I & A Publishing

Talks by Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee

Education EN ↓ 139 episodes

This is a series of newly digitized talks by spiritual teacher, Lola McDowell Lee, spanning two decades—from the early Seventies through the Nineties. Lola was a Zen Roshi whose Rinzai lineage included Doctor Henry Platov and renowned Zen master, Shigetsu Sasaki. Lola was a religious scholar as well as an ordained Christian minister. While the talks are focused mainly on Zen and Buddhism, Lola drew on many spiritual traditions—including those of Jesus, Plato, Lao-Tzu, the Hindu Vedas, Meister Eckhart and Gurdjieff. If you find Lola’s talks valuable, more will be posted in days to come. RSSVERI...

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I & A Publishing

Episodes

Lola explores the nature of consciousness and the relationship in our world of subject and object. Apr 26, 1987 07.10.2023 1:00:53

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, ask the question: When you wake up in the morning, before you see or hear or feel things or have thoughts, what is it that exists? Apr 26, 1987

Lola shares the story of the old man, the young man, and the donkey. Habits and non-attachment. Nov 30, 1986 02.10.2023 53:06

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, shares the story of the old man, the young man and the donkey. And explains how we become creatures of habit, then habit becomes our master. The value of practicing non-attachment. Nov 30, 1986

Lola explores how we create many identities during our lives, all the time ignoring our true selves. Mar 29, 1987. 30.09.2023 59:10

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, finds passages in the Upanishads to begin an exploration of how we spend our lives in becoming—becoming a child, becoming an adult, becoming a wife or a husband, and so on. And how we become mistakenly identified with these multiple ideas of ourselves while our one true self remains unchanged. Mar 29, 1987.

Lola asks "What is consciousness?" And continues exploring the meaning of the Hindu Isha Upanishad. Mar 15, 1987 23.09.2023 1:02:08

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, continues exploring the meaning of the Isha Upanishad and asks "What is consciousness?" What is that by which our eyes see and our ears hear? Mar 15, 1987

Lola explores the relationship of subject and object using sacred Hindu texts. Mar 08, 1987 16.09.2023 57:50

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, explains the metaphor of the carriage, driver, horses and passenger. And how, for most of us, our greatest happiness occurs during our deepest sleep. Also, ancient Hindu tests that help us understand the nature of our world. Satchitananda explained. The relationship of subject and object. Mar 08, 1987.

Lola discusses the Great Doubt, or dark night of the soul, which sometimes precedes Satori. May 17, 1989 10.09.2023 50:33

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, discusses the Great Doubt, or dark night of the soul, which sometimes precedes Satori. May 17, 1989

Lola tells the story of the frog in the well. And answers the question: Is Zen meditation active or passive? Aug 27, 1989 09.09.2023 57:04

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell discusses the idea of whether Zen meditation is active or passive? Aug 27, 1989

Lola tells of the three men who ask Buddha if there is a God? June 3, 1984 06.09.2023 48:41

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, explores the notions of the known, the unknown and the unknowable. Also, what is emptiness? June 3, 1984

On Easter, Lola explores the meaning of the Resurrection. Apr 22, 1984 02.09.2023 48:45

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, begins this Easter message with the tale of the king who gives each of his three sons a bag of seeds and asks them to preserve them till his return. April 22, 1984

Lola Explores the Meaning of the Eightfold Path - Apr 15, 1984 02.09.2023 53:27

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, discusses the details of how one can live according to the Buddha's Eightfold Path - Apr 15, 1984

Lola shares the story of the traveler and the one-eyed monk. Oct 20, 1985 29.08.2023 51:16

Lola discusses the roles of the scientist, the philosopher and the religious man. She also explains how finding refuge in the buddha, the dharma and the sangha means different things for different stages in one's spiritual life.

Lola explains how sometimes that which you value most in your life can become your greatest burden. Jan 24, 1988. 28.08.2023 1:00:45

Lola shares her interpretation of Lao-Tzu: "It is better to have a vessel unfilled than it is to carry it when it is full.”

Lola McDowell Lee, a Zen Roshi, explores what it means to plan for the future while we also are told to live in the present. February 7, 1988. 28.08.2023 59:24

Lola McDowell Lee, a Zen Roshi, discusses the paradox of living in the present while planning for the future.

Zen Roshi Lola McDowell Lee talks about the breath, and how we may have distanced our instinctual being from our rational mind. Jan 31, 1988 28.08.2023 58:20

Lola explains how the base of the breath can be brought deeper, helping to unite the body's instinctual nature and the rational mind.