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.

Om Podcasten

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.