves and others\, between ourselves and ourselves\, and between ourselves and the world. This creates all sorts of mischief\, and sometimes pain. “People are disturbed not by things themselves\,” writes the Stoic Epictetus\, “but by the views they take of them.” We know that but we can’t help ourselves from doing it. Neither can my dog. \nThe world of “Yes” is hairy\, sweaty\, muddy\, shitty. Oh\, did I mention flatulence? My dog farts\, especially when we are watching TV. And she is an obsessive ball chaser; she has at least ten old tennis balls scattered around the backyard. “Yes” invites us to realize the intrinsic purity and beauty in the world of messiness. Messiness\, too\, is our original nature. It is not wrong. \nIn the world of “No\,” there is not one thing. Everything is a No-thing. Even “No” has no meaning outside of “No.” At some point 2\,500 years ago\, somebody made up a word to point to this thing of No-ness: buddha nature. The bouncy\, messy\, happy skin bag; this is the skin of both No and Yes. It is our skin. \nOur recent Luminaries guest Henry Shukman recounts a story of his solo retreat in the mountains of New Mexico. \nI was having a restless time. My brain was in recovery from a concussion\, the current state of US politics was dire\, and our retreat center down in Santa Fe was having difficulties—all of which made me uneasy\, sometimes angry\, sometimes sad. \nHe sat\, focusing on a thanka of Green Tara\, and something switched for him. \nAgain\, it struck me: Anger was 100 percent fine\, from a goddess’ point of view. From the perspective of awakening\, anger was not a problem. It was “empty”—transparent and boundless…\n\nGoing outside to gaze at the mountains\, he realized that “…all [is] a single arising\, a single body\, a single cloud\, a single wonder\, a single flash of lightening… Nameless. Marvelous. Empty. And here.” \nTranslator’s note: What most recently caught my eye during a review of this koan with a friend was the final line quoted above and Koun Yamada’s lengthy commentary on it. The Chinese characters read: \n(為) Doing (他) Other (知) Knowledge (而) Even so (故) Intentional (犯) Transgress \nOne translation is “Because he knows yet deliberately transgresses (Cleary).” The Pacific Zen translation is beautifully direct: “It knew what it was doing and that’s why it dogged (Sutherland\, Tarrant).” Yamada’s is: “Because he committed himself intentionally.” \nIn discussing the koan\, Yamada mentions that some people get hung up on whether a dog is capable of a crime or transgression. That\, he says\, is completely missing the point. The key is to directly appreciate the dog-ness of the dog. \nWhoof! Yap! \n—Jon Joseph \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-on-break-4/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dog500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T210619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250515T203851Z
UID:10002033-1747564200-1747569600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: Without Comparing Yourself With Others
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nWithout comparing yourself with others\, take a step. “But what will they think of me?” You might ask. \n“Ah\, who cares?” We live for a short time and every moment is sacred\, every moment free. And then we have the idea of kawai—Everyone is cute like Hello Kitty\, and having a good time being themselves. \nWalking in the moonlight\, walking after the moon has set\, a solemn step and another. \nHere’s the koan about what happens when you stop comparing: \nShoushan said to his assembly\, “If you get it the first time you hear it\, you’ll teach buddhas and ancestors. If you get it the second time you hear it\, you’ll teach gods and humans. If you don’t get it until the third time\, you won’t even be able to save Yourself.” \nA student asked\, “When did you get it?”\nShoushan said\, “The moon sets at midnight\, I walk alone through the town.” \n—Book of Serenity Case 76 \n—John Tarrant Roshi \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-59/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/otagi_nenbutsuji_figures500.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250515T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250515T173000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T201408Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T152133Z
UID:10002063-1747324800-1747330200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:THURSDAY ZEN with David Parks: Not an Inch of Grass for 10\,000 Miles
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nDon’t grab hold\, just allow the meditation to come to you. Same with koans\, they will come. It is like a dance\, a call and response.  \n—David Parks \n\n\n\n\n\n \n  \nCOME JOIN US on Thursdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. All are welcome. Register to participate. \nDavid Parks Roshi\, Director of Bluegrass Zen
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/thursday-zen-with-david-parks-46/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/deathvalley500.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Parks Roshi":MAILTO:dparksbluegrasszen@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250513T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250513T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T212719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250508T195156Z
