Information AboutSong Chol |
Seongcheol (, being responsible for significant changes to it from the 1950s to 1990s. Seongcheol Seon Master was widely recognized in Korea as having been a living Buddha , due to his extremely Ascetic lifestyle, the duration and manner of his Meditation training, his central role in reforming Korean Buddhism in the post- World War II era, and the quality of his oral and written teachings. LIFE Early life Born on April 10 , 1912 in Korea under the name of Lee Young Joo, Seongcheol was the first of seven children of a Confucian scholar in Gyeongsang Province . He was rumored to have been an exceptionally bright child who read constantly, having learned to read at the age of three, and being proficient enough to read such Chinese classics as '' The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms '' and '' The Journey To The West '' by age ten. His enthusiasm for reading was such that he once traded a sack of rice for Immanuel Kant 's '' Critique Of Pure Reason '' as a teenager. 인터넷 사바세계와 함께 하는 성철큰스님 Having read numerous books on text written by Young Ga Hyun Gak (永嘉玄覺) in the Tang Dynasty . Seongcheol felt as if "a bright light had suddenly been lit in complete darkness," and that he had finally found the way to the ultimate truth. Immediately, he started meditating on the "Mu" kong-an (Japanese: : 動靜一如) at this early point in his life in only forty-two days. The rumor of a lay person meditating so intensely naturally spread to the main Temple of Haeinsa . Under the recommendations of renowned Seon Masters Kim Bup Rin and Choi Bum Sool, the young Seongcheol left for Haeinsa in the winter of 1936. At the time, Seon Master Dongsan was the spiritual leader of Haeinsa , and recognizing Seongcheol's great potential, he recommended he become a Monk . But Seongcheol refused, stating that he had absolutely no intention of becoming a Monk and that only intense Meditation was important. But Dongsan master's Dharma talk during the following retreat season changed his mind: :"There is a way. No one will reveal the secret. You must enter the door yourself. But there is no door. In the end, there is not even a way." In March of 1937 , Lee Young Joo received his Dharma Name of Seongcheol, forsook all relations with the outside world, and became a monk, writing this Poem : The great achievements of the world are but snowflakes melting on fire, Accomplishments that move oceans are but dew disappearing in the glare of the sun, Why live a dream in this ethereal life of dreams, I forsake all to walk towards the great eternal truth. :彌天大業紅爐雪 :跨海雄基赫日露 :誰人甘死片時夢 :超然獨步萬古眞 Enlightenment In the tradition of Korean Buddhist monks, Seongcheol wandered from one temple to the next after each meditation retreat. In the summer of 1940 , he went into deep meditation at the Geum Dang Seon Center and attained enlightenment. Having become a monk at the age of 25, he had attained his true nature in only three years. He went on to write his enlightenment poem: :''Having gone to the west of Hwang Ha River, :''Rising to the summit of Gon Ryoon Mountain, :''Sun and moon lose their light and the earth falls away, Smiling once and turning around, the blue mountain stands amongst the white clouds as before. :黃河西流崑崙頂 :日月無光大地沈 :遽然一笑回首立 :靑山依舊白雲中 Having attained enlightenment, Seongcheol began pilgrimages to various temples in order to validate his experience and to examine other monks and their levels of attainment. But he was frequently disappointed, noticing that Inka (validation of a monk's attainment by a master) was given too carelessly, thereby falsely recognizing many monks as having fully attained enlightenment. During his retreat at Songgwangsa , he was also dismayed at Jinul 's theory of Don Oh Jum Soo (sudden enlightenment, gradual training), and how it was the widespread theory during the time. Later during the 1980s and 1990s, his contribution to the revival of Hui Neng 's traditional theory of Don Oh Don Su (sudden enlightenment, sudden training) would have a significant effect on the practice of Seon in Korea , China , Japan , and other countries where Seon / Zen is practiced. Growing reputation and recognition Soon, Seongcheol's reputation began to spread. Numerous factors contributed to his growing recognition. One of the more famous anecdotes is Seongcheol's Jang Jwa Bul Wa ( technique that some monks employ to intensify their