Keichū Makes Carts — Mumonkan Case 8

In this episode of Awakening Streams, Sensei Sōen Michael offers a Zen teishō on Mumonkan Case 8, “Keichū Makes Carts.” This classical koan asks what truly functions when the wheels and axle are removed—and what is revealed when we stop mistaking explanation, judgment, and story for lived experience.

Drawing from koan study, dokusan encounters, and everyday practice, Sensei Sōen explores how Zen points beyond both concepts and raw experience, toward the active wheel that moves freely in all directions. This teaching addresses presence, function, and the subtle ways even “being present” can become another thing we cling to.

Awakening Streams is the Zen teaching podcast of One River Zen (ORZ), a practice community based in Ottawa, Illinois, offering regular meditation, koan study, and Dharma teachings rooted in classical Zen and lived engagement with the world.

🔹 About the Teacher

Sensei Soen Michael is the founding teacher of One River Zen and a Zen priest and teacher in the Soto tradition. His teachings emphasize direct encounter, koan practice, and the integration of Zen into ordinary life.

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One River Zen: https://oneriverzen.org

Zen teaching archive: https://oneriverzen.org/daily-zen