UID:10002040-1747159200-1747164600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Magu Circles the Chan Seat
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nMagu\, carrying his staff with metal rings\, went to Changqing. He walked around his Chan seat three times. He shook his staff once\, and stood there looking haughty.\nChangqing said\, “Right\, right!”\nThen Magu went to Nanquan and walked around his Chan seat three times. He shook his staff once\, and stood there looking haughty.\nNanquan said\, “Wrong\, wrong!”\nMagu said\, “Changqing said ‘Right!’ Why do you say\, ‘Wrong!’?”\nNanquan said\, “Changqing is right\, but you are wrong. What you are doing is just spinning in the wind. It will come to nothing in the end.” \n—Book of Equanimity Case 16 \nAs I’ve been spending time with Magu and Changqing and Nanquan\, Juzhi came along to join in. Well\, actually it was more Juzhi’s attendant than Juzhi. But it was also Juzhi who filled in for both Changqing and Nanquan\, though he said\, “wrong” first\, then\, “right.” Whether it’s “right” first or “wrong” first\, either way the point is the same. Then Fayan came along with the God of Fire seeking fire. Another case where “wrong” came first. \nI’ve had my own experience where “wrong” came first. I’ll be talking about that and connecting the dots between these other koans on Tuesday. \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-39/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/right-vs-wrong500.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T152713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T185327Z
UID:10002052-1747072800-1747078200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: ON BREAK
DESCRIPTION:Jon Joseph is on break\, hosting Pacific Zen Luminaries today. Join us again on June 2nd!\n\nWe are not alone in the world. We have each other to turn toward. All we need to do is ask. \n—Jon Joseph \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-on-break-3/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wooden-bucketCALENDAR500x350.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250408T162612Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T230526Z
UID:10002028-1747072800-1747078200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:ZEN LUMINARIES: Original Love – Jon Joseph in Conversation with Author & Zen Teacher Henry Shukman
DESCRIPTION:  \n\nHenry Shukman joins Jon Joseph to discuss his writing and how his history of both studying and teaching Zen has influenced his work and life. He will read from his memoir One Blade of Grass as well as his latest book\, Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening. \nHenry wrote his first book at the age of 19 and worked as a full-time writer for many years\, writing several award-winning and bestselling books of poetry and fiction. His poems have been published in the New Yorker\, Guardian\, Sunday Times (UK) and London Review of Books\, and his essays in the New York Times\, Outside\, Guardian and Tricycle.  He has also taught poetry at the Institute of American Indian Arts and Oxford Brookes University and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow of Poetry\, and Poet in Residence at the Wordsworth Trust. He has an MA from Cambridge\, an M.Litt. from St Andrews. \nHenry is a teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage and has trained in various other meditation schools and practices. After a spontaneous spiritual awakening at the age of 19\, he embarked on a long journey of healing and deeper awakening\, guided by Roshis John Gaynor\, Joan Rieck\, Ruben Habito\, and Yamada Roshi\, international abbot of Sanbo Zen\, who ultimately appointed him a teacher in 2010. Since then he has been leading a growing number of practitioners on the path of awakening\, in Europe and the US. He has also been authorized to teach Mindfulness by Shinzen Young\, and is a certified dreamwork therapist. He is the Spiritual Director Emeritus of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe\, New Mexico. \nSource: https://henryshukman.com \n\n“Original Love is one of the rare books destined to inspire new and seasoned meditators alike. Drawing on his own deep experience and years of teaching\, Henry Shukman brings a lucid and refreshing cast to the fundamentals of practice\, and reveals how the loving we yearn for is always\, already here; love is intrinsic to what we are.” \n—Tara Brach\, author of Radical Acceptance \n“If you’ve ever wondered how a messed up kid like you or me might master the wisdom of Zen\, One Blade of Grass is the adventure for you. It’s great company―and after reading it\, you might recognize that you’re further along than you imagined.” \n―David Hinton\, editor and translator of The Four Chinese Classics \n\n \nJon Joseph Roshi of San Mateo Zen and PZI created this series to support the hardworking innovators and shining voices of modern Zen: scholars\, writers\, poets\, translators\, activists\, artists\, teachers\, and more. \nAll proceeds for each event\, including teacher dana\, go directly to the guest speaker. Event attendees are encouraged to give as generously as you are able\, so we can offer deep thanks to Luminaries guests. \nOur suggested donation is $10 for PZI Members and $12 for Non-Members\, but the scale slides from zero depending on one’s ability to contribute. We also greatly appreciate Patrons\, who help support the program with larger gifts of $25—$250.
