Seungsahn 숭산
Seungsahn (1927–2004)
Title	Dae Jongsa -Seonsanim (Great Zen Master)
Personal life
Born	Dok-In Lee / 이덕인 / 李德仁 (1927-08-01)August 1, 1927 Sunchon,occupied Korea (now Sunchon,North Korea)
Died	November 30, 2004(2004-11-30) (aged 77) Hwagaesa,Seoul,South Korea
Education	Dongguk University
Other names	Dae Soensa-nim Soensa-nim
Religious life
Religion	Jogye Order ofKorean Seon
School	Kwan Um School of Zen
Senior posting
Predecessor	Kobong
Successor	Soenghyang Chang Sik Kim
Website	www.kwanumzen.org

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Seungsahn Haengwon (Korean: 숭산행원대선사;Hanja: 崇山行願大禪師;RR: Sungsan Haengwon Daeseonsa, August 1, 1927 – November 30, 2004), bornDuk-In Lee, was aKorean Seon master of theJogye Order and founder of the internationalKwan Um School of Zen. He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the earlyKorean Zen masters to settle in the United States, he opened many temples and practice groups across the globe. He was known for his charismatic style and direct presentation of Zen, which was well tailored for the Western audience.

Known by students for his many correspondences with them through letters, his utilization ofdharma combat and expressions such as "only don't know" or "only go straight" in teachings, he was conferred the honorific title of Dae Jong Sa in June 2004 by the Jogye Order for a lifetime of achievements. Considered the highest honor to have bestowed upon one in the order, the title translates "Great Lineage Master" and was bestowed for his establishment of the World Wide Kwan Um School of Zen. He died in November that year at Hwagaesa inSeoul,South Korea, at age 77.

Seung Sahn was born in 1927 as Duk-In Lee (modern romanisation:Yi Deog'in) inSunchon (순천),South Pyongan Province ofoccupied Korea (nowNorth Korea) toPresbyterian parents. In 1944, he joined an undergroundresistance movement in response to the ongoing occupation of Korea by theEmpire of Japan. He was captured by Japanese police shortly after, avoided a death sentence, and spent time inprison. Upon his release, he studiedWestern philosophy atDongguk University. One day, amonk friend of his lent him a copy of theDiamond Sutra. While reading the text, he became inspired to ordain as a monk and left school, receiving theprātimokṣa precepts in 1948.^[1][2] Seung Sahn then performed a one-hundred day solitaryretreat in the mountains of Korea, living on a diet of pine needles and rain water. It is believed he attainedenlightenment on this retreat.

While seeking out a teacher who could confirm his enlightenment, he foundKobong, who told him to keep a not-knowing mind. In the fall of 1948, Seung Sahn learned dharma combat while sitting a one-hundred daysesshin atSudeoksa—where he was known to stir up mischief, nearly being expelled from themonastery. After the sesshin was concluded, he receiveddharma transmission (inka) from two masters, Keumbong and Keum'oh. He then went to see Kobong, who confirmed Seungsahn's enlightenment on January 25, 1949, and gave him dharma transmission as well. Seung Sahn is the only person Kobong gave Dharma transmission to. He spent the next three years in observed silence.^[3][4][5]

Drafted into theRepublic of Korea Army in 1953, he served as anarmy chaplain and then as acaptain for almost five years, taking over for Kobong as abbot of Hwagaesa in Seoul, South Korea in 1957. In the next decade, he would go on to foundBuddhist temples inHong Kong and Japan. While in Japan, he was acquainted with thekōan (Koreangong'an) tradition of theRinzai school ofZen, likely^{[clarification needed]} undergoing kōan study with a Rinzai master.^[1][3][6]

Coming to the United States in 1972, he settled inProvidence, Rhode Island and worked at alaundromat as a repairman, spending much of his off time improving upon his English. Shortly after arriving, he found his first students at nearbyBrown University, most of whom came by way of a recommendation from a professor there. Among these first students was Jacob Perl (Wubong), who helped to found theProvidence Zen Center with the others.^[3][4]

