Ep261: Original Love - Henry Shukman
Henry Shukman is an award-winning poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass; a Zen memoir’ and the new book ‘Original Love’.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Henry discusses the surprising writing process of ‘Original Love’, the importance of love in spiritual practice, and how to release the heart.
Henry describes the 4 major areas of spiritual development, his own first and subsequent awakenings, and the purifying effects of deep jhana practice.
Henry also talks about his own journey from head to heart, his personal challenges of heartbreak and neurological illness, and his love for St Augustine’s ‘Confessions’.
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Writing Original Love
06:01 - 4 major areas of spiritual development
07:47 - The importance of love
09:27 - The example of mindfulness
11:06 - Henry’s neurological illness
13:37 - Letting go
14:39 - An epiphany in Venezuela
18:35 - Migrating from head to heart
20:53 - Heartbreak of awakening
22:31 - What is awakening?
26:56 - Henry’s first awakening
28:35 - Subsequent awakenings and the place of love
29:50 - The two wings of practice
30:41 - Release of the heart
32:50 - Does awakening change the experience of suffering?
36:53 - Resistance and suffering
38:37 - Unwrapping the gift of life
39:38 - Training jhana with Stephen Snyder
48:31 - Purification and catharsis in jhana
49:42 - Jhana vs awakening
53:54 - Encouragement to those seeking awakening
01:03:55 - Henry’s love for Augustine’s ‘Confessions’
01:06:44 - Henry’s mother
01:10:03 - A resurgence in interest in awakening
01:14:15 - The original face
01:15:50 - Henry’s meditation app
Previous episodes with Henry Shukman:
To find out more about Henry Shukman, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James