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Henry Shukman

Zen Master and Meditation Teacher, The Way

Search every verified Henry Shukman interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Henry Shukman, a Zen master and meditation teacher associated with the app The Way, has recently appeared on several podcasts to discuss his personal history and perspectives on meditation. In an October 2026 interview on the "Why I Started Sitting" podcast, Shukman described his path to Zen practice, including a childhood in Oxford with parents who were spies, a period of misery at Cambridge, and a transformative experience at age 19 that he said revealed the "real nature of all things." He also recounted the challenges of his first Zen retreat, mentioning physical pain, emotional torment, and intense restlessness, and noted that he was inspired to begin regular sitting practice because he was "so miserable." In other recent appearances, Shukman discussed how meditation relates to meaning and daily life. He stated that people often look for meaning externally but suggested it is found within, and he described meditation as a practice of coming back to what is already present. He also offered views on skepticism toward meditation, saying that while one need not accept claims about ultimate reality, meditation can help with the nervous system and various aspects of life. In a conversation recorded in New Mexico before a retreat, Shukman talked about the value of longer retreats versus daily practice, and he used an analogy from Suzuki Roshi comparing the mind to a young colt in a field with its mother. He has also promoted The Way app, offering free trials to listeners.

Recent appearances

  • From Despair to Zen Master - Henry Shukman

    October 21, 2026 · 📺 Why I Started Sitting

    Try Henry’s meditation app, The Way, free for 30 days: https://www.thewayapp.com/whyistarted... In this episode of Why I Started Sitting, Henry Shukman traces the long road from that experience to becoming a Zen teacher: a childhood in Oxford with parents who turned out to be spies, the misery that followed him to Cambridge, a week of sleeping almost non-stop when he started Transcendental Meditation, and a first Zen retreat so hard he planned to leave halfway through. He talks about the teacher who finally put a name to what had happened at 19, the red flags to look out for in spiritual t…

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  • Meditation Can Change Every Part of Your Life | Henry Shukman

    October 21, 2026 · 📺 Dr Rangan Chatterjee

    This episode is brought to you by: AG1: Get FREE AG1 Flavour Sampler, AGZ Sampler, Vitamin D3+K2 and Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (worth $87, US only) https://bit.ly/43FwxQl THE WAY APP: Get 30 FREE days and begin your journey towards peace, calm and wellbeing. https://thewayapp.com/livemore Why do we spend so much of our lives searching for meaning, happiness and a sense of purpose, when what we’re looking for might already be within us? In this episode, I’m joined by Zen Master, author and meditation teacher Henry Shukman to explore how meditation can change the way we und…

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  • Stop Trying to Quiet Your Mind | Zen Master Henry Shukman

    October 11, 2026 · 📺 Kevin Rose

    What if finding peace starts with giving your thoughts more room? I sat down with Zen teacher and author Henry Shukman in New Mexico, just before heading into a weeklong meditation retreat, to explore why we get so caught up in our minds - and how our relationship with those thoughts can change. We talk about the everyday frustrations that hook us, the expectations we bring to meditation, and why chasing a breakthrough can become another source of tension. Henry offers a surprisingly gentle approach to practice, with room for distraction, difficult emotions, and being human. The conversatio…

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  • This Zen Teacher's Surprising Response To my Awakening | Henry Shukman

    March 27, 2026 · 📺 Simon Mundie | Awakening Meets Real Life

    👉 Work with me - book a free 15 minute consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-... 👉 For a gift of 30 free meditation sessions on Henry's app 'The Way' - click here: https://the-way.app.link/simon 👉Substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/ 'The mind is not invited to the party' - Henry Shukman and Simon Mundie discuss Kensho. Henry Shukman and I discuss spiritual awakening, the dark night of the soul, and why the thinking mind can’t grasp what awakening really is. Drawing on my own direct experience, this is about what happens when identification with thought falls away—and awar…

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  • The 2,500-Year-Old Trick to Instantly Silence Your Mind: Zen Master, Henry Shukman

    March 10, 2026 · 📺 André Duqum

    Zen teacher and author Henry Shukman offers a clear and grounded introduction to the heart of Zen practice. We explore how awakening is not an escape from life, but a deeper participation in it — a realization that dissolves the illusion of separation and reveals a boundless field of awareness and love. Henry shares his own spontaneous awakening experience at 19, the profound insight that life is not divided between self and world, and the difficult healing journey that followed. From mindfulness and meditation to flow states, jhanas, koans, and the role of trauma in spiritual growth, this co…

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  • Your Mind Is Trapped In The Past & Future… 5 Minutes Of This Fixes It | Henry Shukman

