Parables, Part 1: Zen Parables

About this course:

Zen narratives point to the simple unity of life and have the effect of clearing our fragmented mind so that we can grasp reality and act on it here and now. In this course, we read a variety of traditional Zen parables and stories. Zen parables are longer versions of koans—seemingly paradoxical statements that are designed to prompt self-reflection and self-illumination. There's no one right way to interpret them, no one neat answer to explain them and no ultimate meaning that can be derived. The course book, 108 Zen Parables and Stories (Sacred Wisdom Stories), is organized into three categories: The Art of Zen Teaching, The Art of Zen Living and The Art of Zen Dying, and includes such parables as “Reaching Enlightenment,” “The Value of Silence,” “The Gift of Insults” and “True Giving.” Each story, no matter how short and simple, holds a key to resolution of timeless problems every person faces.