Shows
The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 32 - There is no such thing as selfless caregivingFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat if “selfless caring” isn’t the ideal we think it is? We return from a short hiatus with a provocative lens on compassion, questioning why so much giving feels like loss and how burnout sneaks in when the mind keeps score. Instead of turning care into a transaction—time out for thanks in—We explore a Zen-infused view where helping is not a heroic sacrifice but the natural movement of one body. Think of the candle that lights a thousand candles without dimming, and the hand that...
2025-12-191h 00The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 31 - Powerless Or Powerful: Rethinking Grief, Prayer, And What RemainsFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat if impermanence isn’t a reason to detach, but a reason to care more deeply right now? We take a clear-eyed look at grief, loss, and the practice that carries us when ideas don’t. A surprising story at a garbage dump becomes a Zen lesson: repulsion is a label, value hides in messy places, and steady effort—keep digging—reveals what cynicism would abandon.From there, we tackle the “Zen disease” of trying to end worry by hating it. Instead of fueling the loop, we...
2025-11-0751 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 30 - Practice For The Small Losses So You’re Ready For The Big OneFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionGrief can make the world feel smaller, louder, and strangely unreal. We open that tight space with a clear, compassionate tour of how Zen teachings and modern psychology help us face loss without sliding into nihilism. Rather than treating death as an ending, we talk about change as the constant of life, and how that perspective—grounded in the three seals and the four noble truths—can make love and presence more vivid, not less.We dig into the Kubler-Ross stages to show how move...
2025-11-0356 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 29 - Dead BuddhasFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionMissed us? We’re back with fresh momentum, an international precept ceremony under our belt, and a major access upgrade: live Zoom captions so students can follow teachings in their own language. We share how opening our doors wider reshapes practice—removing excuses, tightening community bonds, and letting curiosity turn into daily discipline no matter where you live.A listener’s question sparks the heart of the conversation: Are there living Buddhas, and would we know them? What makes a bodhisattva different from the rest o...
2025-10-1748 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 28 - From the archives- A recording of a meditation class lecture. Painting the life you wantFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionSupport the showDr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org
2025-09-0538 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 28 - 5 Roots: 5. The silent wisdom within us is already complete.FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionThe journey through wisdom begins where intellect ends. This episode explores the transformation of the five roots in Buddhism into active powers that can fundamentally change how we navigate life's challenges.At its core, wisdom in Zen isn't merely intellectual understanding but a profound shift in perception. Host Myung Han Sunim unpacks the concept of Shilsang Banya – the silent, all-encompassing wisdom that exists within us, waiting to be accessed. Unlike Western notions of wisdom as clever problem-solving, this innate wisdom has stillness as its pr...
2025-08-2940 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 27 - 5 Roots - 4. Meditation and Stillness as Your BirthrightFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat prevents us from accessing the stillness that already resides within us? MyongAhn Sunim tackles this profound question in our continuing exploration of the Five Roots, focusing today on Jong Kun—the root of meditation, stillness, and quietude.This episode unpacks a revolutionary perspective: we already possess everything needed for transformation. The root of meditation isn't something external to acquire but an innate quality waiting to be consciously activated. When we recognize and intentionally direct this inherent capacity for stillness, it transforms from a pa...
2025-08-2238 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 26 - 5 Roots: 3. The Fire of PerseveranceFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat if the determination you're seeking isn't something you need to find but something you already possess? In this third installment of their mini-series on the five roots, Jörgen Sonnen and Dr. Ruben Lambert explore the fascinating concept of perseverance (jongjin) and how we can transform this innate quality into a conscious power.The conversation reveals a profound truth: determination isn't something we lack but something we direct. Think about it—the teenager seemingly unmotivated to study might wait all night outside a sto...
2025-08-1556 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 25 - 5 Roots: 2. Wake Up!!!FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionHave you ever caught yourself in a full-blown adult tantrum over something as trivial as a parking space? That moment of sudden awareness—when you realize you're behaving exactly like the child you just scolded for crying over where to place their shoes—might be your first encounter with the transformative power of Yom Gun, the Buddhist root of mindfulness.In this fascinating exploration of wakefulness, Jan Ansonian and Dr. Ruben Lambert unpack how our innate capacity for awareness operates beneath our conscious mind like...
