한암중원 / 漢岩重遠 Hanam Jungwon

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한암중원 / 漢岩重遠 Hanam Jungwon (1876-1951)
aka 방한암 / 方漢岩 Bang Hanam

(Magyar átírás:) Hanam Csungvon
[a Kvanum szon csonghö iskola sajátos átírása szerint: Hahn Am = Hán Ám]

Hanam Jungwon (1876 ~ 1951)

1. Career

A boy was at school reading a The Eighteen Histories in Brief. The first sentence said, "In the ancient past, there lived a Heavenly King." Reading this passage, the boy was suddenly filled with doubt and posed a question to his teacher. "They say that the Heavenly King lived at the dawn of time, but if that's true, who was there before him?" The teacher, surprised at hearing such a bold question from this boy who could not be more than eight years old, replied, “Well, yes, I guess then before the Heavenly King there was the King named Pangu...” Pangu was said to be the creator of the world, existing in the ancient past before even the arising of the cosmos. However, this failed to resolve the young boy's doubt. “Well then... who would have been there before Pangu?” The master had nothing more to reply. From that point forward, the young boy studied Confucianism for some ten years and though he exerted much energy in the search to resolve his doubt, he could never come to any solution. The young boy grew up swiftly and when he turned 21, he left home, went to Mt. Geumgangsan and became a monk. This is the man we now know as Master Hanam.

The Master was born in 1876 in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do Province. After ordaining, he was reading the Susimgyeol when he came across the following passage:

If we wanted to find the path of the Buddha while adhering to the thought that the Buddha existed outside of our mind and the dharma existed outside of our self-nature, even if we were to undergo the most diligent ascetic practices and read every single one of the 80,000 woodblocks of the Tripitaka, this would be like wanting to cook rice by boiling sand. Rather than helping, it would simply make our toil that much worse.

Reading this, he had an awakening and began a practice of maintaining strict silence. With his fellow monks, he then went on a nation-wide pilgrimage to meet with sages of high virtue and to ascend on the path to wisdom. At that same time, Master Gyeongheo was teaching Seon practitioners at Sudoam Hermitage at Cheongamsa, and knowing this, Hanam traveled in this direction. Meeting with Master Gyeongheo, Master Hanam followed his instructions and devoted himself to Seon meditation practice. One day, he heard Master Gyeongheo issue the following passage from a four-line verse of the Diamond Sutra, “On the whole, everything with a form is illusory. If you see every form as if it weren't form, you will immediately see the Tathagata.”

It was owing to this passage that the twenty-three year old Hanam was finally able to overcome his vexing doubts about the reality of his own self and the origin of the universe that had filled his heart since the days of his youth.

Following this, in order to preserve this awakening, he exerted himself in purification practices. At the age of 29, he led his fellow meditators as the lead master in the Naewon Seonwon Center at Tongdosa in Yangsan. That he took the position of “lead master” is quite remarkable, considering this is usually reserved for the highest achieving elder monk. That a young man of 29 could take such a role is a testament to the respect he held among his peers, owing to the power of his practice. However, after five years, he gave up the title to begin practice on his own. This meant that rather than depending on recognition from others, he placed more importance on “self confidence.” It was during this period that one day, while engaged in his purification practice at Uduam Hermitage in Pyeonganbuk-do Province, he was sitting in the kitchen stoking the fire when he suddenly experienced a complete awakening.

In 1925, at the age of 49, while serving in the role of lead meditation master at Bongeunsa in Seoul, he left behind the words, “I'd rather be a crane hiding his tracks for one thousand years than be a fine speaking parrot for a hundred years” and set out for Mt. Odaesan. A parrot is a bird that can only repeat or imitate the words of others. He was not the type of monk who preaches the dharma by simply memorizing the words of the old masters. He was a genuine truth-seeker who sought his own words ardently flowing from his own heart, showing us the true spirit and world of Seon.

Until his passing into nirvana, Master Hanam spent the next twenty-six years giving his undivided attention to the instruction of his disciples as well as his own training, never leaving the temple gate even one single time. In 1951, while undergoing a fifteen day fast, he sat in meditation and passed into nirvana at the age of 75 after spending 54 years in the sangha. He left behind many disciples, among whom the Venerables Bomun, Nanam, and Tanheo stand out.

2. Writings

Though the poetry and letters of Master Hanam were compiled in the Ilballok, the only manuscript was lost to a fire at Sangwonsa in 1947. Accordingly, the Society of Hanam Disciples gathered the numerous works of Hanam scattered here and there and compiled them into the Hanam ilballok, published in 1995.

