Dharma Discourse by Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei

A monk asked Zhaozhou: what is the meaning of Zen? Zhaozhou said, Cypress tree in the garden.” The truth of our lives is not contained in things, yet we cannot ignore them either. War is not the same as peace. Anger is not the same as wisdom. Do we know how to live in the world and yet be utterly free?

The koan in this talk is “Zhaozhou’s Cypress Tree in the Garden,” case 47 of the Book of Serenity. This discourse was given at ZCNYC.