Blue Collar Zen

War: The curse of humanity. An old man with a wrangled & broken arm shares his story from youth, of being the lone surviving man in the entire region, of a long & bloody war in 8th century China that killed 10 million men over the course of decades.

A story in the book of prose & poems by Po Ch'u I, a famous poet & Taoist of 8th century China. Translated by David Hinton.

A simple cook shares the Way of Tao with his ruler (the Emperor).

Yielding, with the 4 Adepts

from the Chuang Tzu

The 4 Adepts is a story read from the Chuang Tzu.  Story read by Abbot Hwalson Sunim, then a conversation afterward together with Vice-Abbot Myungju Sunim.

On the 4 Adepts (Taoist Sages):  As Adept Cart becomes sick and faces death, he shares with us & his fellow sages his own fearless and yielding view of death, as a simple extension of the eventual passing of all things....

This version of Chuang Tzu has been translated by David Hinton, and is part of his collection The 4 Classics (of Taoism).

Thank you for listening...

by Zen Master Daehaeng

A man journeys home through the misty mountains of old Korea.  But as previous karma follows him, he meets with unexpected fortune, & terror.  Letting Go, written by Zen Master Daehaeng, presents us with a story we can all relate to.

Zen Master Daehaeng (1927 - 2012) was a Buddhist nun began her spiritual life at the age of 8 in Korea, before its split into North & South. As an enlightened master, she taught for more than 40 years at the Han Ma Um Center (founded 1972), and broke many of the traditional roles in Korean Buddhism, by having both male & female disciples, and teaching that people from all walks of life could practice & awaken to their true nature.

Enter the world of Zen nuns.  A common kitchen nun finds her teacher's instruction simple enough, but eventually the endless work & burden of cooking in the zen community becomes a serious complication in her quest for mental, emotional & spiritual peace.  Frustrated, hastily she makes the fire to prepare the winter solstice dish -- red bean porridge -- and winds up at the brink.

Six thousand years ago two folks were having a walk in the mountains.  They were Taoist sages, which simply means they were very sincere & accomplished spiritual practitioners.  Master Timid Magpie asked the elder Master Noble Tree a question about the Way of things. Some questions are timeless, felt in the heart of ancient humans as deeply as we feel them in our own hearts & minds. Welcome to my teacher's tea room, where we share this story, and a simple conversation about it. Today's podcast weaves meditation, Taoism, chickens & eggs, Zen, practice as a routine, and other subjects. We hope you enjoy the winding road of this morning's Christmas story.

Abbot Yang Chu is excited to hear that his master Lao Tzu is on his way back from his remote hermitage.  He drops everything to travel up to meet his teacher on the road home.

This episode follows the second part of Pusol's life, and his death.

1,500 years ago a simple rainstorm brought about a life-altering spiritual decision for a sincere monk.  His compassionate response resonates to this day.

This is the first of two parts to the story of Layman Pusol. Welcome to Season 2 of the Podcast.

Zen Master Mangong -- a revered 20th century monk of Korea (and grandfather teacher to the Detroit Zen Center) -- comes to the end of his life.  Without much fanfare, he departs.  

We begin this episode with the story of Mangong's last day, and move into a conversation with Hwalson & Myungju.  They discuss his life, & death, and its relationship to an action-based way of life, in contrast to the feeling-based way of our own society.

This podcast marks the anniversary of his death in 1946, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Detroit Zen Center.  As ever, thank you for listening!

Join us as we narrate Lewis Lancaster's journey with The Mad Monk Jung Kwang Sunim, one of the most controversial Buddhist figures (and renowned artists) of 20th Century Korea, amidst his practice of 'unlimited action zen'. Lancaster, a would-be student of Jung Kwang, was a professor of Buddhist Art & Studies at UC Berkley, who having been captivated by the art & calligraphy of Jung Kwang endeavored to meet and know his mind.  Jung Kwang invited him to join him in his life for a few weeks....and here is the story of their time together.

Welcome to the origin of Poduk Cave, a zen training hermitage located on a precipice deep in the Diamond Mountains of what is now North Korea.  This cave temple has been long famed as a place for the highest level of training, and the site of awakening for many hundreds of seekers. This story brings us to its origin, how a sincere monk named Hojong made this cave the site of his awakening, through his meetings & parting with Lady Poduk, and his trials with Skinny Father & Ocean Brightfellow.

Here we have the origin story of Sudeoksa Temple, the mother temple of the Detroit Zen Center.    Join us as we enter what would be an ordinary day in the life of a young upper class man named Sudeok.  Bored, he takes his man-servants out for a hunt.  But what he encounters in the woods changes his destiny, and the trajectory for countless others...

This story of Masan Bosalnim, a modern day female seeker who awakened, who helped a monk understand Buddhism.

For many centuries after Wonhyo, Korean Buddhism experienced total oppression. Monks could not enter through the gates of Seoul, and Buddhist teachings entered a period of contraction.  Monks & masters retreated to the mountains.  Remote Zen communities formed, poor yet self-sustaining & rich in spirit. It is here, during the 19th century, we find our next two sister stories.  The first, a story of Kyunghuh & his young disciple Mangong. The second story finds Mangong, years later with his own young disciple, Wondam.  Many years later, Wondam became the teacher of our Detroit Zen Center Abbot.

In this episode we continue to follow Wonhyo on his journey after awakening.

He returns to Korea, where he meets a most unusual teacher:  Big Brother.  In the followup conversation, Sunim & Myungju discuss the importance of enjoying practice, dealing with mental & emotional afflictions, and finding a teacher.

Welcome.  This narrative by Myungju introduces the spirit of the podcast, as well as the topics of Buddhism, Zen & Meditation practice.

Enjoy this follow-up story to Story #1, as monks Wonhyo & Uisang set out on foot from their native Korea, on a treacherous journey to reach T'ang China, in search of the True teachings.  However, the 2 monks meet unexpected circumstances....

This Zen tale describes a harrowing account of a monk's journey into enemy territory to find a master.

The follow up conversation with Hwalson Sunim & Myungju explores the relationship between zen practice, freedom, and authenticity.

The story of Detroit Zen Center Abbot Hwalson Sunim's spiritual journey to becoming a monk.

Narrated by Myungju.  Enjoy!