Davi Shōrei (照霊) Musō (無相) Hayes is a Zen Buddhist monk in the White Plum Asanga lineage. He has practiced Buddhism in various forms for more than a decade and has been a dedicated Zen practitioner since 2022.
In 2024, Davi received Jukai, formally entering the Buddhist path and receiving the Dharma name Shōrei (照霊), meaning Bright Spirit. In 2025, he served as Shuso (Head Student) during summer sesshin. In 2026, Davi ordained as an unsui (雲水), or Zen Buddhist monk, receiving the monastic name Musō (無相), meaning Without Form.
The name Musō reflects a practice of meeting each moment without becoming fixed by identity, opinion, or circumstance. It points toward the freedom found in responding openly to life rather than clinging to any particular idea of who we are or how things should be. More than a destination, it serves as an ongoing aspiration and reminder within practice.
Without Form is a home for Zen essays, Dharma talks, and reflections on practice. These writings arise from zazen, study, sesshin, and the ordinary moments of daily life. They are offered as invitations to inquiry rather than answers to be accepted.
Drawing primarily from the Soto Zen tradition while remaining in conversation with the wider Buddhist path, Musō writes about practice as it is lived: imperfectly, wholeheartedly, and one moment at a time. Whether exploring classical teachings, koans, or the ordinary questions of everyday life, these essays invite careful attention, honest reflection, and the direct experience of the present moment.
Davi lives near Frederick, Maryland with his spouse, four children, and a narcoleptic Chihuahua. His writing is shaped as much by family life and work as by zazen, sesshin, and study. His writing is shaped as much by family life and work as by zazen, sesshin, and study.
