In this fourth and final talk from the Exploring the Wild World of Koans retreat, Valerie turns to Blue Cliff Record case 16 to explore what master Kyorin calls the “common taste” of the “marvelous medicine” of the koans. The talk begins and ends with a poem inspired by the Therigatha, a collection of verses by awakened women – as ancient as the beginnings of Chan and as contemporary as this very moment.
Later that afternoon, a Q&A session was recorded with Valerie Forstman:
Recorded in our virtual zendo on February 6, 2022.
Photo by Liam Charmer on Unsplash