Kusan Sunim. the Way of Korean

“I highly recommend this wonderful book which affords us a ‘bird’s- eye’ view into the teachings of Korean Zen Master Kusan Sunim. The teachings are concise yet comprehensive. A welcome addition to the growing body of writing on Korean Zen.” —Richard Shrobe (Zen Master Wu Kwang), Guiding Teacher, Chogye International Zen Center of New York “A modern Zen classic with deep roots in the oldest traditions of Korean and Chinese Buddhism. Kusan roars like a lion.” —Stanley Lombardo ABOUT THE BOOK The power and simplicity of the Korean Zen tradition shine in this collection of teachings by a renowned modern master, translated by Martine Batchelor. Kusan Sunim provides a wealth of practical advice for students, particularly with regard to the uniquely Korean practice of hwadu, or sitting with questioning. An extensive introduction by Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism without Beliefs, provides both a biography of the author and a brief history of Korean Zen. KUSAN SUNIM (1901–1983) was the resident Zen Master at Songgwang Sa, one of the largest monasteries in South Korea. He was the first Zen teacher to accept and train Western students in a Korean monastery. Sign up to learn more about our books and receive special offers from Shambhala Publications. Or visit us online to sign up at shambhala.com/eshambhala. THE WAY OF KOREAN ZEN by Kusan Sunim translated by Martine Batchelor edited with an introduction by Stephen Batchelor WEATHERHILL • Boston & London • 2013 Weatherhill An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 www.shambhala.com © 1985 by Songgwang Sa Monastery Cover art by Sokchong Sunim All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd Reproduced in Chapter Eight are Zen paintings by Sokchong Sunim, a contemporary Korean Zen artist, that were especially commissioned for this work. The frontispiece calligraphy, the characters for “one mind,” is by Master Kusan. The Library of Congress catalogues the previous edition of this book as follows: Kusan Sŏnsa. The way of Korean Zen. Translated from the Korean. eISBN 978-0-8348-2693-9 ISBN 978-0-8348-0201-8 ISBN 978-1-59030-686-4 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Zen Buddhism—Korea. I. Batchelor, Stephen. II. Title. BQ 9262.9.K7K87 1985 294.3'927'09519 84–25602 Deep in the valley of Mount Chogye a giant boulder shouts; The lion’s brain is shattered—the elephant has expired. The vessel was huge and vast, his instruction steep and rigorous; The teachings enveloped the world and his dignity stirred the oceans. The mind-mirror is so limpid and bright; Guest and host are both destroyed. The brilliant shining is unobstructed; All forms are vividly clear. You opened your hand and space collapsed; You clenched your fist and flowers bloomed on withered trees. Ha! Ha! Ha! With the mind of a snake, the mouth of a Buddha, and the eyes of a ghost, You majestically step into Avīci. —Songch’ol Sunim, Patriarch of the Chogye Order, on the occasion of Kusan Sunim’s death, December 1983. Contents Preface INTRODUCTION TO THE KOREAN ZEN TRADITION, by Stephen Batchelor 1. A Short History of Buddhism in Korea 2. Songgwang Sa: Life in a Korean Zen Monastery 3. Master Kusan: A Biographical Sketch 4. Some Remarks on the Text ESSENTIAL TEACHINGS OF THE STONE LION, by Kusan Sunim 5. Instructions for Meditation 6. Discourses From a Winter Retreat 7. Advice and Encouragement 8. The Ten Oxherding Pictures Notes Glossary E-mail Sign-Up Publisher’s Note This book contains Sanskrit diacritics and special characters. If you encounter difficulty displaying these characters, please set your e- reader device to publisher defaults (if available) or to an alternate font. Preface THE AIM of this book is to present the teachings of Zen Buddhism as they are traditionally taught in Korea today. To help place these teachings in their proper context, an introduction is included that tries to give a picture of their historical background and current monastic setting. The author, Ven. Kusan Sunim, was one of the most highly respected meditation masters of recent times in Korea. During the last two years of his life, Master Kusan took an active interest in the preparation of this text. He willingly clarified many of the more difficult points in his teaching; provided us with relevant biographical material; and prepared several examples of his calligraphy to be used as illustrations for the book. He personally approved the first draft of the manuscript when it was presented to him at the end of 1982. The only substantial change made since then has been the inclusion of his commentary on the ten oxherding pictures, a tape recording of which was made available to us only after his death. Since this book is intended for the general reader we have taken the liberty of omitting all the diacritical marks that, for scholarly accuracy, are usually found on certain Korean, Sanskrit, and Japanese words. Nevertheless, these