EP 228 — Ann Pirruccello: What is Zen?

Spirit Gym with Paul Chek

Paul Chek

Religion & Spirituality, Wellness, Society & Culture, Plant Medicine, Relationships, Alternative Health, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Paul Chek, Spirituality, Sexuality, Holistic Health, Health & Fitness, Personal Development

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2023

⏱️ 179 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A lot of people use the word Zen as an adjective to describe the meditative calm and peace they feel in the moment, never realizing that it takes decades of work and practice to truly become a master of it.

If you’ve been curious about what Zen really means as a practice, you’ll enjoy this week’s meditative Living 4D conversation as Paul welcomes Ann Pirrucello, a longtime professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego and a Roshi (old teacher/old master).

Learn more about Anne at the Vista Zen Center and Creative Surf Photography La Jolla. Find her on social media via Instagram.

Timestamps

The very early influences by Carl Jung and Simone Weil that led Ann to meditation. (3:32)
Ann’s long/not so long journey to becoming a Roshi. (10:19)
What Zen training looks like. (22:28)
Zen and the use of plant medicines. (31:53)
Is Zen a religion or a philosophy? (38:15)
One of the best things a Zen teacher can do for you. (54:23)
Cultivating non-dual wisdom. (1:02:27)
Zen’s interesting relationship with language. (1:18:17)
Zen can be destabilizing and not always the right practice for you. (1:26:38)
Emptiness = supreme fullness. (1:32:19)
Mindfulness: Not a Zen practice. (1:48:40)
If you believe practicing Zen can give you special powers, you’re missing the mark. (1:59:50)
Seeing things from the side of equality to manage fear in a rapidly changing world. (2:05:00)
A Zen koan. (2:09:23)
The gentle physicality behind a Zen practice. (2:25:10)
Using the keisaku. (2:37:21)
“Find your feet.” (2:41:23)

Resources

Dokusan or private interview
The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans by Gerry Shishin Wick and Bernie Glassman
Tracking Bodhidharma: A Journey to the Heart of Chinese Culture by Andy Ferguson
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
Mahayana Buddhism
Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The five hinderances

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	what does Zen training or Zen practice really look like?
0:04.0	You know, and in terms of sort of the formal aspect of training,
0:08.0	you know, we've got the sitting meditation,
0:11.0	we've got the relationship with the teacher. the
0:13.3	relationship with the teacher student relationship, which is so central.
0:17.8	But we also do things like we clean and we cook and we those are really important parts of the practice too because
0:29.4	we don't want to have a realization that only takes place on the cushion, on the meditation cushion,
0:36.6	and is not integrated and carried out into everyday life and everyday activities.
0:45.0	Welcome to Living 4D with Paul Check. Today, Paul's guest is the Zen teacher or Roshi
0:49.0	Anne Piro Cello.
0:51.0	Anne is a member of the White Plum Asanga, an affinity group of then teachers in the lineage of Haikuya, Taizan Mizumi Roshi.
1:00.5	Annie Roshi is originally from the Chicago area and she began practicing meditation and studying philosophy after being exposed to the works of Carl Jung as a teenager.
1:12.0	She teaches philosophy in San Diego and Zen practice at the Vista Zen
1:16.4	Center. She is also a surf photographer. If you enjoy today's episode please consider
1:22.2	leaving us a five-star rating and a warm review.
1:25.5	At the top of the show page on Spotify or at the bottom of the show page if you are listening
1:30.1	on Apple Podcast.
1:31.8	Your opinions matter and your ratings help us to grow and help more people to be healthy, find freedom of body and mind, and to live their dreams.
1:40.0	And now here is Paul talking with Anne about what is Zen.
1:45.0	Hello everybody, welcome to Living 4D.
1:48.0	Today we're going to talk about a very interesting topic.
1:51.0	The title of our show today is,
	...

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