http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/Korean Buddhism, Jogye Order, Zen, Zen Meditation, Seon, Seon Meditationkohttp://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=496Clean off the mirrors in our minds As the Venerable Seongcheol taught us, in these treacherous times, we must always stay awake.November 05, 2006 Early in the morning on Nov. 4, 1993, the Venerable Seongcheol of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order passed away. He died at the age of 82, 58 years after he was accepted as a Buddhist monk. Seongcheol used to meditate sitting up all night. It was probab...2007-06-15 09:46Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2007-06-15 09:46http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=481We exert so much effort to make Seon practice part of our lives, but truly, Seon itself must become our life. If you divide ‘Seon’ from ‘your life,’ where is it that you can apply the teachings of Buddhism? Buddhist practice and the study of the mind is naturally sought by those in desperate and urgent need, not by those whose lives are free and easy. The l...2006-11-21 13:12Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-11-21 13:12http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=477The word 'Seon' comes from the Chinese word ‘Chan’, a transliteration of the Sanskrit word 'Dhyâna'. Loosely translated, it means “meditative absorption.” Another definition would be “silently thinking.” ‘Jwa-seon’ (sitting-seon) thus means “meditating silently while seated.” The sixt...2006-11-07 14:42Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-11-07 14:42http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=476Among all Chinese philosophies and religions. the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi are perhaps the most profound. It is often said that the Chinese have a tendency to put much weight on reality and are pragmatic by nature. Therefore, the systems of thought developed in China are usually addressed towards practical matters that can be directly applied in everyday life. While ethical and political id...2006-11-07 14:37Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-11-07 14:37http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=451Revere your enemies as you revere your parents. ―The Perfect Enlightenment Sutra Sentient beings have not achieved enlightenment because of their myriad delusions, often referred to as the 84,000 delusions. And what are the most basic of these delusions? The Buddha said that love and hate were the greatest delusions of them all. Also, the Third Patriarch of Ch'an, Seng-ts'an, in his On Believing ...2006-08-07 16:35Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-08-07 16:35http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=427There are various teachings on the cultivation practices (修行精進) that will lead to attaining buddhahood and liberation. The most fundamental meritorious categories of cultivation are reciting the Buddha’s name and Seon meditation, along with cultivation of the precepts, which is the Buddhist moral code. However, these sorts of practices are not independent cultivation methods that are de...2006-05-08 17:29Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-05-08 17:29http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=419A Dharma Speech given by SeungsahnSunim at the International Zen Center of New York on Buddha's birthday, May 18, 1975. (Holding up the Zen stick and hitting the table) An eminent teacher said, "Before Buddha was born and came to the Kapila Empire, he had already saved all people.'' (Hitting the table) When Buddha was born, he took seven steps, looked in the four directions, pointed with...2006-04-18 15:23Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-04-18 15:23http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=418To all you noble Buddhas currently living in prison, happy birthday. To all you austere Buddhas selling your smiles in taverns, happy birthday. To you countless Buddhas twinkling in the night sky, happy birthday. And happy birthday to all of you brightly smiling, beautiful Buddhas in the gardens. To all you Buddhas who have become endlessly changing clouds as you drift across the sky, to all you ...2006-04-18 14:38Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-04-18 14:38http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=414When one advocates Buddhism, one has already transgressed the Buddhist teachings, because the doctrine of Buddhism is a doctrine that leaves behind the attachment to ‘I.’ The tenets of Buddhism do not reprimand evil or encourage good. Due to the fact that both good and evil are the Buddhadharma, the joys of the heavens and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, as well as by contras...2006-04-11 10:09Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-04-11 10:09http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=413Once you refer to something as the Buddhadharma, it already is not the Buddhadharma. This means that, because all things, as they are, are the Buddhadharma, as soon as you define something specifically as being the Buddhadharma, it is already lost. Materiality is that which is utilized and spirit is that which serves as the foundation; hence, the unity of materiality and spirit is referred as the...2006-04-11 10:08Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-04-11 10:08http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=411All who practice meditation should be careful to realize these things! First, that impermanence occurs too fast and the matter of birth and death is most important. Thus, an ancient saying says: "although my life is preserved today, it is difficult to preserve tomorrow. So your mind should always should be concentrated and always awakened, without idleness. Second, you