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

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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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