Zen Master Seung Sahn
More detailed biography
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Dae Soen Sa Nim gave dharma transmission to Zen Masters and
"inka" - teaching authority - to senior students called Ji Do
Poep Sa Nims (Guides to the Way, or Dharma Masters).
Zen Master Seung Sahn | |
| The Founding Teacher of
our School was the Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn, who was called Dae Soen
Sa Nim (Great Honored Zen Teacher) by his students. He was the 78th
Patriarch in his line of Dharma transmission in the Chogye order of
Korean Buddhism, and founded temples in Japan and Hong Kong. In 1972 he
came to the United States and started what became the Providence Zen
Center, the first center in what is now the Kwan Um School. His books
include Ten Gates, The Compass of Zen, Dropping Ashes
on the Buddha, Only Don't Know and The Whole World is a
Single Flower-- 365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life.
More detailed biography Dae Soen Sa Nim gave dharma transmission to Zen Masters and
"inka" - teaching authority - to senior students called Ji Do
Poep Sa Nims (Guides to the Way, or Dharma Masters). |
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| Zen Masters | |
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| Zen Master Soeng Hyang
(Barbara Rhodes) is the School Zen Master and Guiding Dharma
Teacher of the Kwan Um School of Zen. She received dharma transmission
from Zen Master Seung Sahn on October 10, 1992. She was one of Zen
Master Seung Sahn's first American students and studied with him since
1972. She was given inka in 1977. A registered nurse since 1969, she
works for Hospice Care of Rhode Island. She helped found Providence Zen
Center, and lived there for seventeen years, serving in a number of
administrative capacities. Zen Master Soeng Hyang
has a daughter and lives with her partner, Mary, in Providence. |
 |
Zen Master Dae Kwang is the
abbot of the Kwan Um School of Zen. He is the guiding teacher of
Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island, the head temple of
our international School. He is also the teacher for Zen centers in
Wisconsin and Delaware. Zen Master Dae Kwang travels widely, leading
retreats throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His interests
include meditation practices common to Christianity and Buddhism. He was
ordained a monk in 1987. |
 |
Zen Master Wu Bong (Jacob
Perl) is the head teacher of the Kwan Um School of Zen of
Europe. Before meeting Zen Master Seung Sahn and becoming his first
American student in 1972, he practiced with Suzuki Roshi at the San
Francisco Zen Center, and spent a year practicing with Tarthang Tulku
atthe Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center in Berkeley, California. He
was born in Poland, and speaks Polish fluently. In 1978 he helped Zen
Master Seung Sahn establish the first Zen center in Poland. In 1984 he
was given teaching authority and soon thereafter started to teach
regularly in the United States and Europe. He has a degree in
mathematics from Brown University and is married to Zen Master Bon Yo.
They founded and live at the Paris Zen Center, and they have two
children. |
 | Zen
Master Dae Bong, a Zen monk, received dharma transmission in
April 1999. He began practicing with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1977 and
became a monk in 1984. Before studying Zen, he worked as a counselor in
a hospital and as a welder in a shipyard. He has practiced and taught
extensively in Zen Centers throughout the United States, Europe and
Asia. He is currently living at Mu Sang Sa, Kye Ryong Sahn International
Center in Korea. |
 | Zen Master Wu
Kwang (Richard Shrobe) is guiding teacher of the Chogye
International Zen Center of New York and lives in New York with his
family. Before he began practicing Zen he studied intensively with Swami
Satchidananda, living with his wife and children for four years at the
Integral Yoga Institute in New York. He has a Master's degree in Social
Work and did six years of postgraduate study in Gestalt, including
training with Laura Perls. He has been director of a drug program, and
has served as an instructor in psychiatry and Gestalt therapy. He
started practicing with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1975 and was given inka
in 1984. He received dharma transmission on August 1, 1993. A former
professional musician, his undergraduate training was in music theory,
and he also studied with jazz pianist, Barry Harris. Currently he has a
private practice in psychotherapy specializing in the Gestalt approach.
His first book Open Mouth Already a Mistake is available from our
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Zen Master Bon Haeng (Mark
Houghton) received transmission in April 2000. He is one
of the two guiding teachers of Cambridge Zen Center, where he was abbot
for twelve years and lived for fourteen years. A student of Zen Master
Seung Sahn since 1976, he holds a BA in Religion and Philosophy from
Antioch College. Prior to becoming a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn in
1975, he taught yoga for four years, living in ashrams in Boston,
Washington D.C., and Tucson, Arizona. He works as an executive in his
family's chemical company. |
 | Zen Master Bon
Yeon (Jane McLaughlin-Dobisz) received transmission in 2000 and
is a guiding teacher of Cambridge Zen Center, where she was abbot for
four years and where she lived for ten years. A student of Zen Master
Seung Sahn since 1982, Jane has practiced extensively in the U.S.,
Europe, and Asia. She previously studied Buddhism in the Tibetan
tradition in Nepal, and was a Vipassana student for three years. She has
led several 90 day Kyol Che retreats in the U.S., Poland, and South
Africa and is the author of The Wisdom of Solitude: A Zen Retreat in
the Woods, Harper Collins, January 2004. She is also the editor of
The Whole World is a Single Flower by Zen Master Seung Sahn. She
lives near Cambridge Zen Center with her husband, Piotrek, and their two
children. For more information on her book and her teaching schedule
please visit www.thewisdomofsolitude.com |
 | Zen
Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes) received transmission in April
2001. He has been practicing Zen since 1975, and began practicing
with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1979. He is a licensed psychotherapist in
private practice, with a specialty in the integration of Zen Buddhism
and Western Psychotherapy. He is the abbot and guiding teacher of Empty
Gate Zen Center in Berkeley, California.
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 | Zen Master Dae
Kwan, a Zen nun, was born in Hong Kong. She was previously
called Hyang Um Sunim, and her Pali name is Suddhamma. In the 1970s she
studied sutras for three years at the Kwok Kwong Buddhist College. In
1981, she ordained at Ajahn Chaa's International Forest Monastery in
Thailand, and she practiced in Chiangmai for ten years including two
years of intensive solo retreat in Tu Boo Cave. In 1995, she received
inka from Zen Master Seung Sahn. In April 2001 she received tranmission
at Mu Sang Sah in Korea. She is now the abbot and guiding teacher of
Su Bong Zen Monastery in Hong Kong.
She has translated the following books into Chinese: "Dropping Ashes on
Buddha," "Only Don't Know," and "The Whole World is a Single Flower"
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Zen Master Bon Yo
(Grazyna Perl) is the guiding teacher for the Kwan Um School of Zen in
France, Belgium, and Spain. She received transmission on April 9, 2005.
Zen Master Bon Yo started practicing in 1983 at Gdansk Zen Center,
Poland. In 1988 she started her intensive practice at the Providence Zen
Center under Zen Master Seung Sahn and other teachers of the Kwan Um
School of Zen tradition. In 1994 she received inka (authorization to
teach) from Zen Master Seung Sahn and became a dharma master in the Kwan
Um School of Zen. In 1995, Soen Sa Nim and her husband, Zen Master Wu
Bong, moved to France and founded the Paris Zen Center. Since then, she
teaches around Europe and follows her artistic career as a painter and
illustrator. |
 | Zen Master Bon Shim
(Aleksandra Porter) received inka in 1992, and is the guiding teacher of the Warsaw Zen
Center and other Centers in Poland. She has been a student of Zen
Master Seung Sahn since 1978, his first visit to Poland. She
regularly leds Kyol Ches in Poland and teaches extensively throughout
Eastern and Western Europe. She is also an active member of
the Polish Union of Buddhists. She lives with her two sons at the
Warsaw Zen Center. |
| Ji Do Poep Sa Nims | |
|---|---|
 | Lincoln Rhodes, JDPSN, has been a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1974 and received inka 1981. He helped found the Kwan Um School of Zen and several of the Zen Centers, and was the abbot of Providence Zen Center for many years. He is the guiding teacher of Indianapolis Zen Center. He lives in Providence, where he owns a construction firm. |
 | Myong Oh Sunim,
JDPS, is currently teaching in her native Poland. |
| Nancy Hedgpeth,
JDPSN has been a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1979
and received inka in July 1994. She has held many positions at our New
Haven, Providence and Cambridge Zen Centers, and has done long retreats
in the U.S. and Korea. She is a visiting nurse. |
 |
Ken Kessel, JDPSN received inka in April 1996. He has studied with Zen
Master Seung Sahn since 1975. He has an MSW degree and has been
practicing as a psychotherapist since 1983, working with children and
families in foster care, substance abuse, outpatient and inpatient
mental health and therapeutic preschool settings, as well as in private
practice. He recently moved to Raleigh, NC from New York City. He is
guiding teacher for New Haven Zen Center and teaches at the Chogye
International Zen Center of New York, as well as at other Zen Centers
and affiliates.
