Dae Gak
Encyclopedia
Dae Gak born Robert Genthner, is a Zen master
and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain
in Clay City, Kentucky
, a Korean Buddhist
temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with Seung Sahn (Dae Soen Sa Nim). He received Dharma transmission
from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D.
in psychology
and is currently a licensed psychologist
in the state of Kentucky
. He is no longer a teacher in Seung Sahn's Kwan Um school. He has founded his own school, with groups in North America, Germany and England.
Dae Gak was born as Robert Genther in Springfield, Massachusetts
in 1947. He first developed an interest in Zen Buddhism in 1969, the same year he graduated from American International College
in Springfield. While doing graduate work at Kent State University
, two of his students were killed during the shootings at Kent State University
.
Dae Gak graduated from Kent State in 1973 with his Ph.D.
in clinical psychology
, later that year teaching psychology at Eastern Kentucky University
in Richmond, Kentucky
. He stopped teaching in 1979http://www.library.eku.edu/new/content/archives/findingaids/powellj2.htm, afterward practicing as a licensed psychologist.http://www.furnacemountain.org/bio.html
Throughout the 1970s he practiced under various teachers, including Eido Tai Shimano
, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki
, Taizan Maezumi
and Maurine Stuart
. These were all teachers in the Rinzai school, with the exception of Maezumi, who taught a combination of Rinzai and Sōtō
Zen.
In 1979, Dae Gak met Seung Sahn
Soen Sa Nim during a retreat at the Providence Zen Center
. In the early 1980s, he and several other individuals founded the Lexington Zen Center in his home, with retreats sometimes taking place at the homes of other practitioners. The "center" later became affiliated with Seung Sahn's Kwan Um School of Zen
that was founded in July of 1983; in 1988 he received "inka
," or authorization to teach koans and lead retreats.http://www.furnacemountain.org/bio.html In 1986, he co-founded a Zen temple at Furnace Mountain
with Seung Sahn. The temple, Kwan Se Um San Ji Sah, was completed in 1994. Also that year, Dae Gak received Dharma transmission
from Seung Sahn, making him one of his earliest Dharma heirs; he also founded the Cincinnati Zen Center.
During the 1980s, Dae Gak befriended Cambodian monk Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda, who became a frequent visitor to Furnace Mountain. Dae Gak also attended retreats with the Vietnamese monk and Zen master
Thich Nhat Hanh.
In 2000 Dae Gak left the Kwan Um school. He has since established groups in North America, Germany and England.
Zen master
Zen master is an umbrella title sometimes used to refer to an individual who has been recognized by an authorized Zen lineage holder and teacher as having met his or her own teacher's standards of realization or insight. These standards vary widely in different traditions, and may vary among...
and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain is an American Zen Buddhist retreat center in Clay City, Kentucky, co-founded in 1986 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and Dae Gak Soen Sa Nim as part of the international Kwan Um School of Zen; it is now unaffiliated with the school in an official capacity...
in Clay City, Kentucky
Clay City, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,303 people, 543 households, and 367 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,199.5 people per square mile . There were 588 housing units at an average density of 541.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.08% White, 0.23%...
, a Korean Buddhist
Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new...
temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with Seung Sahn (Dae Soen Sa Nim). He received Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and is currently a licensed psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He is no longer a teacher in Seung Sahn's Kwan Um school. He has founded his own school, with groups in North America, Germany and England.
Biography
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
in 1947. He first developed an interest in Zen Buddhism in 1969, the same year he graduated from American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
in Springfield. While doing graduate work at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, two of his students were killed during the shootings at Kent State University
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
.
Dae Gak graduated from Kent State in 1973 with his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
, later that year teaching psychology at Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
in Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond, Kentucky
There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had...
. He stopped teaching in 1979http://www.library.eku.edu/new/content/archives/findingaids/powellj2.htm, afterward practicing as a licensed psychologist.http://www.furnacemountain.org/bio.html
Throughout the 1970s he practiced under various teachers, including Eido Tai Shimano
Eido Tai Shimano
is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist roshi. He was the founding abbot of the New York Zendo Shobo-Ji in Manhattan and Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji monastery in the Catskill mountains of New York; he retired from that position after 40 years amid controversy.-Biography:...
, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki
Kyozan Joshu Sasaki
Kyozan Joshu Sasaki , Roshi is a Japanese Rinzai Zen teacher who has lived in the United States since 1962. Joshu Sasaki is the founder and head abbot of the Mount Baldy Zen Center, near Mount Baldy in California, and of the Rinzai-Ji order of affiliated Zen centers. As of , he is still actively...
