Pohwa Sunim (born July 15, 1955) is the head monk of the Young Pyung Sa International Zen Center in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
.
Biography
Sunim is the disciple of Myo Vong who is the
Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
successor of Hye Am. Pohwa Sunim founded the World Zen Fellowship in 1994 which includes the Potomac Zen Sangha, the Patriarchal Zen Society and the Baltimore Zen Center. He is known for his teaching and direct presentation style. He pioneered the use of “Cyber Zen” (
Information Age
The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology ...
technology) to propagate his teachings in the West, including the early use of web sites, user groups, and video tele-conferencing. He produced a series of teaching videos in 2004 called “Zen Dharma Exchange”, which are widely available on the internet. He is a frequent speaker at American universities (Columbia University, Columbia, Georgetown University, Georgetown, Naropa University, George Washington University, George Washington, the University of Maryland) and religious gatherings. (1)
Teaching
The focus of his teaching is to learn Buddha's enlightened mind through the practice of the koan, a story or question that cannot be understood by logical thinking but only through intuitive thinking. The focus is on attaining the true nature of all beings directly through intuitive thinking. This mind-to-mind teaching is the core teaching of the Korean Buddhist Chogye Order and is now being spread throughout the world by lineage masters such as Pohwa Sunim. “If you want to know the answer, you must see your ‘original mind’ which is the ‘original mind’ of all sages and all beings.” (2)(3)
Some of his more frequently employed phrases include, “Dogs chase mudballs. A lion bites the thrower”, and “ An apple is an apple. An orange is an orange. They are not the same. They are not different.” (4)
References
{{Reflist
1. World Zen Fellowship http://www.worldzen.org. Retrieved 2010-11-02 and Rocky Mountain News 9/27/2002, and Korean American Buddhist Times June 28, 2003 and http://www.youngpyungsa.org/temple/community/community_04_view.html?id=4330
Young Pyung Sa (YPS) International Zenn Center and http://www.rappnews.com/2010/10/21/sperryville-column-for-oct-21/8547/
Rappahanock News, October 21, 2010
2. Hwagyesa International Zen Center http://www.seoulzen.org/information.html Retrieved 2010-11-02
3. Pohwa Sunim quoted from Zen Dharma Exchange #1 “Dualistic Thinking”
4. Pohwa Sunim quoted from Zen Dharma Exchange #2 “Enlightenment”
1955 births
Living people