3. Intellectual Distinction

Master Hanam did not adhere solely to Seon, but emphasized Seongyo gyeomsu, a combination of both Seon and doctrinal practice (Gyo). His translation and publishing of the Commentaries of Five Masters on the Diamond Sutra and the Bojobeobeo along with his request of his disciple Venerable Tanheo to translate Sinhwaeomgyeong hamnon into Korean script is indicative of this fact.

In fact, though Seon advocates getting rid of language and the scriptures, this should be taken to mean that the shell of the words and scriptures should be cast off, not the kernel of truth therein. Following this idea, even when Master Hanam was leading his disciples in the Seonwon hall, during breaks from meditation he would also expound on such scriptures as the Diamond Sutra and the Flower Garland Sutra.

In addition, Master Hanam practiced the “After Enlightenment Tame the Ox” practice. “After Enlightenment Tame the Ox” is a metaphor in which the pure and original nature that is within all sentient beings is described as the Ox and the practice of continued cultivation after enlightenment is referred to as “taming the Ox.” From early on in the Seon tradition, the work of cultivating the mind has been called “searching for the Ox.” As the mind is awakened through cultivation, the “ox has been found,” but just like when one has an awakening, there are possibilities for continued awakenings, cultivating doesn't end after enlightenment and thus it is said, “After Enlightenment Tame the Ox.” There are those who assert that in this, Master Hanam stands an inheritor of Bojo Jinul, who emphasized the “sudden enlightenment, gradual cultivation” method.

Though Master Hanam was extremely diligent in his regular ascetic practices, it is said that he avoided formality and authority. He always accepted many disciples and eschewing formalities, would enjoy sharing tea and a friendly chat with them. However, when he would encounter some problem, it's said that he would devote himself entirely, to an almost frightening degree, in order to break through the obstacle. This aspect also emerged in his dharma sermons, where he frequently emphasized the essential role of determination:

“Determination means having a decisive mind. Facing something that must be done, it is the mind that does so with utmost certainty, or to put it another way, it is the mind of bravery, of integrity, of steadfastness. One who has established a mind like this faces things both big and small with the same determination to finish them completely. Without one's full determination, mastering even the simplest of skills is difficult. Accordingly, how much harder it must be for someone who renounced the world to search for the truth, if they lack determination. Not even speaking of the search for ultimate truth, the pursuit of success and distinction in the smallest affairs requires a firm decision to reach one's goals.

However, within the mundane world, we are so occupied with the five desires and passions that we are vulnerable to temptations even when we make no special effort to seek out pleasure. As a consequence, it becomes difficult to escape indulgence in these passions, and eventually we come to actively desire them. As such, how can we even dare to wish to make grand achievements, becoming a Buddha or a Patriarch? Lacking firm determination, even the tiniest accomplishment is difficult.

Determination is not a one-time event, it must occur continuously, with each and every thought. We ultimately succeed only when we've reached the firm state where we no longer turn back on our decisions. Even when it can be said that we've succeeded, it would be wrong to forsake our original determination.”

PDF: The Life and Letters of Sŏn Master Hanam [漢巖重遠 Hanam Chungwŏn (1876-1951)]
by Ven. Chong Go
International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture, September 2007, Vol.9, pp. 61-86.
http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/images/b/b7/Vol09_03_Ven_Chong_Go.pdf

PDF: The Letters of Hanam Sunim: Practice after Enlightenment and Obscurity
by Ven. Chong Go
International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture, February 2008, Vol.10, pp. 123-145.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.695.6497&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Sŏn Master Pang Hanam: A Preliminary Consideration of His Thoughts According to the Five Regulations for the Sangha
by Patrick R. Uhlmann
In: Makers of modern Korean Buddhism / edited by Jin Y. Park.
State University of New York Press, Albany (SUNY series in Korean studies), 2010
https://terebess.hu/zen/modern_korean_buddhism.pdf Part two, Ch. 8. pp. 171-198.

Patrick R. Uhlmann's essay on “Sŏn Master Pang Hanam” emphasizes the role of ritual in the development of modern Korean Buddhism and shows how Master Hanam (1876-1951) crafted a viable system of monastic training and practice that struck a balance between meditation (Sŏn/Zen) and doctrinal learning. Uhlmann shows how Hanam's Five Regulations of the Sangha helped create the inclusive framework of religious practice followed by most Buddhists today: (1) Sŏn; (2) recitation of the Buddha's name (yŏmbul); (3) scripture reading (kan'gyŏng); (4) rituals (isik), and (5) protecting or safeguarding the monastery (suho karam). Hanam's role, though well known in Korea, has been mostly overlooked and he has been overshadowed by more famous Zen masters such as Kusan (1908-83) and Sŏngch'ŏl (1912-33). Uhlmann's essay helps create greater nuance regarding the position of a Zen master in a religious community and shows how reaching out to the laity through ritual was an important component in Korean Buddhism during the colonial period.

