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What if “new year, new you” is the wrong frame—and what you really need is a revolution against your own autopilot? We open the door with a tour of many new years—solar, lunar, and the 24 seasonal nodes—and show how older cultures tied renewal to nature’s rhythms, community responsibility, and gratitude for the chain that feeds us. Those rituals weren’t quaint; they were operating instructions for a sane life, where appreciation and awareness weren’t optional but essential.

From there, we tackle the modern drift into convenience and distance: running taps, effortless heat, stocked fridges. When stakes are hidden, attention fades, and we only wake up during extremes—injury, conflict, crisis. We share practical Zen tools to reverse that drift, bringing focus back to the ordinary moments where choice actually lives: a turn signal, a breath, a step. That presence is the tiny hinge that swings big doors.

Our central claim is bold and simple: trade resolutions for a personal revolution. The opponent is within—fixed views, reflexive reactions, and identity stories that masquerade as “just who I am.” These programs feel like thinking, but they are habits running the show while we sleep, and karma still lands whether we acted mindfully or not. We unpack how to spot these inner regimes, trace their causes, and “cut the fuse” between trigger and blowup. Drop by drop, attention fills the jar; little by little, milk sours. Your choices can compound either way.

If you’ve ever asked why change slips away or feared who you’d be without your familiar struggles, this conversation offers a path: clear, compassionate, and doable. Join us for a grounded take on renewal that blends ancient seasonal wisdom, community ethics, and practical mindfulness. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s ready for their own revolution, and leave a review to help others find us.

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Dr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com

Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org

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What 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 scratches an itchy knee without applause. No fanfare. No invoices. Just the right action, arising on its own.

We trace the common stages of caring: starting with duty, graduating to “selfless” sacrifice, and finally stepping beyond the subtle duality that still divides helper and helped. Along the way we unpack the “calculating mind,” the hidden ledger that breeds resentment, and we contrast it with the lightness of flow—what athletes describe as being in the zone and what seasoned caregivers embody on tough nights. Heart Sutra insights help us unhook from rigid labels like gain and loss, while keeping both feet on the ground with clear boundaries and practical sense.

A story from a hospital cleaner reveals the quiet power of attention that includes both floor and patient—an undercover bodhisattva at work without seeking credit. We celebrate a living sangha that responds like an organism, not a spreadsheet, and we offer simple ways to practice: notice the tally-keeper, return to what’s needed, and let gratitude be free. If you’ve ever felt drained by doing good, this conversation reframes compassion as oxygen, not fuel you must burn.

If this resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who could use a lighter way to care, and leave a review to help others find the show. Got a topic you want us to explore? Send it our way.

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Dr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com

Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org

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What 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 lay out a practical rhythm: see it, throw it aside, and keep going. We reframe death through a simple incense metaphor and a richer view of transition over annihilation. The pain of lost access is human; the leap to helplessness is optional. Prayer matters. Even if you can’t “receive,” your “broadcast” still carries. That’s why the 49-day period is so meaningful—consistent petitions can illuminate merit, soften karma, and remind us there are no good or bad people, only actions shaped by conditions.

We also open the door to the wider support network in Buddhist cosmology: guardians who prefer rescue over retribution, Jijang at the thresholds, Amitabha presiding with compassion. Much of our suffering is the friction of forcing earthbound rules onto subtler realms. A more honest stance—understand that I don’t understand—keeps us flexible, kind, and effective. Think of departure and arrival as simultaneous, like a newborn leaving water for air in a single breath, or a cut branch blooming when the tree blooms. Relationship remains.

Join us to reorient grief around presence, practice, and power: care fully while it’s here, let go when it’s gone, and keep digging. If this moved you, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a steadier way to face loss.

Support the show

Dr. Ruben Lambert can be found at wisdomspring.com

Ven. MyongAhn Sunim can be found at soshimsa.org