Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism

Helen Tworkov is founding editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first and only independent Buddhist magazine, and author of Zen in America: Profiles of Five Teachers (North Point Press; 1989). She first encountered Buddhism in Asia in the 1960s and has studied in both the Zen and Tibetan traditions. Since 2006 she has been a student of the Kagyu and Nyingma Tibetan master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, and has assisted him in the writing of In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying (Spiegel and Grau; 2019) and Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism (Shambhala Publications; 2014).

For more information about Helen and the resources mentioned in this episode, please see the links below:

Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America (On sale in paperback on November 10, 2026)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250321534/lotusgirl/

A World of Difference: Finding Peace and Freedom in Times of Fear and Chaos (On sale on Feb 23, 2027)

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche/a-world-of-difference/9781538779538/?lens=balance

https://www.helentworkov.com/

https://tricycle.org/

We discussed:

*Horses, the sunbeam of awareness, serving as an attendant for Pema Chödrön, and the trust and confidence that comes from practicing within a lineage

*Trestling tomatoes, learning to accept yourself as you are, essence love, and the teaching that "there is no perfect in samsara"

*America and individualism, enlightenment, taking refuge, Lotus Girl, and planting dharma seeds in the White House

*And the importance of making sure you are on your own path and to really acknowledge where you are right now

Amod Sandhya Lele has taught Asian religion and philosophy at Harvard University, Boston University, Colorado College, and Stonehill College, and is now associate director of the Ethics Institute at Northeastern University. He has been published in many scholarly journals, including the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. He also writes for a general audience on the Indian Philosophy Blog, which he comanages, and on his personal blog and Substack, Love of All Wisdom. He has a PhD from Harvard University in the study of religion with a focus on Buddhist ethics. He is from Canada and lives with his wife in Somerville, Massachusetts.

For more information about Amod and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the links below:

https://www.shambhala.com/authors/g-n/amod-sandhya-lele/after-anger.html

https://loveofallwisdom.com/
https://indianphilosophyblog.org/

We talked about:

*The Bodhicaryāvatāra, Shantideva, social justice and righteous anger, Martin Luther King Jr., and political outrage

*Activism, acceptance, The Serenity Prayer, Defying Gravity, and the long game of major societal change

*Siddhartha Gautama and King Śuddhodana, mindfulness and its critics, "healthy anger," and transition anger

*Repression, Nine Inch Nails, Headspace, and developing a daily Buddhist practice

*And the importance of remembering that practice is challenging and that you have to work at it

Gayathri Narayanan is the founder of Myndtree, a contemplative community for meditation and the study of classical wisdom. She received her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification through the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, studying with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Her decades-long practice is rooted in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Narayana Guru and her Guru, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, and has been deepened through study and practice in Theravada Buddhism with Gil Fronsdal, Zen with Reb Anderson, and Tibetan Buddhism with Anam Thubten. She has led meditation groups, retreats, and contemplative study programs since 2012 and writes at Myndtree.org

For more information about Gayathri and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the link below:

https://www.myndtree.org/

We discussed:
*The metta of Fred Rogers, loving-kindness practice, and ways we can remind ourselves of the inner goodness in others
*Advaita Vedanta, emptiness, as well as coherence and bird murmuration
*Myndtree, meditation, organizing workshops for parents, and what its been like to recently begin a Tibetan Buddhist practice
*And the importance of trusting yourself as you navigate your path and the significance of recognizing your interest in raising your awareness

zavé martohardjono is a queer, non-binary trans, Indonesian-American artist born in Canada and living in Brooklyn. Working across performance, film, installation, and poetry, zavé uses dance and ritual as primary languages across projects that engage in anti-colonial storytelling. With dreams of a more just future, they make work that contends with the political histories our bodies carry and prompts inquiry into how healing and political education can de-condition the assimilated body and reconjure liberatory memory. They have made documentaries, experimental films, and video works that have shown in festivals and galleries in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, and Indonesia. zavé is a 2022 Bessie-nominated performer whose choreographic and live performances have been presented in theaters, museums, and galleries across the U.S. including in New York, Los Angeles, Omaha, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and in Skopje, North Macedonia.

