From Despair to Zen Master | Henry Shukman

Try Henry’s meditation app, The Way, free for 30 days: https://www.thewayapp.com/whyistarted... In this episode of Why I Started Sitting, Henry Shukman traces the long road from that experience to becoming a Zen teacher: a childhood in Oxford with parents who turned out to be spies, the misery that followed him to Cambridge, a week of sleeping almost non-stop when he started Transcendental Meditation, and a first Zen retreat so hard he planned to leave halfway through. He talks about the teacher who finally put a name to what had happened at 19, the red flags to look out for in spiritual teachers, and the experience that washed away his sense of self for good.Timestamps:0:00 Trailer1:01 Introduction2:49 Welcome, Henry Shukman4:46 Growing up in Oxford with parents who were spies8:19 Eczema and early meditative states11:30 An awakening at 19, then despair at Cambridge16:04 Discovering Transcendental Meditation21:22 Sleeping for a week, then clarity23:08 Turning to therapy26:14 Finding Zen29:54 The first Zen retreat33:37 "The ship has no captain"38:06 Zen and the writing life42:23 Finding a teacher: "Why are you here?"48:29 Red flags in spiritual teachers51:44 From student to teacher53:38 The self that never came back56:19 Building The Way1:02:05 Henry's practice todayAbout Henry:Henry Shukman is a Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage, co-founder of The Way meditation app, and the author of One Blade of Grass, his Zen memoir. Before he began teaching, he spent years as a poet and writer.The Way (free for 30 days): https://www.thewayapp.com/whyistarted...One Blade of Grass: https://henryshukman.com/writing/one-...Henry Shukman: https://henryshukman.com/Mentioned in this episode:Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg: https://nataliegoldberg.com/books/wri...About the show:Why I Started Sitting is an interview podcast about the personal stories behind people's meditation practice: how they started, and what kept them going. Hosted by James DeeneyProduced by Ben HarrisSubscribe (and ring the notification bell!) to ensure you don't miss a conversation.Website: whyistartedsitting.comAlso available on YouTube, or your chosen podcast platform. #Meditation #Zen #HenryShukman