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/pacific-zen-luminaries-series-henry-shukman-with-jon-joseph-friends-may-12th/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Henry_Shukman500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250511T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250511T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T210616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250512T230737Z
UID:10002031-1746959400-1746964800@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: Guanyin: She Hears the Sounds of the World
DESCRIPTION:Mother’s day\, it’s Guanyin’s day.\nWhat is the role of compassion in the world?\nHer robe is the mist and the stars\, and there is no one she does not welcome.\nShe appears in koans and in dreams\, even after she has gone.\nShe is needed in a difficult time.\nThink of something you would like to say to her. \nJoin us this Sunday. \n—John Tarrant \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-58/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Guanyin500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250510T100000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T213411Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T211821Z
UID:10002047-1746864000-1746871200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:SATURDAY ZEN: For PZI Members – Conversations with David Weinstein
DESCRIPTION:About Saturday Conversations \nDokusan is the Japanese word for these conversations about meditation practice. It means “to go alone” or “to practice alone.” It is to have a conversation so intimate\, that for both participants it is as if you were talking with and listening to yourself. \nThe word “conversation” (in place of the Japanese word dokusan) has its own way of speaking to the experience. \nEtymologically\, it means “to turn around together.” Meditation is often referred to as a turning around of our attention towards the inside. These conversations about meditation practice are an opportunity for a mutual turning the light around and exploring what’s there. \n—David Weinstein \n\nSaturday Conversations with David Weinstein Roshi\nOnline on Zoom from 8–10:00 am Pacific Time\nEvery two weeks \nIf you are a PZI Member and would like to have a conversation with David\,\nbook your 15-minute online meeting for May 10th here. \nDana gratefully accepted \nQuestions? Contact David
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/saturday-zen-for-pzi-members-conversations-with-david-weinstein-20/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:Saturday Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Buddha-laying-down.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250506T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250506T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T212635Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T124556Z
UID:10002039-1746554400-1746559800@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Yangshan Plants His Hoe
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nGuishan asked Yangshan\, “Where have you come from?”\nYangshan said\, “I’ve come from the fields.”\n“How many people are in the fields?”\nYangshan planted his hoe in the ground and stood with his hands clasped.\nGuishan said\, “Lots of people are cutting water mallows on South Mountain.”\nYangshan picked up his hoe and left. \n—Book of Serenity Case 15 \n“Where have you come from?” is a frequently asked question in koans. Sometimes it seems like the teacher just wants to know where the person came from and sometimes the teacher seems to want to know something deeper than that. How do you tell the difference? In this conversation between Guishan and Yangshan neither of them seems to have any difficulty in knowing which is which. As a matter of fact\, they were so much on the same page that they co founded the first of the five houses of Chan of the Tang Dynasty. \nBeing able to flow back-and-forth seamlessly between form and emptiness is the integration of practice into our lives. As is Yangshan’s picking up his hoe and going to South Mountain. \nWhat is your hoe? What is your South Mountain? \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-38/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/hoeinsoil.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250505T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250505T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T154320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250522T232721Z
UID:10002051-1746468000-1746473400@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: Finding Poland: We're Already in the Land of Awakening
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nA monk asked Zhaozhou\, “The ten thousand things return to one. Where does the one return to?” Zhou said\, “When I was in Blue Province\, I made a cloth shirt. It weighed seven pounds.” \n—The Blue Cliff Record\, Case 45 \n  \nWhy do we so often wish to be somewhere else\, be somebody else? Why is awakening always over there\, just around that foreign\, mysterious corner? Our restlessly seeking mind\, even in midst of that search\, is already naturally at rest. \nA dream visited me during a retreat a few weeks ago: \nI was in a large old house\, with rich and dark wooden paneling\, standing in a hallway crowded with people. There was a kind of reception going on. I went up to one of our Pacific Zen teachers\, and told him\, “I want to go to Poland.” He said\, “Come with me\,” and took me down a hallway\, through some double doors into a large library. The library was also beautifully paneled and had a wide desk in it. Sitting behind the desk was an elderly man\, flanked by two attendants. I knew him to be a Polish poet\, but could not remember his name: was it Bukowsky\, Orlowsky? \nI sat down\, and knew I had to get permission from him if I were to get to Poland. So\, still not recalling his name\, I started to bullshit him\, saying\, “I loved your last two collections of poetry.” It was obvious he was having none of it. He said nothing\, and after some minutes gave a doubtful grunt\, got up and left. \nI then stood up\, and turned left to some windows and a French door. I opened the door and looked outside. It was a beautiful Spring day\, and in my view was a parkland with large deciduous trees and people picnicking here and there on the cut green grass. I said to myself\, “Oh\, this is Poland. This is what it is.” Later\, I recognized the man at the desk as the famous Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz. \nI think in my dream Poland represented awakening. I wanted to go to the land of enlightenment.  