Show Notes
In this episode I am joined by Muho, Sōtō Zen teacher, Youtuber, and previous abbot of Antai-Ji monastery in Japan.
Muho recalls the death of his mother when he was 6 years old, his childhood behavioural problems and time in boarding school, and initial contact with meditation.
Muho shares what he describes as his narcissism, which arose from the death of his mother and a subsequent yearning to be seen; how his desire to be seen has caused difficulties for those around him; and how his thirty years of discipleship under a Zen master in a Japanese monastery collided with these patterns.
Muho also observes that there is something missing in American Zen teachers, disambiguates good and bad reasons for teaching Zen, and explains why he believes sitting meditation is actually good for nothing.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep357-zen-is-good-for-nothing-muho
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro 00:54 - Death of Muho’s mother and the beginning of questioning 04:49 - Sent to boarding school 05:35 - First meditation at 16 years old 07:48 - Discovering a connection to the body 10:02 - Reading about Zen Buddhism 11:32 - Studying Japanese and moving to Japan 12:21 - Being the class clown 13:14 - Muho’s narcissism 15:10 - Trouble from describing himself as a narcissist 18:20 - Others’ suffering from Muho’s narcissism 19:31 - How Zen practice affected narcissism 22:01 - “It’s not about you” 24:35 - Vertical and horizontal axis of enlightenment 27:32 - Achieving Buddhahood 30:00 - Should you try to improve yourself? 34:37 - Student projections and exposing the teacher’s flaws 36:16 - Guru as father figure 38:02 - Looking for the perfect leader 39:00 - What is the role of the Zen teacher? 40:31 - Muho’s teaching activities 41:40 - The problem with American Zen teachers 42:21 - What example should a teacher set? 43:38 - Real teachers do not promote their enlightenment 45:11 - Using your teacher to promote yourself 47:14 - A teacher must first be a student 49:00 - Spiritual businessmen and teacher trainings 50:30 - 3 reasons to teach 56:05 - What is missing in Western teachers? 57:05 - Teaching as an expression of gratitude 58:15 - Minimum time before becoming a teacher 59:57 - Signs to become a teacher 01:00:26 - Tragedy of premature teaching 01:02:40 - Muho’s advice for shallow teachers 01:05:01 - Zen has become a game 01:06:25 - Zen is good for nothing 01:07:56 - Techniques, states, and stages 01:11:25 - Play a different game 01:13:48 - Is Zen true or just another method? 01:19:43 - Taking the result as the path 01:22:00 - Do other practices miss the point? 01:25:51 - From samsara to nirvana 01:28:46 - Muho’s Youtube channels
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To find our more about Muho, visit: - https://www.youtube.com/@muho - https://www.youtube.com/@MuhoZen
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
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