4 pRIMARypOINT -----------O-C-TO-B-E-R-19-87 FIFTH ANNUAL SCHOOL CONGRESS and SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION for Zen Master Seung Sahn By Sid Kemp In Won Sunim of the Buddhist The were University "For he's a jolly-good Zen Master, panelists Jeff Kiizcs, Abbot of inSeoul a short in both Korean Gate Zen Jacob gave speech which nobody can deny," The weekend. of Empty Center; Perl, . and English, 'and led us in singing Happy July 31st, the Kwan Urn Zen School gather­ Master Dharma Teachcr and School Ab­ Birthday. Master Dharma) Teacher Richard ed for its annual School and to bot; Richard St rcit field, School Director; Congress, , Shrobe gave a, formal dharma talk praising celebrate Soen Sa Nim's sixtieth and Dennis Ducrrncicr, Director of Kansas birthday. Soen Sa' Nim as "a worn out Zen master In. Korea (Zen Master Seung Sahn's Zen Center. with worn out students," and thanked him In addit ion to discussions of financial se­ birthplace) the sixtieth birthday is a special for his one-word teaching; "Try." time, because it signifies the completion of curity and organizational structure, some Soen Sa Nim's sixtieth birthday poem one's life" work, Over 350 people special concerns arose, These included the gathered and a box on of Zen Centers and the kong-an challenge (see page to commemorate this event, approximately, diversity groups, six) came next. Ven, Mahaghosananda, 200 Americans and 150 Koreans, high costs of having such a relatively small the known Cambodian number of out around the internationally· � The 75 of us who arrived even­ people spread by Friday thanked Soen Nim for thc the indi­ monk, .Sa helping were to be welcomed a country, and dynamics of how ing, lucky enough by him settle in the United States when he first solo David Mott. be­ vidual centers and groups relate to the saxophone by Moving arrived here as a Jae, Won Sunim School adininistration.:" refugee. yond simple .sounds into an exploration of of Washington State gavea congratulatory mental Mr. Mott used his After lunch, the birthday ceremony be­ states, virtuosity talk. Master Dharma Teacher Lincoln to take us from an African plain in "Tiger Zen Master Seung Sahn, Running , , , Nearer Breathing" to the celestial realms in "Regarding Starligh t," The first was a discussion of "What is and deep into ourselves with "Old Ghosts,' Working in bur Zen Centers." The panel­ New Demons, ... The last piece alternated ists were' Bob Genthner, Lexington Zen between sections that sounded like some­ Center; Susan Phillips, Empty Gate Zen thing fluttering and dying, with, the saxo­ Center (Berkeley); Bob Aili, Cambridge phone's valves audibly sounding its last Zen Center; Ellen Sidor, The Meditation heartbeat; and sections of more traditional Place (Providence, R[); David Jordan, melodic segments and riffs, In the climax, North Florida Meditation Center; Bruce the two wove into one, unifying new and Sturgeon, Asheville (NC) Zen Circle; and traditional rriusical forms, The audience . Vivion Vinson, Providence Zen Center. responded with rapt attention that created a While some panelists focused on ways to unified mind that remained for the entire draw new members, others noted that, es­ weekend. pecially in rural locations, a small but dedi­ Friday evening and' Saturday morning, cated group was enough. ·There was a dis­ we broke up into small groups to share our', cussion of whether bringing noted speakers experiences of the past year, using the for talks on a variety of topics, as is done in theme of giving and receiving to help focus Cambridge, was useful as it helped establish our discussion and 'understand ourselves. an identity in the community, but had not My group was led by Nina Crumm Davis . necessarily drawn people to the Zen Center A MOTLEY CREW From New Haven Zen Center performing their singing skit . New York We used the time ro with local adult . _-from City. practice, Networking Rhodes gave an opening talk recalling one " of Soen Sa Nim's first birthdays in America, when Line had opened a door to a ,. :;··,,:,.;.ZE·N: �, neighbor angry 'about the noise. Line thanked Soen Sa Nim for helping him open 1vtbuNTAIN. so many doors over so many years. Tetsu­ gen 'Glassman, Sensei" of the Zen Com­ munity of-New York expressed his appre­ MONASTERY ciation for Soen 'sa. Nim's vigorous style and work for world peace, as well as his cre­ ation of a dynamic sangha in America. ", .,'�'1� ";>'w�,� , fW-' 1tl' 'l: -; t� i �,""!"':1l"*;\��V·" . � , '.' ��j� ••.•� � "Our is alive, .. practice working, .�,� .. '. �1�.:""'" .