Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Friday Evening 04/29/2022
Dharma Talk during the Apple Blossom Sesshin 2022 Fusatsu Ceremony
Not Creating Evil, Practicing Good, and Actualizing Good For Others — these are The Three Pure Bodhisattva Precepts. But what does it mean to truly take up these vows in our own lives? In this talk, Hojin Sensei explores the meaning of each precept and how they can guide us in our practice.
Ron Hogen Green, Sensei
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Friday Evening 04/01/2022
Dharma Talk during the Founder’s Sesshin 2022 Fusatsu Ceremony
The tenth Buddhist Precept is to “Experience the intimacy of things; Do not defile the Three Treasures.” How do we understand and apply this Precept? In this talk, Hogen Sensei takes up this profound teaching, imploring us to look closely at our practice and our lives.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Friday Evening 12/31/2021
Shugen Roshi offers inspiration on the virtues of vow during the New Year’s Eve Fusatsu, or renewal of vows, ceremony.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, 3/14/2019
This Fusatsu talk invites us to reflect deeply on Dōgen’s teaching from the Spring Ango study fascicle: “Refrain from unwholesome action. Do wholesome action. Purify your own mind. This is the teaching of all buddhas.” Shugen Roshi explores how all actions (positive, negative, and neutral) are unborn, undefiled, and are reality manifest in various ways. Study of our thoughts, words, and actions with an undivided heart offers insight to understanding intentions, desires, and karma. Refraining from unwholesome action is how is “the power of practice immediately actualized” which Dōgen describes.
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Mountain Monastery, 11/8/2018
Hojin Sensei, in a talk given during a renewal of vows ceremony, speaks about six forms of reverence: training, heedfulness, hospitality, and reverence for the buddha, dharma, and sangha.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 06/26/2022
Drawing from the teachings of Shantideva (8th century India), Dogen (13th century Japan) and Longchenpa (14th Century Tibet), Shugen Roshi speaks of The Four Immesaurables.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Saturday 06/25/2022
Drawing from the teachings of Shantideva (8th century India), Dogen (13th century Japan) and Longchenpa (14th Century Tibet), Shugen Roshi speaks of bodhicitta, the wish to realize enlightenment for the benefit of others. “This bodhicitta is not something. It’s alive, it’s inexpressible, it’s inconceivable. It doesn’t belong to buddhism but buddhism understands it profoundly. It’s available to every person but you cannot possess it. You can’t lose it. But it can grow dim. It is born from faith, it is nurtured by faith, it is verified by faith, within ourselves. Bodhicitta requires an opening, a softening, to find its way in to our discerning mind that is beyond calculation. Where does this come from? In response to affinity between the dharma and the student. You feel it when it’s there. You know it. You may not understand it, be able to express it. But there is something going on. Something is stirring, something is coming together. It’s as if it is something you already know. It is not a stranger. But it is strange…”
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Friday 06/24/2022
How do we relate to all that comes up in our everyday life – our “ingredients” – and what are the attitudes with which we conduct ourselves? How do we practice our lives? Hojin Sensei guides us through Master Dogen’s “Tenzo Kyōkun – Instructions for the Cook”, and explores Dogen’s “Secrets of Enlightenment”: 1) Living with a joyful heart 2) Caring with the deep concerns of a parent 3) Performing all activities with compassion.
Degna Chikei Levister, Senior Lay Student
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Thursday 06/23/2022
From a poem, “Friend”, by an early Buddhist Nun, Mita.
How do we know when we are acting out of our conditioning? Are we always aware of our emotional drivers, our fears? From the Early Buddhist nuns to Master Dogen to our contemporaries, Chikei shares her inspiration to diligently and continuously practice everything in our life (“Don’t waste your suffering.”), be vigilant of our conditioning (“Know thyself.”) and remember to hold ourselves with compassion (“Make everyone a friend, especially ourselves.”).
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Wednesday 06/22/2022
From Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo Fascicle “King of Samadhis”
We speak of Samadhi as being meditation, concentration, single-minded focus. In this talk Shugen Roshi points out that in the Buddhist sense Samadhi is based in morality and compassion. It’s not separate. It’s one aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path, all eight of which are to be cultivated together.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 06/19/2022
From The Book of Serenity, Case 70 – Jinshan Asks About Nature
“What happens in the moments when the self has been seen through and we are still being held back? In that moment, that which has been seen is not being actualized. Having tamed the untamed, having freed the buddha from its entanglements, those entanglements still have energy, still have life. That’s why the idea that we can practice, apply effort, have an experience that we call enlightenment and be done is a false idea. What is this whole idea of being ‘done’? If you’re an artist, when are you done? If you’re a school teacher, a parent, when are you done? Not just done in the sense that there is something more to do, but done in the sense of strengthening your strength, refining your skill…”
Linda Shinji Hoffman, Senior Lay Student
Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 06/19/2022
In this talk, Linda Shinji Hoffman explores the Seven Factors of Awakening through the lens of an orchardist tending to trees. She also honors Juneteenth.
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei and Ron Hogen Green, Sensei
Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 06/12/2022
Hojin Sensei and Hogen Sensei officiate the June 2022 Jukai ceremony at Fire Lotus Temple in which four students received the sixteen Buddhist precepts: Marie Ninsei (“Patient, Enduring Heart Vow”) Ringo, Dan Chikyuu (“Endlessly Clarifying Enlightenment”) Donohue, Tate Kairyu (“Open Dragon”) Dougherty, Stu Shintai (“Percevering Faith Mind”) Kennedy. Ninsei, Chikyuu, Kairyu, and Shintai have all been practicing as formal students and studying these moral and ethical teachings for a number of years. During the ceremony, Hojin Sensei and Hogen Sensei offer joyful encouragement to the recipients as they take up these vows.
Bear Gokan Bonebakker, Senior Monastic and Dharma Holder
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 06/12/2022
With the teaching of Bodhidharma’s “Outline of Practice” and recalling Daido Roshi’s frequent admonition: “trust yourself”, Gokan offers us heartfelt encouragement to make these teachings our own.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 06/05/2022
From The Book of Serenity, Case 12 – Dizang Planting the Fields
“How do we stop our seeking that which is outside and turn the light around? How do we learn how to investigate in a way that is nonconceptual? How do we use this mind? This bright, clear, sharp, awake, miraculously aware mind? We have to bring it out of its dullness, sleepiness and lethargy. All of which are good strategies to live in a world that’s kind of hard to live in. Just shut it down. It makes sense. Lower the curtain, put up a wall, close the door. It seems to be quieter. But it’s not really a life yet. And so, in opening the curtain, opening the door, turning on that bright clear light, now we have to learn how to meet pain and sorrow. Inside and outside…”
