Ep101: One Blade of Grass - Henry Shukman
In this episode I am joined by Henry Shukman, award-winning poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass, a Zen memoir’.
In this interview Henry discusses his upbringing in Oxford, as the son of a don and a graduate of the illustrious Dragon School, and how in poetry he found the liberating aspect of literary life.
Henry reveals his first awakening experience, the breakdown that occurred thereafter, and how finding meditation saw him begin a quest to deepen his spiritual life.
Henry discusses the importance of finding a teacher, how he overcome a childhood-learned distrust of men to do so, and why his Zen practice brought an end to his professional writing career.
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Topics include:
00:00 – Intro
00:47 – Henry’s learned upbringing in Oxford
06:30 – An award-winning career as a poet and author ended by Zen
09:13 – Henry’s education at the illustrious Dragon School, Oxford
15:12 – Poetry as the liberating aspect of literary life
17:17 – Henry as a poet and ‘is poetry high-brow’?
22:56 – First awakening experience
28:11 – Post-awakening breakdown and despair
30:26 – Discovering meditation and unwinding the nervous system
35:00 – Distrust of men and finding a spiritual teacher
43:49 – Inside the teacher-student relationship
51:31 – Did Zen kill Henry’s writing process?
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To find out more about Henry Shukman, visit:
https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/henry-shukman/
Published books by Henry Shukman:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James