Zen beyond Mindfulness Using Buddhist and Modern Psychology for Transformational Practice

An effective new approach to Buddhist practice that combines the rigor of traditional meditation and study with the psychological support necessary for practice in modern life.

Zen teacher Jules Shuzen Harris argues that contemporary American Buddhists face two primary challenges: (1) “spiritual bypassing,” which means avoiding or repressing psychological problems in favor of “pretend Enlightenment,” and (2) settling for secularized forms of Buddhism or mindfulness that have lost touch with the deeper philosophical and ethical underpinnings of the religion.

Drawing on his decades of experience as a Zen practitioner, teacher, and psychotherapist, Harris writes that both of these challenges can be met through the combination of a committed meditation practice, a deep study of Buddhist psychological models, and tools from a psychotherapeutic method known as “Mind-Body Bridging.” Using this unique approach, students can do the real work of awakening without either denying their embodied emotional life or missing out on the rich array of insights offered by Buddhist psychology and the Zen practice tradition.

Jules Shuzen Harris is a psychotherapist and Zen teacher, founder, and abbot of Soji Zen Center in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Based on his decades of experience working with Zen students and psychotherapy clients, he has created a powerful method that combines the rigor of Zen practice, psychological insights of early Buddhism, and tools from a contemporary psychotherapeutic method known as "Mind-Body Bridging." He is a dharma heir of Pat Enkyo O'Hara and has practiced with many other Zen teachers, including John Daido Loori and Dennis Genpo Merzel. Born in a working-class town outside of Philadelphia, Harris is the first African-American to have received transmission in the Soto Zen tradition. He has a black belt in the Japanese martial arts of Iaido and Kendo and has published a number of articles in Tricycle, Buddhadharma, and Lion's Roar magazines.