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 ...
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - 3/16/25 - The Diamond Sutraās teachings convey an understanding of karma at the fundamental level of dharma practice. How we get at the roots of karmic formations happens through cultivating awarenessāwithin zazen and within a vowāwhere those energies can be transformed into something different. Karma is not determinant, itās always subject to shift. - From the Blue Cliff Record, Case 97 - "The Diamond Cutter Scripture's Scornful Revilement"
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Linjiās True Person
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 3/9/25 - Everything is in a constant state of becoming, including ourselves. The Buddha said of his realization that this "true self" is not dependent on one's effort. It cannot be created and therefore cannot be destroyed. When the self is freed of all encumbering delusions about the nature of self as being good or bad, pure or impure, then the real form of truth can be known, and one can live freely as "the true person of no rank." (From Master Dogen's 300 Koan Shobogenzo (The True Dharma Eye), Case 147 - Linji's "True Person of No Rank")
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āMountain Training: The Eight Gates of Zenā ā Spring 2025 Ango Opening Talk at ZMM
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 3/2/25 - Shugen Roshi introduces the theme of the MRO 90-day Spring Ango 2025 training period, "Mountain Training: The Eight Gates of Zen."
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Auspicious! Auspicious! Spring 2025 Ango Opening Talk at Fire Lotus Temple
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 3/2/25 - Hojin Sensei opens the Spring Ango practice period at Fire Lotus Temple and introduces this Ango's theme: "Mountain Training: The Eight Gates of Zen."
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Cold and Heat
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 3/1/25 - From the Blue Cliff Record, Case 43 - Tung Shan's No Cold or Heat - What are we holding on to? By facing rather than avoiding extremes, we take up the way to freedom. Using an ancient koan, Shugen Roshi explores the extremes and asks: can we see things as they are, not clouded by our preferences? This does not mean that there is nothing to be done, for there is. Practice is changing the way we use our minds, "down to the bone," so that we can be free in the world of duality.
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 Westās most respected Zen Buddhist monasteries and training centers. Nestled in New Yorkās 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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