Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/05/2023
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 33 – Ma-tsu: “No Mind, No Buddha”
These things we seek and questions we have… What is Buddha? What is enlightenment? What is peace, compassion, … When we seek something we must know something about it, no? Otherwise how would we know to seek it? Shugen Roshi encourages us to let go of what we think we know; see what happens when we let go of our understanding. Including our understanding of “letting go”.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 11/27/2022
Beginning with the poem “In Between Your Eyebrows” by Nelly Sachs, Shugen Roshi talks about healing and awakening, the self and mind, giving and receiving; experiencing their equivalence and realizing that we’re dwelling in Buddha Nature.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 11/06/2022
From the Book of Serenity, Case 53 – Huangbo’s “Dreg-slurpers”
The Buddha said we all have Buddha Nature; we all have an already completely present and perfect enlightened mind, an enlightened nature. Shugen Roshi talks about spiritual practice, the “path of non-attachment” and its meaning in the context of the world in which we live wherein there is such a strong inclination to go against that.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 10/09/2022
From the True Dharma Eye, Case 16 – Changsha’s “Returning to Mountains, Rivers, and the Great Earth”
This talk by Shugen Roshi was offered on the 13th year anniversary of Daido Roshi’s passing. Shugen shares some stories from back in the day and invokes Daidoshi’s love for the wilderness, Dogen, and the “Mountains and Rivers Sutra.”
How do we see and experience challenging relationships and obstructive situations in a skillful way? When faced with so much suffering, greed, and anger, how can we bring forth generosity, patience, loving kindness and compassion? Turning the things of the world in order to solve the many problems doesn’t get to the root. But when we instead turn this body/mind to meet the world just as it is, we discover a peace that reaches everywhere.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 09/11/2022
From The Blue Cliff Record, Case 35 – The Dialog of Manjusri and Wu Cho
“In the first moment of contact, what we see, what we hear, is not obscured. Sound and form are purely real, they are just as they are, they are not anything other. But our mind, in an instant, before we know it, without our seeing it, floods that image or that sound or that taste, or touch, with all of our mind’s karmic burden. All our perceptions, our views, our beliefs, our memories, and so on. While our senses simply perceive things, non-obscured, our mind then begins to in a flash obscures and gives meaning, which is taught. Everything in society teaches us what those things mean. All of those ways we separate and exclude and include and create conflict and wealth and poverty, the whole mass of suffering.“
“To be able to separate the profound from the naive, to distinguish a jewel from a stone, is actually necessary. If we can’t discern within our own practice of what is practice according to the dharma and what is not, what is a serving or habitual desire, and what is an impulse or sense of a direction that we can trust, it’s going to be very difficult to practice. So we need to learn how to distinguish. But to do so without malice, without ill will. With clarity. And without infusing a sense of absolute truth into those things that we are discerning.”
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 08/07/2022
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 8 – Hsi-chung Makes Carts
The Buddha realized, and taught, that it is our sense of self, our sense of our individual person within, that is the source of everything we create that causes distress and confusion and unhappiness. Salvation from this dukkha is not about finding a way out of it but about finding a way into it. If we want to actually free ourselves we have to practice freeing ourselves right now, just now.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 07/03/2022
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 44 – Pa-chiao and a Stick
“What is it that we attach to? Anything that is perceived as being outside ourselves becomes an object and therefore becomes a very likely candidate for clinging. Because to grasp at anything, it has to be ‘not me’. So what’s actually being grasped in our grasping? Is it the object? So there is something that I want. It might be an object, a car, clothing, a plate of food, a house, a person. It could be anything. Am I grasping at the object itself? Or am I grasping at my idea of the object? Or am I grasping at my desire for the object? Or am I grasping at whatever I want that object to do for me? Whatever I want to get from it: happiness, satisfaction, a thrill. Or am I grasping at what I want all of that to make me feel about myself? Worthy, capable, intelligent, smart, successful. What are we actually grasping at?”
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…”
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 04/10/2022
From The Blue Cliff Record, Case 21 – Chih Men’s “Lotus Flower, Lotus Leaves”
Shugen Roshi explores Buddha Nature as a foundational teaching of the Dharma, one we can actively study and focus on. How can we come to reveal our own enlightened nature, and what conditions are necessary for the husk of our seed to open?