2025-08-081h 09The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 24 - 5 Roots - 1. Turning Belief Into PowerFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat if the beliefs running your life right now are operating completely outside your awareness, pulling your strings like an invisible puppet master? We dive deep into the ancient Buddhist concept of Ogun - the five hidden roots that shape every decision you make, every fear you feel, and every dream you pursue or abandon.Far from abstract philosophy, these roots represent measurable psychological forces that science is finally catching up to understand. When researchers gave patients sugar pills but warned them about side...
2025-08-0145 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 23 - Finding Happiness Through Understanding Suffering: A Zen PerspectiveFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat happens when we stop viewing Buddhism's focus on suffering as pessimism and instead see it as the path to profound joy? In this illuminating conversation, Milan Sinim and Dr. Ruben Lambert respond to listener feedback questioning Buddhism's seemingly negative outlook, revealing how understanding suffering ultimately creates the conditions for genuine happiness."What is joy if not absence of suffering?" This simple yet profound question anchors a journey through Zen's nuanced approach to human experience. Rather than denying life's difficulties or promoting toxic positivity...
2025-07-2548 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 22 - Buddhism's Bad Rap: Debunking the "Suffering Only" MythFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestion"All Buddhism does is talk about suffering. What a drag." This common misconception reveals a profound misunderstanding of the Buddha's teachings and prevents many from discovering the transformative wisdom at the heart of Buddhist practice.The Buddha wasn't a pessimist fixated on suffering—he was more like a physician diagnosing an illness to provide a cure. Just as doctors don't focus on disease because they're negative people but because understanding the ailment is essential for healing, the Buddha's examination of suffering was the first st...
2025-07-1857 min
Blue-in-Green:PODCASTBlue-in-GreenPODCAST_#146_Sunim KoriaWelcome to Episode #146 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with bassist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Sunim Koria.
It's been four years since we last caught up with the indelibly talented Lutterworth-based artist for an excellent conversation revolving around his debut full-length release 'Ecstasy & The Apple Tree'. A project that found its inspiration from the late-90s/early-00s broken beat soundscapes typified by luminaries including Deborah Jordan and Kaidi Tatham. Sunim's latest release sees his music take a completely new direction with a scintillating big band-inspired project featuring seventeen musicians entitled 'Cantata'. An incredible feat and passion...
2025-07-1459 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 21 - The Raft Gets You There, But Don't Carry It On Your BackFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWords fail us at the mountain's peak. That deafening silence—somehow both empty and filled with something profound—defies language yet demands our attention. This paradox sits at the heart of our exploration into Zen's complex relationship with language.Many seekers stumble when they encounter Buddhism's warnings about the limitations of words. They mistake this caution for a wholesale rejection of language rather than understanding its specific context. The problem isn't ordinary conversation—it's what happens when words attempt to capture transcendent experiences or when w...
2025-07-1150 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 20 - Freedom's ParadoxFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat does true freedom really mean? In our milestone 20th episode, we unpack this deceptively complex question, revealing how our understanding of freedom often remains superficial until we achieve liberation from our own mental habits and patterns.Freedom isn't simply doing whatever we want. From a Zen perspective, genuine freedom only emerges when we break free from the prison of our own thoughts—the rigid mental frameworks that filter every experience through our preexisting beliefs. As we demonstrate through candid conversation, most of us li...
2025-07-041h 01The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 19 - The Art of Feeling: Zen Perspectives on Numbness and AwarenessFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat happens when we numb ourselves to life's subtle symphony, constantly seeking louder experiences? This question forms the heart of our exploration into numbness—a concept that emerged from a casual conversation after Sunday service but quickly revealed itself as fundamental to understanding human suffering and awakening.Numbness takes many forms in our lives. Sometimes we use substances to escape pain, moving from suffering toward a perceived "normal" state. Other times, we seek stimulation to elevate ourselves from boredom, chasing dopamine hits through increasingly in...
2025-06-2752 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBonus Track #6: Pornographic Birds of the MindFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionThe statement "everything is created by the mind" might seem deceptively simple, but as explored in this thought-provoking bonus track, it contains profound implications about how we perceive and interact with reality. Drawing from a personal experience teaching a meditation workshop, we witness the stark contrast between someone who immediately grasps this concept and another who actively resists it—highlighting how differently the same wisdom lands depending on who receives it.Through vivid examples and unexpected humor, we challenge our romantic notions about nature, li...
