10% Happier with Dan Harris A Zen Handbook for Sanity in an Era of Uncertainty | Jiryu Rutschman-Byler
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Dec 17, 2025 
Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, shares insights on the transformative teachings of the legendary Shunryu Suzuki. He emphasizes the beauty of accepting one's flaws and discusses how to cultivate awe in daily life. Jiryu offers practical tips for meditation, including the importance of breath and posture. He explores the concept of 'becoming one' with everything around us, and the synergy of softening the mind to engage more effectively with life's challenges.
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Presence Creates Space For Problems
- Zen practice trains a background of presence so your foreground problems don't consume you.
- Jiryu Rutschman-Byler says stepping back into the breath creates space to meet difficulties with more clarity.
From Ungrounded Spiritism To Embodied Zen
- Jiryu describes his drift into ungrounded spiritual practices before finding Zen's embodied training.
- He found sitting and monastic practice that rooted him in body and everyday tasks like sweeping and tea.
Use Zazen To Train Everyday Presence
- Sit upright, take a few priming breaths, then follow natural belly breathing and count breaths to settle the mind.
- Open the eyes slightly and widen attention to include surroundings to cut through thought loops.