{"podcast":{"title":"Talks by Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee","slug":"talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598","podcast_index_feed_id":6423598,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/ing-publishing/feed.xml","website_url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/ing-publishing","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/ing-publishing/20230817_120814_85fafd61824aa95fd155cb2b0c194620.jpg","author":"I & A Publishing","episode_count":141,"summary":"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. RSSVERIFY","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T18:18:31.447349+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598"},"episode":{"title":"In the struggle between opposites is the Truth. Mar 6, 1987","slug":"in-the-struggle-between-opposites-is-the-truth-mar-6-1987","published_at":"2025-09-26T01:02:36+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598/in-the-struggle-between-opposites-is-the-truth-mar-6-1987","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/ing-publishing/2219765","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/214545/2219765/ing-publishing/2025_09_17_16_03_28_0e0e41eb-8583-46ee-90b0-20beb9c65404.mp3","summary":"Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, draws on Buddhist and Hindu traditions (including the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita) to explain the human condition. Struggles and opposition are partners in our growth. Manjushri (wisdom) is not found in shrines, but is alive within each person. Lola recounts a tale of a monk and the village courtesan. She talks about how struggle is necessary for growth; it develops character. Friend and foe, like rose and thorn, are inseparable opposites. The human tendency is to focus on one side and ignore the other. True vision includes both opposites—and finding a center in the balance of them. Lola discusses whether she thinks someone can be wealthy and still find enlightenment. The true self is both presence and emptiness. The mystery of the self is real and should be made actual. Three spokes unite in one nave, and on that which is non-existent, the nave, depends the wheel's utility. Clay is molded into a vessel, and on that which is non on its hollowness, depends the vessel's utility. By cutting out doors and windows, we build a house. and on that which is nonexistent, on the empty space within, depends the house's utility. Therefore, existence renders actual, but nonexistence renders useful. Mar 6, 1987","meta_description":"Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, draws on Buddhist and Hindu traditions (including the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita) to explain the human conditio…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3596,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598/episodes/in-the-struggle-between-opposites-is-the-truth-mar-6-1987/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talks-by-zen-roshi-lola-mcdowell-lee-6423598/in-the-struggle-between-opposites-is-the-truth-mar-6-1987.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}