For more information about zavé and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the following links:

https://zavemartohardjono.com/

https://zavemartohardjono.com/stay-in-touch/

https://www.podpage.com/the body is the brain/

https://vimeo.com/user4262965

We talked about:
*Performaxxing, capitalism, grief and polycrisis, and transformation through Buddhist teachings
*The self, jealousy and ego struggle, mutual aid, and balancing personal comforts/discomforts with living in community
*The gift and responsibility of sensitivity, mindfulness on and off the cushion, and how small acts of kindness can positively impact others
*And the importance of understanding and enjoying that you are in the practice as well as remembering that your teachers are trying to figure this out like you are

Rima Fujita is a renowned artist who exhibits her work internationally and has published seven children’s books, including Save the Himalayas. Rima is a founder of Books for Children, an organization that creates children’s books in Tibetan and English, and has donated more than 12,000 book copies to the Tibetan refugee children in exile in order to help them preserve the unique Tibetan culture and language.

For more information about Rima and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the following links:

https://rimafujita.com/

https://wisdomexperience.org/product/extraordinary-life-dalai-lama/

Support Nepal Relief Efforts (Goro Kimura)

https://tinyurl.com/y8cedpbz

We talked about:

*The Nechung Oracle, intuition, and receiving artistic guidance through dreams

*Nibiiro, wabi-sabi, keeping your heart clean, and the relationship between Buddhist practice and creating art

*Dakinis, Chenrezig, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and writing a children's book about compassion with His Holiness

*And the importance of remembering that Buddhism is a journey of The Middle Way as well as remembering that your teachers are human beings

Oneika Mays is a yoga and meditation teacher, author, and former Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility, where she taught for over a decade. Her debut book Sit With Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation (HarperOne, March 2026) explores metta practice as a tool for personal and collective liberation. With deep roots in Buddhist and yogic teachings, Oneika specializes in making mindfulness accessible to marginalized and excluded communities.

For more information about Oneika and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://www.oneikamays.com/

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/sit-with-me-oneika-mays?variant=43876134387746

https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/event/changemakers-2026/

https://www.youtube.com/@OneikaMays

We discussed:

*Extending unconditional love to all, accountability, and the lessons of metta (lovingkindness) in Stevie Wonder's song "As"

*Understanding meditation and yoga as trauma-informed practices, keeping your eyes on your own test, and the experience of teaching mindfulness and meditation to people that are incarcerated

*Agency, identifying as Buddhish, and the practical and timeless teachings of the Buddha

*And the importance of recognizing that anything can be your teacher and to root your practice in a safe space with safe teachers

An Tran is the author of the short story collection, Meditations on the Mother Tongue, and a practitioner in the Lieu Quan lineage of Vietnamese Zen. His fiction and essays have previously appeared in The Southern Humanities Review, New South Journal, The Carolina Quarterly, Gargoyle Magazine, The Literary Hub, and elsewhere, and has received “Notable Work” distinctions from Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays. He has been involved with the parkour community in North America for over twenty years in various coaching and leadership roles and currently lives in San Francisco.

For more information about An and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the following links:

https://www.an-tran.com/

Pho Giac Pagoda (Enlightenment Buddhist Center)

https://phogiacca.com/

We discussed:

*The challenges involved with growing up Vietnamese American in Virginia as well as the journey of reconnecting with Vietnamese culture and identity through language

*Developing an interest in Buddhism in college, grief and attending to the 49-day period after a death in the family, and having an intense visionary experience after a bout of food poisoning

*The Dual Cultivation tradition, the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, meditation, and incorporating a Pure Land approach into a Thiền (Zen) practice

*Parkour, awakened insight, encountering the two buddhas, as well as the joy and play of embodiment

*And the importance of learning the language of your heritage

Ayya Marajina Bhikkhuni received pabbajja (2010) and upasampada (2012) at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage, California, with Venerable Tathaloka Maha Theri as pavattini. She has practiced meditation for over 15 years, now seeing the Dhamma as the highest blessing. Dedicated to practicing and teaching the Satipatthana and Brahmaviharas, she shares the transformative power of the Dhamma in Spanish and English.

