Blue Collar Zen | Podcast on RSS.com

Blue Collar Zen

Blue Collar Zen

by spiritual folk-tales & conversations, at the Detroit Zen Center

Mental Health Spirituality

Season 5

LIVE! Cotton Sock Flower; the Origin Story of Sudeoksa Temple

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 Mother Temple, Sudeoksa. It was recorded in front of a live audience inside the Detroit Zen Center Meditaiton Hall on 11/20/25.

Season 4

Tumbledown Sage

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.

Of Fire and Weeds

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.

The Old Man with a Broken Arm

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.

Cutting up of the Ox

A simple cook teaches his ruler (the Emperor) about the Tao.

Season 3

Yielding, with the 4 Adepts

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 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...

Let Go?

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 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.

Red Bean Porridge Bubbling

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.

Season 2

A Little Talk about Evening Things Out

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, Taoism, chickens & eggs, Zen, practice as a routine, and other subjects. We hope you enjoy the winding road of this morning's Christmas story.

On the Road Home

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.

1 of 3