, Taizan Maezumi
Taizan Maezumi
Hakuyū Taizan Maezumi was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and rōshi, and lineage holder in the Sōtō, Rinzai and Harada-Yasutani traditions of Zen. He combined the Rinzai use of koans and the Sōtō emphasis on shikantaza in his teachings, influenced by his years studying under Hakuun Yasutani in the...
and Maurine Stuart
Maurine Stuart
Maurine Stuart , a.k.a. Ma Roshi or Mother Roshi, was a Rinzai Zen roshi who was granted her teaching title during an informal ceremony in 1982 held by her teacher Soen Nakagawa. She was one of the first female Zen masters to teach in the United States, and in 1979 became president and spiritual...
. These were all teachers in the Rinzai school, with the exception of Maezumi, who taught a combination of Rinzai and Sōtō
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
Zen.
In 1979, Dae Gak met Seung Sahn
Seung Sahn
Seung Sahn Haeng Won Dae Soen-sa , born Dok-In Lee, was a Korean Jogye Seon master and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen—the largest Zen institution present in the Western world. He was the seventy-eighth teacher in his lineage...
Soen Sa Nim during a retreat at the Providence Zen Center
Providence Zen Center
Providence Zen Center is the international headquarters for the Kwan Um School of Zen and the first Zen center established by Seung Sahn in the United States in October 1972. The PZC offers residential training where students and teachers live together under one roof, which was one of the...
. In the early 1980s, he and several other individuals founded the Lexington Zen Center in his home, with retreats sometimes taking place at the homes of other practitioners. The "center" later became affiliated with Seung Sahn's Kwan Um School of Zen
Kwan Um School of Zen
The Kwan Um School of Zen is an international school of Zen centers and groups, founded in 1983 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim. The school's international head temple is located at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island, which was founded in 1972 shortly after Seung Sahn first came to...
that was founded in July of 1983; in 1988 he received "inka
Inka
, is a term used in Zen Buddhism to denote a high-level of certification, and literally means "the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof." In ancient times inka usually came in the form of an actual document, but this practice is no longer commonplace...
," or authorization to teach koans and lead retreats.http://www.furnacemountain.org/bio.html In 1986, he co-founded a Zen temple at Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain is an American Zen Buddhist retreat center in Clay City, Kentucky, co-founded in 1986 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and Dae Gak Soen Sa Nim as part of the international Kwan Um School of Zen; it is now unaffiliated with the school in an official capacity...
with Seung Sahn. The temple, Kwan Se Um San Ji Sah, was completed in 1994. Also that year, Dae Gak received Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
from Seung Sahn, making him one of his earliest Dharma heirs; he also founded the Cincinnati Zen Center.
During the 1980s, Dae Gak befriended Cambodian monk Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda, who became a frequent visitor to Furnace Mountain. Dae Gak also attended retreats with the Vietnamese monk and Zen master
Zen master
Zen master is an umbrella title sometimes used to refer to an individual who has been recognized by an authorized Zen lineage holder and teacher as having met his or her own teacher's standards of realization or insight. These standards vary widely in different traditions, and may vary among...
Thich Nhat Hanh.
In 2000 Dae Gak left the Kwan Um school. He has since established groups in North America, Germany and England.
Groups
- Cincinnati Zen Center (Cincinnati, OH)
- Dae Do Sah Zen Group (Washington, D.C.)
- Hamilton Zen Center (Hamilton, OH)
- Northern Kentucky Zen Center (Erlanger, KY)
- Still Water Zen Center (Richmond, VA)
- Zen Island Fellowship (Galveston, TX)
Affiliates
- Mansfield Zen Center (Mansfield, OH)
- Queensland Zen Centre (Queensland, AU)
- Zen Society of Wooster (Wooster, OH)
See also
- George BowmanGeorge BowmanGeorge Bowman, or Bo Mun Soen sa Nim, is a Zen master and licensed psychotherapist living at Furnace Mountain in Clay City, Kentucky . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim in 1992, and is a former teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen...
(resident hermit at Furnace Mountain) - Furnace MountainFurnace MountainFurnace Mountain is an American Zen Buddhist retreat center in Clay City, Kentucky, co-founded in 1986 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and Dae Gak Soen Sa Nim as part of the international Kwan Um School of Zen; it is now unaffiliated with the school in an official capacity...
- Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesTimeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesBelow is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.-Early history:* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago...