Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S8E05 - Monastic Merchandise: Products Made By Monks

Episode Date: January 31, 2019

This week, we look at products made by monks. Monks create a myriad of merchandise that is sold to the public. Some sing and sell CDs of their chants. Others brew their own beer. A few even deal in cannabis. But in almost all cases, the products sell well and sell fast. And the reasons why…are fascinating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. BetMGM, authorized gaming partner of the NBA, has your back all season long. From tip-off to the final buzzer, you're always taken care of with the sportsbook Born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM.

And no matter your team, your favorite player, or your style, there's something every NBA fan will love about BetMGM. And no matter your team, your favorite player, or your style, there's something every NBA fan will love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your basketball home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a slam dunk, and authorized gaming partner of the NBA. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns

about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. From the Under the Influence digital box set, this episode is from Season 8, 2019. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly.

Screenwriter Ed Spielman had an idea to write a movie about Japan's most famous samurai warrior. The first draft had the samurai travel to the Shaolin Temple in China to learn Kung Fu from a Shaolin monk. When he showed that draft to his writing partner Howard Friedlander, Howard was enamored with the monk character and wanted to base the entire movie around the monk. That's when an idea hit him.

He said, Ed, it's a Western. The Shaolin monk, bring him to the West. Ed Spielman immediately knew it was a big idea. They created a character named Kwai Chang Kane, a half-American, half-Chinese Shaolin monk. They loved the idea of a peaceful, gentle monk trying to survive in the gun-dominated Wild West with only his martial arts skills to defend himself.

They quickly wrote a new script and pitched it to Warner Brothers. A movie was too expensive to produce, so the studio suggested it be turned into a weekly TV series instead. The title was changed to Kung Fu. All they needed now was the right actor to play Kwai Chang Kane. A Chinese-American actor who would start as Kato in the Green Hornet series was suggested. His name was Bruce Lee. He was perfect for the role.

He had charisma, he was good-looking, and he was a genuine kung fu master. So, an appointment was arranged for Bruce Lee to audition for the head of Warner Brothers TV. Auditions are important moments. An actor must convince a studio he or she was born for the role. How they enter a room, what they're wearing, and how they conduct themselves is as important as how well they read their lines. Bruce Lee made a bold decision. He burst into the office of the Warner Brothers boss, kicked the door shut behind him, pulled out a pair of nunchakus,

and started swinging them at the executive. It was an alarming introduction. There was no doubt Bruce Lee was an impressive martial artist. And he immediately lost the role. See, the character of Kwai Chang Kane was that of a humble Shaolin monk. He was to be a seemingly passive man who would only fight as a last resort. He was to possess an inner serenity and a quiet spirituality. Bruce Lee was intense, aggressive, and intimidating.

That's when the role went to actor David Carradine. Carradine understood the demeanor of a passive monk and his audition was note perfect. But he was Caucasian and he didn't know Kung Fu. The Association of Asian Pacific American Artists filed a formal complaint

for unfair hiring practices. They wanted Carradine replaced with an Asian actor. But Warner Brothers just wasn't prepared to let an Asian be the star of a network TV series. Kung Fu, the television series starring David Carradine, premiered on ABC in 1972 and was a surprise hit. Despite its success,

the Emmy-winning show was cancelled in 1975. Ratings weren't the problem. Carradine said he left to pursue movies. But, as Bruce Lee biographer Matthew Pauly states, Carradine had been arrested for breaking into a neighbor's home in L.A. and accosting two young women. Carradine was not only high on peyote, he was naked at the time.

It just wasn't the kind of press ABC wanted for an actor playing a wise, gentle, spiritual monks. In almost every country, monks and nuns make and sell a variety of interesting merchandise, from beer and cheese to lotions, caskets, and even cannabis products. They market these items in stores, monastery cafes and brewpubs, and on websites and Facebook pages. Most of the products monks create are considered to be among the best in the world because they've had centuries to perfect their techniques.

