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Knot Zen

by School of Names

Knot Zen: an episodic podcast that tackles Zen, Daoism, and other things not related to Zen!

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Episodes

  1. The Zhuangzi Arc, Ep 5 - Chapter 2: Equalizing Assessments Of Things

    We're back and we're bold! In this Episode we tackle the first half of the second chapter of the Zhaunzgzi! Get ready for some heady, complicated, funny, philosophy!

  2. The Zhuangzi Arc, Ep 4: Huizi's Great Gourd and Stinktree

    Welcome back! In this episode Jay, Jim and Kevin talk about use and uselessness, myopic imaginations, and radically different readings of the Zhaungzi! Is Daoism meant to be read as a liberatory text, or a more hermetic interpretation? Niether? Come on in and decide for yourself!

  3. The Zhuangzi Arc, Ep 3: Shoulder Self And Unk Linkin'

    Tune in to this episode for some CRAZY Daoist wisdom as two dudes with really, really, cool names go head to head on the topic of... er... what the diets of virgin-like spirits are? No, no, really, we really stumble into some awesome insights this episode, specifically around the "Dao Of...

  4. The Zhuangzi Arc, Ep 2: Yao and Xu You

    This week we continue with the stories from the first chapter of the Zhaungzi, 'Wandering Far and Unfettered'! It's basically a conversation between these two based rulers of ancient China talking about even more ancient and based rulers of ancient-er China. If you are interested in how one RULES...

  5. The Zhuangzi Arc, Ep 1: Peng And Kun

    Hey, there listener! Long time no see! Welcome to the Zhuangzi Arc of Knotzen! We decided to breathe new life into the podcast by studying what is NOT Zen... so we took up the classic of Daoism, the infamous, the long-winded (and convoluted), Zhuangzi! We also have a new guy, and he's bloody…

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  6. Calling the Attendant

  7. Jiufeng's Head and Tail

  8. Rhino Fan

    Contemplating - a tough topic to think about! We do it anyway, so does that make us knot zen? Let the fans decide

  9. Yunmen's Teaching

  10. A Man of Great Powers

  11. Detachment and Subtley

  12. Dongshan's Always Close

  13. Dongshan's 3 Beatings

  14. Zuigan Calls to Himself

  15. Dongshan Was Unwell

  16. Nansen Kills a Cat

    Gore gore gore

  17. Turtle Nosed Snake

  18. Ryutans's: The Constant Principle

    Bb's all alone??!! Oh no, he climbs the peak and stumbles down. Expect minor coherency and haughty analysis.

  19. You Can't Call It a Fist

    1 sickewk and two tired dudes get on the case of the case of the fist; bringing their best with rants on modern interpretations, amoeba imagery and confused textual analysis.

  20. Purity

  21. Three Bowls of Wine

  22. Mt. Sumeru

    James questions, ewk rants, brian Rhymes , and scott...well, I'll let you find out about scott. Stop thinking, or maybe not, as we mount Sumeru the mysterious mountain.

  23. Why He No Buddha?

  24. Huguo's "Three Embarrassments"

  25. Joshu's "A Mountain of Shit"

    If you control F the koans for cusses you find this first! Great, lets dig in!

  26. Mazu's Hiss

  27. Bankei

    Bringing Bankei to your brain with this controversial laden zen-topic parade!

  28. Luopu About to Die

    James and Ewk take on a few memes and topics brought on by the density of the case in question.

  29. Dongshsan and the White Rabbit

  30. Emptiness

    How does Yunmen's explanation of emptiness: "hearing the sound of the bell", differ from Wittgenstein, and religious concepts of emptiness?

  31. Wash Your Bowl

    The famous, "wash your bowl" koan. Steve shows up, too.

  32. Completion of Study

    Just Scott taking on a case.

  33. Two Sicknesses

    Our very second Foyan cast. Foyan was much more of a lecturer than the Zen Masters which taught using Cases, and here he outlines the two sicknesses which he sees in the Zen school.

  34. Three Diseases

    Are you deaf, but wonder how you are going to listen to Knot Zen? Tune in and find out.

  35. The Fox Case

    After 500 hours of podcasting we finally made it to the Fox Case. A complicated case in which there's many things to grab on to: cause and effect, rebirth, violence., and if you're lucky, you might regret listening.

  36. Bodhisattvas in the Bath

  37. Guishan's Water Bottle

    What is outstanding action? Here, it's kicking over a water bottle. Although, Mumon says the guy who did that: "could not jump out of the trap". The gang talks through the case and then debates what it means to instruct and whether the case is an example of instruction or something else.

  38. Tokusan's Bowl

  39. Dahui's No Grass

    How do you find a parched pasture, a place where no grass blades? Do you look outside the "gate", inside the "gate"? What even is grass..no, no, Steve, that's not what they mean...we think. Join The Gang for a dharma talk about 3 Zen masters mysteriously weighing in on a metaphor presented by the...

  40. Mu

    Our most cujo-esque-ian episode yet ...the puppy returns! Is Mu meditation? What is this "concentration" that Mumon calls for?

  41. Meet Kevin

  42. Joshu's Sermon

    Joshu usually keeps it laconic, but in this saying he sermonizes at length...which means the gang goes along and weaves in many topics, ideas, and controversies!

  43. Meet Brian

    Well, hi there, Brian

  44. Gobblers of Dregs

    A Knot Zenner gave this sweet version of the case: Huangbo: "You people are all eating out of the dumpster. When are you going to have your own meal, don't you know there's nobody that cooks for you in all of china?" Monk: "What about all the cooks" Huangbo: "They're not cooking for you".

  45. Twin Trees

    Episode 2, featuring, once again, Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu meets Bodhidharma's brother.

  46. Meet Dan

    Hi Dan

  47. Treasure In The Robe

    The Gang clears up the case by touting the treasure when two translators try to untangle the verbal knot tied by Joshu's tongue.

  48. Xuedou's Poem

    Again, we are reading from the first chapter in the Blue Cliff Record! This time focusing on Xuedou's verse!

  49. Meet Scott!

    It's Scott!

  50. Episode 69: Layman Pang's Good Snowflakes

    The Gang adds "frost on top of snow" by bringing up a koan that's as cold as the weather in Texas (and the person writing the description uses the sort of Verbal Irony thrown around in the commentary). Welcome to the Sanga

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Knot Zen: an episodic podcast that tackles Zen, Daoism, and other things not related to Zen!

HOSTED BY

School of Names

Produced by James greene

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Knot Zen have?

Knot Zen currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Knot Zen about?

Knot Zen: an episodic podcast that tackles Zen, Daoism, and other things not related to Zen!

How often does Knot Zen release new episodes?

Knot Zen has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Knot Zen?

You can listen to Knot Zen on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Knot Zen?

Knot Zen is created and hosted by School of Names.
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