Questions about Seon

Question #1: What relationship does Seon meditation have with the lives people are living? In other words, even if people do not practice Seon, does it make any difference? If it does make a difference, then what is the danger in not practicing Seon meditation?

Answer #1: According to the words of Bodhidharma, “The mind is none other than Buddha, Buddha is none other than the path of enlightenment, the path of enlightenment is none other than Seon.” Accordingly, that which is called Seon is nothing more than the mind of sentient beings.

Generally speaking, there are said to be two classifications of the mind of sentient beings. First, there is the pure mind and second is the contaminated mind. The contaminated mind is the mind of 'ignorance and the three poisons of greed, ignorance and hatred' (mumyoung samdok) while the pure mind is the uncontaminated “true thusness” of our original nature (muru jinyeo). Muru jinyeo is the unwavering liberation, like that of all the Buddhas, in accordance with mindfulness and non-duality. Chasing after mumyoung samdok, we make so much negative karma, falling into the six levels of rebirth, endlessly spinning in the cycle of samsara. The pure mind is our correct path and a home of peace and comfort while the contaminated mind is the path of danger, a pit of fire. How could a wise person wish to fall into a pit of fire and endure endless suffering by forgoing the correct path and avoiding a peaceful abode? You have to think very deeply about this point.

Seon meditation (cham seon) is really nothing special. Cham means “to harmonize with,” rehabilitating our pure mind through our harmonization with our true self-nature and not searching about outside.

I pray only that you, together with all sentient beings, correct your mind and bodies and awaken to the unexcelled path of great enlightenment (musang daedo), I hope that you never again fall into the net of evil and unrighteousness and you quickly attain the fruits of Buddhahood.

Question #2: If we have already decided to practice Seon meditation, what kind of attitude of the mind should we have?

Answer #2: If people who practice Seon Meditation clarify the karma of the first step of the great undertaking, they understand that from the very beginning, their original mind is the Buddha, their own mind is the dharma, and as they unwaveringly believe this ultimate fundamental, gradually their doubt must disappear. However, if they are unable to come to this judgment on their own, even though they may practice for an eternity, they will never be able to enter the ultimate path of Buddhahood.

The Great Master Bojo Jinul said, “If we said that the Buddha existed outside of our minds and the dharma existed outside of our self-nature, and if we persistently adhered to this kind of mind in the search for the path of Buddhahood, then even if an eternity passed, even if we immolated ourselves, smashed our bones and used the blood and marrow to copy the scriptures, even if we endured the practice of 'sitting without ever laying down' and purified ourselves by eating only one meal a day every morning, even if we chanted the entire Tripitaka [Buddhist scriptures] and engaged in every type of ascetic practice, this would all account to nothing more than our own troublesome labor, as if we were trying to make rice by boiling sand.” From this we must learn the primary critical point that it is entirely up to us to awaken ourselves, to cultivate ourselves, to create the path of Buddhahood in ourselves. If we say that Buddha is outside of the mind, that Buddha is nothing more than an “external Buddha” and thus, how could the Buddha ever exist in me? That's why it is said “The [external] Buddhas are not my path to enlightenment.”

Question #3: If one is already possessed of the mind that is aroused towards the determination of enlightenment, how must we continue in our cultivation in order to engage in sincere meditative investigation?

Answer 3: Though those who possess the great wisdom that comes with high spiritual capacities can utilize their circumstances to immediately take advantage of a single opportunity without the need for much talking at all, if we were to speak of meditative investigation, it is fitting that we question and question again the vexing words of such hwadu as Zhaozhou's “Mu” and “the cypress in the courtyard,” Dongshan's “three pounds of flax,” and Yunmen's “dried shit stick.” We must investigate these hwadu relentlessly, absorbing our entire body into the effort, as if we were mosquitoes sitting on the back of an iron ox, trying to drive our proboscis into its impenetrable back. If even the tiniest thought of discrimination or any minute artifice in our practice starts to move during this time, the result will be as the ancients said, “scattered study infiltrates the mind and damages wisdom.” Thus, this is the most pertinent and profound problem for seekers of enlightenment to guard against.