practice. Sitting meditation is equivalent to most other practices, except that the practitioner does not lie down to sleep, but stays in the Lotus Position even during sleep, with the intention of minimizing sleep through the position. Seongcheol was known to have practiced this for eight years after his enlightenment. He reportedly never once lied down and denied sleeping at all. Another anecdote recounts how while Seongcheol was staying in Mangwolsa in Dobong mountain, an old Monk by the name of Chunseong refused to believe this. He wanted to catch Seongcheol dozing off to sleep, so spied on him secretly throughout one night. But having witnessed the truth of the rumor, Chun Seong was struck with amazement and himself started employing the technique. It is said that the stress of the practice and the old age at which he started the technique caused all of his teeth to fall out later in life. Seongcheol's reputation for intensive practice was not limited only to his Meditation per se. He was also known to be completely indifferent to the outside world, focused intently only on meditation and guiding fellow monks to enlightenment. His indifference was so thorough that he even refused to see his mother when she visited him at Mahayunsa in Kumgangsan mountain. "No need to see her" was reportedly his reply to her visit, to which his fellow monks burst out in anger, stating that although they were monks devoted to Asceticism and Meditation , refusing to see his own mother was too extreme an action. Afterwards, Seongcheol accompanied his mother, showing her the sites of Kumgangsan mountain. Reformation of Korean Buddhism Bong Am Sa On : 共住規約) and required strict adherence to it amongst themselves: #To follow the Vinaya and practice the teachings of the patriarchs in order to attain the great enlightenment. #With the exception of the Buddhist teachings, no personal opinions or philosophies will be tolerated. #The necessary items for daily living should be obtained on his own, without dependence on lay people, including daily chores of field work, firewood, etc. #Absolutely no assistance from the lay people in terms of cooking, clothing, alms, or gifts. #To eat only gruel in the morning, and to not eat at all after noon. #The monks' sitting order follows the dates of ordination. #To only meditate and be silent in the rooms. The reformation movement started around a small group of monks centered on Seongcheol, but quickly grew by reputation, attracting monks all over the country who were also intent on bringing back the Korean tradition of intense meditation, strict celibacy, and study of Sutra s. Among these younger generations were Weolsan (월산), Woobong (우봉), Bomoon (보문), Seongsu (성수), Dowoo (도우), Hyeam (혜암), Beopjun (법전), etc. Not only did this group become the future leaders of Korean Buddhism, but produced two Supreme Patriarchs (Hyeam, Beopjun) and three chief administrators of the Jogye order. Post-Bong Am Sa Unfortunately, the Bong Am Sa experiment ended prematurely in 1950 when the Korean War broke out on the peninsula. With constant bombing raids and the presence of soldiers of both sides around the temple, it was impossible to continue the strict monastic life of Bong Am Sa. Some of the reforms that occurred during this period were:
After the war, the reformation gained momentum and significant changes were set in motion, although it would be years until they were solidified. Central to the reformation was the issue of celibacy. While all the Buddhist canons emphasized the celibacy of monks, Japanese Buddhism had undergone significant changes during the Meiji Restoration, most notably the end of monastic celibacy. During the Japanese occupation, Korean Buddhism was Severely Oppressed and the Japanese style was advocated, thereby converting most Korean monks into little more than monastic residents officiating over ceremonies, married, with a business and income. Seongcheol and the new leaders were very critical of the Japanese style of Buddhism, maintaining that the tradition of celibacy, hermitage, poverty, and intense meditation were not only central to Korean Buddhism but to the true spirit of Buddhism as a whole. Korean post-war sentiments towards Japan could not have been worse at this time, and with the help of the populace and president Syngman Rhee , the traditional Korean style began to take hold and became the dominant