A Cuban-American, Ayya is working to establish the first Theravada temple in Cuba. She leads a Sunday morning meditation and Dhamma talk livestream in Spanish. Her first book Pa’ alante es pa’ lla is currently being edited. Residing at Bhava Nirodha Nilaya in Florida, she also cares for her mother.

For more information about Ayya Marajina Bhikkhuni and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

Bhava Nirodha Nilayahttps://bhavanirodha.org/

Theravada in Cuba and in Colombiahttps://theravadacuba.org/We talked about:

*The extraordinary efforts behind the development of the Bhava Nirodha Nilaya hermitage as well as engaging with critters and letting nature recover

*Theravada in Cuba and offering Dhamma resources for people that are experiencing profound hardship

*The Brahmaviharas and remaining close to the teachings of The Noble Eightfold Path as a teacher

*and the importance of remembering the verse from the Dhammapada: "abandon all evil, cultivate the good, purify the mind: this is the teaching of all the buddhas."

Kody Muncaster, PhD, is an ocswssw Psychotherapist and Clinical Director of Pink Lotus Counselling & Psychotherapy, specializing in trauma therapy, mindfulness, gender, and sexuality. They are queer and non-binary. They have taught at the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program at the University of Toronto: New College as well as at Western University’s Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. They began a three-year training to become a Zen priest under Venerable Bhikkhuni Thích Nũ’ Tinh Quang in 2024. They are also the author of Queer Engaged Buddhism (2025) as well as Queer Resistance and Education for Suicide Prevention HIV/AIDS Activism and Structural Change for 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities (2026).

For more information about Dr. Muncaster and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/@LittleHeronZenHermitage

https://www.youtube.com/@iqbc570

6th International Queer Buddhist Conference (IQBC) 2026 runs from October 30th to November 1st. More info at: https://iqbc.org/

https://sumeru-books.com/products/queer-engaged-buddhism?srsltid=AU7gw4WhOAy11Csspj9YKvZ8BcQCzQWZN4QIkVD0fm0pMzeyl8JvzATV

https://www.routledge.com/Queer-Resistance-and-Education-for-Suicide-Prevention-HIVAIDS-Activism-and-Structural-Change-for-2SLGBTQIA-Communities/Muncaster/p/book/9781041127062

We discussed:

*The Diamond Sutra, the instruction to see "everything as a miracle," and the parallel paths of studying Buddhism and gender

*Training to become a Zen priest, Infinite Heart practice, and the reflective and aspirational elements of a dharma name

*The capacity of the True Heart, formal/lay daily practice, and offerings of queer-focused meditations

*Queer Engaged Buddhism, Tonglen, Queer theory and linguistics, and interests in developing a queer online Zen temple

*And the importance of finding and operating from the deep sense of care that lies underneath our emotions

Douglas McLean is the author of the blog "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields: Buddhism, Japanese culture and History all in one!"

For more information about Doug and his blogs, please visit the links below:

https://nembutsu.cc/

https://100poets.com/

We discussed:

*The beginnings of the "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields" blog, Rinzai Zen, and identifying how Japanese and English translations of Buddhist texts can differ from each other in emphasis

*The Shushōgi and the need for more manual-like texts that offer lay Buddhist practices for daily life

*Absorbing Buddhist teachings rather than trying to do Buddhism "correctly" and the Lotus Sutra

*Never staying still on the path, attending to the occasional crisis of faith, and branching out to explore the variety of Buddhisms out there

*And the importance of not being complacent and to push yourself to keep learning

Paula Arai, PhD, was raised in Detroit by a Japanese mother and did Zen training in Japan. She obtained her PhD in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University in 1993 and is now the Eshinni & Kakushinni Professor of Women and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California. She is the author of Bringing Zen Home: The Healing Heart of Japanese Women’s Rituals, Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns, and Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart Sutra.

