Beautiful short film on Western Zen Monk, Hyun Gak Sunim

[Jundo]

Silly as you sometimes are, you keep it real Jundo. Thanks.

No, I am completely a silly fake and fraud. Only Buddha is real.

Gassho, J

[SoR]

I was also surprised to see at the end of the film that Hyun Gak Sunim has now left the Kwan Um formally. I wonder about his reasons, and I think he did not really go far

Hello Jundo,

I still lurk on here (I'm still very intrigued with Dogen, even though shikantaza has ended up not being my practice), but stumbled on this old post when searching Google for something else. If you, or anyone, is curious about Hyon Gak Sunim's departure from the Kwan Um School (KUSZ), I still have his goodbye email from when I was also a KUSZ member (my current teacher teaches in the more traditional Korean Zen style, though he keeps a loose affiliation with the KUSZ and did not make the kind of break Hyon Gak Sunim made). In short, he basically just wanted more freedom to travel and teach where he wanted, in the way he felt best, and not be constrained by the institutional requirements of the KUSZ.

I hope everyone is well!

-Sam

EDIT: I should add that Hyon Gak Sunim had, in the past, submitted writings "outside the tradition" in KUSZ publications and has recently been quoting Dogen on his blog.

[Kyonin]

So beautiful.

Thank you.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Fugu]

Boy, I wonder what would happen if a film maker followed me around and added a musical score? I very much doubt they could capture such pretty, romantic images of me. (Perhaps a close up of my plumber's butt crack as I change the litter in the cat box, all to the tune of the Monkee's Daydream Believer. Much editing would be involved, and much film left on the cutting room floor. ).



Gassho, J

Why does the score of 'West Side Story' immediately come to mind?

hmmm...

Gassho,

Lee