Buddhist Zen master Seung Sahn passed away at Hwagye Temple in Seoul Tuesday afternoon.
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Korean Zen master passes away
This entry was written by Robert Koehler, posted on December 1, 2004 at 3:57 am, filed under Korean Culture. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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6 Comments
Sorry to hear of his passing. His books were wonderful and are a great introduction to Zen. But I ultimately gave the books away and will probably never buy another one once I found out about his rather scandalous and somewhat corrupt personal life.
I’m assuming (?) that the “rather scandalous and somewhat corrupt personal life” that the previous comment refers to is a nod to something that happened (and for which ZM Seung Sahn publically apologized and repented for) in the 1970s. I don’t idolize or revere *any* teacher, and I wouldn’t reject the teachings of someone who demonstrated (and hasn’t repeated) human failings *two decades* ago. To paraphrase a teacher from another spiritual tradition, let he who is without scandalous and corrupt behavior cast the first stone.
Talk about stone-casting. Like you’ve never given away books because you don’t like the guy who wrote them. There comes a point when the teacher becomes too shameful to learn from.
In addition to what I just posted, I should add that “human failings” really invalidate the quasi-mystical sense of being a Zen Master. If you’re still prey to the lusts of this life after getting that wet flash of enlightenment, then what’s the point. That was a major component of my disappointment in the days when I still took Zen seriously.
What we are talking about? Passing and appearing. Put it all down! Only this is the Memorial…
Visiting Hya Ge Sa in Seoul was very warm and welcoming, as a Canadian buddhist living in a remote Korean county, where few Korean buddhists spoke english. The Zen students here were very good, and they came from many different countries, a true international spirit. There were other Korean Zen masters who’s books I read and revered higher, but Seung Sahn was a living presence and his good work lives on in his excellent students.