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.Please enjoy!*This episode is brought to you by Laird Superfood. Founded by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball champion Gabby Reece, Laird Superfood promises to deliver high-impact fuel to help you get through your busiest days. Laird Superfood offers a line of plant-based products designed to optimize your daily rituals from sunrise to sunset.My two favorite products are their Turmeric Superfood Creamer and Unsweetened Superfood Creamer. I put one of them in practically everything. Both can really optimize your daily coffee or tea ritual, and a $10 bag will last you a long time. For a limited time, Laird Superfood is offering you guys 20% off your order when you use code TIM20 at checkout. Check out LairdSuperfood.com/Tim to see my favorite products and learn more.*This episode is also brought to you by GiveWell.org! For over ten years, GiveWell.org has helped donors find the charities and projects that save and improve lives most per dollar. GiveWell spends over 20,000 hours each year researching charitable organizations and only recommends a few of the highest-impact, evidence-backed charities they’ve found. In total, more than 50,000 people have used GiveWell to donate as effectively as possible.This year, support the charities that save and improve lives most, with GiveWell. Any of my listeners who become new GiveWell donors will have their first donation matched up to $250 when you go to GiveWell.org and select “PODCAST” and “Tim Ferriss” at checkout.*This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 770 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.*For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Henry Shukman, a celebrated Zen teacher and author, joins to explore the intersections of meditation and personal awakening. They discuss building sustainable meditation practices, emphasizing consistency over duration. Shukman shares insights on embracing difficult emotions as pathways to growth and highlights the transformative power of mindfulness. The conversation delves into Zen concepts like 'being a person of no rank,' understanding true self, and how caffeine impacts meditation experiences. Expect profound discussions and practical advice for all levels.

Henry Shukman — Zen, Tools for Awakening, Ayahuasca vs. Meditation, Intro to Koans, and Using Wounds as the Doorway | Brought to you by Allform premium, modular furniture; Pique Tea premium tea crystals (pu’er, etc.); and You Need A Budget cult favorite budgeting app. 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.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they’re making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa, check out Allform.com/Tim. Allform is offering 20% off all orders to you, my dear listeners, at Allform.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by You Need A Budget! You Need A Budget is a cult favorite budgeting app for a reason—it works. The app and its simple 4-rule method will change the way you think about your money and help you gain total control so you can plan for the things you need and get the things you want without guilt or stress. You Need A Budget has helped millions of people transform their finances, save their marriages, and live life on their own terms.The You Need A Budget team offers free, live classes every day of the week—including video courses, bootcamps, and challenges—and active fan groups in every corner of the internet. On average, new budgeters save more than $600 by month two and $6,000 in their first year. Try the app free for 34 days (no credit card required) at YouNeedABudget.com/Tim. *This episode is also brought to you by Pique Tea! I first learned about Pique through my friends Dr. Peter Attia and Kevin Rose, and now Pique’s fermented pu’er tea crystals have become my daily go-to. I often kickstart my mornings with their Pu’er Green Tea and Pu’er Black Tea, and I alternate between the two. Their crystals are cold-extracted, using only wild-harvested leaves from 250-year-old tea trees. Plus, they triple toxin screen for heavy metals, pesticides, and toxic mold—contaminants commonly found in tea. I also use the crystals for iced tea, which saves a ton of time and hassle.Pique is offering 15% off of their pu’er teas, exclusively to my listeners. Simply visit PiqueTea.com/Tim, and the discount will be automatically applied. They also offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so your purchase is completely risk free. Just go to PiqueTea.com/Tim to learn more.*If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Henry Shukman (Ryu’un-ken) is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage, based in Kamakura, Japan, and he teaches at the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM. He has trained primarily with Joan Rieck Roshi, Zen teacher John Gaynor, Ruben Habito Roshi, and now continues his training under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen. Henry is dedicated to what he sees as core Zen training — clarifying our essential nature to our own satisfaction, and thereby finding true peace of mind, and then living that essential nature in every moment of daily life, in freedom, love, and deep responsiveness.Henry is a writer and poet of British-Jewish origin, who has published eight books to date, of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. He writes regularly for Tricycle, The New York Times, and other publications, and his most recent book is One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir.SHOW NOTESHow we each began the journey toward practicing meditation. [01:30]Henry suffered from extreme eczema for decades. Here's how meditation was instrumental in relieving his condition. [04:38]The pros and cons of Transcendental Meditation (TM) as we understood them, and why we each chose to move on. [09:09]An awakening epiphany Henry experienced around the time he wrote his first book -- before he discovered meditation. [11:00]One problem with epiphanies: they don't come with a user's manual. [17:53]Further musings (and concerns) about TM. [22:22]Henry shares an overview of Zen and how he became involved with it. [25:49]What is a koan? [28:41]Zen vs. psychedelics. [29:48]Can enlightenment be explained by existing language, or does it need to be experienced? [34:25]The "emptiness" of Buddhism, the relief of lightening psychic burdens, and some thoughts on the way our senses process reality. [36:09]Zen is not always about enlightenment, but applying the practice to the practical aspects of our lives. [43:10]What does Henry's Zen practice look like, and how does someone get involved? [45:21]What are the benefits of having a guide when you're learning to meditate? Does Henry consider it necessary for everybody? [47:42]A koan awakening. [52:23]The importance of recognizing life's transformational passages as we encounter them, as well as the beauty of valuing the ordinary. [54:50]How does Henry go from appreciating life's mundane moments to coping with 2020's more sensational aspects like politics and COVID-19? [58:50]Feeling powerless to engage in the political process? Take a lesson from the bodhisattvas and help work toward good without getting wrapped up in potential outcomes. [1:06:04]A deeper dive into koans and how we can work with them. [1:08:13]A computer science guy's approach to understanding koans. [1:12:52]Henry takes us through a few particularly famous koans. [1:16:07]Are koans ever meant to shock a student into enlightenment? [1:20:59]What can we expect from Henry's latest book, One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir? [1:24:48]Parting thoughts and ways to get in touch with Henry. [1:27:07] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kevinrose.com

