Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

I am regularly asked what drew me into zen practice, and a part of my usual reply is that reading Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind opened up a whole new way of relating to the world. If I expand on this point, it is usually to say that I was never very interested in how western philosophy looks at the human experience. A recent article in the New Yorker demonstrated this point admirably – at least to my way of looking. While there are many insights offered by this tremendously intelligent and accomplished woman, I came away feeling that they are fragmented, not looking at the whole scope of human life, and that, as usual, the thinking mind is expected to do all the heavy lifting, and to maintain control of all experiences. It has been a continual relief to me that meditation takes away this burden and allows me to feel alive in my mind and body in a wholly different way.