As the Master Naong said, “The arising of one thought and the annihilation of another is called life and death, and thus in the moment of life and death if we give all our energy investigating our hwadu, life and death at once will exhaust itself. This immediate extinguishing of life and death is called nirvana. In nirvana, the absence of hwadu is called 'indifference,' and when a hwadu is no longer murky, this is called 'the divine.' When there is neither destruction nor confusion, the divine wisdom of the tranquil void is established.” Accordingly, it is imperative that the learned ones should make this their guiding principle.

Question #4: If we are already truly engaging in meditative investigation, what is it that we are truly exerting our energy towards?

Answer #4: As an ancient master once said, “where energy is lacking, that is where energy can be cultivated.” Likewise, a hwadu, even when not being questioned, on its own accord will inspire questioning, and even when not being investigated, the doors of the six senses naturally open to allow the investigation to arise on its own, going higher and higher, growing smoother and smoother. Only when the hwadu gets to the point that it is like the light of the moon projected on the raging sea, crashing into the waves but not scattering, swallowed by the swells but never swept away, one is nearing the great enlightenment. Arriving at this point, if the discriminating mind appears even the tiniest bit, the simple profundity is lost and the great enlightenment cannot be obtained. Thus, this is something we must earnestly guard against.

Question #5: If we have already truly established our energy and our awakening is certainly completed, what is the final state of this true awakening?

Answer #5: According to the words of an ancient master, “even if someone is without a clear and distinct awakening to the dharma, if they have some sort of awakening, they are still nothing more than a deluded person." He also said, “if you say that you have an awakening, that is like not having been awakened.” Accordingly, if we say that awakening has a final state, then this is exactly not the final state of awakening.

If this is so, would all of the many enlightenment anecdotes of the great masters, like Master Lingyun being awakened when he saw a peach blossom, Master Xiangyan hurling a stone against a bamboo tree, Master Xuansha spraining his toe, and Master Changqing raising the bead screen, be nothing but lies handed down to us?

When Master Yangshan states, “though we can't but say 'awakening,' that awakening is [once it is understood as awakening] it falls into the second grade stage,” he's talking about awakening by half stages.

When Xuansha says, "looking at my respected elder friend daringly, I’m still not complete,” this is truly his sincere kindness.

I wonder if it is correct that these awakenings are at the final state of completion, or if it is right to say that there is no final state of awakening. What are we to do to understand this? Without speaking, I thought for a while and then composed this poem:

Where the bright moon first springs forth, in the mix of sky and sea,
When the crying of the monkey on the rock-wall stops.

Question #6: After awakening is already thoroughly complete, what comprises true self-discipline?

Answer #6: An ancient said, “For those who have already passed through the gate, there is no need to insist on taking the ferry again.” If awakening is already complete, how could there possibly be any need to consider self-discipline? Nevertheless, though the clouds and the moon are one in the same, streams and mountains are each different.

Not able to gather a handful of willows, they hang on the jade railing, flying in the spring wind

Question #7: After already disciplining oneself, what is it that comprises true consummation?

Answer #7: A monk asked to Master Zhaozhou, "Can the nut pine also achieve Buddhahood?" Master Zhaozhou replied, “It can.”
“When does it achieve Buddhahood?”
“You have to wait until the sky collapses into the earth.”
“When does the sky collapse into the earth?”
“Wait until the nut pine achieves Buddhahood.”

The ancients, having completely awakened to the truth of the non-arising, show here an occasion of using the mind in a topsy-turvy way, but how should we do things today? Tell quickly, tell it quick. Does the sky collapse into the earth? Does the nut pine achieve Buddhahood? It is no good if you think the sky never collapses into the earth or the nut pine never achieves Buddhahood.

After snapping his finger once he says, "I just missed making a mistake writing my footnote."

Question #8: After already reaching consummation, how can one bring about the perfectly final conclusion?

Answer #8: As an ancient master said, “before your eyes there is no monk and here there is no old master, this is not the dharma in front of you, it is not something that reaches you through your eyes or ears.” The Seon masters of various meditation traditions speak through the standard of these words to show the extent to which their meditation has advanced. I say this here now and everybody forgets it all.

Question #9: From the very beginning of one's initial religious awakening until reaching the very end of the path, what kind of mind is most indispensable and which precious aphorism is most suitable?

Answer #9: The very last line of Shitou Xiqian's Cantongqi (Harmony of Sameness and Difference) states, “Humbly I beg of you who engage in Seon, do not spend your time in vain.” Later, Master Fayan heard this and said, “It is truly difficult to pay back such a veritable blessing,” and I also find it very difficult to pay back a true blessing. However, what are we to know is to be done so as to not spend our lives in vain?

Coughing for a spell, I issued a poem.