When it comes to selling their wares, monks desire two things above all, the highest quality possible and zero profit. It's a fascinating combination. Monks and nuns have existed in monasteries for centuries. They live a simple life of prayer, contemplation, and work. Many monks observe what is known as the Rule of St. Benedict. St. Benedict was a monk in the 6th century who wrote guidelines for monasteries that have been followed ever since. His rules gave a sense of purpose and order

and taught monks how to live a monastic life. For example, Benedict believed every monastery should be run by an abbot. He believed that speech should be used in moderation and that silence was beautiful. He instructed monks to engage in daily manual labor to help sustain the monastery. He forbid private possessions. He believed in obedience, humbleness,

and declared monks should consider themselves inferior to all and accept even the most menial of tasks. There was to be a graduated scale of punishments for transgressions, such as tardiness and pride. He even said monks should sleep in their habits so they could rise without delay in the morning. Out of the rule of St. Benedict came the order of Cistercians of the strict observance,

otherwise known as Trappist monks. Word spread that St. Benedict's rule was so inspirational, one monastery invited him to be their abbot. When he arrived,

he wrote out his strict list of rules. Not long after, the monks began to regret their decision of inviting St. Benedict to be their monk boss. His rules were just too tough. They longed to get back to their lazy and selfish ways.

If only they could get rid of their annoying new abbot. So they decided to offer him a cup of poisoned wine. Legend has it that when offered the wine, Benedict made the sign of the cross over it, and the cup shattered. His life was saved, much to the monk's dismay. The work of monks and nuns is humble and functional. It is not motivated by success or greed. Labor is undertaken to sustain the abbeys where they live.

No more, no less. Monks and nuns do not want to beg or be a burden to anyone. Therefore, they create a myriad of merchandise that is sold to the public. These products are almost always a function of their particular environment. So, if a monastery sits on fertile farmlands, the products are grown, cultivated, or derived from farm animals.

If a monastery has no arable land but resides near a forest, the product is hewn from wood. Some monks sing and sell CDs of their chants, and some nuns deal in cannabis, as we shall soon see. In almost all cases,

the monasteries sell their products in gift shops and market their wares on websites. A wonderful book called A Taste of Heaven, written by Madeleine Scherb, is a guide to products made by monks and nuns. In her book, Scherb gives colorful descriptions

of monasteries and abbeys around the world. By her descriptions, many of the abbeys are awe-inspiring pieces of architecture located in stunning locales. Scherps says that if you're only going to make one pilgrimage in your lifetime to an abbey, make it the Trappist Abbey of Westmall near Antwerp, Belgium. The Westmall Abbey was founded in 1794. The monks there brew three different brands of beer.

The first is called Triple. It's a blonde Belgian ale that is strong, slightly bitter, and packs a 9.5% alcohol wallop. The second is a dark ale called Double, and a third is called Extra.

But that one isn't for sale and is only served to guests who stay there on retreat. The West Mall Trappist monks made an interesting decision recently that would be unheard of in the commercial world. They decided to cap production of their world-renowned beers despite increasing demand. The reason? They didn't want to generate a profit. That would go against St. Benedict's orders.

The beers are all available in the monastery's pub called the Café Trappistin. Another Belgian monastery renowned for its beer is the Our Lady of Scourmont Abbey. The monks there make a beer called Chimay. It comes in three varieties, Rez, Triple, and what is considered by Belgians to be their favorite Trappist beer, Chimay Blue. Interesting to note, Trappist beers can be found in stores, but be sure to look for the small Trappist logo on the label that simply says,

Authentic Trappist Product. This all-word logo is more than an advertising gimmick. It guarantees the beer you're buying has been made by monks and all proceeds are used to support the Trappist monasteries. Commercial brewers love to put monks and abbeys on their labels because Trappist beers have such an admired reputation for quality and taste. But here's what you need to know. Only a dozen beers in the world qualify for the Trappist logo. And here's the clue.

If there's a monk or an abbey on the beer label, you know it wasn't made by monks. The Cistercian monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz in Austria sell a different product, namely CDs. In Europe, their recording titled Chant, Music for Paradise, not only went to the number one position on the classical charts, but also hit the top ten on the pop charts. It all began when the monks discovered Universal Music was searching for old sacred music.

So these digitally hip monks provided Universal with a link to their monastery website and a YouTube clip of their chants. Since its international release, the CD has sold over 800,000 copies. The recording doesn't breach St. Benedict's strict rules, by the way. He placed a high importance on singing prayers, saying, Listen with the ear of your heart. Proceeds from the CD are used to maintain the 900-year-old Abbey and for the training of Cistercian monks and seminarians from the Third World.

