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 Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York, where he serves as the full-time resident teacher, and Zen Center of New York City in Brooklyn. Trained as a musician, Shugen was introduced to and began practicing Zen meditation in 1975.
