Kwan Um School of Zen - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Kwan Um School of Zen

School:	Seon 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... (Korean Zen)
Founder:	Dae Soen Sa Nim (Seung Sahn)
Founded:	1983
Head temple:	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...
Guiding teacher:	Soeng Hyang Soeng Hyang Soeng Hyang Soen Sa Nim is a Zen Master and the Guiding Teacher of the international Kwan Um School of Zen, and successor to the late Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim.-Biography:...
Head teacher (Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... ):	Wu Bong Wu Bong Wu Bong, born Jacob Perl, is a Soen Sa Nim in the Kwan Um School of Zen. Perl currently acts as the head teacher of the . As the first student of Dae Soen Sa Nim in the United States, he had previously practiced Zen Buddhism in the Sōtō tradition at the San Francisco Zen Center under Shunryu Suzuki...
Head abbot:	Dae Kwang Dae Kwang Dae Kwang is a Soen Sa Nim and is the current guiding teacher of the Providence Zen Center. He was ordained as a monk in 1987 and received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1996. He also serves as head abbot of the entire lineage, ranking just below Soeng Hyang .-References:...
Lineage:	Seung Sahn
Primary location:	International International ----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
Website

www.kwanumzen.org/ http://zen.kwanumeurope.org/

The Kwan Um School of Zen (관음선종회) (KUSZ) is an international school of 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...

centers and groups, founded in 1983 by 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. The school's international head temple is located 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 Cumberland, Rhode Island

Cumberland, Rhode Island

Cumberland is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, incorporated in 1746. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, which was founded in 1972 shortly after Seung Sahn first came to the United States (then in Providence). The Kwan Um style of Buddhist

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

practice combines ritual common both to Korean Buddhism

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...

as well as Rinzai Zen, and their morning and evening services include elements of Hua-yen and Pure Land

Pure land

A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...

Buddhism. While the Kwan Um Zen School comes under the banner of the Jogye Order

Jogye Order

The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1,200 years to Unified Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China about 820...

, the school has been adapted by Seung Sahn to the needs of Westerners. According to James Ishmael Ford

James Ishmael Ford

James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948...

, the Kwan Um School of Zen is the largest Zen school in the Western world

Western world

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

History

Seung Sahn

Soen Sa Nim first arrived in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

in 1972, where he lived in Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

and worked at a Korean

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:...

-owned laundromat. Not long after, students from nearby Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

began coming to him for instruction. This resulted in the opening of the Providence Zen Center

Providence Zen Center

in 1972. At the time of his arrival in America, Seung Sahn's teachings were different than many of his Japanese predecessors who had taught Zen to Americans. During the early days he did not place a strong emphasis on sitting practice, which is the core of most Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese traditions of Zen

Zen

. It was through the urging of some of his first students, some who had practiced in Japanese schools previously, that Seung Sahn came to place a stronger emphasis on sitting meditation.

In 1974 Seung Sahn began founding more Zen centers in the United States—his school still yet to be established—beginning with Dharma Zen Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

—a place where laypeople

Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

and the ordained could practice and live together. That following year he went on to found the Chogye International Zen Center

Chogye International Zen Center

Chogye International Zen Center is a Kwan Um School of Zen practice center founded by Seung Sahn in 1975, located in New York City. The center offers a daily practice regimen, as well as retreats and workshops...

of New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and then in 1977 Empty Gate Zen Center. Meanwhile, in 1979, the Providence Zen Center

Providence Zen Center

moved from its location in Providence to its current space in Cumberland, RI. http://www.cizny.org/http://www.emptygatezen.com/index http://www.providencezen.org/ The Kwan Um School of Zen was founded in 1983 and—unlike more traditional practice in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

—Seung Sahn allowed the laity

Laity

in the lineage to wear the robe of a Buddhist monk. Celibacy

Celibacy

Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...

was not required, and the rituals of the school are unique. For instance: although the Kwan Um School does utilize traditional Seon, Ch'an and Japanese Zen

Zen

ritual, elements of their practice also closely resemble rituals found often in Pure Land

Pure land

and Huayen traditions. In 1986, along with a former student and Dharma heir Dae Gak

Dae Gak

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 . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is...

, Seung Sahn founded a retreat center 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%...

called 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...

—the temple name being Kwan Se Um San Ji Sah (or, Perceive World Sound High Ground Temple). The center functions independent of the Kwan Um organization today.

In Somerset West of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, the Kwan Um School of Zen once had the largest following of Zen practitioners in the area with their former Dharma Centre (though today the center acts independent of the Kwan Um organization). Founded in 1982 by Heila Downey (a former student of Philip Kapleau

Philip Kapleau

Philip Kapleau was a teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Sōtō and Rinzai schools.-Early life:...