Not eating the sweet peach and persimmon
I continue up the mountain and pick a sour pear

Question #10: What difference is there between ganhwa (observing a key phrase or hwadu) and banjo (reflective illumination)? Since Seon meditators are always arguing about this, I pray you might be able to offer a detailed argument to clarify this issue.

Answer #10: I'm laughing as I speak. The melody of the previously questions all sounded the same, but with this question, the wind blows quite a different tune! Nevertheless, try and hear a bit of what I have to say.

When a big elephant comes to a river crossing and passes across the flowing waters, don't draw any conclusion from the fact that rabbits and horses can't touch the bottom.

Do you get it? If you don't get it, then I'm going to speak with you today in detail about this very issue.

A long time ago, Master Yangshan asked Master Weishan, "What is the abode of the true Buddha?" Weishan answered, “by practicing reflective illumination on the boundlessness of the divine spark, through the profundity by which the absence of thought is arrived at through thought itself, conceptions are exhausted and one returns to the source. Eternally abiding in the essential nature, action and practice are not two, and this is the genuine 'thusness' of the true Buddha.”

Hearing these words, Yangshan immediately had a great enlightenment. Later, when Meditation Master Xinwenben heard this hwadu, he said: “though you say, 'by practicing reflective illumination on the boundlessness of the divine spark, through the profundity by which the absence of thought it arrived at through thought itself, conceptions are exhausted and one returns to the source,' when one departs from this, won't there again just be some pure sickness? When someone enters into the mundane world, in going against it and adapting, what can really stain oneself or make one happy or upset? After this, brightness and darkness become completely broken down, and one is turned towards a place that is neither bright nor dark. Then, only after fully penetrating the hwadu, 'there are memorial services at Dabeiyuan' one truly knows the origin and one truly can know the true gist. At that time, from but one eye, the mountains, sky and earth are illuminated with the light of enlightenment, exactly as if the sky was being sliced through by a great sword; who can dare to face this light? It is only when you have such a power that you are truly able to enter easily into the ranks of the sages, diligently cultivating the practices that bring enlightenment, bringing about the fulfillment of the powers of wisdom and compassion, and there is only this path, this doctrine that brings benefit to yourself and others. There is no other way.”

Wouldn't “trace back the boundlessness of the divine radiance” be talking about reflective illumination? And wouldn't “Seeing the memorial service at Dabeiyuan” be referring to a hwadu?

Though Yangshan had already had a great enlightenment when hearing the words “reflect upon the divine radiance,” for what reason was Xinwenben said to have contemplated a hwadu again?

If everyone who has achieved awakening is like Yangshan, we expect there to be nothing more to say, and if we can't reach the level of Yangshan's awakening, our associative thinking not having disappeared, we cannot overthrow our mind of birth and death. If we can't destroy the mind of life and death, how can we possibly be able to speak of any “great enlightenment”?

Here is where Meditation Master Xinwenben speaks particularly to those who, while practicing “reflective illumination,” are unable to be complete in their practice. Master Gaofeng also says something pertinent to this question: “When I heard the hwadu, 'the ten thousand dharmas return to the one, where does the one return?' I broke through the phrase, 'dragging around a corpse.' However, even though I became entirely absorbed into the whole earth, forgetting everything about the subjective and the objective world, composed in meditative absorption and the master of myself, when my master asked me, 'when you are in that place of slumber where there is neither dreams nor thoughts, where is the master then?' I had absolutely nothing to say in return, no means by which to form a response.

My master again asked me to contemplate a hwadu, 'the master of your wakefulness, where does he seek peace and follow the ways of heaven?' Finally, one day when I was sleeping together with Master Doban, his wooden pillow fell to floor and made a loud noise, hearing this, it was like I had sprung out from a net, bursting free with not a single thought of deliberation, the sky above and earth below in one great peace. Yet at the same time, it was like I was someone I had always been from a long time ago, a traveler coming home as if nothing had changed.”

Here too, isn't “where does the one return” a hwadu? And wouldn't “look for the awakened master” be an example of banjo [careful reflection]?

Though Gaofeng had already firmly stabilized his meditative absorption and become master of himself through the hwadu "where does the one return?" what caused his master to reprimand him so that he would take up yet another hwadu, regarding "the awakened master"?

This teaching, as it is especially given to benefit those who are in the midst of contemplating a hwadu, yet unable to penetrate it exhaustively, how indeed can there be a determining of what is superior and what is inferior, or what is complete and what is partial? Here, one must know that the completion or incompletion of awakening is dependent on the sincerity or deceit of the practitioner, or whether they have or have not achieved the “ultimate unsurpassed ” (gugyeong) and not on the relative merits or depth of any particular means utilized.
I respectfully submit that one should not create incoherent views and be defeated by self-created obstacles and difficulties, according to the true teachings of all the Buddhas and the Patriarchs..

