TEACHER: James
THEME: Zen and the Artery
MEDITATION: Straightshot, right to the heart. Direct-pointing – Who am I? Who am I? Who am I ? Wait…who’s asking that question?

So, everyone knows that famous Zen haiku: “There once was a monk from nantucket…”, but did you know that the poem REALLY started in Chan dynasty China, and it was about a monk from what is now northern Nepal?  No you didn’t. I know that ’cause I (James) just made it up.  Anyway, Zen is hard, especially to figure out what the hell they are talking about.  If it is “direct-pointing”, then what is this the finger pointing at-the-moon is not-the-moon bulltweet?  Isn’t it all the finger?  Or is it all the moon? Questionquestionquestion, then…..boom.  A space with none, in which the real answer flowers.  Or so it seems.  And here we go again. This Monday James will share a koan Shinzen gave him months ago that he keeps on getting wrong, then you’ll get your own koan to work on, each small group having their own chance at complete befuddlement I mean enlightenment.