    March 04, 2026 · 📺 Dr Rangan Chatterjee and The Way App

    This episode is sponsored by: PELOTON: Let yourself ride, lift, stretch, move and go. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Bike+ at https://onepeloton.co.uk AG1: Get FREE AG1 Flavour Sampler, AGZ Sampler, Vitamin D3+K2 and Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (worth $87) https://bit.ly/43FwxQl In a world of constant noise, stimulation and busyness, meditation is often framed as another self-improvement tool – something to calm us down, make us more productive or fix what feels broken. But this week’s returning guest believes that this way of thinking completely misses the point.…

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  • Use your breath as an anchor | An introduction to meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 27, 2026 · 📺 The Way App

    Episode 2/6: Learn how your breath can become a reliable companion in meditation. Henry shows you how to work with coordinated breathing to cultivate steadiness and calm. Once you've completed this introductory series, continue your meditation journey on The Way app: a guided path designed to help meditation become a practice that lasts a lifetime. Download The Way with this special link to enjoy 30 free days instead of the usual 7: https://links.thewayapp.com/jWJI/intr....

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  • Open to the soundscape around you | An introduction to meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 27, 2026 · 📺 The Way App

    Episode 4/6: Expand your awareness beyond the breath by tuning into sound. Henry guides you in using the rich world of sound as a gateway to deeper presence. Once you've completed this introductory series, continue your meditation journey on The Way app: a guided path designed to help meditation become a practice that lasts a lifetime. Download The Way with this special link to enjoy 30 free days instead of the usual 7: https://links.thewayapp.com/jWJI/intr....

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  • Meet your thoughts with curiosity | An introduction to meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 27, 2026 · 📺 The Way App

    Episode 5/6: Thoughts aren't the enemy of meditation, they're part of the practice. Henry teaches you how to notice thinking without getting caught in it, cultivating a lighter relationship with your mind. Once you've completed this introductory series, continue your meditation journey on The Way app: a guided path designed to help meditation become a practice that lasts a lifetime. Download The Way with this special link to enjoy 30 free days instead of the usual 7: https://links.thewayapp.com/jWJI/intr....

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  • Find your foundation: posture and ease | An introduction to meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 27, 2026 · 📺 The Way App

    Episode 3/6: Meditation isn't about sitting perfectly—it's about finding a posture that supports both alertness and relaxation. Henry helps you discover what works for your body. Remember, this can be different on different days. Do what serves you in this moment. Once you've completed this introductory series, continue your meditation journey on The Way app: a guided path designed to help meditation become a practice that lasts a lifetime. Download The Way with this special link to enjoy 30 free days instead of the usual 7: https://links.thewayapp.com/jWJI/intr....

    Watch on YouTube ↗

  • Welcome difficult feelings | An introduction to meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 27, 2026 · 📺 The Way App

    Episode 6/6: When stress or anxiety arises, meditation offers a way to work with these feelings rather than against them. Henry introduces an approach rooted in acceptance and compassion. Once you've completed this introductory series, continue your meditation journey on The Way app—a guided path designed to help meditation become a practice that lasts a lifetime. As a thank you for completing this series, enjoy 30 free days (instead of the usual 7) when you download the app using this special link: https://links.thewayapp.com/jWJI/intr...

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  • The Peace That's Always Within You — Guided Meditation by Zen Master Henry Shukman

    January 26, 2026 · 📺 Tim Ferriss

    The Way has helped me find calm, drop anxiety, and look forward to meditation that finally makes sense: https://www.thewayapp.com/tim This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher. In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week. Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to h…

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Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“I I totally agree and it but but one of the things that people can do when they come to spiritual practice and spiritual quest and curiosity all that can be motivated by that shame. I want to get rid of myself. I hear this thing about awakening where you don't have to sort of be yourself anymore or something. Man, I want that because I hate myself. I've got a bad self. I've got this dismal self that isn't good enough”

“The way to think about it is that up until now our data center business has been almost entirely GPUs. Vera is our CPU, and you know what's really exciting is that Vera opens a brand new 200 billion TAM for NVIDIA, a market we have never addressed before, and every major hyperscaler is partnering with us to get it deployed, and that's huge for the company because for the first time we have a second engine of that sca”

“To think that that means we're sort of leaving it behind, that we're transcending this world, is I think absolutely wrong personally. Others might disagree with me and with good reason, but my view from my own experience and for most of the teachings that I've been lucky enough to receive over decades now of practice would confirm that the point isn't we're leaving anything behind. We're not transcending anything. Wh”

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