In a letter written in reply to Vice-Minister Rong, Meditation Master Dahui Zonggao explained:

Paying close attention at all times simply to those places full of the karma of daily life, when I clearly abandon any sense of right or wrong with others and receive someone else's benefit, if I were to carefully examine that, after all, those benefits were drained from somewhere else, then normally something that is fresh becomes ripened on its own accord. When the fresh has already become ripened, then the ripened will actually become fresh. Where then is the site of ripening?
It is precisely within the five aggregates, the six bases of the senses, the twelve sense fields, the eighteen elements of cognition, and the twenty-five stages of existence, and the karmic consciousness of ignorance, where the discursive operation of mind and perception flicker day and night like the shimmering of heated air, never resting even for a single moment. Though all suffering issues forth from our wandering through life and death, with human beings as mere pawns, if these pawns have already become the focus of meditation, then cessation, enlightenment, 'thus-ness' and buddha nature will all suddenly become manifest.

When this manifestation arises, no further manifestation even need be considered, this is why the ancient masters, upon achieving awakening, said, 'when the eye is reciprocated, it is as if the light of one thousand suns shines, such that you can't escape the illumination of all things in the universe; when the ear is reciprocated, as in the deepest of valleys, there is no sound, great or small, that does not clearly echo.' As such, in this type of endeavor, there is nowhere else to search, no other power to wish upon. Naturally, as karma is manifest, it is a vivacious and lively affair. If you cannot achieve something like this, then using your mind that is focused on the affairs of the mundane world, try to reconsider those places that have been beyond your capacity to consider. Where is that place that goes beyond your capacity to contemplate?

A monk once asked Master Zhaozhou, 'Does even a dog have buddha nature? Or not?'

When Master Zhaozhou answered, 'No,' [using a single syllable represented by the character mu 無] what kind of capabilities do you suppose rest within that character? I pray you give it as much attention as possible. As there is no place allowing you to calculate or deploy your thinking, there is nothing but misery in the pit of your stomach, your mind in anguish, and this is exactly the right time for you to become awakened to the fact that your eighth consciousness does not operate together in turn with the other seven. As such, when awakening takes place, don't just let go, you must attend only to the character 'mu.' As you come and go into it, the place of arising naturally becomes the place of ripening and the place of ripening naturally becomes the place of arising.

Generally speaking, isn't carefully investigating the place of karma in daily life considered “reflective illumination?” With the mind afflicted by defiled thought, in returning to the character of “mu” and contemplating it deeply without letting go, isn't this a hwadu? If that is indeed the case, Master Dahui likewise taught people using the method of "reflective illumination" and combined this with instruction in an overall strategy of contemplating a hwadu. But as he made indelibly clear when he said, “as cessation, nirvana, thus-ness and buddhahood is suddenly manifest, the place of arising naturally becomes the place of ripening, and the place of ripening will naturally become the place of arising," he wasn't simply teaching a method or strategy. If we contemplate the logic implicit within what he is saying, in the benefit gained in the two practices of contemplating hwadu and engaging in reflective illumination, how could there be deep and shallow?

We can not separately make mention one by one of the many occasions in which those of old have given us their instruction in a way similar to what I've been describing, maintaining no distinction between ganwha or banjo. Nevertheless, haven't we come to learn that these days students everywhere attack one another and think of such teaching as quackery?

There are those who are in the process of investigating their assigned hwadu in accordance with the teachings, but then get to a point where they rest for a moment. Soon, they feel satisfied with their progress and no longer moving forward they try applying logical reasoning to their case. As a result, before long they do away with the course they've been following, as if they desire to cast away with the whole endeavor. This leaves them totally unable to understand the fact that all of the boundless means of instruction from the teachings of the Buddhas and Patriarchs have arisen from their obligation to us, such that they would go through mud and water to exhaustively create opportunities to instruct our awakening. Such people have fallen into a deep pit of cold inactivity, and are unable to budge even an inch.

There are others who, in the process of practicing “reflective illumination” in accordance with the dharma, after acquiring but a dash of accomplishment on the path, thinking they've accomplished this all on their own, no longer carefully investigate their mind and they come to hold eccentric thoughts. When they meet with others, they immediately talk about their progress, displaying their knowledge and wisdom. Such people are wholly unable to understand how the fundamental duty and obligation of those who wear the robes totally consumed the Buddhas and Patriarchs, piercing into the very marrow of their bones, over and over again, completely cutting them off from the very root of their being. Such people, unable to understand the light and shadows in the gate to truth, construct for themselves a personal space of enlightened luxury. If such behaviors continue and are allowed to stand, the Buddha's righteous teaching is practically thrown in the dirt. What a lamentable, painful thing.

