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PUBLISHED BY THE KWAN UM ZEN SCHOOL
. . VOLUME FOUR, NU�BER TWO 528 POUND ROA_D,_�UMBERLAND. Rt 07864 :(401) 7§9-6476 JUNE 1987
Harmonizing with clouds, with rain - when I first came to this coun II). 1980,. Nurturing true mind try, I had no temple, food or home. I was Atop mountain-firm vows very poor. Arriving .in New York City, .IN CELEBRAT.ION OF The scenery is unique: Master Soen Sa Nim his Zen Center opened . Unmeasurable prosperity, infinite life, to me. He was the, first Zen Master in " Deep is the ocean of merit. America to help. Soen Sa Nim has said, 60TH . HIM'S "When become a become a :' :'S:A you monk, you S,0E.�:;, Yen. Hakaya Taizan Maizumi Roshi millionaire. enter is Any temple you your Zen Center of Angeles home-one food which is Los million; any ',�-<::�. ··<.�<,BIRTlID·AY_, .. '.1 . a of the Chinese needed, is given-two million; and all the . [this-is translation poem] clothes you will ever wear are provid . from' the ed-three million." Selections tribute book, Our is a Sangha -large family. Masters, compiled by Diana Clark ' DO YOU SEE THIS? when spreading the Dharma, bring this An Appreciation of Tubby Teacher when family close together. Students, prac- , Tubby Teacher raised his hand before the I tieing Buddhism, bring the Dharma to life. together in the Dharma, that we may all at Congratulating 60th Birthday of Maui Sangha. "Do you.see this?" he cried When Soen Sa 'Nim gave me refuge in his tain Buddha, Nature, arid peace. Seung Sahn Zen Master out: I was astonished, and so was every lasting , New York City Temple, he became a living body else. Buddha. Yen. Maha 'Ghosananda "Golden Staff Traverses - It is my prayer that all Buddhists will bow New, England Khmer Buddhist Society Endless miles of emptiness ,continued onpage 2 INDEX
, High Energy Land Purchased In Kentucky Mountains 8 • Poems by Soen Sa Nim; Stanley Lombardo • Story by Robert Genthner
The Third Intervie.w
' A retreat story by JerryShephard .•... 8
',A Thank You to Our Many
- ! Donors ...... � . . . r, ...... 13
: Books Reviewed:
. Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition How the Swans Came to the Lake, 2nd edition Moon in a Dewdrop: writings of Zen Master _D_f!g�n
- .Photo, Courtesy of Lexington Zen Center'
_. � - --- . - 'A dialogue with Jakusho Kwong, Roshi Abbot of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center -THE ZEN• SCENERY OF I .' • .. \ "" �. \ '.' . V'.' '/i :,., ��,-·I. '.;; 1"'-1." .L.'{ :�.:. •.
. �. :.1 .• .• This-is '. ,.,_ < 'ti ,UI:J,'1 ;; ;',:1 -;KwongrRoshi: actually our first time er-. (laughter) The dog knows. The dog was
. Jakusho Kwong Roshi, Dharma successor to Suzuki l!-l!:,s!!i'fJ}peagr!'an1 Abbot 01;' oIj;���l (Holding the ceremonial Zen stick above his '. enlightenment experience, he was not' was In the Buddhist head, Jacob brings the point of it down on awake; he asleep. scrip "- the altar table with force.) ,- ""- THE PILGRIMAGE TO tures we often read that the way we live is' as . if in a dream. So it is'our job, according to Budda saw a star, got a great 'enlighten- the Buddha and the patriarchs, to awaken ment. (Hits the altar again) AWAKENING from this dream. . Guchi's attendant saw a finger, got a That's what happened one day to this great enlightenment. (Hits the altar a third By Master Dharma Teacher. Jacob Perl called But>' mao That's also . person Gautama _ time) _ .. . to Guchi's attendant. we .The Dharma a,t, \vhat.happened sP . j.ol/owil)g formal speech wa's>given Btui.d.fla)� �l1iight�"I'Q�n(- Day 'we celebrate " Today Buddha's enlighten .... '.' c',' '.' . . at the on .... celebrate thelr- exper�ence�tbu('qf�course:: but we also celebrate Guchi's ce1:e-motiie� Providence zin'Cen(er lfJ�ceriz'b'e;'6; 1�86: ment, attend- -this \s';.n'o.t ant's enlightenment. Which one is greater? Today is Saturday.' .• e)!:�.�r�en�e ��'fmm���J�:��H��� �Pf�.�ei���e.i��s \i��i�:��le�.f����{ ��.ifY< orGuchi's attendant. At anY'momept thiS Which one? This is the traditional form. Everybody is mum Buddha-e-Shakymuni jneans ,ithe - . .. on Hoh! familiar with it. We celebrate this experi- awakened one." That means, 'prior to his, _ Continued page 6 2 pRIMARYpoINT JUNE 1987 Excerpts from New Book vZ,en Sahn on his 60th Birthday HO,noring .. Master Seung -, .' . ".:�I,�.