Blue Collar Zen

The Origin Story of our Mother Temple, Sudeok-sa. COTTON SOCK FLOWER Eighteen Hundred years ago, a young academic man named Sudok went out on a hunt with his servant, and came across a mysterious young lady in the forest. A heart churning tale of both joy and misery unfolded, as the young man is led all the way up the spiritual path by his true love. We hope you enjoy the the Origin Story of our M...

A thief becomes a sage, after his foot is chopped off as punishment for his crimes. As a transformed man, people trust and follow him. Join us in the tea room as Sunim reads the story of the great sage Tumbledown, as told by Confucius, and then he and Myungju asks Sunim to share his thoughts on the path.

A story within a story. An unremarkable monk, a scholar & a young disciple. A loving wife & a foolish husband. Their lives separated by time, but cross on the mountaintop, with fire and weeds the great teachers.

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 teaches his ruler (the Emperor) about the Tao.

The 4 Adepts is a story read from the Chuang Tzu. The theme is 'yielding'. 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 thin...

Welcome to the 3rd season. A man journeys home through misty mountains & beauty in old Korea. As previous karma follows his path, he meets with unexpected fortune, & terror. Letting Go, written by Zen Master Daehaeng, presents us with a story to which we might all relate. Zen Master Daehaeng (1927 - 2012) was a Buddhist nun began her spiritual life at the age of 8 in Korea, before its spli...

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 Taoist masters were on a walk. 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...

Abbot Yang Chu, a student of the Taoist sage Lao Tzu, is happy to hear his teacher is returning from his hermitage, and sets out to meet him on the road to join him in his journey home.

The second part of the story of Pusol's life, and the story of 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. Hwalson & Myungju discuss his life, & death, and its relationship to an action-centered life, in contrast to the feeling-centered culture of the West. This podcast marks the anniversary of his death in 1946, as well as the...

Join us as we narrate the journey of Lewis Lancaster and '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 become captivated by the art & calligraphy of Jung Kwang,...

Poduk Cave, a zen training hermitage located on a precipice deep in the Diamond Mountains of what is now North Korea, has been long famed as the 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, a...

Here we have the origin story of Sudeok-sa, the mother temple of the Detroit Zen Center. This tale begin on ordinary morning in the life of a young upper class boy named Sudeok. Bored with his daily studies, he takes his man servants on a hunting adventure, but what he encounters next changes his destiny, and the trajectory of so many after him....

This story was written about Masan Bosal, a devotee whose wisdom and experiences helped a monk understand his own path, and inspired him to share her story.

Centuries after Wonhyo, Korean Buddhism undergoes total oppression. Monks cannot enter the gates of Seoul. Remote Zen communities flourish, poor, but rich in spirit. Here we find two short stories: one of the 20th century revivalist of Korean Buddhism, Kyunghuh with his young disciple Mangong....the second of Mangong years later, with his own young disciple, Wondam. Wondam became the teacher of ou...

In this episode we continue to follow Wonhyo on his journey. After awakening, he returns to Korea, and meets a very strange yet intriguing spiritual practitioner Big Brother.

This story is a continuation of Story #1. As Wonhyo & Uisang, Korean monks, leave their Master Boduk, they set out on foot on a perilous journey to T'ang China, yet meet with unexpected circumstances. The followup conversation flows around the nature of mind, self, and how to escape delusion through conduct & attitude.

In the opening tale, Wonhyo must demonstrate his sincerity to his Master. During the follow-up conversation, Hwalson shares with Myungju his thoughts on True Freedom, and being authentic.

Myungju narrates the journey of Hwalson Sunim's spiritual path toward becoming a monk. Enjoy this background and introduction to our featured storyteller & zen teacher on the podcast.

This narrative by Myungju introduces the spirit behind the podcast, as well as the Detroit Zen Center, and the topics of Buddhism, Zen & Meditation practice.