must reduce defi...2006-04-06 09:19Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-04-06 09:19http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=219Q: Where does life come from, and where does it go? Ven. Seongcheol : Universal law is that there is no producing and no extinguishing. So by transcending time and space, there is nothing to appear and disappear, including life. In the Avatamsaka Sutra we find, "The One Law is nonproducing, the one Law is non-extinguishing"; and from the Lotus Sutra we have, "All Dharma...2006-02-28 09:50Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-02-28 09:50http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=215Buddha is of course the foundation of Buddhism. But when you ask what Buddha is, you could get a variety of answers even though it is difficult to define in concrete terms what "Buddha" means. It is much easier to talk about the basic principles of Buddhism. We call those who live in the world of torment and delusion sentient beings, and a Buddha is one who has completely transc...2006-02-16 14:59Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-02-16 14:59http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=214The Middle Way is neither a central position nor moderation. The Middle Way is Buddha, and by coming to know The Middle Way you come to know Buddha. Generally, people think in terms of relative dualities. Consequently, they see reality as a world filled with struggles and conflicts. But this is illusion based on false discriminations. The Middle Way is ridding yourself of "right&quot...2006-02-16 14:57Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-02-16 14:57http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=213Take a good look at yourself. You are already saved. You are originally Buddha. You are overflowing with happiness and glory. To talk of paradise or heaven is to be talking in your sleep. Take a good look at yourself. Transcend time and space, and you'll see that you are eternal, you are infinite. Should the universe collapse and disappear, you would still be immovable. You are all forms and all ...2006-02-16 14:31Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-02-16 14:31http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=212 You have to open the eye of the heart, the eye that sees everything clearly.And once you open that eye, you'll realize that you were already buddha even before creation and that you are and always will be enlightend.That is what we mean by seeing your buddha nature, your original face. Once you open the eye and see everything as it is, you'll realize that "mountains are mountains and ...2006-02-15 13:30Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-02-15 13:30http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=192 English translation by Wonmyong Sunim and Mark Mueller Introduction Inspiring yourself to Practice (Bal-Sim-Su-Haeng-Jang) was written by the Silla monk Wonhyo (617-686). It consists of 706 characters, contained in one roll. In Korea, the text is one of the three important texts in the curriculum of śrāmaneras (novices), monks and nuns in training, during their period of study in the Sutra ...2006-01-19 18:17Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-19 18:17http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=189Knowing everything though the knowledge of one- The secret of utmost importance when cultivating is that when the one is known well, all other things can immediately be known as well. Because the one is at the very center, it is the way of bringing everything else to the center as well. Indeed, when asking 'What is the buddha dharma?', 'What is the way of enlightenment?', and 'How do monast...2006-01-17 14:31Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 14:31http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=188The future is not coming, the past is not going, the present is not stopping, three times periods are full of emptiness, so it is very mysterious. Don’t you understand such kinds of truth? If you could be understood these things, the sun and moon are looks like anew, the heaven and earth are looks being special, war, disease, famine, destruction of environment and transmigration of birt...2006-01-17 13:58Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 13:58http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=187To break far away from earthly desires is a great accomplishment Quickly grab the knot and construct it in one turn. If the cold doesn't once pierce your bones, How can the fragrance of apricot blossoms that pierces your nose ever come to be? A monk once asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have Buddha nature or does he not?" Zhouzhou answered, "Not" (Mu 無) and ...2006-01-17 13:07Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 13:07http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=186Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, "What is the way?” "The ordinary mind is the way.” “Can I go in its direction?” “If you deliberate, immediately you will deviate from it.” “Without deliberation, how can I know the way?” “The way is not within knowing or not knowing. If you say you know, that's...2006-01-17 11:38Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 11:38http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=185 (1) The goals of the Seon Hall are amended to focus on “Half Seon, Half Farming.” (2)The doctrine of the Seon community will be based on the ideas of “Self Seon, Self Practice” and "Self Labor, Self Subsistence." Everyone with the ability to work is included, even those who have extensive practice experience. ① All food and c...2006-01-17 11:35Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 11:35http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=184Question #1: What