form of Buddhism by the 1970 s. Seongcheol insisted on giving away all monastic assets to the public and reverting to the original Buddhist way of wandering and begging for alms while investing all energy into meditation. He contended this was the only surefire way for true reforms to take place, warning that otherwise, full-scale conflict could ensue between bikkhus and married monks fighting over temples. The leaders of the reformation refused to follow, stating that his assertions were too extreme. Seongcheol's predictions, though, did come true and Korean Buddhism has had numerous conflicts between monks over temple jurisdiction ever since then up to the present day, many of them escalating to violent measures by both sides (e.g. paying gangsters to physically harm opponents). Many ordination restrictions were loosened by the bikkhus in order to increase their numbers in their efforts to assume control over temples such that men of questionable social standing (e.g. former convicts and criminals) were ordained as bikkhus, leading to more violent fights amongst monks. A particularly embarrassing chapter in Korean Buddhism was in the late 1990s when monks fought over Jogyesa, the main administrative temple in Seoul, by not only employing gangsters but joining the fight themselves using weapons, including Molotov cocktails, to violently subdue each other. Violent clashes in the Jogye order Ten years as a hermit in Seong Juhn Am In 1955 , Seongcheol was appointed as the patriarch of Haeinsa , but disappointed by the direction that the reformation was taking, Seongcheol declined, removing himself from the forefront and moved to a hermitage near Pagyesa in the Palgong mountains near Daegu to deepen the meditative and enlightened stage that he had attained. The hermitage was named Seong Juhn Am and it was here that Seongcheol began to build the scholarly foundations that would later support his spiritual teachings. Seongcheol surrounded the hermitage with barbed wire so as to keep outsiders out (except for a few assistants) and himself within its boundaries. Never leaving the boundaries of the small hermitage for an incredible ten years, he deepened his meditation and studied the ancient Buddhist canons, Zen texts, sutras, modern mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and even taught himself English so as to keep current on international affairs. This decade of self-education would affect his future teachings significantly. Haeinsa and the Hundred-Day Talk Seongcheol finally opened the doors of Seong Juhn Am hermitage in 1965 . The temple he visited was Gimyongsa, where he gave his first dharma talk in a decade. In 1967 , with the insisting of Jawoon, Seongcheol became the patriarch of Haeinsa temple. That winter, he started his daily two-hour dharma talks to monks and the lay people, thereby beginning his famous Hundred-Day Talk ( Hangul : 백일법문). Applying his decade of scholarly studies, he began to break the stereotype of the "boring and stuffy" dharma talks and transformed them into an electrifying hybrid of Buddhism, spiritualism, quantum mechanics, general relativity, and current affairs, ushering in a new kind of dharma talk aimed at reaching the modern audience living in an age of globalization and intellectual diversity. Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye order Ushering in a revival of the Seon tradition of intense meditation and strict monastic lifestyle, Seongcheol spearheaded the reformation of modern Korean Buddhism from the rubbles of Japanese colonialism into an epicenter of meditation training. During his tenure as patriarch of Haeinsa, the temple transformed into a training ground for meditation, sutra studies, and Vinaya studies, attracting monks from all over the country. The meditation center averaged approximately 500 monks per biannual retreat, which was unheard of since the days of Hui Neng and Ma Tzu . During the 1970 s, the political climate became even more militaristic and dictatorial, eventually leading to a purge of many Buddhist monks suspected of political involvement. With his increasing reputation as a living Buddha both by the lay and the monastic, the Jogye order looked toward Seongcheol and nominated him as the next Supreme Patriarch of the order. "If I can help reform and improve Korean Buddhism, I will humbly accept" was the response he gave. His inauguration speech