“What does it mean to be human?”Diane Musho Hamilton

Zen teacher Diane Musho Hamilton brings us home to the simple essence of Zen: to practice as one, without reference to past or future. This heartfelt conversation covers many topics: waking up to our true nature, grief and practices that help us work through it, the tension of “difference,” healing the rift between female and male, the role of ayahuasca and peyote, the ever more subtle process of purification, and a beautiful recitation of 14th century Sufi poet Hafiz’s poem, “I Have Learned So Much.” Allow yourself to be reminded how simple things can get if you let them and how, as Diane says, “We’re all just growing up together.”

Recorded on September 13, 2021.

Topics & Timestamps: Part 1

• Diane’s opening at seventeen to “what does it mean to be human?” (02:43)
• Buddhadharma, Integral, and Big Mind (05:10)
• The urgent need for us to wake up to our fundamental unity (10:37)
• How Ken Wilber’s developmental stages and states fit in (15:20)
• The heart of Zen Buddhism: an utterly coherent reality, free of separation (19:37)
• Differences between Diane’s teachings & practice and traditional Zen: creating space for ego development (20:51)
• Zen’s contribution to conflict resolution: radical first person, sitting together as one (24:11)
• Looking at climate change in an Integral way, from 1st-person, 2nd-person, and 3rd-person perspectives (26:21)
• Zen teaches peace is in the present without reference to past or future (29:33)
• The difference between meditation and flow states, and manifesting from the place of Big Mind (33:57)

Topics & Timestamps: Part 2

• Grief: being present with it and practicing with it (01:01)
• How shamanic practice can let us see pure radiance in others (07:46)
• The power of ritual in times of grief (08:48)
• Grief and integral practice (12:20)
• What is the role of a specifically female contemplative teacher? (19:03)
• Confronting the feminine shadow (22:59)
• The neverending, ever more subtle practice of purification (aka Ken Wilber’s “cleaning up”) (25:32)
• What do women want from men? (30:11)
• And what do men want from women? (34:40)
• Peyote, forgiveness, and healing the rift (38:04)

Resources & References

• Diane Hamilton, Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart*
• Gabriel Wilson, Kimberly Loh
• Diane Hamilton, Everything is Workable*
• Diane Hamilton, The Zen of You and Me*
• Two Arrows Zen, Salt Lake City Artspace Zendo
• Two Arrows Zen, Torrey, Utah
• Chögyam Trungpa
• Gail Hochachka, “Finding Shared Meaning in the Anthropocene: Engaging Diverse Perspectives on Climate Change”
• Dennis Genpo Merzel, Big Mind Big Heart*
• Roger Walsh, The World of Shamanism*
• Hafiz, The Gift, translated by Daniel Landinsky*
• Dan Brown, meditation master and teacher
• Dogen Zenji, One Continuous Mistake (Shoshaku Jushaku) in Dōgen
• Ram Dass quotes
• Don Quixote
• W.E.B. Du Bois, sociologist, author, activist
• Carlos Castaneda, A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan*
• Diane Hamilton, Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart*
• Diane Hamilton, Everything is Workable*
• Diane Hamilton, The Zen of You and Me*
• Two Arrows Zen, Salt Lake City Artspace Zendo
• Two Arrows Zen, Torrey, Utah

• * As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos

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