Ep371: The Zen Life - Muho
Muho is a Sōtō Zen teacher, Youtuber, and the previous abbot of Antai-Ji monastery in Japan.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Muho recalls the early days of his marriage and of his abbotship of Antai-Ji monastery, compares Japanese to Western students, and addresses the shortcomings of Western Buddhism.
Muho considers the role of the true teacher, the tension between tradition and innovation, and what it’s like to see the negative side of your teacher.
Muho also reflects on narcissism in spiritual gurus, competitiveness on the spiritual path, and how to work with traumatic memories which arise during meditation.
00:00 - Intro
01:47 - First impressions of Japanese culture
04:12 - Arriving at Antai-Ji Monastery
08:33 - Initial difficulties at the monastery
10:00 - Becoming a monk
14:02 - Living in a tent and teaching Zen in Osaka
17:46 - Elected as abbot of Antai-Ji
19:01 - Falling in love with a Japanese woman
22:25 - Marriage and early days as abbot
26:04 - Retiring as abbot
28:47 - Japanese vs Western students
32:12 - A true teacher is like a carpenter
33:50 - Seeing the negative side of your teacher
37:24 - Is Buddhism universal or specific to each country?
41:25 - Shortcomings of Western Buddhism
49:25 - Innovation vs tradition
55:33 - Narcissism and spiritual teachers
59:20 - Competitiveness between Dharma brothers
01:07:12 - Trauma and emotions in meditation
01:11:49 - Should psychotherapy precede Zen practice?
01:14:17 - Sudden awakenings at Antai-Ji
01:26:14 - Should we emphasise or deemphasise awakening experiences?
Previous episodes with Muho:
To find our more about Muho, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James.