Written by Grant Goulet
If you’ve tuned into our podcast lately, you might have noticed some changes. We’ve officially rebranded the Mountain Cloud podcast to in the Cloud. It’s a playful nod to a few things: our physical home high up in the clouds of Santa Fe, New Mexico; our incredible global sangha connecting digitally from the tech “cloud”; and the vast, spacious nature of the Zen transmissions themselves. Right now, our feed boasts over 480 talks—that’s a lot of Dharma. We’re still releasing our weekly Thursday night Teisho every Monday, but today, I want to introduce you to something brand new:
We have launched a bi-weekly conversation series called Path(less): An Exploration of the Pathless Path of Practice and Life.
In this series, I’ll be sitting down with a variety of fascinating guests—from teachers within our Sanbo Zen lineage, to folks perhaps more adjacent to Zen that have traveled their own unique paths. Our very first guest was Mountain Cloud’s Guiding Teacher, Valerie Forstman. And we’ve released several other episodes since then.
I’d like to share a brief word on the origin of this series.
The “Pathless Path” is one of those classic Zen phrases that sounds like a riddle but is actually a precise pointer to reality. It highlights the central paradox of Zen: there is this thing called “awakening,” but there is no fixed route or set of steps to get there. What we are seeking—our Buddha-nature, our true Self—is always already present. If that’s true, any idea of making “progress” toward it subtly misses the point.
Similarly, there’s the Mumonkan, or Gateless Gate, a collection of koans taken up in Zen. A gate normally separates the inside from the outside, but Zen says there is no actual barrier between illusion and awakening. The gate is “gateless,” yet we still must pass through it. Or, as Rumi beautifully wrote:
“I’ve been knocking on a door. It opens. I’ve been knocking from the inside.”
Rather than an attainment, it’s a recognition or shift in perspective, revealing what was always hiding in plain sight.
My curiosity about the pathless path stems from my own experience navigating a highly attainment- and outcome-oriented life, following the external markers of success that left a great void of meaning.
This void can be viewed as central to our collective modern anxiety. When we treat life as a series of progressive steps toward a fixed destination, we inevitably encounter suffering. The pathless path suggests that a meaningful life isn’t a smooth, paved highway; it’s a meandering, often rough trail we create—or reveal—simply by taking the next step.
On this path, the source of truth shifts from what we “should” do to our own unique values and intuition. “Failure” stops being a setback and becomes an integral part of an interesting journey. We move from anxious striving into alignment and flow.
By embracing the Zen wisdom that “not knowing is most intimate,” we find that uncertainty is no longer frightening—it’s the very place where we come alive.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over two-and-a-half years(!) since I started Residency at Mountain Cloud, following the intentional dissolution of a decades-long progressive path that wasn’t serving. During this time, I’ve come alive through this “Sanbo” practice, and the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I’ve been continually amazed at the unique paths our sangha members have revealed for themselves. It’s these pathless paths that further compelled the creation of this forum for conversation and exploration.
Throughout the Path(less) series, we’ll be tilling some rich soil, exploring questions like:
- How do we reveal and orient ourselves around our deepest values?
- How does meditation support us when there is no fixed map?
- How do we show up skillfully in support of collective flourishing?
We are always in the right place from which to start. I’m looking forward to embarking on this pathless path together.
Warmly,
Grant Goulet
Grant Goulet is our Campus Operations Manager. Following several years of online practice with Mountain Cloud, while based in Detroit, Michigan, Grant joined the Residency program in January 2024, and, for the past two years, has enjoyed overseeing the daily operations of the Center.
Grant is deeply interested in the supportive tripod of spiritual, philosophical, and scientific disciplines, with particular emphasis on metaphysics and the nature of consciousness. After several years of self-directed inquiry and contemplative practices, Grant was drawn to Zen through the writings and talks of Alan Watts, and has since deepened his appreciation for the tradition as the “the sword so sharp it cuts two into one.” Prior to taking up residency at Mountain Cloud, Grant utilized his PhD in Biomedical Engineering as faculty in academia, and executive leader in industry.
Off the cushion, Grant can be found running wild in the mountains around Santa Fe, taking pictures, and writing down his philosophical musings. Grant lives on-site at Mountain Cloud, with his partner, textile artist Kayla Powers, and their pup, Willa.