brought him from a little known monk, only known by monks and devout lay people, into the limelight as the official leader of Korean Buddhism, bringing his teachings to the entire nation: :''Perfect enlightenment pervades all, serenity and destruction are not two :''All that is visible is Avalokiteshvara , all that is audible is the mystical sound :''No other truth than seeing and hearing :''Do you understand? Mountain is mountain, water is water. :원각이 보조하니 적과 멸이 둘이 아니라. :보이는 만물은 관음이요 들리는 소리는 묘음이라. :보고 듣는 이 밖에 진리가 따로 없으니 :시회대중은 알겠는가? :산은 산이요 물은 물이로다. Declining all formal ceremonies as Supreme Patriarch from inauguration to his death, Seongcheol never left the mountains, stating that a monk's true place was in the temple. There was initially a huge protest against his semi-hermetic policy, but this was eventually replaced by sense of respect that had been lacking Since The Joseon Period , and helped to vastly improve the image and treatment of monks in Korea. During his years as patriarch of Haeinsa and as Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye order, Seongcheol's reputation kept growing. Amongst monks, he was famous for being a very strict teacher, being called the tiger of Kaya mountain. When monks would nod off to sleep during meditation, he would beat them with wooden sticks while yelling, "Thief, pay for your rice!" (referring to the donations of the lay, and the monks' debts to society and therefore his duty to practice to the utmost of his abilities). He was also known for his unique three thousand prostrations. After the , the president of Korea, was opening up the new highway between Seoul and Pusan, he happened to visit Haeinsa. Hearing that the president was visiting, the head administrative monk quickly sent word to Seongcheol to come down from his hermitage to greet the president. But true to form, Seongcheol demanded the president go to the main Buddha hall and perform the 3000 prostrations before meeting with him. Park refused and the two never met. Publications : 선림고경총서, During the latter years of his life, Seongcheol presided over many publications, including eleven books of his lectures and 37 books that translated many Zen classics not well known to the general public (see official website ). The former included the full transcriptions of the Hundred-Day Talk, lectures on : 禪林古鏡叢書) and was a collection of Chinese and Korean Zen classics that until publication was known mostly only to monks. These publications helped to spread his teachings to the general public and raise the general awareness and knowledge of Buddhism. English translations of Great Master Seongcheol's work include "Echoes from Mt. Kaya", Changgyonggak Publishing, Seoul, 1988 (currently out of print), and "Opening the Eye", Gimmyeong International Co., Seoul, 2002. Both are translations from Korean by Brian Barry. Death On November 4 , 1993 , Seongcheol passed away in Haeinsa Toesoeldang, the same room in which he had first become ordained as a monk. His last words to his followers were: "Meditate well." His parivirvana poem was: :''Deceiving people all my life, my sins outweigh Mount Sumeru. :''Falling into hell alive, my grief divides into ten thousand pieces. :''Spouting forth a red wheel, It hangs on the blue mountain. :生平欺狂男女群 :彌天罪業過須彌 :活陷阿鼻恨萬端 :一輪吐紅掛碧山 Seongcheol had this explanation for the cryptic poem: His death was followed by the largest funeral ever seen in Korean history for a monk, with over a 100,000 people attending. His cremation took over thirty hours and his Sarira numbered over a hundred. TEACHINGS Seongcheol's teachings can be summarized into five big categories: Sudden enlightenment, sudden cultivation Citing and Seongcheol maintained that with perfect enlightenment, all karmic remnants disappear and one becomes a Buddha immediately.퇴옹 성철. (1987). ''선문정로''. 해인사 백련암 (Korea): 장경각. (Toeng Seongcheol. (1987). ''Seon Mun Jung Ro''. Haeinsa Baekryun'am (Korea): Jang'gyung'gak.) ISBN 89-85244-14-0퇴옹 성철. (1987). ''자기를 바로 봅시다''. 해인사 백련암 (Korea): 장경각. (Toeng Seongcheol. (1987). ''Jaghireul Baro Bopshida''. Haeinsa Baekryun'am (Korea): Jang'gyung'gak.) ISBN 89-85244-11-6퇴옹 성철. (1988). ''영원한 자유''. 해인사 백련암 (Korea): 장경각. (Toeng Seongcheol. (1988). ''Yongwonhan Jayou''. Haeinsa Baekryun'am (Korea): Jang'gyung'gak.) ISBN 89-85244-10-8퇴옹 성철. (1992). ''백일법문''. 