Geoffrey Shugen Arnold


Geoffrey Shugen Arnold is Rōshi of the Mountains and Rivers Order founded by John Daido Loori, from whom Shugen received shiho, or dharma transmission, in July 1997. As a lineage holder in the Sōtō tradition, Shugen currently serves as head of MRO and abbot of both in Mt. Tremper, New York, where he serves as the full-time resident teacher, and in Brooklyn. Trained as a musician, Shugen was introduced to and began practicing Zen meditation in 1975. He began his formal training at Zen Mountain Monastery in 1984, and received tokudo, full monastic ordination, in 1988. Shugen's teachings have appeared in various Buddhist publications, including ', ' and in The Best Buddhist Writing 2005 and 2009. His dharma talks are available for sale through the and as a free podcast at . He is the author of , a collection of Zen memorial poems, published by Dharma Communications in 2012.
Shugen Roshi has given shiho or dharma transmission to Ron Hogen Green, Sensei; Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei; and Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, Sensei.