Our tradition

Zen master Seung Sahn was the first Korean Zen master to spread Zen Buddhism in the West:

„Deep in the mountains, the great temple bell is struck. You hear it echoing in the morning air and all thoughts disappear from your mind. There is nothing that you are; there is nothing that you are not. There is only the sound of the bell that fills the whole universe. That is Zen spirit.

Spring is coming. You see the flowers blooming, the butterflies fluttering around; you hear the birds singing, you breathe in the warm air. And your thoughts are just spring. Nothing else at all.

You visit Niagara Falls and take a boat to the foot of the falls. The water cascades down in front of you, around you and inside you, and suddenly you shout: YAAAAAAA!

In all these experiences, outside and inside have become one. That is Zen spirit. Your mind is as clear as space.

Clear as the room means: clear as a mirror. When white comes, white. When red comes, red.

But there is one more step to take. How does your mind work in everyday life? If someone is hungry, it’s not enough to simply tell them they’re hungry. You have to give it food! This is called the right situation, the right relationship and the right function

This means that you can react compassionately to any situation.”

Zen in Kwan Um School

We follow the practice and teachings of Zen master Seung Sahn, who founded the international Kwan Um Zen School.

In 1949, Zen Master Seung Sahn received the transmission from Zen Master Ko Bong, one of the most brilliant Zen masters in Korea at the time. He was later responsible for several temples in Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. In 1972, he founded the Kwan Um School of Zen in the USA to teach Zen to lay people as well as monks and nuns in the West.

Today we are represented in numerous Zen centers and groups in Europe, Israel, North and South America and Asia.

The Western form of Korean Zen is based on sitting meditation, walking, sutra recitation, bowing, prostration and Kong-An training.

During our daily practice, we follow a schedule that begins with prostrations, then the chanting of some traditional Buddhist songs, followed by sitting meditation.

Every few months there is also the opportunity to meet Zen teachers from our school from Europe, Asia or America in Zen retreats. And every year, our school offers three-month Zen retreats in Europe, Korea and the United States.

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