2025-06-2324 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 18 - Beyond Rage: Finding Clarity in a World of EmotionFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat happens when anger fuels our actions? Can something traditionally viewed as poison ever become medicine? These questions form the heart of a profound meditation on emotion, motivation, and clarity.Starting with a thoughtful listener question about anger's place in both spiritual practice and social movements, this episode takes us on a nuanced journey through the Zen perspective on emotional states. We carefully distinguish between inwardly-directed frustration that motivates spiritual growth and outwardly-projected anger that inevitably clouds judgment.The metaphor of fire...
2025-06-2049 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 17 - Deafening Murmur Amidst SilenceFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat happens when we truly embrace silence? Not just the absence of speech, but a deliberate practice of observing the noise within?In this revealing conversation between Myong-An Sunim and Dr. Ruben Lambert, we journey into the Korean Zen practice of Mugon Suhaeng (observing silence) and discover that not speaking is merely the surface of a much deeper experience. As Myung-An Sunim shares from his recent practice of silence, we learn that the real discovery comes when we notice the "murmuring"—that constant internal di...
2025-06-1353 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBonus Track #5: Eye Opening Ceremony AddressFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionSupport the showDr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org
2025-06-1010 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 16 - The Tapestry of Karma Extends Beyond What You Can See (karma part 2)FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionHave you ever wondered why bad things sometimes happen to good people? Or why some experiences seem to repeat across generations? Our exploration of karma goes far deeper than the oversimplified idea of cosmic punishment you might be familiar with.Karma, simply meaning "action," represents a sophisticated framework for understanding the complex web of cause and effect that shapes our lives. In this second part of our series, we unveil the multidimensional nature of karmic consequences—some visible, some hidden beneath the surface, some im...
2025-06-061h 06The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBonus Track #4: From the Mouth of a Thousand Buddhas: "You're Not For You"FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionHave you ever stumbled upon wisdom in the most unexpected place? That moment when profound truth arrives from a source you'd never anticipate?A simple gift exchange led to one of the most meaningful spiritual insights I've received. After attempting to thank a friend in my limited Spanish, I turned to a translation app to decipher her response. What appeared on my screen wasn't what she intended to say, but something far more profound: "You're not for you." Those four simple words stopped me...
2025-06-0311 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 15 - Beyond Eye for an Eye: The Misunderstood Nature of Karma (Karma part 1)FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionWhat if karma isn't what you think it is? In this mind-expanding conversation, we unravel the true nature of karma beyond the simplistic "eye for an eye" understanding that leaves so many people confused and doubtful.Karma, at its core, simply means action – specifically the actions of body, speech, and mind. But where most of us get lost is in understanding how these actions connect to their results. We often expect a direct, linear relationship: if I push someone, I should get pushed back in...
2025-05-301h 04The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBonus Track #3: Buckets of Gold or Manure: It's Your LiftFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionHave you ever wondered about the incredible strength you unknowingly possess? The strength that allows you to carry heavy worries day after day without collapsing under their weight?Life presents itself as messy and unnerving—not the neat, nicely packaged experience we might wish for. As we navigate this muddy terrain, we often feel a sense of helplessness and paralysis when facing harsh realities. But this bonus track challenges that very notion. What if the paralysis is false? What if we're already demonstrating superhuman st...
2025-05-2707 minThe World Through Zen Eyes PodcastEp. 14 - Reincarnation of reincarnation. We reincarnate with every emotion, not just between lifetimes.FAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionSupport the showDr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org
2025-05-231h 05The World Through Zen Eyes PodcastBonus Track #2: Depraved HappinessFAN MAIL - Send us a comment or a topic suggestionHave you ever wondered if spiritual teachings about avoiding greed mean you're supposed to live an unfulfilling life? Our latest exploration of "Depraved Happiness" tackles this common misconception head-on.When Zen philosophy identifies greed as one of the three poisons (alongside anger and ignorance), many practitioners mistakenly conclude they must embrace material lack or deprivation. This episode unravels this misunderstanding, revealing that Zen doesn't aim to deprive you of joy or fulfillment—rather, it seeks to free you from the gullibility that makes us ch...
2025-05-2008 min