Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York, Sunday 01/11/2026 From Master Wu-Men’s Gateless Gate, Case 39: Yun-men Says You Missed It Three core aspects of Zen practice are morality, calming the mind, and insight into the nature of reality. Without this third element, wisdom-insight, Zen isn’t truly a liberating practice. Shugen […]

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 01/04/2026 - With a new year upon us we all have the chance to start fresh. This is always true because nothing is fixed, everything is subject to change, a truth of the dharma which we can verify for ourselves. We have accumulated experiences, memories, expectations, but those are not fixed either. In this perspective, the new year is auspicious because it is full of possibilities, revealing its potential as we take up life fully, with integrity, commitment and kindness. - From Master Dogen's 300 Koan Shobogenzo (The True Dharma Eye), Case 39 - Jingqing's "Buddhadharma at the New Year"

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 1/4/26 - In this talk Hojin draws on the teachings of Zen Master Bankei and the importance of allowing the still point to find us. All so very relevant. His teachings point to something very simple and very radical: before thought, before preference, before judgment—seeing happens, hearing happens, smelling, tasting, touching happens. And none of that needs a self to make it happen. How curious!

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - New Year's Eve 12/31/25 - Moral and ethical conduct in Zen practice involves the ongoing work of recognizing when we have fallen short of kindness, compassion, or honesty. The Renewal of Vows ceremony is an ancient Buddhist ritual that addresses the harm we cause. Through atonement, we acknowledge our transgressions—an essential act of turning karma and bringing benefit to the world, and of renewing our commitment to the vows we live by. Offered on the threshold of the new year, this talk brings Shugen Roshi's Dharma teaching directly into the realities of everyday life.

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 12/31/2025 - Here, in a Fusatsu ceremony—a renewal of vows and an atoning for our transgressions—the foundation is stillness. Zazen is the activity through which we continually return to that stillness. Hojin Sensei encourages us to listen deeply, so that morality is not imposed but received, and our true nature can be discovered. From this place, grace naturally infuses our everyday actions.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 12/30/25 - Harmonizing inner and outer life is the essence of our practice, says Shugen Roshi in this koan talk from Rohatsu sesshin. Those habits of mind which obstruct our harmonious equanimity, keeping us from feeling whole and at-ease, are the very grist of practice. When we settle the mind, even in the midst of discord, we become clearer and more able to trust in our true nature. - From the Book of Serenity - Case 68 - Jiashan "Swinging the Sword"

Katie Yosha Scott-Childress, Senior Lay Student - ZMM - 12/29/25 - From Dogen’s final teachings, a commentary on passages of the Parinirvana Sutra given before the Buddha died is offered by lay senior student Yosha. These teachings focus on what the Buddha himself said were the most essential aspects of what he taught. Rather than being abstract or distant, they speak directly to our ordinary yearnings and lived experience, encouraging us to stay close to the Dharma—through both study and practice—and to discover within that closeness a reliable source of guidance and refuge.

Danica Shoan Ankele, Sensei - ZMM - 12/28/25 - During the year-end Rohatsu sesshin, Shoan Sensei offered this koan talk on the nature of mind as it’s experienced and expressed in Zen Buddhist practice. The koan offered from the Gateless Gate points to "turning the light around", beholding the nature of what we call reality, and learning through experience how we can rely on this to navigate our lives. - From Master Wu-men's Gateless Gate, Case 29 - Hui-neng's "Not the Wind; Not the Flag"

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 12/21/25 - In celebration of Hojin Sensei's formal installation as abbot of Zen Center of New York City and Fire Lotus Temple, Shugen Roshi takes up Master Wu-Men's Gateless Gate Case 22—Mahākāśyapa’s Flagpole—unfolding its historical resonance to illuminate the journey of women in Buddhism and their enduring place in the living tradition of Buddhist practice.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 12/14/25 - In this season of giving, we naturally think of celebration, connection, and gratitude for the family, friends, and community that sustains us. Dana Paramita invites us to open our awareness and our hearts to those around us who may be struggling, alone, or lacking what we ourselves enjoy. So... these days we might ask ourselves: What does a Bodhisattva do at this time of year? Shugen Roshi recalls a fundamental teaching of the Buddha, reiterated by Master Dogen in the Bodhisattva’s Four Methods of Guidance: Giving, Kind Speech, Beneficial Action, and Identity Action.