That land was foreign and far away\, and I thought I had to work the system\, to bullshit the master\, to get there. But it didn’t work. The teacher clearly saw through me. After he left\, I had no more plan. Only then\, in going to the window and opening the doors\, did I realize I was already in the place I was seeking. \nWhere does the one return to? Is there a place to return to other than this one? This very place is the Lotus Land\, says Hakuin Ekaku. It is only here that we can know the weight of a seven-pound shirt\, the taste of honey in tea\, the sound of a lawn mower\, the light reflected on tree leaves. \nThe two monks Yantou and Xuefeng were traveling together and got snowed in on Tortoise Mountain. Yantou slept all the time while Xuefeng stayed up meditating. Yantou rolled over\, turned to his friend and said\, “Haven’t you heard that what comes in through the front gate isn’t the family treasure? You must let it flow out from your own breast to cover heaven and earth.” With that\, Xuefeng understood where the one returns to. \n—Jon Joseph \n  \nLATE RIPENESS \nNot soon\, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year\,\nI felt a door opening in me and I entered\nthe clarity of early morning. \nOne after another my former lives were departing\,\nlike ships\, together with their sorrow. \nAnd the countries\, cities\, gardens\, the bays of seas\nassigned to my brush came closer\,\nready now to be described better than they were before. \nI was not separated from people\,\ngrief and pity joined us.\nWe forget – I kept saying – that we are all children of the King. \nFor where we come from there is no division\ninto Yes and No\, into is\, was\, and will be. \nWe were miserable\, we used no more than a hundredth part\nof the gift we received for our long journey. \nMoments from yesterday and from centuries ago –\na sword blow\, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror\nof polished metal\, a lethal musket shot\, a caravel\nstaving its hull against a reef – they dwell in us\,\nwaiting for a fulfillment. \nI knew\, always\, that I would be a worker in the vineyard\,\nas are all men and women living at the same time\,\nwhether they are aware of it or not. \n—Czeslaw Milosz \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-56/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Milosz_500x375.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250504T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250504T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250415T210609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T230059Z
UID:10002030-1746354600-1746360000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: The Pilgrim’s Way
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nOne foot and then the other foot\, and then again\, and suddenly we’re on a journey. Our walking transforms us; we find that it’s not so hard to be at peace inwardly. \nThis is in spite of all that arrives: threatening\, painful\, and also as bright as the peonies in spring. Every step we take is into the unknown\, however\, others have walked the way before us\, and others will come after us—how many generations\, no one knows. The pilgrimage of this life is also joyous. Yes\, joy is a marvelous\, sudden thing and rises out of the depths\, rises in us\, and then we care for the world and each other. \nThat’s what I’ve noticed. \nLet’s have a meeting about the pilgrim’s way this Sunday. \n—John Tarrant \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-54/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/trail500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250501T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250501T173000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250416T200906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250425T170814Z
UID:10002062-1746115200-1746120600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:THURSDAY ZEN with David Parks: In the Dark? Darken Further.
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nAt times of vulnerability\, when tough times visit\, this koan takes me to the place I would rather not go—straight into the dilemma\, into the vulnerability itself. Where I might want to take what I know\, an explanation or a solution\, off the shelf\, the koan counsels\, “Darken further\,” inviting me into the vastness of what I don’t know. \nThis is to let go of the barriers that I use to define myself\, these walls that I use to define the borderlines between myself and the places I dare not go. Unencumbered\, out beyond knowing\, the dark is a place of discovery and acceptance. Herein is the shift. Mystery opens into life\, the luminous dark moves through all. \n—David Parks \n\n\n\n\n\n \n  \nCOME JOIN US on Thursdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. All are welcome. Register to participate. \nDavid Parks Roshi\, Director of Bluegrass Zen
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/thursday-zen-with-david-parks-45/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dusk500.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Parks Roshi":MAILTO:dparksbluegrasszen@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250429T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250429T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250130T182438Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250424T202716Z
UID:10001991-1745949600-1745955000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Attendant Huo Offers Tea
