Feb 06 2025 58 mins 13
Today we explore the story of the Buddha’s awakening through a mythic lens with Buddhist writer and teacher, John Tarrant. We touch into topics like Zen koan, grief, death, art, and how this timeless parable of the Buddh’s story still resonants for thousands of years.
John Tarrant is a Zen teacher, writer, and poet who has studied koans for over forty years. He is director of the Pacific Zen Institute and teaches culture change in organizations. Tarrant holds degrees in human sciences and English literature and a PhD in psychology. For twenty years, he was a Jungian psychotherapist working on dream analysis. He is the author of several books, including The Light Inside the Dark: Zen, Soul, and the Spiritual Life and Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life and his most recent book The Story of the Buddha. He lives among the vineyards near Santa Rosa, California.
Topics
00:00 Introduction
00:52 Introducing John Tarrant
02:07 Discussing 'The Story of the Buddha'
03:36 The Mythic Universe and Dreamlike Qualities
08:25 Illustrations and Artistic Choices
10:24 The Living Dharma and Personal Reflections
15:23 Modern Life and Spiritual Growth
18:26 Embracing Suffering and Death
22:19 Catholicism and Mysticism
27:57 The Light Inside the Dark
33:48 The Power of Noble Conversations
34:10 Craving and Contentment
34:44 Collective Grief and Environmental Collapse
36:05 The Enlightenment of a Samurai
38:07 The Buddha's Awakening and Interdependence
40:09 Dreams and Their Significance
42:59 Meditation and Connection with Animals
51:00 The Intimacy of Not Knowing
54:54 Returning to the Fire
56:13 Sharing the Dhamma
Resources
John Tarrant’s Website: Tarrant Works
The Story of the Buddha by John Tarrant: Shambhala Publications
Roberto Calasso: Explore Roberto Calasso’s Works
Sounds of SAND #113 Ancient Rhythms Podcast: Pat McCabe & Francis Weller
Sounds of SAND #98 Glissando of Consciousness: Andrew Holecek
Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life by John Tarrant
The Light Inside the Dark: Zen, Soul, and the Spiritual Life by John Tarrant
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