Shōyōroku Case 19 | Ummon’s Mount Sumeru — A Zen Koan on Meeting the Obstacles of Mind

About this episode

Sensei Michael Brunner explores a Zen koan on meeting the obstacles of the mind and how clarity arises from engaging with difficulties.

When the mind grows still, the mountain appears. In this talk, Sensei Michael Brunner of One River Zen Center in Ottawa, IL explores Shōyōroku Case 19 — Ummon’s Mount Sumeru, a classic Zen koan on meeting the obstacles of the mind. A monk asks, “When not producing a single thought, is there any fault or not?” Ummon replies, “Mount Sumeru.” Through this brief exchange, Sensei Michael reveals how clarity arises not from avoiding difficulty, but by entering it fully. Drawing on the **Three Transformative Touchstones — maintaining wonder, including everything, and transforming suffering — he invites us to see that every obstacle is already the path itself. Listen to this reflection on Ummon’s Zen koan and discover how the great mountain is none other than your own boundless mind.

People in this episode

Host: Sensei Michael Brunner

Topics covered

• Zen koan
• obstacles of the mind
• clarity
• suffering
• mindfulness
• spirituality

Keywords

• Zen
• koan
• Ummon
• mind
• obstacles
• clarity
• suffering
• spirituality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: One River Zen Center

Books & works: Shōyōroku Case 19, Ummon’s Mount Sumeru

Places: Ottawa, IL

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