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nDeshan’s attendant\, Shoukuo\, asked\, “All the sages from the beginning of time—where have they gone?\nDeshan replied\, “What? What?”\nShoukuo said\, “I gave an order for a racehorse\, but a lame tortoise stuck its head out.”\nDeshan let it rest.\nThe next day\, when Deshan came out of his bath\, Huo brought him tea.\nDeshan patted him once on the back.\nShoukuo said\, “This old guy has begun to get a glimpse of the territory.”\nAgain Deshan was silent. \n—Book of Serenity Case 14 \nThis is the last story in a collection of koans about Deshan\, and we are told that he is old and near death. This time he is in a very different place than when we first met him as a scholar of the Diamond Sutra\, pulling a cart filled with his commentaries behind him. \nFull of pride about his knowledge\, he heads south to straighten out the Chan practitioners who don’t seem to appreciate the sutras the way he does. In the first of these koans\, he is put in his place by the woman who sells him tea and cakes\, which knocks some of the wind out of his sails. Then he is plunged into darkness by the Zen teacher to whom this “tea lady” has referred him. He appreciates the error of his ways\, burns all of his commentaries\, and sets out to meet other Chan teachers. Though\, having had an awakening experience\, he is still filled with pride and hubris. \nIn one of his next encounters\, Deshan enters a meditation hall carrying his pilgrim’s bundle\, an improvement over pulling a cart full of his commentaries. But he is still carrying something that needs to be put down. He ignores the teacher sitting in the hall and walks from one side to the other saying\, “There is nothing\, no one\,” and then walks out. Upon reaching the temple gate\, he reconsiders his actions and goes back into the hall\, bows to the teacher\, then yells and walks out again. \nYou might wonder how he could behave that way after having an awakening experience. There is a story about Sigmund Freud that comes to mind where he was asked how someone who had completed analysis could still be a jerk. Freud’s response was “They are a well-analyzed jerk.” In the case of Deshan I suppose we could say he was an enlightened jerk. In that way\, his is a cautionary tale about getting stuck in the emptiness of an awakening experience. \nIn another story about Deshan\, which happens later in his life\, he is again carrying something: this time\, his bowls. He arrives too early for the temple meal and is chided by the cook. Saying nothing\, he turns around and returns to his room. In that story\, as in the current story\, he is older and has integrated his awakening more\, and in both stories he responds by saying nothing. \nIn that story we are told that he did not know “the last word of Zen\,” but at the end of the story we learn that his talk had been different than any talk he had ever given. \nIn this way the stories of Deshan show us how an awakening experience matures\, how a teacher matures\, and continues to mature\, throughout the course of their life of having a meditation practice. It is not a one-and-done process\, but rather a lifetime practice that never stops deepening. \nAs is said about Oakland\, it can be said about awakening: there is no there\, there. It is always here\, here. \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-37/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Offering-tea_500x375.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090511
CREATED:20250212T202123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250425T165901Z
UID:10002007-1745863200-1745868600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: The Buddha Asks the Earth Goddess for Help
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nMara’s final strategy was argument. He challenged Siddhartha\, asking\, “By what right do you claim the seat on which you sit?”  \nFor Siddhartha\, something unstoppable was unfolding. He didn’t really care what questions were being asked. Mara continued\, “I have my armies to bear witness for me\, but who will speak for you?”  \nSiddhartha’s hand answered—almost out of courtesy\, he reached down and touched the ground. The voice of the earth goddess\, Bhumidevi\, rose from below: “I can bear witness.”  \nThe sun and the moon paused\, the animals bowed. Mara howled\, and his howl diminished as he fled. \n—From The Story of the Buddha by John Tarrant \nIn the above segment\, one of the most important in Siddhartha’s long journey to awakening\, he affirms his foundational right to exist on this earth and find a way to fulfillment. Siddhartha also shows us\, and all things\, how to claim the same right—to realize the light that shines both in Mara’s arrows and Bumidevi’s rich soil. \nThe earth goddess as source of support has been a tenet of Buddhism from its earliest days. Later\, the enlightened Tathagata\, or “the one who is thus gone\,” instructs his son Rahula on how to meditate: \n…for when you develop meditation that is like the earth\, arisen agreeable and disagreeable contacts will not invade your mind and remain. Just as people throw clean and dirty things… on the earth\, and the earth is not repelled\, humiliated\, and disgusted because of that\, so too\, Rahula—develop meditation that is like the earth. \nThe translator and poet David Hinton\, in his new book\, Orient\, writes about his experience with the earth goddess as a young man\, an encounter that fundamentally changed his life: \nIt was sometime in my twentieth year when I saw it: rain on pooled water\, a few scattered drops\, circles of light igniting on the dark surface\, occurring\, originating\, then expanding and disappearing back into empty darkness.  \nDarkness of the pool\, but also darkness of mind’s mirrored depths… It felt like returning to home-ground I’ve never known\, like orienting…  \nDark pool\, dry leaves—each raindrop orienting\, opening this home-ground\, this mirror deep sincerity. It was from this magic of the rain that the word first appeared: from nowhere else\, occurrence. \nThe earth can and will heal herself. If we ask her\, she may heal us as well. \n—Jon Joseph \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-55/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Buddha.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250227T155737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250429T172718Z
UID:10002023-1745749800-1745755200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: How To Love The World We Have
DESCRIPTION:Acts of kindness\, acts of disaster\, kindness\, disaster\, kindness… \nIn human news\, Billy\, a factory trained mechanic\, drives out to rescue my daughter when my truck\, which she has borrowed\, breaks. I’m away and when I call him\, he refuses payment\, “Put down that phone\,” he says\, “End this call now!” \nIn Corvid news\, a raven flies over carrying a stick\, followed by another raven with a stick\, moving into the eucalyptus grove. The great horned owls\, the red shouldered hawks make no comment. \nIn 14th century news\, which I have been reading\, the Black Death kills between 30% and 50% of the population. On the bright side\, the feudal system begins to fracture. \nIn war news\, the war is still going on. \nIn radiology news\, the radiologist\, Japanese but born here after the war\, is very thoughtful & kind but says she doesn’t really get Zen. \nLoving the world we have\, that’s it! \nJoin us \n—John Tarrant \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-57/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/atwill-raven500.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T100000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250130T183918Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T144216Z
