Seung Sahn
| Seungsahn 숭산 |
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|---|---|
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Seungsahn in October 2002
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| Religion | Jogye Order of Korean Seon |
| School | Kwan Um School of Zen |
| Education | Dongguk University |
| Other names | Dae Soensa-nim Soensa-nim |
| Personal | |
| Born | Dok-In Lee / 이덕인 / 李德仁 August 1, 1927 Sunchon, occupied Korea (now Sunchon, North Korea) |
| Died | November 30, 2004 (aged 77) Hwagaesa, Seoul, South Korea |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Dae Jongsa - Seonsanim (Great Zen Master) |
| Predecessor | Kobong |
| Successor |
Soenghyang Chang Sik Kim |
| Religious career | |
| Website | www |
Seungsahn (Hangul: 숭산행원대선사; Hanja: 崇山行願大禪師; RR: Sungsan Haeng'weon Daeseonsa, August 1, 1927 – November 30, 2004), born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen. He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the early Korean Zen masters to settle in the United States, he opened many temples and practice groups across the globe. He was known for his charismatic style and direct presentation of Zen, which was well tailored for the Western audience.
Known by students for his many correspondences with them through letters, his utilization of dharma combat and expressions such as "only don't know" or "only go straight" in teachings, he was conferred the honorific title of Dae Jong Sa in June 2004 by the Jogye Order for a lifetime of achievements. Considered the highest honor to have bestowed upon one in the order, the title translates "Great Lineage Master" and was bestowed for his establishment of the World Wide Kwan Um School of Zen. He died in November that year at Hwagaesa in Seoul, South Korea, at age 77.
Seung Sahn was born in 1927 as Duk-In Lee (modern romanisation: Yi Deog'in) in Sunchon (순천), South Pyongan Province of occupied Korea (now North Korea) to Presbyterian parents. In 1944, he joined an underground resistance movement in response to the ongoing occupation of Korea by the Empire of Japan. He was captured by Japanese police shortly after, avoided a death sentence, and spent time in prison. Upon his release, he studied Western philosophy at Dongguk University. One day, a monk friend of his lent him a copy of the Diamond Sutra. While reading the text, he became inspired to ordain as a monk and left school, receiving the prātimokṣa precepts in 1948. Seung Sahn then performed a one-hundred day solitary retreat in the mountains of Korea, living on a diet of pine needles and rain water. It is said he attained enlightenment on this retreat.
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