relationship does Seon meditation have with the lives people are living? In other words, even if people do not practice Seon, does it make any difference? If it does make a difference, then what is the danger in not practicing Seon meditation? Answer #1: According to the words of Bodhidharma, “The mind is none other than Buddha, Buddha is none other than the path of...2006-01-17 11:32Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-17 11:32http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=163This text is composed of essentials specially excerpted directly by Venerable Master Seongcheol from his previously published Seonmun Jeongno (Correct Path of Seon) plus supplementary explanations related to the practice (gongbu) of hwadu. “There is not a single sentient being that does not possess the wisdom of the Tathagata, but because of their attachments to delusions they cannot...2006-01-12 09:24Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-12 09:24http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=159First LectureThe Master ascended the High Seat, struck his staff three times, and said, “Throughout the length and breadth of the world, people in all societies say ‘I’. But actually, what is this ‘I’?”After a pause he held up his staff and, striking it down, said, “You can hear this clearly.” Then, raising the staff ...2006-01-10 10:59Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-10 10:59http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=158In the peace park in front of the memorial pagoda dedicated to the Korean War dead on Okinawa the Ch’an Master addressed those assembled: “One Thing is ever vivid; it does not arise and does not cease; it doesn’t go and doesn’t come. Today, oh you departed spirits for whom this ceremony is held, can you understand these words ‘it does not arise, n...2006-01-10 10:57Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-10 10:57http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=157First LectureThe Master ascended the Dharma-seat, struck his staff three times and said, “All of you virtuous ones have gathered at this Ch’an temple and are bearing these thousands of hardships and ten thousands of sufferings. This is all because of the great affair of birth and death. If there are any superior men here, may they speak. How do you attain liberation? Even if y...2006-01-10 10:47Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-10 10:47http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=156First LectureThe Master addressed the gathering, saying, “Everyone designates themselves as ‘I’. May the assembly speak! What is the ‘True-I’?” After a pause the Master shouted and said, “You must take a rock for your body and cow dung for your eyes, then you will know. Can you understand this? If you understand, then all the s...2006-01-10 10:44Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-10 10:44http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=155First Lecture After ascending the Dharma platform the Master said, “The ancients said, 'A hair swallows the broad ocean, and a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru.' Any of you monks possessing the Dharma-Eye, speak! Do you understand the meaning behind this verse?” After a pause and no reply, the Master shouted and said, "One red flower produces the spring in the tr...2006-01-10 09:58Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-10 09:58http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=154We live in a world of dualistic consciousness. The realm created by consciousness is characterized by our perceived division of things into subjects and objects. Both consciousness and Store-house Consciousness (or unconsciousness) pertain to the level of subjectivity. They are ruled by the principle of arising and passing away. Our minds are imbalanced and impure, and we cannot escape from the r...2006-01-05 21:06Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:06http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=153Buddha's story is very interesting because he had a very good situation, but he gave up this good situation to have a suffering situation. He did suffering practice for six years, and then BOOM! got enlightenment. So today is Got Enlightenment Day. Everybody understands this day, but when Seon Master Mangong celebrated this day, he called it "I Lost Enlightenment Day." That's a ...2006-01-05 21:06Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:06http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=152From a talk at Cambridge Zen Center on July 29, 1993. Question: How does Seon practicing take away karma? Seon Master Seung Sahn: Seon practice does not take away karma. If you practice Seon, your karma becomes clear. If you are not practicing, your karma controls you. But if you are practicing, you control your karma. So your karma becomes clear. Good karma, bad karma, whatever karma you ha...2006-01-05 21:05Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:05http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=151Seon is very simple... What are you? In this whole world everyone searches for happiness outside, but nobody understands their true self inside. Everybody says, "I" -- "I want this, I am like that..." But nobody understands this "I." Before you were born, where did your I come from? When you die, where will your I go? If you sincerely ask,...2006-01-05 21:05Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:05http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=150One day a student from Chicago came to the Providence Zen Center and asked Seungsahn Seonsa, "What is Seon(Zen)?" Seonsa held his Seon stick above his head and said, "Do you understand?" The student said, "I don't know." Seonsa said, "This don't know mind is you. Seon is understanding yourself." "What do you ...2006-01-05 21:03Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:03http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=149 A foolish monk with hairy eyebrows and grey robes, Walks along the stream leaning on his staff, his steps skillful on their own. Observing the clouds and mist, he is both sober and intoxicated. To fool with mysterious changes makes the blunder even worse. The golden breeze [of autumn] gently turns the leaves their first shade of red, Now that the autumn moon shines brightly, the water...2006-01-05 21:01Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:01http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=148Everything comes from Mind. A major basis of Buddhism is found in the saying that "Everything comes from mind." This means that everything that you experience is a reflection of mind and that there is nothing that is not a reflection of this mind. We also have another important saying― "Mind is Buddha." That is to say, everything that comes from mind is Bu...2006-01-05 21:01Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:01http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=147 Dharmas are neither produced nor extinguished. If you are aware of this, then all Buddhas are constantly before you. This is a quote from the Avatamsaka Sutra. It is the very marrow of buddhism, sums up all of the Teachings of the Buddha, and is the very basis of Buddhism. If you should ask what it was that the Buddha became enlightened about, this is the answer. All the other Teachings ...2006-01-05 21:00Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:00http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=146The sons and daughters of Buddha are free on the eternal path of liberation, and the sons and daughters of Confucius sing of the Great Age of Sages. The sons and daughters of Jesus are replete in their infinite glory, and the sons and daughters of Mohammed have hearts bursting with joy and happiness.The world is a single home, and all of mankind is one. So let's forget such useless discrimin...2006-01-05 21:00Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 21:00http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=145Ascending the dharma platform and taking his seat, Hyobong Sunim said, “Over the last 3,000 years, there have been many who criticized the Buddha but few who praised him; the only one in the past who did so was Master Yunmen (雲門). However, today, this ‘mountain monk’ is about to praise the Buddha.” He recited a gatha: What thought did he needlessly a...2006-01-05 20:59Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 20:59http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=144The reason that human beings are the most noble of the myriad things is that they are able to find and attain ‘I.’ The essence of ‘I’ exists in absolute freedom, so one ought to be able to control everything as one pleases. But the reason we human beings do not have any freedom at any specific time or place, and the reason why nothing goes the way we wish, ...2006-01-05 20:55Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 20:55http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=143First LectureAfter ascending the Dharma seat, and looking to all the four directions, the Master said, “Today is the beginning of this three-month retreat. Within the assembly present here now- do each of you brave men intend to go through with this retreat? Those of you endowed with the Dharma-Eye, speak! What is an extraordinary man (an awakened mind)?” the assembly remained...2006-01-05 15:02Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 15:02http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=142The nature of the following Dharma lectures is such that an outline of the meditation hall lifestyle, the setting in which they were delivered, can be useful as background for the appreciation of the Ch’an monk’s life and the unique type of lecture which Ch’an Masters deliver. At present few people are familiar with the atmosphere in which Ch’an meditators ...2006-01-05 14:56Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 14:56http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=141IntroductionThough everyone lives seeking personal enjoyment,This body at some timeWill be reduced to a mere handful of ash.Ask: “Oh, Master of the body!What is the ‘True-I’?”Knowing the definition, confines, value and responsibility of what is called the ‘I’, let’s throw off the bridle of illusion, and proceed on the right roa...2006-01-05 14:41Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 14:41http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=14011. The Value of the ‘I’People who become entangled in the environment after forgetting their ‘True-I’, are attracted by material things because of wrong perception, and mar themselves through foolish offenses. But because the enlightened man is not attracted by material things, even if the world would become a mound of pure gold he would remain as immovabl...2006-01-05 14:10Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 14:10http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=139Preface Within the green forest a golden oriole shuttles back and forth, weaving the silk of spring. This monk dozes during his sittings and a stone Buddha smiles. While I nap deep within the forest on Chogye Mountain, if the passing ‘clouds and water’ have something to ask, I reply to them; me, this useless, old and withered man.Many types of people from several countries in ...2006-01-05 10:30Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 10:30http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=138FOREWORD Buddhism is the formalized expression of a truth about life which is valid to any social situation in either past, present, or future. Since its introduction into Korea in the Fourth Century A.D., the Buddhist attitude towards life has played a vital role in the development of the Korean world-view, and its approach to living has had great influence in the shaping of Korean civilizati...2006-01-05 10:14Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-05 10:14http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=1361 Traditionally, many scholars in both the East and the West talk of Buddhism's spread and development in an excessively linear fashion. Recent scholarship now tends to recognize more and more that much cross-pollination occurred between the Buddhist traditions of Northeast Asia. There were numerous Koreans active in both China and Korea from the early years of Seon's development. 