A Zen Handbook for Sanity in an Era of Uncertainty | Jiryu Rutschman-Byler

Hearing a voice can change everything. So AT and T wants everyone to gift their voice to loved ones this holiday season because that conversation is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. AT and T, connecting changes everything. This is the Ten Percent Happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hello, everybody. How we doing? My whole life, going back to when I was a kid, I can remember always feeling like I have some problem or set of problems that I've got to deal with. The subconscious lie I've always told myself is that as soon as I get whatever problem is currently on my plate off my plate, everything will be great. The Elysian fields in perpetuity. But as my friend and teacher, Joseph Goldstein, often says, if it's not one thing, it's another. We're always gonna have problems. The question is, how do you deal with them effectively? Today, we're gonna get the Zen recipe for handling all of life's inevitable problems. My guest is Jirio Rushman Byler, a So to Zen Buddhist priest and teacher. He is the co abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and the abiding abbot of the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. He recently edited a book of teachings by his root teacher, the legendary Zen master, Shunryu Suzuki. Shunryu Suzuki was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. He was a founding father of Zen in America, a fascinating dude, and you'll learn a little bit more about him. Other topics we hit in the interview include what is Zen, how to work with your day to day problems from a Zen perspective, how to soften the mind, whether to meditate with your eyes open or closed, what it really means to become one with everything, why life is not something to be figured out, the connection between the oft misunderstood concept of allowing and being more effective in your life, The concept and practice of faith and the magic of the universe. If softening your mind and becoming one with everything sounds interesting but esoteric, you really should check out our latest meditation, which drops today from my friend Jeff Warren, who's our teacher of the month over on danharris.com. It's all about how practically to actually relax the mind and body and connect to everything that's happening all around you. You can access it by signing up over at danharris.com. If you sign up, you'll also get invited to our weekly live meditation and Q and A sessions every Tuesday at four. Danharris.com, check it out. Okay, we'll get started with Jirio Rushman Byler right after this. I'm a big worker outer, and I've been wearing this new brand or at least new to me recently, Fabletics. They're, a sponsor on this show and sent me some stuff. I love this stuff. I'm wearing it all the time. I'm gonna work out actually after I record this ad, and I'm gonna put on some …