In this lively summer sesshin talk, Roshi John Tarrant engages students in reflecting on what actually happens as practice deepens during a long retreat. Like front foot and back foot walking, we get a taste of the light and then are lost again in the darkness. We reach for a new koan or practice that will open the "right" door. Seeing our true nature encompasses both the light and the dark. Let the koan carry you. "There is not a matter or right or wrong. There is a matter of being here and respecting the quality of being here." — John Tarrant. What You'll Learn: How does meditation change the mind What is front foot walking How to harness the natural movement of the mind Why we should lean into difficulties How perception is linked to thought — Links Mentioned: Learn more about this episode Learn more about koans Learn more about Zen John Tarrant's books: Bring Me the Rhinoceros The Story of the Buddha
Freely Watching the Tracks of Flying Birds
26-05-2026 | 52 Min.
Meditation is not something you do; it is something you surrender to. In this episode, Roshi John Tarrant speaks from deep inside Summer sesshin about how, with practice, the gap between ourselves and the universe begins to close and we start to trust the deeper currents at work, even in our difficulties. What happens when you surrender to the moment? "The thing about koan meditation is you don't have to be good at it because it is before being good or bad at things." - John Tarrant. What You'll Learn: What to do in meditation How to trust life What to learn from the koan about flying birds How to interact meaningfully with koans What happens when you surrender to the moment — Links Mentioned: Learn more about this episode Learn more about koans Learn more about Zen John Tarrant's books: Bring Me the Rhinoceros The Story of the Buddha
A Woman Raised a Goose in a Bottle
28-04-2026 | 28 Min.
Today, Roshi John Tarrant takes up an infamous koan about a woman raising a goose in a bottle. There are many bottles that we may feel trapped in throughout our lives. Awakening is never about solving our problems but rather about dissolving the constraints of the mind. In this episode, we discuss the don't-know quality of Zen and koans in general. We also consider koans as a gateway. "Reject what is not true, and the real naturally appears." — John Tarrant. What You'll Learn: What does the koan about the goose in the bottle teach us How to care for life What is awakening How to get the goods out of the bottle — Links Mentioned: Learn more about this episode Learn more about koans Learn more about Zen John Tarrant's books: Bring Me the Rhinoceros The Story of the Buddha
Ending the Project of Suffering
31-03-2026 | 52 Min.
This episode features several stories of awakening to what was always already here and on our side. To end the project of suffering that many of us take on, we need first to identify the types of suffering. Only then can we begin to look past the suffering to the root causes. In Buddhism, we can learn to make use of our suffering by reaching for the light. What does reaching for the light look like, and why does the mind manufacture misery? "There is a place inside of you where you can rest. Even when you are reaching, you are resting inside of your life." — Allison Atwill. What You'll Learn: How to look beyond frustration What suffering does Buddhism speak to How does the mind manufacture misery What are the two kinds of suffering Why does the mind manufacture misery What is inward radiance — Links Mentioned: Learn more about this episode Learn more about koans Learn more about Zen John Tarrant's books: Bring Me the Rhinoceros The Story of the Buddha
Just Feel Your Way Along the Wall
03-03-2026 | 28 Min.
In this episode, Roshi Tess Beasley begins with an old Seamus Heaney poem about how the universe appears in all its splendor in the places we least expect. What does it mean to stay intimate with the being of the world, and let it unfold against our fingertips? What does it mean to give way to poverty in Zen, meaning to be empty of ideas and preconceived notions? Listen to this episode to learn how to feel your way along the wall, no matter how dark. "It doesn't matter how it comes to you, that you begin to dissolve your usual borders and feel a part of things." - Tess Beasley. What You'll Learn: What does koan Zen say about intimacy What does it mean to stay intimate with the being of the world How can we make sense of the feeling that our borders are not as certain as we thought they were What does it mean to give way to poverty in Zen How to let the world in How to feel your way along the wall — Links Mentioned: Learn more about this episode Learn more about koans Learn more about Zen John Tarrant's books: Bring Me the Rhinoceros The Story of the Buddha
Over Meeting the Inconceivable | Zen Koans, Dreams & the Creative Life
Over Meeting the Inconceivable | Zen Koans, Dreams & the Creative Life
Over Meeting the Inconceivable | Zen Koans, Dreams & the Creative Life
Meeting the Inconceivable is a podcast exploring Zen koans, dreams, and the creative life produced by Pacific Zen Institute (PZI).
PZI is a lively Rinzai Zen community and mystery school made up of artists, innovators, and seekers of all kinds. Our talks weave traditional Zen and koan practice with poetry, art, Buddhism, Jungian and archetypal psychology, and Eastern and Western myth.
Our deep dive in-person retreats are held primarily in Northern California, but our members and gatherings extend worldwide through our online temple.
Our mission is to create a culture of transformation through meditation, spirituality, koans, the arts, and conversations about the deepest matters. Join the koan revolution.
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