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 | Mu Shim Sunim
JDPS, is the abbot and guiding teacher of Kye Ryong San
International Zen Center/Mu Sang Sa. He first came to Korea from the
United States in 1984 after meeting Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1979 at the
Cambridge Zen Center. He received ordination as a bhikkhu in the Chogye
Order of Korean Buddhism in 1986. He served Zen Master Seung Sahn as his
personal secretary and assistant for fifteen years, during which time he
traveled extensively with him. He was also able to experience Zen
practice and retreats at various Korean Zen temples such as Su Dok Sa,
Shin Won Sa, and Bomo Sa. Mu Shim Sunim received inka from Zen Master
Seung Sahn and the authority to teach Zen as a Ji Do Poep Sa in January
1997. Fluent in the Korean language, Mu Shim Su Nim JDPS has edited a
new Korean translation of the kong-an book, The Whole World is a
Single Flower, published in Seoul in May 2001. |
 | Paul Park JDPSN has been a student
of Zen Master Seung Sahn since his youth. He is the guiding
teacher of Dharma Zen Center, and leads the Young Buddhist Group at Tahl
Mah Sah in Los Angeles. He lives with his wife and two children in
southern California. |
 |
Judy Roitman JDPSN began
practicing Zen with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1976 at the Cambridge Zen
Center. She was one of the founders of the Kansas Zen Center in 1978 and
received inka (authorization to teach) from Zen Master Seung Sahn in
1998. She is the guiding teacher of the Kansas Zen
Center, and of the Red Earth Zen Center in Oklahoma. |
 |
Andrzej Stec, Ji Do Poep Sa Nim received a Masters of
Architecture at the Gdansk Polytechnic University in his native Poland.
He met the late Zen master Seung Sahn and began practicing Zen in 1981.
Thereafter, he became a Zen monk in Korea where he trained for thirteen
years. He received inka (permission to teach) from Zen Master Seung Sahn
in 1998 and has been teaching in Europe, Asia and the United States ever since.
He also served as abbot of the Kwan Um School of Poland and at several Zen centers
worldwide. Currently he is living and teaching at the Providence Zen
Center.
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 | Gye Mun Sunim,
JDPS, is the abbot of Kwan Yin Chan Lin Zen Meditation Centre
in Singapore and the Pengerang International Zen Centre. He shuttles
between Singapore and Malaysia teaching Zen meditation and leading
retreats. In 1971, Gye Mun Sunim took the Buddhist refuge under Ven.
Hong Choon. He practiced under the guidance of his teacher Ven. Zhu Mo
for five years and was ordained as a monk by him in 1985. Since then,
he had traveled to Penang, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and India to have
in-depth studies in Buddhism. In 1988, he started practicing Zen
meditation and did a three-year retreat at Songkwang-sa monastery in
Korea. Later he met Zen Master Seung Sahn and began practicing under his
guidance and teaching. In 1991, Gye Mun Sunim started the Kwan Yin Chan
Lin at Pulau Ubin in Singapore. On November 8, 1998, he received inka
and the authority to teach Zen as a Ji Do Poep Sa from Zen Master Seung
Sahn. In 2000, he started the Kwan Yin Chan Lin Pengerang International
Zen Centre in Johore, Malaysia. |
 | Dae Won Sunim, JDPS,
a native of Viet Nam, has been a monk since the age of nine. He
became a monk in our School in 1990 and received inka in March 1999. |
 | Yu Ma Sunim JDPS
received inka in March 1999. In March 2003 he became a monk in the
Se-Shim Order, a married-monks order. He began practicing with Zen Master
Seung Sahn in 1964, and is now the guiding teacher of Korean Youth
Buddhist Association. |
 | Chong An Sunim JDPS was given inka on August 26, 1999, becoming the first Hungarian to be given this authority as a teacher in the history of Korean Buddhism. He became a monk in 1994 and spent the next five years training under Zen Master Seung Sahn at the Seoul International Zen Center. Since 2000, his primary residence has been Bo Kwang Soen Won, Budapest, Hungary. Currently, he is the guiding teacher for Hungary and the Czech Republic. He also teaches in other countries of Europe and Asia. In 2005 he launched the Won Kwang Sa project, which aims at building the first temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen in Europe. Teaching Article Archive |
 | Mu Kyong JDPSN (Roland Wöhrle-Chon) was born 1960 in Germany. He studied Philosophy and Psychology in Bonn, Berlin and Madurai, India, where he had his first contact with yoga and meditation. Together with his wife he established Berlin Zen Center and the Kwan Um School of Zen of Germany in 1990. He received Inka in February 2000, and is the Abbot of the European Kwan Um School of Zen. Roland Wöhrle-Chon PSN has a Ph.D. in Psychology. After living in Korea for seven years, he now works as a social scientist in Berlin and is the guiding teacher of our school in Germany and Austria. He is married and has two children. Teaching Article Archive |
 | Andrzej Piotrowski JDPSN had his first contact with Zen practice as a member of theatre group which organized a series of workshops on human spirituality with teachers from various traditions. A few years later he became a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn. He has trained extensively at the Warsaw Zen Center, the SchoolÕs head temple for eastern Europe, and leads a prison dharma group. After fourteen years of practice, he received inka on March 5, 2000. Piotrowski PSN works as a physical therapist in consultation with practitioners of complementary medicine. Teaching Article Archive |