2 A revised fo...2006-01-04 14:45Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:45http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13571 a. Text A Man of the Way must make his mind firm by taking simplicity and honesty as his foundation. With a hollowed out gourd and a single set of coarse clothing, he must be able to travel anywhere without entanglements. b. Commentary The Buddha said, "The mind must be as straight as a taut string." He also said, "The straight mind is the 'seat' of wisdom.&amp...2006-01-04 14:41Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:41http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13461 a. Text A tattered-robed monk who seeks fame and fortune is not equal to a country bumpkin dressed in straw-filled clothes. b. Commentary "Sakyamuni Buddha spat at the crown and then entered the Himalayas." A thousand Buddhas may appear but this principle97 will never change. During this era of the Dharma's decline, herds of sheep wearing tiger skins will shamelessly se...2006-01-04 14:39Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:39http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13351 a. Text Worship involves respect and surrender. You must respect your True Nature. You must make ignorance surrender. b. Commentary When your body, speech and mind are pure, "Buddha appears in this world." 52 a. Text Chanting with the mouth is called "recitation," while chanting with the mind is called "reflecting on the Buddha."...2006-01-04 14:37Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:37http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13241 a. Text If you want to transcend life and death, you must first cut off your desires and lust. b. Commentary Desire is the basis for transmigration. Lust (which our parents had for one another) is the condition for receiving a human life. The Buddha said, “If you cannot eradicate lust-filled mental states, you will not be able to break free of defilement.” He also sai...2006-01-04 14:35Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:35http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13131 a. Text The elimination of defilements is called the way of the “Two Vehicles.” The non-arising of defilements is called the “Great Nirvana.” b. Commentary “Elimination” involves a subject and an object. “Non-arising” lacks both subject and object. 32 a. Text Empty your mind and reflect with clarity. You...2006-01-04 14:33Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:33http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=13021 a. Text If one’s practice comes together to form an integrated whole, then even though you may fail to penetrate to an awakening during this lifetime, bad karma will not pull you away when the light falls from your eyes. b. Commentary. Karma41 is the darkness of delusion. Seon is the light of wisdom.42 Darkness and light obviously cannot exist together. 22 a. Text You who ...2006-01-04 14:31Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:31http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=12911 a. Text Therefore, disciples must study the true words and teaching of the Buddha at first so that they can distinguish between the changeless and the changeable which the two characteristics of their mind are. Also they must discern that the two gates of sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation are the beginning and the end of their practice. Only then, may they lay aside the doctrinal ...2006-01-04 14:27Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:27http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=1281 a. Text Here, from the very beginning, there is this One Thing. Constantly lucid and mysterious, it has never been born and it has never died. It cannot be named or depicted. b. Commentary What is this “One Thing?” The ancients said: “Before the Buddhas of old were born, there was this One Thing, lucid and ethereal. So how could Mahakasyapa have transmitted ...2006-01-04 14:23Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:23http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=127In Mirror of Seon, Seosan offers an inclusive vision of Buddhist cultivation that recognizes the value of varying approaches. From a traditional Buddhist viewpoint, the work is well balanced: it stresses the importance of precepts, discusses training in concentration, and provides general words of caution to those treading the path to awakening. Master Seosan considered the Buddhist texts to be ...2006-01-04 14:21Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2006-01-04 14:21http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=1221.Chinul is alluding here to the famous Parable of the Burning House from the Lotus Sutra. See Miao‐fa lien‐hua ching 2, T 262.9.12c‐13c; Leon Hurvitz, Lotus, pp. 58‐62. See also LCL, p. 497b. 17, and Wonhyo's Palsim suhaeng chang, in Cho Myeong‐gi (ed.), Wonhyo taesa cheonjip, p. 605. 