), the center had for many years acted as an informal affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center

Rochester Zen Center

The Rochester Zen Center is a Sōtō and Rinzai Zen Buddhist sangha in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage, located in Rochester, New York and established in 1966 by Philip Kapleau. It is one of the oldest Zen centers in the United States. The history of the Rochester Zen Center begins overseas with the...

in Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

. In 1989 Dharma Centre began embracing the practices of the Kwan um School of Zen. Heila Downey herself was made a Ji Do Poep Sa Nim, granting her authority to teach within the Kwan Um School of Zen. According to Michel Clasquin in the book Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia, "There are other Zen groups in South Africa, notably in Johannesburg, but the Dharma Centre, now headquartered in the town of Robertson, is clearly the leading Zen-based organization. The institutional support it receives from the Kwan Um organization means that it is able to import teachers with relative ease. However, it should be noted that in a suburban satellite center in Cape Town, the Dharma Centre has been forced by popular demand to reinstitute a weekly meditation session shorn of all ritual, much as things were before 1989." Per Dharma Centre's own website, "With changing times, our practice and teaching has evolved to express a style in harmony with our African heritage resulting in our resignation from the Kwan Um School of Zen." Regardless of this resignation, the center does demonstrate a continuing respect for the teachings of Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

by stating, "As the African Dharma continues to develop and grow, Zen Master Seung Sahn's legacy and teaching will continue to sustain and encourage us in the never-ending quest of 'Who am I' and 'How May I Help You?'"http://www.dharmacentre.org.za/

The Kwan Um School of Zen also has one of only a few Zen centers located in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

with their Tel Aviv Zen Center

Tel Aviv Zen Center

Tel Aviv Zen Center is a Kwan Um School of Zen practice center located in Israel, and is the sole Zen center in the Middle East affiliated with the school. The center was established in 1999, and the guiding teacher is Revital Dan.-See also:...

, led by Revital Dan. It is one of only three Kwan Um School Zen centers in Israel, with its history linked to trips by Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

to Israel in the 1990s to teach Zen

Zen

at various "alternative health centers." According to Lionel Obadia, "Revital Dan, currently heading the TAZC, followed [Seung Sahn] back to Korea and trained in the monastic style of retreat. Back in Israel with her Dharma-teacher degree, she founded a Zen group. The opening ceremony of the TAZC took place in January 1999. The activities of the Kwan Um School have received widespread media coverage and the number of attendees is increasing." The other two centers in Israel practicing in the KUSZ are the Hasharon Zen Center and the Ramat Gan Zen Group.

Characteristics

According to the book Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest edited by Patricia O'Connell Killen and Mark Silk,

"Mu Soeng, a longtime monk, describes the Kwan Um School as a unique amalgam of elements of Pure Land and 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...

, chanting the name of the bodhisattva of compassion, and vigorous prostrations that are characteristic of Korean folk Buddhist practice. The Kwan Um School emphasizes socially engaged 'together action' by groups of followers living in a common house, koan or mantra practice tools, and a pastor-parishioner relationship between monks and laypersons characteristic of the Chogye
Jogye Order
The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1,200 years to Unified Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China about 820...

order in Korea."

As Mu Soeng indicates, one of the key tenets to practice is what Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

often called "together action." Many members actually live in the Zen centers, and one of the rules is that personal biases must be set aside for the good of the community. Also, chanting and prostrating, in addition to zazen

Zazen

In Zen Buddhism, zazen is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind, and be able to concentrate enough to experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment .- Significance :Zazen is considered the heart of Zen Buddhist practice...

, are very important forms of meditation

Meditation

Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

for the school—aimed at clearing the mind of students. The school website says, "Prostrations could be likened to the 'emergency measure' for clearing the mind. They are a very powerful technique for seeing the karma of a situation because both the mind and the body are involved. Something that might take days of sitting to digest may be digested in a much shorter time with prostrations. The usual practice here is to do 1000 bows a day (actually 1080). This can be done all at once or as is usually the case, spread out through the day." The number of prostrations students often perform varies in part on their physical ability, though at least 108 and up to 1080 per day is usual. Also unique in the KUSZ is the fact that celibacy

Celibacy

is not required of those who are ordained. Rather, Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

created the idea of a "Bodhisattva Monk," which essentially is an individual who can be married and hold a job but also be a monk in the order. This status has now been superseded in the KUSZ by "Bodhisattva Teacher", who takes the 48 precepts but is not considered an ordained monk.

Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

also held unorthodox views on Zen practice in Western culture

Western culture

Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...

, and was open to the idea of his Dharma heirs starting their own schools as he had done (Dae Gak

Dae Gak

and Bomun being two examples). Seung Sahn is quoted as having said, "As more Zen Masters appear, their individual styles will emerge. Perhaps some of them will make their own schools. So maybe, slowly, this Korean style will disappear and be replaced by an American style or American styles. But the main line does not change." Author Kenneth Kraft offers an apt quote from Seung Sahn on the issue of Zen and Western culture in his book Zen, Tradition and Transition (pp. 194–195), "When Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th/6th century AD. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Ch'an to China, and regarded as the first Chinese patriarch...

came to China, he became the First Patriarch of Zen. As the result of a 'marriage' between Vipassana

Vipassana

Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...

-style Indian meditation and Chinese Taoism, Zen appeared. Now it has come to the West, and what is already here? Christianity, Judaism, and so forth. When Zen 'gets married' to one of these traditions, a new style of Buddhism will appear. Perhaps there will be a woman Matriarch and all Dharma transmission will go only from woman to woman. Why not? So everyone, you must create American Buddhism." In The Faces of Buddhism in America edited by Charles S. Prebish, Mu Soeng states that, "A case has been made that the culture of Kwan um Zen School is hardly anything more than an expression of Seung Sahn's personality as it has been shaped by the Confucian-Buddhist amalgam in Korea during the last thousand years."

Kyol Che

During the summer and winter months, The Kwan Um School of Zen offers a Kyol Che (meaning "tight dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

")—a 21 to 90 day intensive silent meditation retreat. In Korea

Korea

, both the summer and winter Kyol Che last a duration of 90 days, while the Providence Zen Center

Providence Zen Center

offers three weeks in the summer and 90 days in winter. Arrangements can be made for shorter stays for those with busy schedules. A Kyol Che provides a structured environment for meditators. Participation in one of these intensive retreats offers individuals the chance to free themselves from intellectual attachments and develop compassion

Compassion

Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...

. Participants have no contact with the outside world while undergoing a retreat, and the only literature permitted are those works written by Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

. They are in practice from 4:45 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. each day, and are not permitted to keep a diary during their stay. Talking is only permitted when absolute necessity arises and during dokusan. The school also offers Yong Maeng Jong Jins, which are two to seven day silent retreats complete with dokusan with a Ji Do Poep Sa Nim or Soen Sa Nim.

Hierarchy

There are essentially four kinds of teachers in the Kwan Um tradition, all having attained a varying degree of mastery and understanding. A Dharma

Dharma

Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

teacher is an individual that has taken the Five precepts and Ten precepts, completed a minimum of four years of training and a minimum of eight weekend retreats, understood basic Zen teaching and has been confirmed by a Soen Sa Nim to receive the title. These individuals can give a Dharma talk but may not respond to audience questions. A senior Dharma teacher is a Dharma teacher who, after a minimum of five years, has been confirmed by a Soen Sa Nim and has taken the Sixteen precepts. These individuals are given greater responsibility than a Dharma teacher, are able to respond to questions during talks, and give consulting interviews. A Ji Do Poep Sa Nim (JDPSN) (or, "dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

master") is an authorized individual that has completed kong-an training (having 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...

) and is capable of leading a retreat. Completing kong-an training is the first step toward becoming a JDPSN, followed by a nomination to receive inka by the individual's senior Dharma teacher. The individual is then assessed by five Dharma teachers, one being the nominating party, and the other four being independent Dharma teachers. The nominee must demonstrate an aptitude for the task of teaching, showing the breadth of their understanding in their daily conduct. Should the nominee be approved to be granted the title of JDPSN, a ceremony is held thereafter and the student engages in public Dharma combat

Dharma combat

Dharma combat, called or in Japanese, is a term in some schools of Buddhism referring to an intense exchange between student and teacher, and sometimes between teachers, as an occasion for one or both to demonstrate his or her understanding of the Dharma and Buddhist tenets. It is used by both...

with a number of students and teachers. Provided that the individual demonstrates a superior understanding to that of these students, they then receive the title. They are then given a kasa and keisaku

Keisaku

In Zen Buddhism, the keisaku is a flat wooden stick or slat used during periods of meditation to remedy sleepiness or lapses of concentration...

, and undergo a period of teacher training. A Soen Sa Nim (or, Zen master) is a JDPSN that has received full Dharma transmission master to master. The title is most often used in reference to Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

—the school's founder—but all Zen masters in the Kwan Um tradition have the title of Soen Sa Nim. An Abbot serves a Zen center in an administrative capacity and does not necessarily provide spiritual direction, though several are Soen Sa Nims. These individuals take care of budgets and other such tasks.