Your thoughts having come to this point, I dare say that your questioning shows that you know what to focus your energy on.

Given my limited knowledge and lack of study, how could I, with my few words pointing out some obvious things, possibly bring any succor to the evil and deep seeded diseases of this hopeless world? Because of this, I too am unsure and struggling with what to do.

Nevertheless, a wise person once said, "Don't investigate dead words, but rather, investigate the living words.” This is because dead words rely on rationality, arguments, information and discursive understanding, while living words are void of rationality, arguments, diversion and grasping.

The fact that seekers who practice Seon meditation as a matter of course pursue both banjo and ganhwa in accordance with the dharma is just like when a clump of things all burn together within one fire. If you try to get to close to it, your face will burn. As there is no place to permanently affix the wisdom of the entire teachings of the Buddha, won't there always be occasions to argue about the countless things regarding hwadu or banjo, differences or similarities. If you simply meditate lucidly on one thought that appears before you so that there is nothing else remaining, even if you ignore 100,000 dharma sermons and the infinite divine mysteries, as you apply yourself completely, seeing and acting truthfully as you practice in accordance with the dharma, you will still be able to obtain the great freedom from the cycle of life and death. Therefore, I wish only that it is exactly here that all of your thoughts may reside.

※ As the following ten questions are direct quotations taken from Patriarch Na-ong's questions, the text is omitted at this point.

Hahn Am's kongans
by Zen Master Seung Sahn
In: The Whole World is a Single Flower: 365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life
Tuttle, 1993.

99. Throwing Rocks

One day, Zen Master Man Gong San visited Zen Master Hahn Am at Oh Dae Mountain's Stillness Palace Temple. When it was time for Man Gong to leave, they crossed a bridge together. Man Gong picked up a rock and threw it in front of Hahn Am, whereupon Hahn Am picked up a rock and threw it into the water.

"On this trip, much was lost," Man Gong said to himself.

1. If you had been there, what could you have done?

2. Zen Master Hahn Am threw a rock into the water. What does this mean?

3. Man Gong said, "On this trip, much was lost" What does this mean?

COMMENTARY: Don't make anything. Don't hold anything. Then, when you see, when you hear - that is better than Buddha.

101. An Old Loan

Zen Master Man Gong sent a letter to Zen Master Hahn Am. "We have not seen each other in ten years," he wrote. "The clouds, the full moon, the mountain, and the water everywhere are the same, but I think about you staying in the cold north and wish you would bring your bag south where it is warm, and teach students here."

Hahn Am wrote back, "I am very poor. I think about an old loan."

Man Gong answered, "The old man loved his grandson and his mouth is poor."

Hahn Am wrote, "The thief has already passed. Don't pull your bow."

Man Gong replied, "The arrow has already pierced the thief's head."

What is the meaning of:

1. "I am very poor. I think about an old loan."

2. "The old man loved his grandson and his mouth is poor."

3. "The thief has already passed. Don't pull your bow."

4. "The arrow has already pierced the thief's head."

COMMENTARY: Two old men are pulling the arms of a young child, shouting, "That's my son!" "No, that's my son!" Letting go is better than holding.

131. Why Bodhidharma Came to China

Dae Un Sunim said to Zen Master Man Gong: "Kwan Sahn No Sunim and I visited Zen Master Hahn Am. Kwan Sahn asked him, 'On the outside, this mountain is very dry, but inside, it is not dry, so a lot of grass and trees grow on it - it is very strong. What does this mean?' Hahn Am answered by chomping his teeth together three times. I don't understand what this means, master. Please teach me."

"That has already passed," Man Gong said. "Hahn Am and Kwan Sahn No Sunim are no longer necessary. You must ask me your question."

"Why did Bodhidharma come to China?"

Man Gong replied, "A long time ago, Ananda asked Mahakashyapa, 'The Buddha transmitted to you the Golden Brocade Robe. What else did he transmit to you?' So, Mahakashyapa called out, 'Ananda!' 'Yes, sir?' 'Knock down the flagpole in front of the gate.' Dae Un Sunim, do you understand what this means? If you do, then you understand why Bodhidharma came to China."

Dae Un stood up and bowed to Man Gong, but the great Zen Master only laughed and said, "No, no. More practice is necessary."

1. Han Am chomped his teeth together three times. What does this mean?

2. "Bodhidharma came to China." What does this mean?

