The Dharma
meeting you where you are
Koans take you directly into reality - before you can explain it away. Koans are both works of art and methods of spiritual transformation.
Koan Study
Yunyan asked Daowu: How does the Bodhisattva of Great Mercy use all those hands and eyes?
Daowu said, It's like reaching behind you for a pillow in the night.
Zen koans emerged in China over a thousand years ago in response to an urgent need: How can we be free in unfree times?
Koans do the same thing today, challenging us to uncover the steadiness, inventiveness, and willingness to respond which are the true expressions of spiritual practice in a time like ours. They are used as can openers for the mind—not just as technology for awakening, but also as a connection with the creative possibilities in the imagination.
Koans work by throwing beliefs overboard. One revelation is that the deepest capacity inside the human mind is compassion and empathy.
John Tarrant & Koans
One of the foremost koan teachers in the United States, John shares his work with koans in workshops, retreats, and through his writing. Spirituality and Health named his most recent book, Bring Me the Rhinocerous and Other Zen Koans to Bring You Joy (Harmony Press), one of the Best Spritual Books of 2004.