Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 1195 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen •
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601 13 June, 1977 Dear Soen Sa Nim, Lincoln Rhodes sent me the color photo of the four of us before the altar of your center in Los Angeles. It brought back very pleasant memories of your hospitality and our happy time together. I will take the photo with me to Japan on a forthcoming trip as something very interesting to show to my teacher Yamada Koun Roshi and to Dharma friends. Our training schedule is well under way, and a five-day seshin is scheduled to begin the end of this week. I find that new students in their 30’s and 40’s are appearing more and more. May you continue to enjoy good health! Robert Aitken July 8, 1977 Dear Aitken Roshi, Thank you for your postcard. I am happy to hear you are busy and attracting older students. I will be traveling in Korea and Japan, and if my schedule permits, I will try to visit your teacher. I will be traveling with ten American students, so it may be difficult to rearrange our travel arrangements, but perhaps on my return trip, I can stop in Hawaii. Sometime, I would like to visit your Zen Center. Yours in the Dharma, S.S. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 1195 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 602 July 3, 1977 Dear Soen Sa Nim, How was your “vacation” out on the West coast? Sherry has just finished talking to the Providence Center and she tells me that your health is not good. Please take good care of yourself. Sherry and I have been sitting and bowing and Sherry has also been involved in the Toronto Zen Center. I have been sitting and bowing at home, but maybe some day, I will sit regularly at the Zen Center. I don’t know. We have received a note from Diana about the trip to Korea. It sounds wonderful, and right now, I am planning on going. Several weeks ago, Sherry and I spent a week on the West coast of Canada and stayed several days in Vancouver and then drove over to Vancouver Island. Every morning was some bowing, some sitting, and some running. One morning, as I was running, I was trying to keep “clear mind—don’t know” when my running seemed to become effortless, and I was able to run very fast for a long period of time, as if some hand or force was pushing me. When my mind moved off “clear mind,” I could feel my running becoming very heavy and slow. Even though I am making “heavy” and “effortless,” the experience was a new one, and I later thought of mind light, and that during this experience of running, I could keep the same mind as I try to keep while sitting. Last weekend, the same thing happened, but this was after running for almost two hours. I am finding that as I run more regularly, I feel like running for longer periods of time. It is also the same with sitting. Now, I try (and want) to sit both in the morning and in the evening. This evening, the thing that kept running through my mind while I was sitting was your exhortation to “try, try, try” to keep clear mind—don’t know. I don’t understand why I am sitting more frequently. Most people would say that I am wasting my time. I do not think I am wasting my time, but I don’t know. On Saturday, I am going to the Zen Center to discuss with the members the possibility of purchasing a house. I have offered to help them do the legal work both to buy a house and to obtain government clears for “charitable non-profit” status for the Center. I have been holding your cigarette kong-an in the back of my mind, and I have no answers. However, this evening I thought, “Go tell Soen Sa Nim to keep his own students.” At one point, I was feeling very strong—like the wind! You still have not met my daughters. I would like you to meet them and also for them to meet you—I worry about them—probably unnecessarily. My condition, my situation, my Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 1196 © 2002 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org opinions all disappear—can they disappear as long as I have children, wife, a job? I don’t know. Take care of yourself, and I look forward to seeing you in August—and Happy Birthday. Lawlor July 13, 1977 Dear Lawlor, How are you? Thank you for your letter and telephone call. I just returned home and got your letter. My body is very strong, no problem. Don’t worry about me. You and Sherry are bowing and sitting every day. That is wonderful. Sitting at a Zen Center or home is not different, but if you go to a Zen Center, sitting, bowing, and practicing together with other people makes making your opinion, your condition, your situation disappear very easy. Everybody has different opinions, so they all do different actions. Together action means you cannot do different actions. If you cannot do different actions, putting down your opinion becomes very easy. You will go to Korea. That is wonderful. On your vacation, you tried running Zen. That is wonderful. Somebody has written a book on running Zen. Running time, only run. Then you will get special energy. But this is not special energy; it is your correct energy. When you are thinking, your energy and universal energy become separate. But when you are not thinking, your energy and universal energy become one. So before, one monk tried only Amitabul. His head was like rocks, so his teacher said, “You only try Amitabul.” He didn’t do anything but Amitabul, Amitabul, Amitabul—working time, eating time, sitting time. One day, he carried a letter to another temple for his teacher. It was very far away. Usually, it took one week to walk there. But this monk, only trying Amitabul, Amitabul, arrived the same evening at the other temple. This monk did not know how far he had gone, or how fast. When the temple Master got the letter, he was very surprised. He asked, “When did you leave your temple?” “After breakfast.” “Yaah? How did you get here so fast?” “I don’t know; I only tried Amitabul.” This is a famous story. He didn’t want fast; he only tried Amitabul. So he got there very fast, no problem. So only go straight—one mind. Then you will get special energy. But this special energy is your energy. You already have everything, and if you are not thinking, you Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 1197 © 2002 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org can get anything. You already experienced running Zen. That is wonderful. In Providence, Mu Bul Su Nim and Louise run everyday before bowing. They like running. They have also experienced running Zen—better than sitting—very easy. Body position is not important. Mind sitting is very important. Everyday running is wonderful. “Try, try, try,” means when you are running, when you are sitting, don’t check your mind; don’t check your feelings; only go straight—don’t know. Good feelings come; bad feelings come; that’s O.K. Don’t hold onto good and bad. Only try, try, try—go straight. You will help the Toronto Zen Center get a house and a tax exemption. That is wonderful! Next, your homework: If you say, “Go to Soen Sa Nim,” the cigarette man will hit you hard. What can you do? I also want to meet your daughters. When I go to Toronto, you must introduce me to your daughters. You ask about putting down your opinion, your condition, your situation when you have children, a wife, and a job. When you are talking to your children, you must keep father’s mind. When you are with your wife, you must keep husband’s mind. When you try business, only keep business mind. This is not your opinion; it is the correct opinion. This means, what are you doing right now? You must do it! This is Zen mind. When you are with your children, maybe you think about your wife, your job. This is no good. This is your opinion. 100% belief in yourself, in your action—this is Zen; this is Enlightenment—not special. Don’t make I, me, my. Only go straight—do it! If you don’t understand, only go straight—don’t know. I hope you always keep don’t-know mind, soon finish the Great Work of life and death, and save all people from suffering. Yours in the Dharma, S.S. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 1198 © 2002 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 603 July 3, 1977 Dear Soen Sa Nim, I don’t know what to write. I love you very much and I want your body to be healthy. Please don’t work so hard. If you are tired, don’t come to Toronto but stay in Providence and rest. I am working on two kong-ans. One is “dropping ashes.” I tried to ignore this kong-an, but you gave me a very good job: director of this Toronto Zen Center. Samu Su Nim is a very strict teacher. He hits very hard, and I imagine he will frighten new students. Even if he does not hit them, they hear the sound of his hitting others and maybe become afraid and never come back.