 | Merrie Fraser JDPSN, Merrie Fraser JDPSN, received inka in April 2000. She has been a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1976 and lived at the Providence Zen Center from 1978 to 1997. During this time she was initially attendant to Zen Master Seung Sahn, helping him with letters and editing when he was in residence. She also served a short time as housemaster, then researched and wrote the Dharma Mirror for use by those who want to start a Zen Center. As sewing master, she created the patterns for the robes and kasas and made a great many of them. In 1997, she moved to Scottsdale, Arizona where she has started the Myung Wol (Bright Moon) Zen Center. Teaching Article Archive |
 | Do Kwan Sunim JDPS, received inka in November 2000. Teaching Article Archive |
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Myo Ji Sunim JDPS, received inka on April 7, 2001. She has been a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1976. A longtime resident of Canada, she was ordained a nun in 1990, then trained at Seoul International Zen Center. Since 1995 she has been the abbot of New York Chogye Sa temple. Teaching Article Archive |
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Timothy Lerch JDPSN received inka from Zen Master Seung Sahn in 2001. Lerch PSN was the abbot of the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland RI, the head temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen in America from 2000 to 2006, and has trained extensively in the US and Asia. From 1995 to 1999 he was the resident director of the Kwan Um School center in Seattle. Prior to joining the Kwan Um School he trained in the Japanese and Vietnamese Zen traditions. He was ordained a monk in 1996. After having trained as a monk for 10 years, Lerch Poep Sa Nim returned to lay life in 2006 and is currently a musician and music teacher living in Seattle. |
 | Hyon Gak Sunim JDPS is guiding teacher of the Seoul International Zen Center, Hwa Gye Sah Temple. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard University, Hyon Gak Sunim JDPS received novice monk precepts in 1992 at Nam Hwa Sah Temple, China, and received Bikkhu precepts in 1996 on the Diamond Precepts Altar at Tong Do Sah Temple, South Korea. He has been doing meditation training in remote mountain places, including three intensive 100-day solo retreats. He has compiled and edited several of Zen Master Seung Sahn's books, including The Compass of Zen (1997) and Only Don't Know (1999). He is author of the bestseller, Man Haeng: From Harvard to Hwa Gye Sah Temple (1999), as well as several bestselling translations into Korean of Zen Master Seung Sahn's English-language books. |
 | Steven Cohen MD JDPSN is abbot of the Chogye International Zen Center of New York. He has been a student of Zen Master Seung Sahn since 1974. Before moving to New York in 1984, he was a founding member of the New Haven Zen Center where he served as administrative director (1975-79) and head dharma teacher (1979-84). He became a senior dharma teacher in 1999 and received inka on April 6, 2002. Cohen PSN is a Professor of and Chief of Dermatology at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In February 2006, he was the first dermatologist ever to receive the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Steve and Phyllis Cohen have been married for 37 years; they have two children. Twice National Champion (1966-67) and a member of the US Olympic Team 1968, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1991. |
 | Darek Gorzewski JDPSN received inka in April, 2002. He began studying with Zen Master Seung Sahn in Poland in 1980, where he co-founded the Lublin Zen Center, serving as abbot from 1981-86. In 1986, he came to train at the Providence Zen Center. He has participated in many retreats both in the U.S. and in Korea, in addition to visiting Eastern European Zen centers. He includes the Peace Pagoda at PZC as one of his many projects as a contractor. He currently lives in Seattle. |
 | Thomas Pastor JDPSN is founder (1994) and abbot of Great Brightness Zen Center in Las Vegas. He began formal study in the Kwan Um School of Zen in the late 1980s with Zen Master Ji Bong and subsequently received inka from Zen Master Seung Sahn on April 6, 2002. In addition to teaching responsibilities at Great Brightness, Thom also teaches an Introduction to Zen Buddhism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He also initiatied a Zen meditation program at Federal Prison Nellis which claimed one of the highest attendance rates of any volunteer program at that facility. Thom travels extensively, leading retreats at other Zen Centers in the United States. A former professional musician, Thom has performed with over 100 internationally known recording and show business luminaries. Teaching Article Archive |
| In Memoriam | |
|---|---|
 | Zen
Master Su Bong, who died in July 1994 while leading a retreat
in Hong Kong, was Zen Master Seung Sahn's designated successor as School
Zen Master. A student of Zen Master Seung Sahn's since 1974, he received
dharma transmission on October 10, 1992. He was given inka in 1981 and
was ordained a monk in 1983. In the United States, he was the abbot of a
temple in Los Angeles for several years, and helped construct Zen
centers in Providence and Cambridge. He traveled the world teaching Zen,
particularly in Los Angeles, South Africa and the Far East. Towards the
end of his life he taught in Russia and the former Yugoslavia. A
memorial garden to him has been constructed at Cambridge Zen Center.
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