� �f'���'" ;" _ In honor ojSoen Sa Nim 's 60th birthday, which will be celebratedAugust J. at' Pro vi- The 60th. Birthday in the .Orient is very material about our teacher, Zen Master dence Zen Center and later in the month in Korea, a tribute book has been put to- important, because it means that an entire Seung Sahn, to commemorate his 60th gether by long-term student Diana Clark, co-founder of Empty Gate Zen Center, cycle of the Chinese calendar has been Birthday. The response has been heart- The book includes a lbng biographical sketch of Soen Sa Nim's life before he came lived. It is traditional that a person-reaching warming. People have come forward not to the United States (augmented by recent interviews with him), an outline of the [hat age is honored by the gathering of his only with many personal experiences of his major landmarks of his teaching here and abroad since then, and delightful or her whole family, by gifts, by lots of impact on their lives, but also with new It a celebration, or 'contributions from many .of his students, friends and other teachers, written good food, is time of great stories about Soen Sa Nim that they have especially for his 60th birthday. It is also a fitting moment to review the heard him tell. Others have sent poems, events of the to them and It has into an , person's lifetime; put photos drawings. grown The contributions are varied: in some perspective, to look with wonder, of many tasts, many irn- poems, anecdotes, remembrances, drawings, often - amazing potpourri humorous and warm-hearted. Many photographs spanning Soen Sa Nirn's life are . to say thank you.... pressions, many offerings of love �nd deep- included, We are printing a sampling of the contributions, with Diana's permission, This book has been fascinating to watch ly felt gratitude. The book will be available at the School Congress August 1 at Providence Zen develop. It began in a very small way, with . ",,,,. . Diana Clark, editor write to the Kwan Um Zen School, the-idea of .a.few letters' of con Center. Thereafter, collecting Soen , of Sa 60th ,. Nirn's gratulations ana some anecdotal per4l1p.s,�" e, -",;: i' ,;_::- .: birthday tribute book *'��f..: �.��'\; -i A\. � / '{',' '�,¥I.: 'pHor.o,l})'. Richard Qr.Pbbert 1 continuedjrompage Time Traveler "Tomorrow morning we will 'do 1'08 60 years earth-born, bows," he said,' And they did. Fortunately I The Old Man teaches. whole world, wasn't or there, probably I wouldn't be Spewing forth lies and gossip here. . On deaf ears: . Since then we have had several encoun- If you want to know the true way of Buddha ters, something like a Comet in from rushing And Old Man's original face', the unknown universe and all the engaging Look to the clock. little asteroids for a few moments, and then . rushing out again into the vast reaches of, Tick"tock. empty space. Tick; tock. Where does he come from? Where is he Tick, going? Can we catch him to make him 60? tock. I offer nine bows, my best effort. "Skinny" Robert W. Genthner Robert Aitken Koko An Zendo a jade tree Diamond Sangha, Hawaii falls a clay pot shatters empty on the jloor here 'the shards of the zen master empty Soen Sa Nim's first visit to Sonoma as truth empty Mountain. From the Valley of the 'Moon-he as Soen Sa Nim saw three rainbows, while we on this moun tain saw a double rainbow. I said to myself, heat moves wind "This is a very specialday!" In tradition, moves pushes when Buddhist teachers meet, it is quite anything a door natural to prostrate before each other. in open a mind a mutual recognition. After that we were table over in its way a broken both beaming with joy! Then we, spon clay pot holds no taneously, held hands! This was the first rain the 'zen time I had ever experienced this love w.ith a master drinks Zen Master. We didn't stand 'face to face water from the bowl with some intense Zen gaze. In fact, we bejore the sky were standing side by side, not even looking will crack at each other. This simple gesture of fingers touching, a purring, was just like time only the willow changes 'only standing still. days I sit there is so I wanted to give him a present, something little time no. there that I valued greatly, but he declined each is no time all as our eyes fingered through the many Bud of it there is only dhist Just the things.' day before, Demian, Soen Sa Nim my teenage son, had found a paper rainbow lying in a downtown parking lot. It was now where's that clay pot where's on the floor. Soen Sa Nim lying livingroom that Soen Sa Nim? said to us with a great smile.. "This I .can take!" We all laughed! Linda Parker (reprinted from Sea Birds by. Jakusho Kwong Roshi permission of the author and Fathom Sonoma Mountain Zen Center Press) Santa Rosa, California . I remember us wondering how Soen Sa Nim would manage to give interviews for about 140 people during one three-day Soen Sa Nim saidthat the' is not true way YMjJ. For us it seemed particularly diffi to be on idea of it is dependent any God; cult because he also to Master Seung Sahn was going every day independent. Christians, he said, ,z�� to becomin� )" , downtown 'Wars'aw 'do shopping. So, on an . � � are t60 idea of God. r They .' .