For more information about Dr. Arai and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the links below:

https://www.shambhala.com/authors/a-f/paula-arai/of-mud-and-lotuses.html

https://www.zenhealing.org/

https://www.shin-ibs.edu/

We discussed:

*Friendship in scholarship, Dogen and “One Bright Pearl,” and understanding the Tathāgatagarbha as "Buddha womb"

*Pregnancy as an expression of Buddhist practice, motherhood, and the importance of taking time to recognize the contributions made by women throughout Buddhist history

*The Blood Bowl Sutra, misogyny, and the impact of writing empowering narratives

*Imagination, scholarship, and creative histories

*And the reminder to be kind to yourself and acknowledge your place in benefiting others along the path

Bidisha Mallik, PhD, is an Associate Teaching Professor of Social Sciences in the Department of School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Tacoma. Dr. Mallik is the author of Legends in Gandhian Social Activism: Mira Behn and Sarala Behn: Addressing Environmental Issues By Dissolving Gender And Colonial Barriers.

For more information about the resources mentioned in this episode, please see below:

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Gandhian-Social-Activism-Environmental/dp/3030954307/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fgFqbelrBOW_HwCwCua40A.tnkZLuujlNEvqauJZVal8_wM8sGg8mtRS3K3HJQAbQM&dib_tag=se&qid=1783028669&refinements=p_27%3ABidisha&s=books&sr=1-1

We discussed:

*Ahimsa, nonviolence vs. non-violence, as well as Gandhian and Buddhist philosophy and their connections with ecology

*Interbeing, capitalism, creativity, and making concrete examples of the world you want to live in

*Mira Behn (Madeleine Slade), Sarala Behn (Catherine Mary Heilman), and the Chipko movement

*And the importance of investigating the self and approaching actions through the lens of nonviolence

Rev. Syd Yang, MDiv (they/them) is a mixed race/Taiwanese American queer trans/non-binary lay Buddhist Minister, movement chaplain, spiritual counselor and writer who engages decolonial possibilities for shared liberation through their practice, Blue Jaguar Healing Arts. Syd’s work finds its resonance in the stories we each hold at the intersection of memory, body, sexuality and mental health. Syd works primarily with queer and trans individuals of color, as well as regularly facilitates community based practice spaces for wellbeing + healing justice, with a specific focus on grief, sexuality + spirituality, body liberation and recovery.
If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can sit with them, in person, at the monthly Queers Who Sit at Black Being, in Inglewood CA.
Some of their recent writing can be found in Lion’s Roar (Bodhi Leaves), Emergent Dharma: Asian American Buddhist Feminists on Practice, Identity and Resistance, Q+A: Voices of Queer Asian America, Chrysanthemum: Voices of the Taiwanese Diaspora, and Bloody Hell! Adventures in Menopause from Around the World.
Syd is also the co-author of Bloody Transitions: A Menopausal Anthology of Asian, Black and Latine Voices, which is set to be released in November 2026 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

For more information about Syd and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:
*Blue Jaguar Healing Arts (https://bluejaguarhealingarts.com/)
*The Dharma of Loneliness podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dharma-of-loneliness/id1875305695)
*Black Being (https://blackbeingla.org/)
We discussed:
*Loneliness and the origins of The Dharma of Loneliness podcast
*Embodiment, belonging, and our bodies relationship with the Earth body
*Menopause, impermanence, transformation, and co-authoring Bloody Transitions
*And the importance of understanding that Buddhist practice involves investigating the mind and body and remembering that bodhisattvas have chosen to stay embodied to help us

Dr. Nicole Wordlaw is a clinical psychologist, a longtime practitioner of Buddhist meditation, a lover of Spirit, and the daughter of a white mother and a Black father. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Stanford University, graduating with honors and distinction in 1992, and then earned a Masters and Doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999. She is passionate about helping those she serves notice and follow their own inner guide. She is the author of Waking Up Alone: Navigating the Narrow Passage Through Master-Slave Narratives.