2.By Tan‐hsia Tzu‐ch'un (丹霞子淳 1064‐1117), in the Ts'ao‐tung lineage; from his verse, the Wan chu‐yin(翫珠吟), appe...2005-12-06 14:02Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 14:02http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=121If we consider our actions in our past wanderings in samsara, we have no way of knowing for how many thousands of kalpas we have fallen into the darkness or entered the Interminable Hell and endured all kinds of suffering.34 Nor can we know how many times we have aspired to the path to Buddhahood but, because we did not meet with wise advisors, remained submerged in the sea of birth and death for...2005-12-06 13:48Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 13:48http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=120Question: According to your assessment, there are two types of samadhi and prajna which are maintained equally during cultivation after awakening: first, the samadhi and prajna of the self‐nature; second, the relative samadhi and prajna which adapts to signs. The self‐nature type means to be calm yet aware in all circumstances. Since the person who has awakened to the self‐nature is always spont...2005-12-06 13:40Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 13:40http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=119Question: In the approach of subsequent cultivation, we really do not yet understand the meaning of maintaining samadhi and prajna equally. Could you expound on this point in detail, so that we can free ourselves of our delusion? Please lead us through the entrance to liberation. Chinul: Suppose we consider these two dharmas and their attributes. Of the thousands of approaches to enter the noume...2005-12-06 13:27Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 13:27http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=118Question: Once the noumenon is awakened to, no further steps are involved. Why then do you posit subsequent cultivation, gradual permeation, and gradual perfection?Chinul: Earlier the meaning of gradual cultivation subsequent to awakening was fully explained. But since your feeling of doubt persists, it seems that I will have to explain it again. Clear your minds and listen carefully! For innum...2005-12-06 13:09Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 13:09http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=117Question: When the superior man hears dharma, he understands easily. Average and inferior men, however, are not without doubt and confusion. Could you describe some expedients so that the deluded too can enter into enlightenment?Chinul: The path is not related to knowing or not knowing." You should get rid of the mind which clings to its delusion and looks forward to enlightenment, and l...2005-12-06 12:09Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 12:09http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=116Question: You have said that this twofold approach of sudden awakening/ gradual cultivation is the track followed by thousands of saints. But if awakening is really sudden awakening, what need is there for gradual cultivation? And if cultivation means gradual cultivation, how can you speak of sudden awakening? We hope that you will expound further on these two ideas of sudden and gradual and reso...2005-12-06 12:00Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-06 12:00http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=113The Sutra of Agama says thus: ‘There is the way of eternal liberation; there exists the I that teaches it; however, some people follow it; and others do not.’ As you know, this is a memorial day of Buddha's Nirvana. Over His death, Ananda, one of His ten disciples, who had followed Him twenty-five years, could not keep up himself but only to burst into tears. Buddhism teaches...2005-12-02 13:36Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-02 13:36http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=112 When ordinary people see a visual form or hear a sound, they are unable to escape it. What shall you do to be able to escape the world of form and sound? If you have already escaped the realm of sound and form, you must immediately begin studying.What is the proper way to practice? If you have already begun your practice, you then need to ripen your practice, but how? If your...2005-12-01 17:33Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-01 17:33http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=111When the eye encounters the precepts, they are transmitted and received. The eyes of those receiving the precepts come into contact with those who are teaching them, therefore, in this meeting completely free from thought between the Precept Master’s eyes of compassion and the Precept Student’s eyes of sincerity, it can be said that the precepts have taken form. It is o...2005-12-01 17:24Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-12-01 17:24http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=107Question: You talked about seeing the nature. But when there is true seeing of the nature, the person becomes an enlightened saint and should be able to perform magic and miracles―he would be different from other people. How is it, then, that among those who cultivate the mind nowadays, not one can display these spiritual powers and transformation bodies? Chinul: You should not utter absurditie...2005-11-29 20:15Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 20:15http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=106Question: If you say that the Buddha‐nature exists in the body right now, then, since it is in the body, it is not separate from us ordinary men. So why can we not see this Buddha‐nature now? Please explain this further to enlighten us on this point. Chinul: It is in your body, but you do not see it. Ultimately, what is that thing which during the twelve periods of the day knows hunger and th...2005-11-29 20:11Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 