Ko Bong
Encyclopedia
Ko Bong Soen Sa Nim the 77th Korean Buddhist Partiarch in his teaching lineage, was a Korean
Zen master known for spontaneous and eccentric teaching. He sometimes said that he preferred to teach laypeople because monks were too lazy to practice hard. He served as Zen
priest at Hwa Gye Sa in Seoul
, South Korea
and died at the temple in 1962. A large granite monument was built in his honor on the hillside overlooking Hwa Gye Sah.
Ko Bong Sunim was Dharma heir
to Man Gong Sunim, who was in turn Dharma heir to Kyong Ho
Sunim. Ko Bong Sunim's best known student was Seung Sahn
Sunim (1927–2004), founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen
. Seung Sahn Sunim received Dharma transmission from Ko Bong Sunim at 22 years of age.
Sunim is a Korean word that means ordained Buddhist and can refer to both men and women who have taken ordination vows.
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
Zen master known for spontaneous and eccentric teaching. He sometimes said that he preferred to teach laypeople because monks were too lazy to practice hard. He served as Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
priest at Hwa Gye Sa in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and died at the temple in 1962. A large granite monument was built in his honor on the hillside overlooking Hwa Gye Sah.
Ko Bong Sunim was Dharma heir
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...
to Man Gong Sunim, who was in turn Dharma heir to Kyong Ho
Kyong Ho
Kyong Ho Seonsa was a famous Korea Sŏn master, and the 75th Patriarch of Korean Sŏn. His original name was Song Tonguk; and his dharma name was Sŏng’u. He is known as the reviver of modern Korean Sŏn Buddhism. Song Tonguk was born in southern Korea , and entered the sangha at the age of nine in 1857...
Sunim. Ko Bong Sunim's best known student was 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...
Sunim (1927–2004), founder of the 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...
. Seung Sahn Sunim received Dharma transmission from Ko Bong Sunim at 22 years of age.
Sunim is a Korean word that means ordained Buddhist and can refer to both men and women who have taken ordination vows.
External links
- Article on Ko Bong at website of Mu Sang Sa
- Ko Bong's Try Mind by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- Ko Bong Sells a Cow by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- 36,000 Mornings, Ko Bong's Enlightenment Story by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- Ko Bong's Wild Dharma Scenes & Broken Precepts by Zen Master Seung Sahn
- Ko Bong's Latter Years, The Story of Hwa Gye Sah by Mu Shim Sunim, JDPS
- Man Gong's Enlightenment Story by Zen Master Seung Sahn, pdf, pages 23-31
See also
- Seung SahnSeung SahnSeung 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...