The Zen Mountain Monastery Podcast
Zen Mountain Monastery
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 15, 2026 • 1h 3min
Come to Rest in Actuality
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei and Danica Shoan Ankele, Sensei - ZCNYC - 3/15/26 - Buddha and Mara are figurative ways of portraying a fundamental seeming opposition within our human nature: Buddha stands for a capacity for awareness, openness, and freedom; with Mara representing a capacity for confusion, closure, and restriction. In this collaborative Dharma Talk Shoan and Hojin explore the four traditional teachings of the ways Mara appears. - This talk followed the Meeting Mara : the Art of Fearless Presence Retreat.
28 snips
Mar 8, 2026 • 48min
So Many Hands and Eyes
A contemplative talk on how compassion and wisdom arise together and become a lived vow. Reflections on obstacles that block caring in daily life and practices that reveal compassionate action. Metaphors of nighttime reaching and zazen's stillness illustrate moving from idea to embodied response. Community service and ordinary kindness are presented as expressions of the bodhisattva spirit.
Mar 8, 2026 • 40min
It’s Right Here
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 3/8/26 - From The Hidden Lamp, Case #1: The Old Woman of Mt. Wutai - What is this desire to have a defined path in life and might the pointing in this koan give some friction to ask the larger question of what is moving us? Hojin takes up this teaching to address the mind that leans forward — imagining fulfillment later, somewhere else.
24 snips
Mar 1, 2026 • 44min
Vimalakirti’s Gate of Non-Duality
A deep dive into Vimalakirti’s koan and the meaning of nonduality. Short readings and reflections on how dualities like right/wrong or sick/well shape experience. Discussion of form and emptiness, the two truths, and avoiding nihilism. Practical guidance on meditation, silence, and balancing wisdom with compassion in daily practice.
28 snips
Mar 1, 2026 • 32min
Mirror, Mirror ! – Reflecting without Division
A medieval mirror practice invites listeners to probe where a single thought or feeling actually is. Playful everyday mirror encounters illuminate how self-image and reaction arise. Zazen and plain looking are described as ways awareness and experience are not separate. The practice points toward compassion that holds differences while recognizing shared human aliveness.
25 snips
Feb 22, 2026 • 44min
Bodhisattva of Great Compassion
A talk on Avalokiteshvara and the nature of universal compassion. Reflections on taking refuge in compassion instantly and practicing lovingkindness in everyday activity. Stories and sutra readings explore myth, embodiment, and teaching skillful means. Practical advice on speech, impartiality, and doing relief work before teaching follows.
18 snips
Feb 21, 2026 • 35min
Metta Sutra As Practice
A deep look at turning inward with zazen while staying open to the world. A practical take on extending loving-kindness impartially to all beings. Ways to balance self-care with compassionate action. Techniques for starting metta, recognizing emotions as sensations, and embodying kindness in daily life.
Feb 19, 2026 • 23min
Shaping the World of Experience
Bear Gokan Bonebakker, Osho - ZMM - 2/19/26 - Coming into the experience of our emotions and thoughts, we can find the way our minds shape our experience from one moment to the next. If we’re not grounded in this embodied experience, and willing to feel our feelings, we may tend to push them away or numb ourselves. This informal talk given during February sesshin invites us to gently and directly feel what we are experiencing, body and mind, and begin to free ourselves from the endless proliferation and ruminating, and rather lead us toward spaciousness and freedom.
14 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 30min
Metta Sutra As Instructions
A clear look at the Karaniya Metta Sutta as a practical guide to settle body and mind. Reflections on cultivating loving-kindness amid personal pain and habitual obstacles. Emphasis on posture, straightforward speech, and simple actions as genuine practice. Thoughts on humility, modest confidence, and wishing safety and ease for all beings.
30 snips
Feb 15, 2026 • 39min
Do Not Disappoint Yourself
A teacher reflects on vows to serve others and how commitment deepens when life gets hard. He discusses how disappointment and turmoil become material for practice and learning. Topics include types of karma, honest self-inquiry, zazen and mindfulness, and bringing vows into daily life to benefit every being.