UID:10001996-1745654400-1745661600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:SATURDAY ZEN: For PZI Members – Conversations with David Weinstein
DESCRIPTION:About Saturday Conversations \nDokusan is the Japanese word for these conversations about meditation practice. It means “to go alone” or “to practice alone.” It is to have a conversation so intimate\, that for both participants it is as if you were talking with and listening to yourself. \nThe word “conversation” (in place of the Japanese word dokusan) has its own way of speaking to the experience. \nEtymologically\, it means “to turn around together.” Meditation is often referred to as a turning around of our attention towards the inside. These conversations about meditation practice are an opportunity for a mutual turning the light around and exploring what’s there. \n—David Weinstein \n\nSaturday Conversations with David Weinstein Roshi\nOnline on Zoom from 8–10:00 am Pacific Time\nEvery two weeks \nIf you are a PZI Member and would like to have a conversation with David\,\nbook your 15-minute online meeting for April 26th here. \nDana gratefully accepted \nQuestions? Contact David
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/saturday-zen-for-pzi-members-conversations-with-david-weinstein-18/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:Saturday Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Buddha-laying-down.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250422T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250422T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250130T182347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250418T145008Z
UID:10001990-1745344800-1745350200@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Linji’s Blind Donkey – Equanimity #13
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nWhen Linji was about to die\, he gave this direction to Sansheng: “After my death\, don’t extinguish the eye treasure of my true teaching.”\nSansheng said\, “Who would dare to destroy the treasury of your true dharma eye?”\n“If someone asks you\, how will you answer?”\nSansheng shouted.\nLinji said\, “Who’d have thought that the treasury of my true teaching would be extinguished by this blind donkey?” \nIt might be jet lag\, but as I’ve been spending some time with this koan the first thing that came was the image that I used for another koan involving a donkey. In that koan\, two friends are discussing their practice and one says his practice is like when a donkey sees a well. The other friend says that his practice is like when a well sees the donkey. I’m thinking that when the well sees the donkey\, the donkey is blind. Then another koan came along that’s in our miscellaneous collection\, which invites us to extinguish the fire across the river. Then another koan in the miscellaneous collection came along which invites us to extinguish a star. And with those two koans paying a visit\, extinguishing Linji’s teaching revealed other facets. \nThen there’s that question that Linji asked Sansheng and how he would respond to it if asked by someone. But what is that question? That’s a good question. \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-36/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Donkey-sees-a-well500.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250421T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250421T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250212T201951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T152159Z
UID:10002006-1745258400-1745263800@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: ON BREAK
DESCRIPTION:Jon Joseph is not teaching today\, but will return on April 28th. We hope you join us then! \n\nWe are not alone in the world. We have each other to turn toward. All we need to do is ask. \n—Jon Joseph \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-54/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wooden-bucketCALENDAR500x350.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250420T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250420T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250227T155713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250414T151114Z
UID:10002022-1745145000-1745150400@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with John Tarrant & Friends: ON BREAK
DESCRIPTION:ON BREAK for retreat. Join us again on April 27th!\n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-56/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cavedoor500x350.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250417T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250417T173000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250211T223012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250414T164101Z
UID:10002000-1744905600-1744911000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:THURSDAY ZEN with David Parks: Suddenly It’s Midnight
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nOnce a student of Dongshan was asked\, “What does your teacher teach?” The student replied\, “He teaches in three ways: the dark way\, the bird path and the open hand.” In the last weeks\, we have been using koans that seem to arise from the dark way. First\, we sat with Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu\, then with the stone woman giving birth in the middle of the night. This week we will sit with Yunmen’s Midnight: \nYou come and go by daylight\, you make people out by daylight. But suddenly it’s midnight and there’s no sun\, no moon\, no lamp. If it’s a place you’ve been to\, then of course it might be possible\, but if it’s a place you’ve never been\, how will you get hold of something? \nAs Yunmen says\, mostly we travel\, make our way through life in the sunlight of a bright day. We know where we are going\, we see our goal off in the distance\, and we make our way. And then\, it is almost inevitable\, it’s midnight and the light\, the clarity of our goal disappears\, and we find ourselves in the dark\, unable to see our own hand in front of our face. This can happen in any area of our lives: relationships\, job\, life plans. We knew where we were going\, what we were doing\, and now\, we don’t know. \nYunmen asks\, “How will you get hold of something?” We might say\, “How do I navigate?” \n—David Parks \n\n\n\n\n\n \n  \nCOME JOIN US on Thursdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. All are welcome. Register to participate. \nDavid Parks Roshi\, Director of Bluegrass Zen