For more information about Nicole and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://www.nicolewordlaw.com/

https://substack.com/@nicolewordlaw

https://sentientpublications.com/products/9781591813736_waking-up-alone

We discussed:
*Trauma, learning how to not take things personally by recognizing our conditions, and writing Waking Up Alone
*Vipassana and Zen, breathwork, and practicing in the wilderness to connect with our true nature
*Spiritual teachers, misconduct and accountability, and how to become a lamp unto yourself
*And the importance of remembering that awakening is ongoing and unfolds as a process

Bhante Mangala, born and raised in northeastern Massachusetts, started to take an interest in Buddhism while in high school. He began taking that interest more seriously in his mid 20’s and started to practice meditation with small groups and at home. Seeing results early in life, he grew to want to learn more and came to visit the Bhavana Society for a retreat in 2009. Bhante began living at the Bhavana Society full time in 2012, ordained at the Bhavana Society as a novice in 2013 and received full ordination in 2014.

For more information about Bhante Mangala and the Bhavana Society, please visit the following link:

https://bhavanasociety.org/

We talked about:
*Ordination, the grand opening of the Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Heritage Center, and receiving a visit from the Walk for Peace monks
*Taking an interest in religion at a young age, first experiences with meditation, and being drawn to the brutal honesty of Theravada
*Heading to West Virginia after Googling the Bhāvanā Society, Bhante G, and visiting Sri Lanka
*And the importance of being kind to yourself and remembering that "patience is a meditation"

Muichi is a Cuban-American Mahayana Buddhist layman and Wikipedian currently residing in Florida. Muichi's Buddhist refuge name is Abhayajñāna (originally given in Tibetan as Yeshe Jigme), which means "Fearless Wisdom" (Ch: 無畏智 Wúwèi zhì, Jp.: Muichi). Muichi's contributions to Wikipedia are mainly in the fields of Buddhist Studies, Asian History and Eastern philosophy.

Muichi's knowledge of these fields is mainly self taught, having no formal education in these particular subjects. Muichi mostly studied Greco-Roman history and languages while receiving a B.A. in History from Florida International University and later began to study Eastern philosophy and Buddhist studies as an autodidact.

For more information about Muichi and the resources mentioned in this episode, please visit the following links:

https://sites.google.com/view/abhayajana/home?authuser=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Javierfv1212

https://www.youtube.com/@FearlessWisdom

We talked about:

*Dharanis, moderating the PureLand subreddit, and contributing to Buddhism-related Wikipedia articles

*Studying philosophy as a lived experience, Western philosophical materialism, and developing space for Eastern religious thought and practice

*Pure Land Buddhism, collective translation and re-translation efforts, providing open source study guides and FAQs, and The Fearless Wisdom podcast

*And the importance of studying Buddhism broadly and how Mahayana Buddhism is all about love

Reverend Katsuya Kusunoki is the Head Minister of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. Sensei was born in Nagasaki, Japan, the second son of a temple family. Today his older brother Naoya is the 17th generation of their family to serve their family temple. Sensei is a graduate of Miyazaki University where he majored in primary education and his hobby is to watch and play baseball and softball. While a college student he took a break and spent almost two and a half years in a Japanese volunteer program similar to the Peace Corps in America coaching baseball in Zimbabwe before returning to Japan to complete his studies. After graduating he spent three years teaching 3rd and 6th grade classes before deciding to become a minister.
Sensei’s advanced training includes the Hongwanji-ha Rituals course for leaders (Gonshiki). He is a Hongwanji-ha certified Special Rituals Minister, a certificate only he and our former minister Rev. Sala Sekiya hold within the Buddhist Churches of America. Sensei’s first assignment in America was to the Lodi Buddhist Temple in 2010 and he was transferred to Seattle in April of 2017. Sensei and his wife Ayano have a son, Yuiya, who was born in September 2016.