� , •. .. r. after bows Soen Sa 'Nim dependent � I :II 11. J. Friday morning believe in but do not find God.. only God, Soen Sa Nim's oi'lie':d 'be sitting at called meto his room and asked how many . first,jHW�P.bW ��J'}g)j�h- veg�Mble ig,lCl.giu'able. How believe in caniyou God wh,�n you c<:tP. ing an American Zen -Center ��S.:.i_�J.!I!i�.l_'qjlll the kitchen tclbltfu{lid'utktiiligently writ people were sitting this retreat. "One not even in believe yourself? F;i�st,;¥.pu need apartment in Provi<;l¢,nce;.l RI:H:!f�J'! I�JCJlld. ing letters to unknown 'J!I�9PJ�)�$orea and hundred forty people," was my answer. to believe) in yourself, then ygu F.�p ��lic:;ye • The- apartment wa IOGated,,»Gn....a.,.fotr�sudden4'�lo.Qk>.up..�Qwdf...they Soen Sa: Nim said then, "Okay. New stu Then can answer in God.] you the C!ll.\!,sti,C;>,n named DOy'I� Aveni'll;: ,.$,Q-lilh ��NN.i�\Rrob- liked'I1��-g��I\Qfte!1"hezqrkM�t'o-I(i)@k 'the dents come eight people at once for inter in . of who is the "I" Christ's statement, '�I ably didn't care abolJkt!l!!i�,rly,y.\ helJMRd word he was searching for'up.in his' Korean view, older students come four people for am tlie the and the Life." mood of the , his, side. 'Way� Truth, ' street; and and several of the oldest I unhappy �n!...<.;lM�'Quld �ngJ.i�ht'�icHQIlaF.y:,!.that,.neyerdeft interview, you . He the he has shared kong-an developed at times stage' drunken brawls and.jknife "�OOPLES,! ,.: You like, noodles?" Of students come one by one." "Yes, sir," I about "Christ died and rose saw a with two course would smile inside and a Christianity: ' fights. What he was house everyone out, answered, and thought came. to my mind, where is Christ now?" . accent and and again; sol relatively large rooms and a very low rent of loving his his, enthusiasm "There's nothing like having been in the most he is to What 'is important;' said, $150.00 a month.... give him abig nod. Then he'd proceed to is a problem!" .... , military-nothing make clear The convert the entire kitchen into a flour-filled your direction, step by step. Everyone that came to the apartmentin We used to have in the Warsaw Zen Cen to Then first step is attain stillness. you those first six months only-needed to be noodle factory, producing in less than an ter a Polish van. Its quality was .very poor. . make to fam hour a that even his clear your relationships, your there a half an hour before they understood soup surpassed last, Its old type two-cycle engine with only 70 friends.:', And all of filled with homemade noodles. ily, your teachers, your his purpose and direction. Soen Sa Nim delicious horsepower used tremendous amounts of this comes as JUST DO IT! Out of together wanted to make a Zen Center out of the And he'd be so unabashedly pleased that gasoline and was extremely loud. In this car. this kind can come a new re 'pf teaching apartment. He wanted the altar to be the everyone liked it, telling them repeatedly, we went with Soen Sa Nim all around Po based on a clear of this formation; teaching heart, the Dharma Room to be wide and "In Korea, anytime this style soup. This land. Inside we put a sleeping mattress on with to path, beginping stillness andmoving so and is NU�Qer One. Eat this, the floor for Soen Sa Nim to take naps on •• .clean .many. people .could gather, style become. : , .. ," .. correct ' : now . > Then he'd and relationships'' the then the vein broke. ' .slr.pl}g .�? much energy, .yah� way. 'Every " .• _' _I.��!! �;(I ... :!