Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Many people think of awakening as a mental or emotional process that is unconnected to the body. More than that, not far below the surface of our Western culture, is the notion of the body as an impediment to spiritual development. You wouldn’t have read this far, however, without being able to entertain another possible perspective. We find this view encompassed within the Japanese phrase sokushin jobutsu, meaning ‘becoming a Buddha in this very body’. As we implied before, the word Buddha means ‘one who wakes up’ This awakening allows you to escape the dream (or indeed the nightmare) that you are a separate, fixed and isolated being.

What would it mean to wake up from this cosmic loneliness right now, through the vehicle of your body? First, it’s important to stress that we’re not in the business of some kind of body-beautiful, physical narcissism here. Your body is not a permanent refuge – like everything else, it changes. It is true that by mindfully relating to the body, you can approach balance and wellbeing, and thus slow the body’s rate of decline. Nevertheless, decline it eventually wil. However, within the culture that has contained these practices, the teaching is unambiguous: there is no liberation without the body. Your body is a uniquely precious possession.’ (Practical Zen Yoga)

Rebecca from Hebden Bridge has been encouraging me to connect with Daizan for a few years; there have been times when I tried to get to his base in Camberwell – a lovely part of London where I used to live – but it never worked out. And then, a few weeks ago, I was heading into a local cafe with my dharma sister Kim, and there he was, sitting with Shosan and Shinkai, who I didn’t know, but is based in Oregon. Shosan had contributed to Daizan’s new book (as did Shinkai), and he offered to send me a copy. I picked it up from Zen Center the other day, and was hugely impressed with it. I might even start doing some yoga…