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 inLos Angeles—a place wherelaypeople and the ordained could practice and live together. That following year, he went on to found theChogye International Zen Center ofNew York City, and then, in 1977, Empty Gate Zen Center. Meanwhile, in 1979, theProvidence Zen Center moved from its location in Providence to its current space inCumberland, Rhode Island.^[7]

TheKwan Um School of Zen was founded in 1983 and, unlike more traditional practice inKorea, Seungsahn allowed laypersons in the lineage to wear the robes of full monastics, upsetting some in theJogye Order by allowing lay Dharma teachers to wear long robes.^[8][9]

Celibacy was not required and the rituals of the school are unique.^{[clarification needed]} Although the Kwan Um School does utilize traditional Seon and Zen rituals, elements of their practice also closely resemble rituals found often inPure Land Buddhism,Chan Buddhism, and theHuayan school. In 1986, along with a former student and Dharma heirDae Gak, Seungsahn founded a retreat center and temple inClay City, Kentucky calledFurnace Mountain—the temple name beingKwan Se Um San Ji Sah (or,Perceive World Sound High Ground Temple). The center functions independently of the Kwan Um organization today.^[3][10]

Over his tenure as Guiding Teacher, Seungsahn appointed many Dharma heirs. He created the titleJi Do Poep Sa Nim (JDPSN) for those not ready for full dharma transmission but capable of teaching at a higher capacity. In 1977, Seungsahn was hospitalized forcardiac arrhythmia and it was then discovered that he had advanceddiabetes. He had been in and out of hospitals for heart complications for years preceding his death, and in 1987 began spending much less time at his residence in theProvidence Zen Center.^[8]

Starting in 1990, and under invitation fromMikhail Gorbachev, Seungsahn began making trips to theSoviet Union to teach. His student, Myong Gong Sunim, later opened a practice center in the country (Novgorod Center of Zen Meditation).^[11]

Seungsahn implemented the use of simplephraseology to convey his messages, delivered withcharisma, which helped make the teachings easier to consume forWestern followers. Some of his more frequently employed phrases included "only go straight" or "only don't know".^[12] He even went so far as to call his teachings "Don't Know Zen", which was reminiscent of the style ofBodhidharma.^[13] Seungsahn used correspondences between him and his students as teaching opportunities. Back-and-forth letters allowed for a kind of dharma combat through the mail and made him more available to the school's students in his absence. This was another example of his skillful implementation of unorthodox teaching methods, adapting to the norms of Western culture and thus making himself more accessible to those he taught. He was a supporter of what he often termed "together action"—encouraging students to make the lineage's centers their home and practice together.^[9][14]

Seungsahn also developed his own kōan study program for students of the Kwan Um School, known today as the "Twelve Gates". These twelve kōans are a mixture of ancient cases and cases which he developed. Before receiving inka to teach (in Kwan Um, inka is not synonymous with Dharma transmission), students must complete the Twelve Gates, though often they will complete hundreds more. One of the more well known cases of the Twelve Gates is "Dropping Ashes on the Buddha", the Sixth Gate, which is also the title of one of his books. In the bookThe Compass of Zen, this kong-an is transcribed as follows: "Somebody comes to the Zen center smoking a cigarette. He blows smoke and drops ashes on the Buddha." Seungsahn then poses the question, "If you are standing there at that time, what can you do?"^[1][15] Not included in this version of the kōan is the Kwan Um School of Zen's following side note on the case, "[H]ere is an important factor in this case that has apparently never been explicitly included in its print versions. Zen Master Seung Sahn has always told his students that the man with the cigarette is also very strong and that he will hit you if he doesn't approve of your response to his actions."^[16]

