Pure Perception

Michelle Seigei Spark, Lay Senior MRO Student - ZMM - 7/20/25 - Our six senses can be an entry to the whole entire mind of practice and provide us direct dharma teachings of the world in which we exist. While our thinking minds might hurry right past what our senses are perceiving, we have the capacity to take in much more. Immersing ourselves in the wonders of sound, touch, taste—and even awareness of our aging bodies, illness, and the impermanence of all life—we can allow pure perception help consciousness shift.

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.