Monks and nuns have made cheeses since the Middle Ages. Cheese is an important aspect of monastery living, as St. Benedict's rules insist on a vegetarian diet. The aforementioned West Mall Abbey also makes cheese along with their beer. They use unpasteurized raw milk from their own herd of about 100 cows. And, in a striking difference from commercial farming,

the monks give each cow a name rather than a number. The cheese subtly changes color and flavor depending on the season and whether the cows are eating grass or hay. It is sold exclusively at the Capetrapiston and in a small store inside the Abbey Gates. In the U.S., the nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery near Richmond, Virginia, make and market a delicious cheese that has earned them the nickname Gouda Girls.

The monks of Scourmount Abbey sell a cheese that is soaked in their Chimay beer as it ripens. Chimay cheese is a favorite among some of New York's top cheese connoisseurs. It is said beer and cheese go together at least as well, if not better than, wine and cheese. Probably because beer uses grains and dairy animals eat grains. If you like to enjoy cheese with a slice of really good bread, you can try the Five Flavor Sampler from the Genesee Abbey in upstate New York.

The 24 monks who live there also make hand-baked biscotti and espresso fruit and nut bars, all of which you can see on their website, monksbread.com. The monks at Abbey de Saint-Benoît-de-Lac in Quebec also make delicious cheese. It is the only cheese dairy in North America run by Benedictine monks.

Founded in 1912, the monks make 12 different cheeses with hazelnut and butter flavors and their beautifully designed website lists an award-winning fromage called, appropriately, Frère Jacques.

The monks at Notre-Dame-de-Loc Abbey, in a different part of Quebec, make a renowned Oka cheese. The recipe resides in a notebook

where the original monk wrote that, if there ever came a day when the Abbey stopped making the cheese, the notebook was to be burned so the secret process would not be divulged. Kind of like Colonel Sanders' secret recipe

of 11 different herbs and spices, only more heavenly. As author Sherb notes, cheese made by monks has a mesmerizing flavor and fragrance, all due to the fact that cheeses are made by hand in an age-old process made with milk from cows that are loved.

She also notes the not-so- subtle irony that these monks live such a simple life, but their renowned products attract very wealthy shoppers who jostle for parking spots outside the abbeys in their BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. You may not think so, but it was as difficult to attract monks

to monasteries centuries ago as it is today. Many were hesitant to give up a life of luxury. But one monk in particular, named Saint Bernard, yes, he of the namesake dog fame, was so passionate he actually convinced over 700 men to follow him into the monastic lifestyle. Four of his brothers and one uncle were among the converts. When Saint Bernard told his one remaining brother

that he would inherit the entire family fortune, the brother complained loudly, insisting it was an unfair deal because they were taking heaven with them and leaving him only with wealth and earthly possessions. So he gave it all up and became a monk too. Hat tip to St. Bernard's powers of persuasion. And while you're enjoying your monk-made beer and cheese,

can we offer you a little cannabis with that? And we'll be right back after this message. Nuns from the Sisters of the Valley in California make medicinal products from their own marijuana crop. The nuns' beliefs inform their business process. Production follows the lunar cycle, and the nuns pray and meditate while preparing their products in the Abbey kitchen. The oils, salves, and tinctures they create contain no psychoactive properties, so they can be legally sold online and exported internationally.

The proceeds more than pay for the Abbey's upkeep. Initially, neighbors protested and tried to get the marijuana nuns to move. But, as the Mother Superior there said, the nuns resisted that, quote, head on. The monks at the St. Minerid Arch Abbey in Indiana make beautiful caskets. The monastery is situated in a forest

that yields cherry, walnut, and oak. The caskets are handcrafted to be of the highest quality while still remaining affordable, as described in their YouTube marketing video. Our caskets are priced more than simply competitively. We want to keep the price as low as we can. We're not in this to make a grand profit. Abbey Caskets helps offset some of the costs

that are entailed when a monastic community comes together to live, to pray, and to work. As I mentioned earlier, the products monks create are dictated by their environments. Because Kentucky is bourbon country, the monks in that state soak the fudge they sell in bourbon to give it a unique flavor. Meanwhile, monks at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Georgia

create a southern fudge with peach brandy instead. The monks and nuns at the New Skeet Monastery near Cambridge, New York, make cheesecake spiked with enough sherry to singe your eyebrows. The vegetarian monastery also has a smokehouse where they slow-smoke turkey, bacon, and cheese over hickory wood. But the monks at New Skeet are most famous for something else altogether, the raising and training of dogs, German shepherds in particular.