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/thursday-zen-with-david-parks-41/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/dusk500.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Parks Roshi":MAILTO:dparksbluegrasszen@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250415T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250130T182251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T223004Z
UID:10001989-1744740000-1744745400@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: Dizang Saves the World
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nDizang asked Master Xiushan\, “Where do you come from?”\nXiushan replied\, “I come from the South.”\n“What’s Buddhism like in the South these days?”\n“We take it seriously and talk about it a lot.”\n“That’s not as good as planting this field and pounding rice to make food.”\n“What does that have to do with saving the world?\nDizang said “What are you calling the world?” \nDizang is the teacher who told Fayan that not knowing is most intimate. I hear Dizang talking about the intimacy of not knowing what the world is\, and also not knowing what saving the world is. \nAs I write this I am sitting in Hakone\, Japan\, at a hot spring hotel. I am here with my Japanese wife\, and my sister and brother-in-law who have never been to Japan. I have accompanied people visiting Japan for the first time and found that I saw things through their fresh eyes\, things that I’d stopped seeing\, having lived in Japan for seven years and visited annually over the last thirty-five. \nMy wife Sarasa also looked forward to introducing her country and customs to our guests. In a sense\, “saving” them during their first and perhaps only visit to Japan. \nOne thing she looked most forward to was introducing them to the pleasures of soaking in hot spring water. However\, my brother-in-law had lost his left leg below the knee in a work accident. He has a prosthetic that can’t get wet and he didn’t have crutches. \nI’ve never seen a person whose leg is missing have a bath at a hot spring. It’s interesting\, that in Japan\, where they take much better care of their elders and disabled than we do\, there are no accommodations. \nAs for my sister\, she had no interest in getting naked with a bunch of strangers\, perhaps not even with my wife. They also had little interest in Japanese history\, so visiting temples and shrines and other “must do\, must see” things we had wanted them to experience were not high on their list of things to see and do\, which was a little hard at first. \nBut I noticed that what seemed to interest them more were more mundane things. \nMy brother-in-law\, who works in construction\, was fascinated with the construction techniques he was seeing here. He was impressed by the level of cleanliness maintained even in areas where heavy machinery was operating\, not to mention the overall lack of litter. It gives him an appreciation for the attention to detail in Japanese culture that others might find in Tea Ceremony or another traditional art. \nAs an ex-fireman\, he smiled and nodded when he realized that the fire hydrants were buried underground\, marked by tall red poles topped with metal signs. It made complete sense to him as something one would do in a country the size of the Pacific West Coast\, with half the population of the U.S.\, and 75% of the land too mountainous for buildings. He very much appreciated the way manhole covers were works of art usually related to the town’s location or primary product. \nThey found a first encounter with a Japanese 7-11 fascinating\, seeing new offerings like fried burdock root chips and spaghetti sandwiches. There were also the two basements of the Mitsukoshi Department Store\, founded in 1673 by a kimono fabric merchant who introduced labelled pricing\, selling customers whatever length of fabric they wanted. We wound our way up and down every aisle on each floor\, sampling delicacies and resisting the temptation to buy just about everything. \nAfter viewing the cherry blossoms at Ueno Park\, we spent some time sitting in an outdoor café. As it happened\, the table in front of us was occupied by three young Japanese\, two women and a man. It was hard not to overhear their conversation\, which revealed that what we were witnessing was the introduction of two people by a mutual friend as potential partners for each other. My sister and brother-in-law were fascinated as my wife and I told them what was going on. That led to a deep conversation about Japanese culture\, more satisfying for all of us than any of our temple visits. \nAs we have learned to “not know” how to “save” their first visit to Japan\, we are “saving” their first visit to Japan\, as well as our own visit. \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-david-weinstein-35/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Manhole500.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250212T201810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250411T184216Z
UID:10002005-1744653600-1744659000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:MONDAY ZEN with Jon Joseph: Our Mysterious Melody: Playing the Flute with No Holes and Other Impossibilities
