
The Spring’s Knee-Deep Mud
From The Zen Mountain Monastery Podcast by Zen Mountain Monastery
May 10, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold discusses the challenges practitioners face in bringing goodness into a complex and unpredictable world.
Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 5/10/26 - Who fears the spring row’s knee-deep mud? This line from Hongzhi’s poem underscores the challenge which all practitioners of the dharma face: to bring something good into the world, despite the challenges that we inevitably face. Our world is constantly in flux, complex and unpredictable, and those on the Path are called to both quiet reverence and to making real effort. With words and activity, mindfulness and the moral precepts, Shugen Roshi encourages us to inhabit this universe in all directions. (From the Book of Serenity, Case 79 - Changsha Advancing a Step)
People in this episode
Host: Geoffrey Shugen Arnold
Topics covered
- dharma
- mindfulness
- Buddhism
- spiritual practice
- challenges
- effort
Keywords
- dharma
- mindfulness
- Buddhism
- spirituality
- Hongzhi
- Book of Serenity
- challenges
- effort
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Book of Serenity, Case 79 - Changsha Advancing a Step
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