
The Mind is Mountains, Rivers, and the Earth
From Zen Mind by Zenki Christian Dillo
April 2, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
This episode explores the concept of the mind through a classic koan and invites practitioners to investigate their own experience of mind and perception.
This talk was offered on Day 2 of the Spring Sesshin at the Boulder Zen Center. It takes up a classic koan exchange: “What is the wondrous clear mind?” – “Mountains, rivers, and the earth. The sun, the moon, and stars.” The talk invites practitioners to investigate where the mind is located in their own experience, moving through a progression: from the familiar default of a private chamber behind the eyes, to attention merged with breath traveling through the body, to the senses opening outw...
People in this episode
Host: Zenki Christian Dillo
Topics covered
- koan
- mindfulness
- zen practice
- breath
- perception
- spiritual investigation
Keywords
- koan
- mind
- Boulder Zen Center
- zen
- spirituality
- breath
- perception
- sesshin
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Boulder Zen Center
Books & works: The Mind is Mountains, Rivers, and the Earth
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