해인사 백련암 (Korea): 장경각. (Toeng Seongcheol. (1992). ''Baek Il Bupmun''. Haeinsa Baekryun'am (Korea): Jang'gyung'gak.) ISBN 89-85244-05-1, ISBN 89-85244-06-X Middle Way He also expounded on the true definition of the where all dualities fuse and cease to exist as separate entities, where good and bad, self and non-self become meaningless. He compared this to the common misconception that had ruled pre-Einsteinian physics, that energy and mass were two separate entities, but which Einstein had elucidated as interchangeable dual forms with the relationship described by ''E=mc&2'', thereby proving the equivalence of one to the other. He also compared this to the fusion of space and time into spacetime, and also formed the analogy of ice and water. The Middle Way is not the 'middle' or 'average' of ice and water, but the true form of each, H2O, and maintained that the state of Nirvana was also like this, a state where the true form of all dualities is revealed as equivalent. Gong'an practice Seongcheol strongly advocated the : 公案) meditation technique, asserting that it was the fastest and safest way to enlightenment. The most common gong'ans he would give to the lay and his followers were: #Not mind, not body, not Buddha, what is this? (: 不是心, 不是物, 不是佛, 是什摩?) #A monk once asked : 麻三斤). In deep sleep, one mind Seongcheol also set a clear benchmark that the practitioner could apply to gauge his level of practice. Throughout his life, many followers came to him to obtain acknowledgement of their enlightenment. He was dismayed at the number of people who thought they had attained perfect enlightenment by experiencing some mental phenomenon during their practice. He therefore reiterated that every enlightened person from the Buddha and on had asserted the same definition of what enlightenment is. True attainment, he quoted, came only after ''going beyond'' the level of being able to meditate in deep sleep. Only after being able to meditate on a gong'an continuously, without interruption, throughout the waking state, then the dreaming state, and finally in deep sleep, one reaches the state where enlightenment can become possible. Before any of this, one should never claim to have become enlightened, even though there may be many instances of weird mental phenomena that happens during one's practice. The levels he identified were: #In the waking state, one mind (: 動靜一如): the state where the practitioner can meditate on a gong'an continuously throughout the day without interruption, even through talking and thinking. #In the dreaming state, one mind (: 夢中一如): the state where the practitioner can meditate on a gong'an continuously in the dreaming state. #In deep sleep, one mind (: 熟眠一如): the state described above, where the practitioner can meditate on a gong'an continuously through even the deepest sleep. #In death, attain life (: 死中得活): from the previous state where all thoughts are overtaken by the gong'an (therefore, the practitioner is considered mentally "dead"), the moment of attaining enlightenment, that is, "life." #Great, round, mirror-like wisdom (: 大圓鏡智): the state of perfect enlightenment, using the analogy of the bright mirror for the great internal wisdom that comes forth during enlightenment. The final state where the practitioner loses the sense of self, is liberated from his karma, and therefore, all future rebirths. Criticism of the Japanese style of meditation Seongcheol was very critical of the 's gradual cultivation, it was a complete waste of time to the practitioner in that Zen became nothing more than an exercise in sophistry, with higher positions being given to those who could solve more riddles. Gong'ans can never be solved with such rational, or even intuitive methods, and only the final, perfect enlightenment could give the solution to the gong'an, and simultaneously all gong'ans. Therefore, Seongcheol repeatedly made clear that the study of many gong'ans was antithetical to true meditation. He stated that attaining perfect enlightenment was equal to becoming a Buddha, and this was also equal to definitively solving the gong'an, remarking that this was not his unique teaching, but that of numerous masters including Huineng , Ma Tzu , all the way down to current masters. Being able to solve multiple gong'ans was pure delusion believed by many practitioners, and Seongcheol devoted much of his teachings to elucidating this point. Quotations
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