marks have been retained in the glossary. We have followed the McCune-Reischauer system for transliterating Korean words into English. Chinese words are given in Pinyin romanization, with Wade-Giles equivalents given in the glossary. Since the Japanese word “Zen” is now part of the English language, we have used it throughout instead of the Korean “Son.” We would like to acknowledge the help of the following people in contributing to the completion of this work: Ven. Popchong Sunim, who clarified a number of technically difficult passages and traced many of the sources and references; Ven. Sokchong Sunim, who supplied the illustrations for the ten oxherding pictures; Ven. Wondu Sunim (Michael Roehm), who proofread the text and assisted in the initial stages of bringing the book to the public; Robert Buswell, who provided us with a typescript copy of the introduction to his book The Korean Approach to Zen: The Collected Works of Chinul and offered many valuable suggestions for the improvement of the original draft; and Henrik H. Sørensen, who initially suggested the idea of undertaking this project. Martine (Fages) Batchelor Stephen Batchelor Songgwang Sa, Korea, 1984 INTRODUCTION TO THE KOREAN ZEN TRADITION CHAPTER ONE A Short History of Buddhism in Korea THE COUNTRY of Korea is formed of a peninsula of land jutting out into the East China Sea from the northeast coast of China below Manchuria. Its southeastern tip nearly connects to the arc of islands sweeping northwards known as Japan. Geographically it almost looks like a bridge between its two larger and more powerful neighbors. And throughout its history it has been frequently subjected to threats of invasion and domination by both China and Mongolia from the passes of the north and by Japan from across the sea. Armies from the feuding states in China have penetrated into its heartland and the Japanese have periodically tried to secure the country as a foothold on the Chinese mainland. More recently Korea has served as a battleground between Communist and non- Communist forces fighting to control the country. Hence this small, rugged, and picturesque land, inhabited mainly by farmers and fishermen, has been and still is characterized as an area of disproportionate potential and actual political strife. This climate has given rise to a strong-willed and resilient people, one of whose principal drives is to create and sustain a sense of national unity and independence in the face of external pressures. It is against this background that Buddhism was introduced into Korea over fifteen hundred years ago and has sustained itself as a living tradition up until the present day. To understand the successes and declines, the divisions and the reconciliations of the religion throughout its history in Korea, we must always bear in mind the political, social, and cultural atmosphere that has accompanied them. Korea inherited its major cultural forms—Buddhism, Confucianism, and, to a lesser extent, Taoism—almost exclusively from China. Although it has evolved its own vernacular script, the traditional ecclesiastical and secular written form has largely been the Chinese ideogram. During the periods of its cultural formation it always remained within the Chinese sphere of influence. However, this was not solely a one-way process. In many instances native Korean scholars and priests were influential, through their writings and teachings, in China itself. The Koreans never allowed themselves to be the mere passive recipients of a superior culture: they invariably molded, adapted, and sought to improve upon the basic Chinese model. Nevertheless, although their religious and cultural traditions have developed a certain Korean character, they still bear the unmistakable stamp of Chinese origin. Prior to the formal introduction of Buddhism, the religious practices of the Koreans consisted of animistic nature worship in which various gods, spirits, and other forces were invoked and honored, a belief in heaven and its influence through royal figures, as well as a primitive kind of ancestor worship. Many of these factors were never entirely replaced—at least among the common people— by the imported higher religions. Even nowadays shamanistic rituals are common in the countryside, and in many Buddhist temples will be found shrines devoted to the familiar figure of folk religion, the god of the mountain. The distinctive phases of Buddhism in Korea correspond to the dynastic succession that characterizes and delineates the stages in Korean history. Five major periods can be distinguished: (1) the rule of the three kingdoms (Paekche, Koguryo, and Silla), 57–668; (2) the unified Silla dynasty, 668–935; (3) the Koryo dynasty, 935–1392; (4) the Yi dynasty, 1392–1910; and (5) the modern era, including the Japanese occupation from 1910–45 until the present-day state of partition into North and South Korea.

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