_l.r,.)I,_:" _'l·t\. .. practice-togethen-and.find-sheir.own hearts. _ Soen Sa me Rusty Hicks, Christian Minister He made his students-feel eomfertable.and laugh.' ',' ". in such cases', Nim used to give a look and and former Abbot of the warm,by .laughing and joking with them in Master Dharma Teacher Barbara Rhodes suspicious say, "You, Andrzej, . didn't like the so now doesn't New Haven Zen Center tie' kilcheri.' ired suddenly decide to make Providence Zen Center car, the car a huge' batch of kimchee, containing e�ery like you!" -JU-NE-I-987------PRIMARYpoINT 3 Calligraphy by Jakusho Kwong Roshi Abbot, Sonoma Mountain Zen Center When I think ofyou in England, a whole series ofscenes comes into my mind. Our first view of you at the airport on your first visit, for instance, when we who were And, of course,' go If, did not know what like but saw at who could "Only straight." Another time we were going with "terrif meeting you you looked you once-for , you've driven with him, you understand ic" 55 and ,the mistake that square, solidfigure with its twinkling-eyed 'teaching'face, its total aura speed, miles/hour, engine this. Zen master? In the bus back the in the while was moaning very loudly, causing a lot of of from airport you fell asleep; hotel, --On-e day, I was driving him to Dr.-Kang's noise inside. Soen Sa Nim shouted at the rooms were beingfixed up, you flicked through magazines. 'Is this how a Zen master house for a with Korean behaves?' I he should be more aware?' I was to learn that that is meeting profes top of his voice, "Good car! Very strong thought, 'Surely ex: sionals. Soen Sa Nim was directing me You can hear how it actly how you behave and it was I who was-picking and choosing among all-my ready engine! loudly the intricacies of the back roads how a Zen master should be. Thank through works." .... concepts, my glib expectations of goodness you along the way, when we came to an inter There was a time when Soen Sa Nim was 'didn't fit into my sterotypes, thank goodness you were you with your every breath. section. I'd been there once or twice before, doing a lot of special practices and exer I see you in a Chinese restaurant with a large group offriends around the table, but wasn't completely sure of the way, al cises. It happened that he visited Poland passing the food, sharing t{1£ pleasure 'of being together, relaxing" laughing, helping though I thought I was supposed to turn during that time (in spring of 1982). No us all to be at one with the occasion. And Isee you answering questions after thefirst left. 'As soon as the light turned green; Soen body in Poland knew about his special public lecture in England by one ofyour Dharma teachers--witb the whole hall sud Sa Nim exclaimed, "Only Go Straight!" practices, which he used to do mostly in the denly waking up, paying great attention, to your answers, even though they were "BOut Soen. Sa Nim," I said, "don't we middle of the The Warsaw Zen Cen given in what was then for you a difficult language, and yet they understood and night. turn left here?" ter was located then in a rented three room wanted more. I also see you walking through sleazy Soho and passing a strip club Without missing a beat, he demonstrated house. A YMJJ with 60 people sitting had where a couple of touts shouted out mockingly, 'Are you a karate man?' From deep ' freedom from attachment to words. "Yah, just started. It was very crowded in there. down in your diaphragm came your answer, 'Yes!' No more-mocking after that! yah, sometimes, 'Only go straight' means Everybody slept on the floor in the Dharma -, Anne Bancroft 'Turn left.''' Room, one of the bedrooms and the author of "Zen: Direct Pointing to Reality" Soen Sa Nim in the other Ken Kessel hallway. stayed Dorsert, England o bedroom. Suddenly, just after midnight, Chogye International terrible roars, rent the air. Clearly they were Zen Center of New York coming, out qf Soen Sa Nim '5 room. Every woke and to their feet in the from the ProvidenceFire Departmerii." '<'< ·'.'Yes .sit,. but the'c�r is destroyed." body up sprang For the .next month, Seung Sahn Sunim ...... "Ah new car soon instant. Arid the thought popped into our Soen Sa Nim's car was totalled "Clear appear!" stayed with us at Bok Jun Am temple. Dur is now mind, clear mind-don't know." .. That was all. No problem. Then we con minds, "Maybe somebody just try that he never he with ing time, slept; only prac to kill Soen Sa or Soen Sa So, after giving a report and getting a ride tinued the interview. ing Nim, maybe ticed. He was not so happy to see the nuns Nim got the Polish food and is home' with Mu Ryang Sunim in Sol Sand poisoned by Do Ryun Sunim sleeping so much, so at 2:00 o'clock each in terrible We at the perl's car, we all went to sleep.' dying pains." gathered Seoul International Zen Center . he would hit the moktok - morning, and door of Soen