This is the monastery's main source of income, and they sell a two-disc canine training DVD on their website. Their gift shop also sells greeting cards that feature pictures of the cutest German Shepherd puppies you've ever seen. There is an

abbey in Oregon that is famous for its brandy-soaked fruitcake. The batter is so thick, the monks have to mix it by hand, as no electric mixer has ever survived the process. People take photos of the fruitcake in various countries and send them back to the monks.

They've received photos of their fruitcake sitting on the ice in the South Pole and balancing on the Great Wall of China. The monks use the photos in their media kit. Monks who live in the monastery of Our Lady of Ganagobi in Provence, France, make fine soaps, shampoos, creams, and scented oils. As with all abbeys,

the monks have gathered expert knowledge over hundreds of years. The Provence Abbey, for example, was founded in 965, so they've had a few years to accumulate a unique understanding of how to blend the sage, rosemary, and eucalyptus plants they grow in their gardens.

Of course, that well of knowledge does get a little shallow occasionally. Until recently, there were monks living at a monastery called Our Lady of Springbank in Wisconsin, but they were better known as the Laser Monks. They sold toner and ink cartridges to support their abbey, including soy-based inks as a green alternative. By 2008, the monks were bringing in over $4.5 million per year. That kind of income let the monks live what the head monk called odium sanctum, or holy leisure. But while the monastery invested heavily to fund an ambitious expansion, the Great Recession stopped the business dead in its tracks.

The abbey ceased all operations, vacated the monastery, and sold its laser monk's name and customer list to a California firm, proving once again that in business, the devil is in the details. Meanwhile, over in Japan, some Buddhist monks felt that mainstream Buddhism had grown out of touch with ordinary people. Just as the monastery in Georgia makes fudge flavored with the state's famous peaches, and the monastery in Indiana makes caskets because it's situated in a lumber-rich forest, these Buddhist monks opened a bar in Tokyo so that people could

quietly talk about spiritual matters in the heart of a loud and busy city. The name of the bar is Vows. It's run and owned by monks who feel alcohol pairs perfectly with spiritual matters. They believe that, after a few

drinks, it's easier to talk to people about deeply spiritual teachings than it would be at a formal temple. The bar offers an array of whiskeys and the air is thick with cigarette smoke and calming incense. The bar is a form of marketing. That marketing attracts people, and the monks hold organized gatherings there to talk about Buddhism.

It's a shot of Zen in a busy city. And if you're ever looking for a unique gift idea, the monks of the Community of St. Benedict in Connecticut can help. They have a website and a Facebook page where they sell a variety of products, from butters and monastery mustard to cakes, brownies, and popcorn.

But their most interesting item is the Pope's cologne. For $29.95, you can purchase a two-ounce bottle created from the private formula of Pope Pius IX, who lived from 1792 until 1878. The monastery uses the same exclusive mix of essential oils the Pope's perfumers did 150 years ago, creating a fragrance with notes of violets and citrus. So, if you've ever wondered what a Pope smells like, or if you've ever wanted to smell like one, you can find it on the monks' website. It's also available at the Vatican gift shop.

While it may surprise people to know monks and nuns are savvy marketers, they rarely have to market very hard. That's because their products usually sell well and sell quickly. One of the golden rules of marketing is to sell the right product to the right people at the right time. In this era, there is an intense yearning for organic products, for beverages made in classic and traditional ways, and for foods made with care and healthy ingredients. There is an artisanal nature to the products made by monasteries. The products spring from the land that surrounds the abbeys. The recipe books go back not years, but centuries. They preserve what is being lost.

The expertise is deep and remarkable. Not many companies could make that claim. There is another virtue to the products made by monks and nuns. They are not hurried. There are no corners cut for expediency, no stock market prodding with its hot poker. The very work of making these monastic products is considered an honored form of meditation and dedication.

Quality is the goal. Small batches is the norm. Profit, the enemy of both. It's a philosophy that is hard to find these days, grasshopper, when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrestrial. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound engineer, Keith Ullman. This episode was recorded in the Tear Stream.

Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound Engineer, Keith Oman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Digital content producer, Sydney O'Reilly. If you liked this episode, you may also like an episode titled The Elephant in the Room, Humane Marketing vs. Profit. Season 6, Episode 9. You'll find it in our archives. See you next week.

Under the Influence. Better than anything you can get without a prescription. Hey, I like your style. I'd like your style even more if you were wearing an Under the Influence T-shirt. Just saying. You'll find them on our shop page at terryoreilly.ca

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