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 03/13/2022
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 26 – Two Monastics Roll Up the Bamboo Blinds
How do our projections affect our understanding of ourselves and the world around us? And how can we more clearly see these projections and the ways they cloud us from our own wisdom and Buddha Nature? In this talk, Shugen Roshi illustrates the reason we practice zazen remaining where we are, as well as the relationship between doubt, faith, and perseverance as we practice over time.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/06/2022
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 13 – Deshan Carries His Bowls
How do we create our own distractedness? And how do we get caught up in our flurry of concepts? It’s not conceptual thinking itself that is the problem. Shugen Roshi offers that by taking the seat of no evasion, turning our attention inwards, we can witness how “what we think we know” impedes our experience of our lives as they are, full and complete.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 01/09/2022
From The Gateless Gate, Case 20 – A Person of Great Strength
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 12/05/2021
From Wumen’s Gateless Gate, Case 39 – Yunmen says you’ve missed it.
When we experience suffering, more often than not, we disseminate it in various ways so that others also experience suffering. However, the Buddha realized that we can actively bring suffering to rest. Don’t wait. Examine it when it arises.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York, Sunday 03/26/2023
From Master Dogen’s 300 Koan Shobogenzo (The True Dharma Eye), Case 288 – Zhaozhou’s “Indestructible Nature”
Shugen Roshi talks about the MRO’s newly formed Sangha Harmony Advisory Council; how and why it came about.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York, Sunday 03/19/2023
From Master Wu-men’s Gateless Gate, Case 16 – Yün-men: The Sound of the Bell
Setting out on a spiritual path… is it about seeking and finding answers that will put our questions to rest? Or is about seeing deeply, with faith, doubt and determination, in equal measure; relaxing about finding answers and instead cultivating a path of continually living the questions?
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York, Saturday 03/18/2023
Shugen Roshi offers the rich heritage of teachings on Zazen; this fundamental activity in the practice of Zen Buddhism.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper, New York, Sunday 03/12/2023
How do we “cultivate a trust in our non-thinking mind”? What happens when you “give yourself over to everyday mind”? Shugen Roshi illustrates these activities beginning with the the story of Deshan’s awakening.
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Saturday 03/11/2023
Hojin Sensei offers Dharma words and a reading of Dogen’s fascicle Zenki, “Undivided Activity” during a Zazenkai at Fire Lotus Temple.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York, Sunday 03/05/2023
Shugen Roshi introduces the theme of our 90-day Spring Ango training period, “Birth and Death.” Preceding Shugen Roshi’s dharma talk, you’ll hear an 8 minute abridged version of the opening ceremony. If you’d like to learn more about our Ango program and possibly participate, please click here: https://zmm.org/teachings-and-training/ango/
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 03/05/2023
Hojin Sensei opens the Spring 2023 Ango at Fire Lotus Temple. She asks, of this Ango’s theme, “Birth and Death,” what is birth? what is death? These themes will be explored through readings, liturgy, art practice, and many other offerings at Fire Lotus Temple and Zen Mountain Monastery this Spring.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper, New York, Saturday 03/04/2023
“Home Leaving” traditionally referred to a person leaving their life behind and becoming a monastic. Shugen Roshi talks about Home Leaving in a deeper, complete sense that applies to all of us on the spiritual path, using the story of Punyamitra and the teachings of Nagarjuna to the writings of Zen Master Hongzhi.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper, New York, Sunday 02/26/2023
One of the stories of Bodhidharma (the founder of the Zen Lineage) goes this way: that he sat in his cave facing the wall for 9 years. We emulate this during our daily zazen practice. We also say that we’re on the Bodhisattva path, actively practicing the way of the Bodhisattva in our daily lives. So what does sitting facing the wall have to do with the activity of the Bodhisattva? What is the “activity of facing the wall?” Shugen Roshi talks about the ways in which we take up this fundamental practice, and asks: What is it to “study the self” as Dogen says? How are we facing our fears? How do we go “beyond the fear of differences?”
Degna Chikei Levister, MRO Senior Lay Student
Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 02/26/2023
How do we live a life grounded in truth? And how does our conditioning lead us to step outside of ourselves and look for truth elsewhere? Drawing on her own experience on and off the cushion, Chikei discusses the Fourth Grave Precept, “Manifest Truth, Do Not Lie.”