Sa Nim's room and started to The next morning Soen Sa Nim was giv Korea chant loudly in front of our door. Some knock on it and ask Soen Sa Nim if ing mid-month interviews and I had signed loudly times he would pause from his chanting Qnrl for the first at the he needed any help. The door stood ajar up one-just beginning door ·his .Soen Sa Nim is' always talking about our kick the with foot and shout, "Get and Soen Sa Nim only in his of sitting. I was pretty sure that it was too. appeared, "Back Seat Driver." who's ever up! Get up! Time topractice! Do you want for to have told him about his Anybody underwear, asking us why we had made so early anyone had the occasion to drive him around has a to go to hell?" . much what had in the Zen 'car... How loud would he yell' at me for noise, happened idea of what he's about. He Sometimes I would become angry at him his car?? I went in bowedand good talking Center-after all, a YMJJ was in progress wrecking and usually knows the city as well as or better because he would not allow us nuns to get "Soen Sa Nim, last I was and it should have been held in silence. Ap said, night driving. 'than the person who's driving, and he never our regular sleep. He would always argue your car and I had an accident." such instructions we went back to • peased by 'I. hesitates to give directions. "Over there. back and then we would frequently quarrel .. ' sleep in total silence, interrupted from time r '.J "Oh? You okay?" -Turn, turn! Go left! No, no, this way!" over this matter. After our quarrel, he to time by wild, cries out of the coming would pick up his wooden_fl!!���d Qlay room which we next the "cave " called, day, . "Soen Sa Nim, I have a question. There was a long silence. Soen Sa Nimfi for hours and hours on end. He ,;)aym( the of the keen-eyed lion." "Yaa? What?" nally said, "No more reading books. Only flute for as long as it took. for my rrJnd to Do Am Sunim "In the Platform Sutra it tells how Hui go straight, 'What am I?'" settle down. Kwan Urn Zen School of Poland Neng, upon hearing a certain phrase, got For one week See Hoy wasin a complete Over the next four �n. Abbot, . years, � - " enlightenment. daze. He would watch the busy streets out Sunim would come and' go from' liil�-'Jun ... , "Oh which one?" side the temple and feel like there was no Am. During that time I became 'l!losely ac We had just finished winter Kyol Che in See Hoy opened the book to the.page, meaning in anything. He decided to become quainted with him. He bad such a delicate, of 1984 and a conference of some sort April it on the low table in Soen Sa Soen Sa Nim 's student and until he sensitive mind. I remember him , put front of practice strolling was planried. Mu Ryang Sunim was arriving Nim and began to read out loud, underlin understood his new question. He did not through the autumn leaves at Bok Jun Am in Providence and I volunteered to go pick . ing the words (which he had long' since read a single Zen book for eight years. temple. Suddenly he would break out into a him up. For some reason Soen Sa Nim's car memorized) with hisfinger. "Ifyou want to S�metimes he would peek at a newspaper wonderful His voice was rich and ' . song. - was the one so I drove it into " only available, . un... and even then he would feel guilty. deep. As lie sang, tears rolled down .his town, listening to the radio for the first time Suddenly Soen Sa Nim slammed the In 1984 at a small ceremony at the Provi cheeks. The song was about his lost home in three months. Then a Bruce song by on See book shut Hoy's finger and said, dence Zen Center, Mu Deung was given a land in North Korea-he could not go " Springsteen (called f'Rosalita") came on ' "No more reading! Put. it downt stick and a kesa in the same tradition as Hui back. I also cried. Many times he the 'radio and I turned the volume, . wqy,ld up Ap In a, mild' See panic; Hoy stuttered, Neng, and became a teacher. TO' this day he, sing this song; each time we would both an intersection as the cry. " proaching just light . ' "Then what can.I do?" Soen Sa Nim re reads almost nothing: .' .', ::-' , - I : turned I drove ... and was hit Sun Sunim green through • \. " _ t l I' '. ., \ � ,.. io , ( • "Who are . ." � . k�ii�' plied, you?" . and spun around, crashing backward into a I\. story told ab'o;Ut· Bok Jun Am Temple See Hoy could not answer: i fire been hit a truck Master Dharma Teacher Mu Tae Cheon having by . Deung Korea hydrant, "WHO ARE YOU?" '. City,