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Open Temple Reminder: Early Morning Meditation PLUS Saturday Intensive TOMORROW September 26, 2022

Hello fellow pilgrims. 


The Temple will be open tomorrow for early morning meditation and also for our final Saturday Intensive. 


Join us for any or all of these offerings!


A few members of a PZI meditation group will be hosting the Saturday Intensive on June 19th: Judith Swan and Chris Gaffney. 


—Our group has found that the combination of two hours of koan meditation followed by one hour of conversation can have a potent effect—we’ve been gratefully surprised at what’s been offered us during these encounters. So we're offering this to you on Saturday. It is highly desirable that you commit, if possible, to the entire three-hour session. The stew needs to simmer, hope to see you in the pot.  

—Chris


The Saturday Intensive is made up of two 3-hour blocks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.


Each block is made up of two hours of meditation, followed by an hour of conversation. You can choose a morning block or an afternoon block, or be there for both! 


Here is the full schedule for Saturday, June 19th:

Early Morning Meditation

Eastern Temple: Jesse Cardin will welcome you in the Eastern Temple from 7-8am EDT (or 4-5am PDT) to sit with a mystery koan from The Blue Cliff Record.

Western Temple: Alison McCabe will hold a cushion for you in the Western Temple from 6-7am PDT (or 9-10am EDT) with Case #83 from The Blue Cliff Record.


Western Koan: Case #83 - Yunmen’s Ancient Buddhas and the Pillar

Yunmen, teaching the community, said, “The ancient buddhas and the pillar merge. What level of mental activity is this?”Yunmen then answered himself, “On South Mountain clouds gather, on North Mountain rain falls."


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Saturday Intensive


Morning Block: 7-10am PDT (10am-1pm EDT)
Chris Gaffney will begin the Saturday Intensive in our open temple. He will sit with Blue Cliff Record Case #80:

Morning Koan: Case #80 - Zhaozhou and an Infant’s Sixth Sense
A student asked Zhaozhou, “Does a newborn baby have consciousness?”
Zhaozhou said, “Tossing a ball on rushing waters.” They went on to ask Touzi, “What does ‘tossing a ball on rushing waters’ mean?” Touzi said, “Moment after moment, it never stops flowing.”

Afternoon Block: 12-3pm PDT (3-6pm EDT)

Judith Swan will welcome you in the afternoon temple. She will sit with Blue Cliff Record Case #74:


Afternoon Koan: Case #74 - Jinnui and the Rice Pail
At each meal, Master Jinniu himself would bring the rice bucket to the front of the Zen hall, dance there and laugh loudly, saying, "Dear Bodhisattvas, come and eat rice!" 
(Xuedou said, "Although he behaved that way, he was not being kind.")
A monk asked Changqing, "An ancient worthy said, 'Dear Bodhisattvas, come and eat rice.' What does it mean?" Changquing said, "That is exactly like praising and giving thanks to the rice.”

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See you there! The lamps will be lit...
Warmly,
Karin & Corey of PZI

Karin Pfluger
Pacific Zen Institute
Web Coordination & General Admin

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