The Tim Ferriss Show
#560: Zen Master Henry Shukman — 20 Minutes of Calm, Plus the Strange and Powerful World of Koans
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Quick takeaways
- Engaging with koans through meditation and repetitive chanting aims to challenge the ordinary way of constructing reality and allow practitioners to meet in the reality of non-duality.
- Passing a koan involves a deep understanding or experience that transforms the way practitioners perceive reality and themselves.
- A checking question is a method used by teachers to assess a student's ability to understand the non-dual principle conveyed by a koan.
- Kensho experiences evoke profound feelings of gratitude, love, and unity, characterized by a radical shift in perception and a deeper sense of interconnectedness and awareness.
- The practice of engaging with koans in Zen supports the exploration of non-dual experiences and the dissolution of limited concepts of self and reality.
Deep dives
The Essence of Koans and Non-Dual Experience
A koan is a phrase or set of words that may not make rational sense but aims to convey non-dual experiences and the reality of oneness. Practitioners engage with koans through meditation and repetitive chanting of the phrase. When a practitioner has a deep understanding or opening through the koan, it is known as kensho. The purpose of koans is to challenge the ordinary way of constructing reality and allow practitioners to meet in the reality of non-duality.
The Number of Koans and Passing
There are approximately 1,700 recognized koans, but different schools of Zen use different subsets for their practice. In the Sambo Zen lineage, around 420 koans are used. The concept of passing a koan refers to the deep understanding or experience of a koan that a practitioner attains after repeated study and meditation. Kensho experiences transform the way practitioners perceive reality and themselves. It is a personal ongoing journey, and passing a koan is not merely a matter of intellectual understanding, but rather a profound internal shift in perception.
Checking Questions and the Role of a Teacher
A checking question is a method used by teachers to assess a student's ability to recognize and understand the non-dual principle conveyed by a koan. If a student has a genuine kensho experience, their interactions and understanding of the koan will be different. The meeting between teacher and student allows both to experience and merge with the reality of non-duality. It is not a matter of the student's word against the teacher's; rather, it is the direct experience and transformation of each individual.
Personal Experience of Kensho and the Impact
A personal experience of kensho can occur during meditation or in everyday life. It may evoke profound feelings of gratitude, love, and unity. The experience is often characterized by a radical shift in perception, where the self dissolves, and a deeper sense of interconnectedness, beauty, and limitless awareness emerges. Kensho experiences can be life-changing and bring about a greater understanding of reality beyond the confines of ordinary thinking.
The Root Meaning of the Term Koan
The term 'koan' originated from Chinese gong-an, which translates to 'public case' or 'public record.' It refers to a record of notable sayings and actions of Zen masters and disciples and aims to pass on their teachings. The term 'public' relates to the recognition and understanding of a principle beyond personal opinions or private perspectives. The practice of engaging with koans supports the exploration of non-dual experiences and the dissolution of limited concepts of self and reality.
The Purpose of Kensho and the Role of Koans
Kensho, the non-dual awakening experience in Zen, allows individuals to perceive a reality beyond their ordinary way of experiencing. In kensho, the separate self is suspended, and individuals feel deeply connected and part of the external world. The use of koans, such as the checking questions in Zen practice, helps to confirm the kensho experience and explore it further. Koans do not imply the existence of independent entities, but rather assist in realizing that the mind-blowing reality is present in everyday life and that it is not separate from ordinary experience. Kensho provides a profound sense of belongingness, healing, and wisdom, and can be integrated into one's normal life.
The Potential Benefits and Challenges of Kensho Experiences
Kensho experiences can be personally transformative and deeply beneficial, enhancing empathy, compassion, clarity, and balance. Some individuals who have had similar experiences mistakenly interpreted them as signs of mental illness, leading to anxiety and depression. Kensho experiences that are not properly understood or integrated can become traumatic. It is important for those who have these experiences to know that they are not alone and that there are resources available for support and guidance. The practice of Zen meditation with koans can help individuals gradually integrate and make sense of their kensho experiences in a way that positively impacts their everyday lives.
Understanding the Nature of Reality and Shared Experiences
The existence of shared visions in certain psychedelic experiences is a similar phenomenon to the consistent answers provided during kensho experiences. These shared visions suggest that there is a level of reality, beyond our ordinary way of experiencing, where the boundaries between self and the external world become blurred. Scientific research on perception and consciousness, such as Donald Hoffman's work, suggests that our everyday reality is a construct influenced by our senses and conditioning. Removing the filters of perception, even temporarily, allows individuals to perceive a different level of reality. However, the profound and benevolent nature of kensho experiences goes beyond just perceiving things differently. It provides a deep sense of connectedness, belonging, and healing that transcends ordinary perception.
Finding Authentic Zen Teachers and Organizations
Finding authentic Zen teachers and organizations is important to ensure proper guidance and accountability. The Sanbo Kyodan lineage, like many other Zen lineages, has a hierarchy and system of accountability that helps to prevent the rise of unqualified or rogue teachers. Teachers at different levels of responsibility are closely vetted by peers and senior practitioners. Vetting and endorsement from a wider organization indicate a teacher's reliability. Zen organizations with a code of ethics and accountability to their members, students, and peers offer safer spaces for practice. Exploring recognized organizations and teacher endorsements can help individuals connect with authentic Zen teachers and establish a foundation for their Zen practice.
Zen Master Henry Shukman — 20 Minutes of Calm, Plus the Strange and Powerful World of Koans | Brought to you by GiveWell.org charity research and effective giving, Laird Superfood clean, plant-based creamers, and LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 770M+ users. More on all three below.
Henry Shukman (@mountaincloudzencenter) teaches mindfulness and awakening practices to a wide range of students from all traditions and walks of life. Henry is an appointed teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage and is the Guiding Teacher of Mountain Cloud Zen Center. He has an MA from Cambridge and an MLitt from St Andrews and has written several award-winning books of poetry and fiction.
Henry’s essays have been published in The New York Times, Outside, and Tricycle, and his poems have been published in The New Republic, The Guardian, The Sunday Times (UK), and London Review of Books. He has taught meditation at Google, Harvard Business School, UBS, Esalen Institute, Colorado College, United World College, and many other venues. He has written of his own journey in his memoir One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir.
Henry has also recently created a new meditation program, Original Love, which aims to provide a broad, inclusive path of growth through meditation.
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