Mind and Environment

Mind and Environment

From The Zen Mountain Monastery Podcast by Zen Mountain Monastery

May 24, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi explores the relationship between the thinking mind and the environment we create through our actions and thoughts.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 5/24/26 - Shugen Roshi asks: “When you’re thinking of the thinking mind, what do you find there? And where will you go from there?” At the heart of bodhicitta — the wish to bring suffering to an end — are the questions: What are we contributing? What kind of environment are we creating through our thoughts, words, and actions? Cultivating bodhicitta is how we make our freedom real and, ultimately, what we are able to offer to others. (From the Book of Serenity, Case 32 - Yangshan's "Mind and Environment")

People in this episode

Host: Geoffrey Shugen Arnold

Topics covered

  • bodhicitta
  • mindfulness
  • environment
  • thoughts
  • suffering
  • freedom

Keywords

  • bodhicitta
  • mind
  • environment
  • suffering
  • freedom
  • thoughts
  • Zen

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Book of Serenity

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