For more information about Rev. Kusunoki and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://seattlebetsuin.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@SeattleBuddhistTemple

We discussed:
*Rennyo Shonin, holding service in a gymnasium vs. the Hondo, and the Seattle Betsuin’s recovery from arson
*Becoming a certified Special Rituals Minister and feeling a powerful energy during service at Nishi Hongan-ji
*Growing up in a temple family, coaching baseball in Zimbabwe, and becoming a Jodo Shinshu minister in Lodi, California
*Ritual as as expression of gratitude, baseball, and throwing the first pitch at a Mariners game
*And the importance of exploring different Buddhist traditions and finding helpful people to guide your interest in Buddhism

Kyle Neo aka Dharma Kueen and Facilitator of Rainbodhi SG creates safe spaces where Buddhism and queerness meet with compassion. He blends study, practice, and storytelling to make the Dharma inclusive, accessible, engaging and transformative.

For more information about Kyle and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://substack.com/@kyleneo

https://www.dharmakueen.com/

https://rainbodhisg.com/

https://kusalamag.com/

Instagram handle is @DharmaKueen

We talked about:
*Celebrating Vesak at Bangkok Pride, interdependence, and interfaith dialogue
*Growing up in a Buddhist household, briefly ordaining as a monk, and sharing the dharma through temple tours
*The Care and Share Dharma Study Group at Rainbodhi Singapore, developing Dharma Kueen, and exploring the gender neutrality of Avalokiteshvara
*And the importance of making yourself available to the present moment by not taking yourself too seriously

An ordained Zen Buddhist priest, Zengyu Paul Discoe studied art history and philosophy as an undergraduate in the United States and Buddhist temple design and construction in Japan. He became a student of Suzuki Roshi at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California, and, after four years, Suzuki sent him to Japan to train under a traditional master builder for five years. Upon returning, Discoe founded Joinery Structures in 1988. His projects include the Kojin-an Zen temple in Oakland for Akiba Sensei, the founder's hall and kitchen at Tassajara, the Lindesfarne guesthouse and Wheelwright Center, and the abbot's house at Green Gulch, as well as several prestigious homes and projects internationally. His current project is Chop and Carry Farm, an emerging Soto Zen practice center based in Hawaii and guided by the teachings of Dōgen Zenji and Suzuki Roshi, with its practice structure modeled on the early days of Tassajara.

For more information on Zengyu Paul Discoe and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://www.chopandcarry.org/

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4855014-zen-architecture

We discussed:

*The recent fire at the zendo of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, using what’s around you, and building without blueprints

*Zen as an action, Genjōkōan, and dependent co-arising

*Hachi Dainin Gaku, attention to detail without gaining, and the difference between building new structures and maintenance

*Developing a cardboard zendo, repurposing discarded materials, and creating a ecologically harmonious Soto Zen retreat center in Hawaii

*And the importance of finding a teacher and developing a practice to address your karma.

John Tarrant, Roshi is a Zen teacher, poet, and founder of the Pacific Zen Institute. He is interested in Zen as a way that transforms the mind, and in the dance between innovation and tradition in both teaching and practice. Tarrant Roshi is the author of books such as Bring Me The Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life, The Light Inside the Dark: Zen, Soul & the Spiritual Life, and The Story of the Buddha.

For more information about Tarrant Roshi and the resources mentioned in the episode, please visit the following links:

https://tarrantworks.com/

https://www.pacificzen.org/

We talked about:

*Meditation, fear, and viewing your mind like a national park

*Early experiences with Tibetan lamas in Australia, independent study of koans, and learning from Robert Aitken, Roshi in Hawaii

*Poetry, exploring koans in group settings, and Mu

*San Francisco Zen Center figures like Issan Dorsey, Philip Whalen, David Chadwick, and the place of koans in Soto and Rinzai Zen

*And the importance of sincerely taking the step of turning your heart towards the dharma and finding support in kind mentors and companions