20:11http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=105The triple world is blazing in defilement as if it were a house on fire.1 How can you bear to tarry here and complacently undergo such long suffering? If you wish to avoid wandering in samsara there is no better way than to seek Buddhahood. If you want to become a Buddha, understand that Buddha is the mind. How can you search for the mind in the far distance? It is not outside the body. The physi...2005-11-29 20:06Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 20:06http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=104SECRETS ON CULTIVATING THE MIND, an outline of basic Seon practices, was written by Chinul between 1203 and 1205 to instruct the throngs coming to the newly completed Suseonsa monastery. A seminal text of the Seon school, Secrets presents simple yet cogent descriptions of two important elements of Chinul's thought―sudden awakening/gradual cultivation and the simultaneous practice of samadhi and p...2005-11-29 19:57Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:57http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=103What is the meaning behind Buddhism being called daegak (Supreme Enlightenment)? I shall analyze this in two explanations. First, the things we commonly comprehend as the biggest things around us are the sky, the earth, the sea, the air, and the like. But what we call “big” in Buddhism are not those things. When we refer to the "bigness" of the original and...2005-11-29 19:54Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:54http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=102One student once asked,"You told us to investigate and doubt the hwadu, but how should we investigate it?" Yongseong answered,"A person suddenly lost a treasure he had carefully carried on his person and cherished for a long time. At first, he didn't know he had lost his valuable thing, but one day he felt with his hands where he usually carried the treasure and noti...2005-11-29 19:51Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:51http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=1001. It is no small thing for a person to become a Bhikku (Buddhist Monk) or Bhikkuni (Buddhist Nun). A person does not become a Sunim (Korean honorific for monk or nun) to eat and dress well. Rather, they want to be free from life and death by accomplishing Buddhahood. 2. To accomplish Buddhahood, one has to discover one's own Mind, which is already within one's own body. 3. To discover Mind, on...2005-11-29 19:47Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:47http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=98If you want to want to accomplish the one great thing, it makes no difference whether you reside amongst the ordained or not, among men or women, beginning or senior students. Everything lies within your final sincere singular thought. What I see that is different in the princess's innate disposition compared to others is that from the beginning, there has never been selfishness or suspicion or a...2005-11-29 19:13Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:13http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=97When I sent you a peach tree before, you sent a present in return and said in your reply that you have taken on the character “MU” (無: nothing, non-existent) as your hwadu. Since I myself have studied this hwadu from a long time ago, I wanted to relate the news to you personally.However, upon hearing that you were going to take on a different hwadu, I was surprised and apprehe...2005-11-29 19:03Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:03http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=96This business of enlightenment does not depend on whether you are lay or ordained, a novice or experienced, nor is dependent on the influence or the practice of the many past lives. Sudden awakening only lies within the one clear faith of the practitioner's thought. This is why the Buddha also said, “Faith, as the root of one's fundamental being and the mother of virtue, brings about th...2005-11-29 19:00Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 19:00http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=95The master offered these words: “The 'Diamond Perfection of the Wisdom Sutra' is a sutra that teaches us the moment-to-moment thoughts that we bring about in daily life are nothing but the mysterious mind of unbreakable, diamond-like wisdom. This sutra is impossible to be explained fully through the 600 sections of the 'Wisdom Sutra,' nor even if the entire Tripitaka (Buddhist scriptur...2005-11-29 18:50Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 18:50http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=94Master Baek-un offered these words: “What does it mean to 'study to achieve enlightenment'? It doesn't just mean you need to learn a hwadu, nor does it just mean you must carry a hwadu in your mind, exerting all of your energy. It doesn't just mean studying the teachings of the masters who have interpreted the old Patriarchs for the public, nor does it mean studying those teachings of...2005-11-29 18:48Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 18:48http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/rss/link.asp?rss_type=content&rss_seq=93Master Baekun ascended into the Dharma Hall and spoke: “Our original and true nature exists on its own accord. It came into being before the Sky or Earth, continuing up until this very day. Piercing the ten directions of the universe, that which is originally bright and clear has no inside or outside, always pure and eternally quiet, its marvelous function as unfathomable as the number...2005-11-29 18:07Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism(mailto:webmaster@koreanbuddhism.net)Dharma Talks/TeachingsKorean Buddhism2005-11-29 18:07