“The point of Zen is not to completely stop all thinking. But it is to bring oneself through discipline to a very still space so that one builds capacity to be present in any moment.” --- Christopher Keevil
Christopher Keevil is an ordained Zen priest and senior dharma teacher in the Single Flower Sangha. He has been practicing Zen since 1991 and teaching since 1998 in the lineage of his teacher, Zen Master Bo Mun (George Bowman), who is a dharma heir of the Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn.
Christopher is also the Managing Director and founder of Wellspring Consulting, a national firm that helps non-profit leaders develop strategy for the future in areas such as education, health, social justice, and the environment. Previously he was a Partner at The Boston Consulting Group, an international management consultancy. Earlier he worked as a carpenter and house builder, and as a musician and dance caller in the Irish and New England folk traditions.
“Finding Zen in the Ordinary”, his new book, offers honest and thought-provoking spiritual insights drawn from daily-life experiences. The book includes forty-eight brief stories, prose poems, dialogues between Zen student and teacher, and reflections on moments of spiritual awakening.
In today’s lively exchange, we talk about:
- What is Zen? How is it different from other forms of Buddhism?
- How being present in the moment with someone is similar to psychotherapy
- Difficulty of sitting in meditation in the Zen tradition, and how collaboration with friends can give context, rhythm and relationship to a meditation practice
- Approaches that maintain focus during meditation
- Even the most practiced meditators minds jump during meditation
- The universal human experience of not-enough-mind
- The paradox of seeking but with non-attachment to an outcome
- Why are we here?
- What it feels like to truly be in the present moment
FOLLOW CHRISTOPHER KEEVIL
FindingZenInTheOrdinary.com (use contact page)
https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/mantra-books/authors/christopher-keevil
WAITLIST FOR COURSE
https://dramyrobbins.kartra.com/page/waitlist
FOLLOW DR. AMY ROBBINS
www.firesidechat.com/amyrobbins
dramyrobbins.com
Instagram.com/dramyrobbins
dramyrobbins@gmail.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeDeaththeSpaceBetweenDrAmyRobbins