Guiding Dharma teacher

Soeng Hyang
Soeng Hyang
Soeng Hyang Soen Sa Nim is a Zen Master and the Guiding Teacher of the international Kwan Um School of Zen, and successor to the late Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim.-Biography:...

Soen Sa Nim

School Abbot

Dae Kwang
Dae Kwang
Dae Kwang is a Soen Sa Nim and is the current guiding teacher of the Providence Zen Center. He was ordained as a monk in 1987 and received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1996. He also serves as head abbot of the entire lineage, ranking just below Soeng Hyang .-References:...

Soen Sa Nim

Head teacher (Europe)

Wu Bong
Wu Bong
Wu Bong, born Jacob Perl, is a Soen Sa Nim in the Kwan Um School of Zen. Perl currently acts as the head teacher of the . As the first student of Dae Soen Sa Nim in the United States, he had previously practiced Zen Buddhism in the Sōtō tradition at the San Francisco Zen Center under Shunryu Suzuki...

Soen Sa Nim

Other Soen Sa Nims:

Wu Kwang
Wu Kwang
Wu Kwang Soen Sa Nim , born Richard Shrobe, is head Zen teacher at Chogye International Zen Center of New York, a practice center of the Kwan Um School of Zen. Before coming to Zen practice Richard studied Hinduism under Swami Satchidananda. He is a social worker who incorporates Gestalt therapy in...

Soen Sa Nim
Bon Yeon
Bon Yeon
Bon Yeon Soen Sa Nim is the dharma name and title of Jane McLaughlin-Dobisz. She is one of two guiding teachers of the Cambridge Zen Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, of the Kwan Um School of Zen...

Soen Sa Nim
Su Bong
Su Bong
Su Bong was a Soen Sa Nim in the Kwan Um School of Zen, the designated heir of Seung Sahn's lineage. Of both Korean and Chinese heritage, he was born in Kona, Hawaii. Su Bong began his practice with Seung Sahn in 1974, helping to establish many Zen groups and temples for the lineage in the years...

Soen Sa Nim (deceased)
Dae Bong Soen Sa Nim
Bon Haeng Soen Sa Nim
Bon Soeng Soen Sa Nim
Dae Kwan Soen Sa Nim
Bon Yo Soen Sa Nim
Bon Shim Soen Sa Nim
Chong Gak Shim Soen Sa Nim
Dae Soen Haeng Soen Sa Nim

Inactive

Hae Kwang
Stanley Lombardo
Stanley F. Lombardo is an American professor of Classics at the University of Kansas. He is best known for his translations of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid...

Soen Sa Nim
So Bong Soen sa Nim

New schools

Bomun Soen Sa Nim
Dae Gak
Dae Gak
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 . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is...

Zen master
Ji Bong Soen Sa Nim

Controversies

In late 1985 through 1986 members within the Kwan Um School of Zen learned that Seung Sahn

Seung Sahn

had previously had sexual relations with a few of his female students. According to Sandy Boucher

Sandy Boucher

Sandy Boucher is an American author, Buddhist and feminist. She lives in Oakland, California.-Works:*Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism, Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. ISBN 006250097X...

in Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism

The sexual affairs were apparently not abusive or hurtful to the women. By all accounts, they were probably strengthening and certainly gave the women access to power. (However, no one can know if other women were approached by Soen Sa Nim, said nothing, and may have been hurt or at best confused, and left silently.) No one questions that Soen Sa Nim is a strong and inspiring teacher and missionary, wholly committed to spreading the Dharma, who has helped many people by his teachings and by his creation of institutions in which they can practice Zen. In his organization he has empowered students, some of them women, by giving them the mandate to teach and lead. And he has speculated, in a positive vein, on the coming empowerment of women in religion and government. Even his critics describe him as a dynamic teacher from whom they learned a great deal. On the other hand, former students point to secrecy, hypocrisy, an organization in which the people on top have power and information that they do not share with those farther down."

James Ishmael Ford

James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948...

had this to say on the relationships, "For a while the future direction of Seung Sahn's institution was in doubt, and, as happened in the similarly affected Japanese-derived centers, quite a number of people left. It's not possible to adequately acknowledge the hurt and dismay that followed in the wake of these and similar scandals at other centers." Ford continues, "In part because of their willingness to address the reality of ethical concerns, The Kwan Um School is now the single largest Zen institution in the West."

External links

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