� 1;+ JIlt' ; ..... \ .s . functioning, laughing, crying, TWO GOOD FRIENDS during the Congress weekend were Jamie Highsmith, son dancing Zen, this vel}' life of Bill and Nanc)' Highsmith of Cambridge Zen Center, and Micah Kessel, son of Zen- the only kind of Zen Ken and Kim Kessel of New Haven Zen Center (formerly man)' years at Chogye there is. It's not all activity that . International}. takes place ill the world, it's the activity of the world itself," create metaphors from our own growth and education and religious organizations was -Rev. John Daido Loori transformation during the year, and ex­ also discussed, as were methods of gat here plored how Zen practice had supported our ing financial support. *Zen Teacher John Daido Loori lives in Manhattan or Kansas City or San in full-time residence The second 'panel was a presentation of a in Zen or at 'home with Francisco, centers, new that the School Council has be­ process MASTER DHARMA TEACHER *Year-round Residential our families. gun, of reevaluating.its goals and purposes In the breaks between events, were Bowman. Training Program things with tlie aid of a management consultant. George really hopping. People were greeting old. *Winter Training Period friends in the hall as others ran by carrying emphasizes quiet and carefully balanced pyramids of fruit to set introspection before the Buddha. The dharma room was *Monthly Intensive transformed about four times a day, with week-long Meditation Retreats stages, chairs and cushions flying in and out (Sesshins) as it went from meditation hall to confer­ *Monthly Introduction to-Zen ence center to birthday celebration, A Weekend Retreats crowd of dedicated volunteers 'led by David· * Artist-in-Residence Program Gibbs prepared the meals. All meals were served in both Korean and American style, *Located on 200 acre Catskill with the Korean food being prepared in the Mountain nature sanctuary traditional the Korean women who way by 'ZEN had come for the ceremony. For those who MOUNTAIN wanted to escape the bustle inside, the out­ doors provided a warm lawn for naps, and MONASTERY paths for relaxing walks. The sun cooper­ P.O. BOX 197P ated by blessing the weekend with its light Mt. Tremper, NY and warmth. 12457 The remainder of Saturday morning was ';;;:'" ) (914) 688-2228 taken up by two roundtable discussions. , ( I -OC-T-OB-E-R-I9-87--------,------PRIMARYpoINT The evening featured lively presentations from 20 different Zen Centers and groups, t all in tribute 10 Socn Sa Nim. Do Ryeon Sunim sang the traditional Korean freedom t j song, "Arida"; t he Warsaw Zen Center of­ \ . , a fered traditional Polish song; and greet- I ings came from centers in Western Europe. After IWO poems by Robin Rowedder � from the Seattle Dharma I Center, things \ really began rocking' with the "Bodhi Rhythm Bills" from Empty Gate Zen Cen­ I ter, who gave' new meaning to songs like ) YOUR LOVE KEEPS LiFTING ME f HIGHER and YOU SAY IT'S YOUR was I BIRTHDA Y. More music provided by , \ \ \ � { \ 1 rI J l VEN MAHAGHOSANANDA renowned Cambodian monk joins Soen Sa Nim during the birthday r I ceremonies, J \ 1 I \' 11 !1 \1 \' [' TESTSUGEN GLASSMAN SENSI - Ab­ bot of Zen community of New York, was a j featured guest and speaker during the Con­ .. gress weekend. i a barber shop quartet from Chicago. A t parody of the Heart Sutra,' called the KOREAN FAMILIES enjoy being with Soen Sa Nim. "Subway Sutra" came from New York beautiful City. Soen Sa Nim himself was parodied in presentation of a poem 'With a New York, and his wife Helen, Master a masterful performance by David Mott delivery of a fifty-pound drum of Kimchee Dharma Teacher Barbara Rhodes of Provi­ j to "Mr. from Ontario Zen Centre, complete with Nim." -dence -Zen Center, and Joseph. Goldstein, a rubber chicken-Zen a calculator that stick, A slide presentation of the new land pur­ co::fo�nder of the Insight Meditation So­ didn't understand Zero. until it was crushed· � chased in Kentucky, where Soen Sa Nim ciety in Barre, MA. Glassman Sensei dis­ a a JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, Vipassana with mallet, and the "traditional" Shit­ has plans for a retreat center, was ac­ cussed .the transformation beginning in his \1 teacher on-a-hat. Another of Soen Sa Nim's . and co-founder of Insight Medita­ parody companied by a tape of Korean chanting community as it plans to' move into an an came a tion Society in Barre, MA, is old teaching in the form of Southern and narrated by Robert Genthner, Abbot abandoned school in Yonker's and provide Bar- a Dharma of Soen Sa Nim. Fried Dharma and Grill, in which of Lexington Zen Center. A humorous and housing and rehabilitative training for the friend 'I sweet woman hits a man young who is try­ surreal film about daily life at the Cam­ ingto pick her up, and says, "Tdidn't ask bridge Zen Center followed. 'your narne,. l asked, Who Are You?" New Haven Zen Center interrupted its' own Late night entertainment featured Myung Sook Chun and her of I troupe professional I dancers who offered traditional Korean re­ 1 ligious and court dances.