3. How do you knock down the flagpole in front of the gate?

4. Why did Man Gong laugh and say, "No, no. More practice is necessary"?

COMMENTARY: The American flag has many stars and stripes. The Japanese flag has a red sun. The South Korean flag has a yin-yang symbol.

180. Enlightenment Poem

by Zen Master Hahn Am

Making rice over the fire, a great awakening.

The Lord of ancient Buddhas appears very clearly.

If somebody asks me why Bodhidharma came to China,

Under the rocks, flowing water-sound is never wet.

1. What did Zen Master Hahn Am attain?

2. What is the meaning of "flowing-water sound is never wet?"

COMMENTARY: The blue mountain is always blue. The big rocks never move.

181. North Mountain, South Mountain

Poem by Zen Master Hahn Am

Underfoot there is sky, overhead there is ground.

Originally there is no inside, no outside, no middle.

A person without legs is walking. A person without eyes sees something.

North Mountain keeps silence, facing South Mountain.

1. What is the meaning of lines one, two and three?

2. "North Mountain keeps silence, facing South Mountain." Then what?

COMMENTARY: Ask the North Mountain and the South Mountain. They will give you a good answer.

182. Mind Moonlight

Poem by Zen Master Hahn Am

Hear the dog barking and understand: guest coming.

The crow's caw disconcerts people.

Mind moonlight never changes for ten thousand years.

One morning the wind comes and cleans our yard.

What is the meaning of:

1. "Hear the dog barking and understand: guest coming."

2. "Mind moonlight never changes for ten thousand years."

3. "One morning the wind comes and cleans our yard."

COMMENTARY: If you see clearly and hear clearly, then everything appears clearly. But one thing has never appeared in front of you.

183. The Ten Thousand Samadhis Are Not Necessary

Poem by Zen Master Hahn Am

Deep pine tree valley:

Sitting quietly,

The moon was bright last night.

The ten thousand samadhis are not necessary.

When thirsty, drink.

When tired, sleep.

1. Why aren't the ten thousand samadhis necessary?

2. "When thirsty, drink. When tired, sleep." Why is meditation necessary?

COMMENTARY: Rockheads understand rockheads. Clever heads understand each other.

199. Zen Master Hahn Ant's KATZ and Hit

Zen Master Hahn Am sat on the high rostrum in silence. He held up the Zen stick and hit the rostrum three times, and then shouted "KATZ!" three times. "If you find the Buddha's and eminent teachers' corpses in 'KATZ' and Hit, your original face already appears clearly," he said to the assembly. "If you cannot, you go to hell like an arrow."

1. Silence, Hit, KATZ: are they the same or different?

2. Can you find your original face in KATZ or Hit?

3. What is the meaning of "Go to hell like an arrow"?

COMMENTARY: Hahn Am never got out of hell. The Zen stick has already saved all beings.

200. Cloud Appears Over South Mountain

Zen Master Kyong Ho asked Zen Master Hahn Am, "Somebody hears 'Cloud appears over South Mountain, rain over North Mountain' and gets enlightenment. What do they attain?"

Zen Master Hahn Am replied, "In front of the meditation room there are many roof tiles."

1. "Cloud appears over South Mountain, rain over North Mountain." What does that mean?

2. Is Zen Master Hahn Am's answer correct or not?

COMMENTARY: If you see something, you become blind. If you hear something, you become deaf. If you open your mouth, you become mute. Without making anything, you already find a good answer.

201. You Don't Know. How Can I Teach You?

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, a Japanese Soto Zen Master visited Zen Master Hahn Am and asked, "What is Buddhism's true meaning?"

Hahn Am held up his glasses. Then the Japanese Zen Master said, "You are a great Zen Master. You have studied many sutras and meditated for many years. What did you attain?"

Hahn Am said, "You must go to the Palace of Silence and Stillness and bow."

Then the Japanese Zen Master asked, "You came to this temple in your youth and became a monk. You have stayed here for forty years. Your mind before coming here and your mind now - are they the same or different?"

Hahn Am replied, "You don't know. How can I teach you?"

1. What is Buddhism's true meaning?

2. If you were Zen Master Hahn Am, what could you say you attained?

3. What is the meaning of "You don't know. How can I teach you"?

COMMENTARY: Two wrestling bears hit the rocks and fall down.

Hán Ám konganjai
Szung Szán zen mester kérdéseivel és kommentárjaival
In: Egyetlen szál virág az egész világ
Szerk. Stephen Mitchell
Ford. Szigeti György
Farkas Lőrinc Imre Könyvkiadó, 1997.