When Seungsahn first began teaching in the United States, there was an underemphasis in his message on the significance ofzazen. Under advice from some students, however, he soon came to incorporate zazen into the curriculum more frequently. More than a few of his earliest students had practiced Zen previously under theSōtō priestShunryū Suzuki, laying out a convincing argument about how zazen and Zen were seen as inseparable in the Western psyche.^[9]

Throughout the 1990s, Seung Sahn made trips to Israel, which led to the 1999 opening of theTel Aviv Zen Center. His remaining years were spent in particularly poor health. He had apacemaker put in his chest in 2000, followed byrenal failure in 2002.^[17] In June 2004, he was given the honorific titleDae Jong Sa "Great Lineage Master" by the Jogye Order in commemoration of his accomplishments, the highest title the order can grant.

Seung Sahn died on November 30, 2004, at the age of 77 in Seoul, South Korea at Hwagaesa, the first temple where he served asabbot.^{[3][18][19][20]}

In 1988, Seung Sahn admitted to having sexual relationships with several students.^[1][21][22] Because Seung Sahn was understood to be a celibate monk, the revelation of the affairs caused some members to leave the school.^[23] Seung Sahn did two repentance ceremonies^{[citation needed]} and the Kwan Um School of Zen has since developed an ethics policy that has guidelines for teacher/student relationships and consequences for unethical behavior.^[24]

According toSandy Boucher inTurning 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.[...] 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.^[25]

The following list documents Seung-Sahn Haeng-Won's transmission lineage, starting with the Buddha and the First Patriarch.^[26][27][28]

India

China

Korea

• Bo Mun
• Bon Yeon
• Chong An
• Dae Bong
• Dae Gak
• Dae Kwang
• Hae Kwang
• Soeng Hyang
• Su Bong
• Won Gwang
• Wu Bong
• Wu Kwang
• Ji Haeng

• Gak, Hyon (2006).Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn. Shambhala Publications.ISBN 1-59030-340-7.OCLC 62896424.
• Sahn, Sueng (2003).Zen: The Perfect Companion (Perfect Companions! Series). Black Dog & Leventhal Publishing.ISBN 1-57912-279-5.OCLC 52075077.
• Seung Sahn; Hyon Gak (1997).The Compass of Zen. Shambhala Publications.ISBN 1-57062-329-5.OCLC 123275104.
• Sahn, Seung; Hyon Gak (1992).The Whole World Is a Single Flower. C. E. Tuttle Company.ISBN 0-585-06104-1.OCLC 42855442.
• Sahn, Seung (1987).Ten Gates: The Kong-An Teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn. Primary Point Press.ISBN 0-942795-01-6.OCLC 40618475.
• Kwan Um School of Zen (1987).Only Doing It For Sixty Years. Kwan Um School of Zen.OCLC 39712155.
• Sahn, Seung (1985).Zen Dialogue in China. Hong Bup Won Publishing.
• Sahn, Seung (1983).Chanting with English Translations and Temple Rules. Kwan Um School of Zen.OCLC 79625070.
• Sahn, Seung;Stanley Lombardo (1982).Bone of Space: Poems. Four Seasons Foundation.ISBN 0-87704-053-2.OCLC 8281660.
• Sahn, Seung; David O'Neal (1982).Only Don't Know: Selected Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung. Primary Point Press.ISBN 0-942795-03-2.OCLC 28576745.
• Sahn, Seung;Stephen Mitchell (1976).Dropping Ashes on the Buddha. Grove Press.ISBN 0-8021-3052-6.OCLC 505759099.

• 2000 Chanting Instructional CD
• Perceive World Sound Zen Chanting CD (from 1978)

• 1992Wake Up! On the Road with a Zen Master (DVD and VHS) -Watch on YouTube
• 1993Sun Rising East (VHS)

• Buddhism in the United States
• Buddhist Patriarch
• The Compass of Zen
• Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States

• Official website
• When two masters meetArchived 2008-02-21 at theWayback MachineKalu Rinpoche of Tibet and the Korean Zen master Seung Sahn

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