Meditation teacher Henry Shukman discusses original love vs. original sin, the purpose of life as experiencing love, and the four zones of love. He shares insights on deep meditation training, the benefits of guided meditation, discipline, and approaches to meditation guidance.

Henry Shukman, Zen teacher, discusses Original Love and mindfulness on the path to awakening. They explore the influence of shame, community support, and the transformative power of Zen teachings in healing and personal growth.

Henry Shukman, an award-winning author known for his work on meditation and interconnectedness, shares profound insights on belonging through his concept of "Original Love." He explores how meditation can dissolve our constructed identities, revealing a sense of cosmic unity. The discussion delves into the transformative power of mindful awareness and the richness of collective experiences. Shukman encourages embracing awe in daily life and navigating uncertainty, all while fostering deeper connections with ourselves and others.

In this episode, Henry Shukman, meditation expert and author, discusses the common struggles of beginner meditators and the different challenges faced by men and women. They explore the power of allowing thoughts and emotions, the concept of original nature, and the potential similarities between psychedelics and meditation. Henry also shares insights about his upcoming meditation app.

Henry Shukman, a poet, author, and Zen meditation teacher, delves into the boundless goodness of every moment and our unexpected paths to realization. He shares insights on embracing broken-heartedness and wholeheartedness as vital to healing. Their conversation touches on Buddhism’s Five Hindrances, the transformative power of meditation, and how difficult emotions can lead to higher awareness. Shukman emphasizes personalizing your meditation journey and the significance of self-love in navigating life's challenges.

In this Episode, You'll Learn: The importance of being with and opening up to pain to find healing Why working with a spiritual teacher can be an important part of a healing path How awakening experiences are doorways we must walk through to find spiritual growth The value of community in a spiritual journey How to discover the deep experience of life's ordinary moments What Zen and poetry have in common What it means to come home to and discover a deeper part of ourselves To learn more about Henry Shukman, click here!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.