BRING ME THE RHINOCEROS: AND OTHER ZEN KOANS THAT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE – BY JOHN TARRANT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FENDER
Reviewed by Morgan Godwin
When I grow up, I want to be like John Tarrant—or perhaps be reborn as the lovechild of John Tarrant and Marie Kondo. But I digress. “Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life” (2008) humbly and graciously keeps its promise. Of course, by “save your life,” Tarrant refers to our inner life. Though, if I were to be lying on my deathbed, sorting out my soul before moving on to the inevitable, I see myself more than likely asking for a copy of this book. I might even ask someone to bring me the rhinoceros.
What is a koan? A Zen koan is typically a short, seemingly paradoxical passage or quandary. As Tarrant says, “An impossible question means a journey.” Having been in use for a very long time in East Asia, koans are given as tools to bring about enlightenment, or, as Tarrant describes it, “a profound change of heart.” With contemplation, they can offer an antidote to our often rigid methods of thought, and sometimes to thought itself. Tarrant teaches that koans “…encourage you to make an ally of the unpredictability of the mind and approach your life more as a work of art.” Koans are available to all people, of all backgrounds and traditions, and Tarrant’s book offers us updated, revived perspectives on over a dozen of them.
This book is layered, rich, and refreshing. It is unusual. Tarrant’s Zen has a sense of humor. It reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously but also that our challenges must not just be swept under the rug. No spiritual bypassing here. He writes in a warm, accessible, poignant manner, full of stories and reflection and sensation. This book both made me laugh and brought me to tears. It reminded me to feel the nuances, the magic, and the simplicity in every moment. There is no dogma.
No set of rules. No answers. No one telling us how to live or what to do. “Bring Me the Rhinoceros” is not a self-help book but a book of stories that you may naturally find helpful. This book reminds us that our task is not to add to ourselves, but simply to find the curiosity and courage to remember what we already are, again and again. To carry the question in our heart and trust in the unfolding. That the question itself is the key.
Tarrant reminds us of the wisdom of our ancestors and the power of our stories. He reminds us that there is great treasure hidden within, regardless of our circumstances. “Koans light up a life that may have been dormant in you; they hold out the possibility of transformation even if you are trying to address unclear or apparently insoluble problems,” he writes. They bring us to the right question at the right time and the question brings us to life. It awakens the kind of inner alchemy which can only arise out of surrender, out of deep trust in the self and in life itself—trust that honors and finds treasures in both the light and the dark. Perhaps, most of all, Tarrant reminds us that freedom is sometimes found in the most unlikely of places.
[author image=”https://panamacityliving.com/media/2020/01/010_book-reviews_112119.jpg-2.jpg” ]Morgan Godwin is a Panama City native and graduate of Bay High School and Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Equally drawn to science and the arts, she appreciates writing that speaks to both the mind and the heart. She is particularly fond of poetry. Morgan is the caretaker and director of One Heart Yoga in downtown Panama City as well as Spa Bleu in Savannah, Georgia. A yoga teacher and functional medicine certified health coach, she enjoys the exploration and study of wellness and wholeness in its many forms. Morgan is the mother of two young boys whom she considers her greatest teachers.[/author]