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nPlay the flute with no holes\n\n—from the Pacific Zen Miscellaneous Collection \nWhat a marvelous and mysterious thing\, to cross the border from the land of sense to the country of sensibility and the play of no-sense. One old Zen dictionary interprets the “flute with no holes” as “one from which any sound may be heard.” \nWhat is the source of that sound? What is our natural virtuosity? \nThe origin of this phrase is found in Yuanwu’s comment on a koan in the Blue Cliff Record. Xuefeng\, before he became a teacher\, was living alone in a hut when two monks came to visit. Feng pushed open the door and asked\, “What is it?” One of the monks responded\, “What is it?” Yuanwu comments: \nGhost eyes. A flute with no holes. He raises his head\, wearing horns. \nHe mentions this magical instrument a few other times\, suggesting it be used like a rug beater: \nA flute with no holes strikes against a wool felt pounding board. \nThis flute is not picky about its sounds. \nIn a similar spirit\, the 18th c Japanese master Genro also gathered one hundred koans with commentaries\, calling it the Tekkei Tosui (鐵笛倒吹)\, which means “blowing the iron flute upside down.” But alas\, Genro did not include this koan in his collection except in the title. \nWhat is it\, to blow the flute with no holes? In a posthumous collection of her father’s poems\, Kim Stafford writes that her father would often say\, “Let’s talk recklessly… I must be willingly fallible to deserve a place in the realm where miracles happen.” \nWhatever the river says\, I say. \n—Jon Joseph \nASK ME by William Stafford \nSometime when the river is ice ask me\nmistakes I have made. Ask me whether\nwhat I have done is my life. Others\nhave come in their slow way into\nmy thought\, and some have tried to help\nor to hurt: ask me the difference\ntheir strongest love or hate has made.\nI will listen to what you say.\nYou and I can look at the silent river and wait. We know\nthe current is there\, hidden: and there\nare comings and goings from miles away\nthat hold the stillness exactly before us.\nWhat the river says\, that is what I say. \n\nJon Joseph Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome. \nJon Joseph Roshi\, Director of San Mateo Zen Community
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/monday-zen-with-jon-joseph-53/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Mayumi-flute_500w.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250413T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250413T120000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250227T155648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T151300Z
UID:10002021-1744540200-1744545600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:Sunday Zen with Guest Host Tess Beasley & Friends: Finding Companions on the Dark Roads
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER\n\nBodhisattvas come in all sorts of shapes and sizes\, and with all sorts of specialities: \nOne Who Hears the Cries of the World\, with those 84\,000 hands and eyes; \nGentle Glory\, who wields the sharpest sword to cut away delusion; \nEarth Treasury\, who vows to instruct all the beings of the six worlds\, between this Buddha and the next\, until all the hells are emptied. \nNot exactly small feats\, and the list goes on\, but the gist of being a bodhisattva is sincerely taking up the vow to stick around and practice until every last being is free. \nIt helps to have such company on the dark roads\, and especially to realize that somehow we are that company\, too. Their vows become our vows\, their existence reveals itself as inextricable from our own. \nJoin us Sunday for meditation\, music\, and good company on the ancient road. \n—Tess Beasley \n\n\n\n \nMeditation is not a task with a known goal. It’s something you can’t do wrong\, a chance for the things of this world to come towards you and to meet you\, for doors to open by themselves\, and for us to see where the ancient paths lead. \n\n\nWaking up is something we do together\, in the online temple on Sunday. We love it when you join us.  \n—John Tarrant Roshi and all of us at PZI
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/sunday-zen-with-john-tarrant-friends-55/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bishamonten500.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250412T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250412T100000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250130T183826Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250321T170636Z
UID:10001995-1744444800-1744452000@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:SATURDAY ZEN: For PZI Members – Conversations with David Weinstein
DESCRIPTION:About Saturday Conversations \nDokusan is the Japanese word for these conversations about meditation practice. It means “to go alone” or “to practice alone.” It is to have a conversation so intimate\, that for both participants it is as if you were talking with and listening to yourself. \nThe word “conversation” (in place of the Japanese word dokusan) has its own way of speaking to the experience. \nEtymologically\, it means “to turn around together.” Meditation is often referred to as a turning around of our attention towards the inside. These conversations about meditation practice are an opportunity for a mutual turning the light around and exploring what’s there. \n—David Weinstein \n\nSaturday Conversations with David Weinstein Roshi\nOnline on Zoom from 8–10:00 am Pacific Time\nEvery two weeks \nIf you are a PZI Member and would like to have a conversation with David\,\nbook your 15-minute online meeting for April 12th here. \nDana gratefully accepted \nQuestions? Contact David
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/saturday-zen-for-pzi-members-conversations-with-david-weinstein-17/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:Saturday Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Buddha-laying-down.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250408T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250408T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T090512
CREATED:20250313T180749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250330T140859Z
UID:10002026-1744135200-1744140600@www.pacificzen.org
SUMMARY:TUESDAY ZEN with David Weinstein: ON BREAK
DESCRIPTION:David is not teaching today\, but will return on April 15th. We hope you join us then! \n\nEveryone is welcome here no matter how you are feeling\, where you come from\, what you believe.  \n—David Weinstein \n\nDavid Weinstein Roshi\n  \nCOME JOIN US on Tuesdays for koan meditation\, dharma talk and conversation.\nRegister to participate. All are welcome. \nDavid Weinstein Roshi\, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community \n 
URL:https://www.pacificzen.org/event/tuesday-zen-with-guest-host-michael-wilding-2/
LOCATION:PZI Online Temple
CATEGORIES:PZI Zen Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.pacificzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wooden-bucketCALENDAR500x350.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="David Weinstein Roshi":MAILTO:dweinstein@pacificzen.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR