A New Way of Being This Zen Teacher's Surprising Response To my Awakening | Henry Shukman
May 1, 2026
Henry Shukman, Zen teacher, author, and founder of The Way app, shares his take on Kensho and the dark night of the soul. He explains why the thinking mind cannot grasp awakening. They discuss awareness recognizing itself, welcoming the separate self with love, and how inner-child work can prepare and support integration.
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Mind Not Invited During Kensho
- Awakening temporarily removes the thinking mind from central control.
- Henry Shukman and Simon Mundie describe Kensho as an emptying where the mind 'is not invited to the party' and tasks still get done without active thinking.
High Street Emptiness Turned Ordinary Scenes Beautiful
- Simon Mundie describes walking the high street feeling empty of 'Simon' and seeing rubbish and graffiti as stunningly beautiful.
- He had to repeatedly let go of conceptualizing; whenever thought rose, the experience dimmed until identification dropped.
Avoid Intellectualizing The Experience
- Avoid trying to conceptualize or intellectualize the awakening state.
- Henry warns that when you try to 'get your head around' oneness the experience can go wrong, so keep letting go of thought to preserve it.
