Ron Hogen Green, Sensei - ZMM - 4/24/25 - Honesty is essential to serious spiritual practice. We need to become honest with ourselves about the nature of our suffering, our habitual reactivity and our fear, so that we can acknowledge them before being able to release them. This level of integrity is needed for the entrance to a loving and compassionate relationship with ourselves and others. As Hogen Sensei says, this intention affects every aspect of living and dying, and the choices we’re free to make along the way. - From Master Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye - Fascicle 31 - Continuous Practice (Gyoji)
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Understanding Selfless Wisdom
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 4/23/25 - The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra shows us there is no intrinsic right and wrong when we understand the nature of emptiness. Selflessness is a key aspect of this wisdom, and developing a clear understanding is essential. The self-less wisdom is what we can rely on to guide us within a world of dualities: good and bad, right and wrong, form and emptiness, seeing their true nature as non dual. In emptiness, nothing exists as separate on its own; all reality is interdependent. Not grasping, not holding on to, not forsaking anything, this is how Shugen Roshi explains the practice of the Perfection of Wisdom.
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The Sacred Activity of Work
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 4/20/25 - How can we transform our everyday actions into expressions of spiritual awakening and joy? Shugen Roshi explores the concept of "Work" as not just physical or mental effort, but as a profound, joyful manifestation of our inherent spiritual abilities. (See Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Fascicle #24 - On the Marvelous Spiritual Abilities.)
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A Question of Practice
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 4/19/25 - Being a practitioner of the Buddha dharma, how do you know practice works? Without commenting or evaluating; without looking for progress, look at how it operates -- how you operate -- right here and now.
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Mountain Light: On Zen Study
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZCNYC - 4/13/25 - The second of the Eight Gates of Zen Training is "Mountain Light: Zen Study". Don't confuse it with "Academic Study" which is the third gate. Zen Study refers to the many facets of studying with a teacher. Shugen Roshi explains what that kind of study means and emphasizes the importance of holding it in prominence and at the same time keeping all eight interconnected gates in natural balance. - From the Blue Cliff Record, Case 11 - Huang Po's Gobblers of Dregs
The Mountains and Rivers Order (MRO) is a Western Zen Buddhist lineage established by the late John Daido Loori Roshi and dedicated to sharing the dharma as it has been passed down, generation to generation, since the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. Zen Mountain Monastery, the main house of the Mountains and Rivers Order, is one of the West’s most respected Zen Buddhist monasteries and training centers. Nestled in New York’s beautiful Catskill Mountains, the Monastery draws its strength from the ancient tradition of Buddhist monasticism. Since 1980, the Monastery has offered spiritual practitioners traditional and innovative ways to engage the dharma through a wide range of retreats and residential programs that unfold within the context of authentic, full-time Zen monastic training. The Zen Center of New York City: Fire Lotus Temple is the city branch of Zen Mountain Monastery. Supporting home practitioners in the metropolitan area, ZCNYC offers varied practice opportunities within the Eight Gates training matrix.
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