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혜암성관 / 慧菴性觀 Hyeam Seonggwan (1920-2001)

(Magyar átírás:) Hjeam Szonggvan

Hyeam Seonggwan (1920 ~ 2001)
http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/master/priest_view.asp?cat_seq=10&priest_seq=26&page=2

1. Biography

He was born the second child of seven in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do in 1920. He was a bookworm from childhood and used to read the biographies of great men of the east and the west as well as Buddhist books. At the age of seventeen (1937), he went to Japan to study more about eastern and western religions and he also studied eastern philosophy. He read The Bible, Four books and Three Classics of Ancient China, and Buddhist masters’ analects.

While he was reading all these different books, he came upon a book called Seongwanchekjin. It was a guide to Seon practice which was collected from advice given by masters of the past. When he read the following words, “I have a sutra, which is not made of paper or ink. Though it does not contain any letters, it always gives a bright light,” he became inspired. Then he immediately returned to Korea, renounced secular life at the age of 26 (1946 C.E.) at Haeinsa Temple. He received teachings from the great monks Hyobong, Hanam, Dongsan, and Gyeongbong who were the spiritual leaders of Korean Buddhism at that time.

From the day of his renunciation up to his death, he never lay down to sleep; and had only one meal a day. His whole life was one of detachment and frugality, in food, clothing, and housing so that he could just concentrate on practicing. He was very self-disciplined monk.

In 1947 at the age 27, he made the Retreat Community of Bongamsa Temple, together with Venerable Seongcheol and some twenty other young monks. This was to resuscitate the traditional lifestyle as lived by the Buddha and follow the Buddha’s teachings. As soon as it was set up, seventeen new rules were enacted. All the monks of the association then started three years of intensive retreat. They pursued the disciplined Seon tradition of Korean Buddhism, by letting Seon practice be the center. As a result, this movement contributed to the proper identity of the Jogye Order. And the rules of behavior, rituals, and lifestyle that they set up in those days became the standard rules of the Jogye Order even today.

In 1957, at the age of 37, he went on retreat at Sagoam Hermitage in Mt. Odaesan with the strong decision that, “even I die, I will not stop practicing.” He continued practice in the freezing cold weather. The temperature went down to minus twenty centigrade, but he never heated his room. His main meal was just 20 grains of raw beans and raw pine tree leaves. He kept on this ascetic practice without letting up. During the retreat, he never slept for four months. He never lost full awareness. After that, he became convinced that sleep does not actually exist. Since that time sleep could never be a hindrance for him any more.

From 1977 onwards, at the age of 57, he stayed in Haeinsa Temple, and practiced together with the community while holding various positions. As Haeinsa is a full monastic training temple, with a Monks’ college, a Meditation Hall and Vinaya School, many monks live together. Over the years he was given various jobs and yet he was not lazy to practice. While he carried out each of these jobs, he put all his effort into development, constantly encouraging the monks to do intensive retreats (yongmaengjeongjin) and to improve the practicing tradition. He opened a Meditation Hall for laypeople at Wondangam Hermitage at Haeinsa when he was 61 (1981). He joined the over-night sitting program on certain Saturdays for 21 years. This special intensive practice was held twice a month on the first and third Saturday in the summer and winter retreat periods. This meditation center, Dalma Seonwon, was opened mainly in order to teach the laypeople Seon practice. After this initiative, meditation centers for lay people have become a popular movement and it gives new meaning to people’s daily lives.

Venerable Seongcheol was a spiritual leader of Haeinsa temple, which is full monastic training temple, died in Nov.11th 1993. After his passing away, its community monks asked him to be their 6th spiritual leader. He accepted their proposal and he did his best. After that, he made some guidelines for Seon practicing monks. They were not allowed to sleep longer than four hours and forced not to eat after midday meal. At his age 74, he was asked to be the 10th Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. He accepted it in 1994. Staying in Wondangam, he taught his disciples.

Because of his straightforward character, he was called “a piece of bamboo” in Mt. Gayasan. He lived as a monk for 55 years, and passed away at the age of 81 while attending to his disciple on 31st Dec 2001 in Misogul, Smile Room, in Wondangam Hermitage.

2. Characteristics of His Thought

Venerable Hyeam primarily taught Seon practice to monks. He was famous among his students for the following sayings: “Even though you die, die while practicing,” “Eat less,” “Practice inwardly and help others outwardly,” “Do not be the head monk of a temple,” “Live modestly and honestly with a set of clothes and a set of bowls.” He always particularly insisted on telling junior monks, “Do Seon practice diligently.”

He said that Buddhism is not just theory but practice. Practitioners, thus, have to concentrate on their hwadu until they get the answer. That is the real way of Seon practice. Seon is the supreme way and the most expedient way to find our True Nature but it cannot be said that just sitting meditation is the best way of Seon for, in actual fact, the true way of Seon practice is not to forget concentration and awareness of the hwadu at all times; this advice was aimed at monks or lay Buddhists alike. In order to be in that state, the best way is to keep the doubt about hwadu alive for it is this big doubt which brings realization and it can be said that the possibility of breaking through is directly related to the amount of doubt that the practitioner can maintain. In fact, without doubt nobody can reach the state of enlightenment. Normally, there are several hindrances during the practice of hwadu. The first of these is a lack of doubt and the second is having too little knowledge of hwadu. The third is the necessity of a desperate mind, one that can therefore concentrate on the hwadu for if there is not this desperation then the practice cannot be maintained. In addition, concentration must be carried out with a full heart; only this is the way and there is no other. One danger: if practitioners indulged in their own insights, they will suffer from various diseases of the mind.

He had the habit of saying to meditating monks, “Cut off all relationship to the outside world and just keep your mind empty.” When he was asked the question, “How can we keep to our ordinary life if we follow your teaching?” he would reply, “You just do it, but without any intention when you are doing it.” And he added, “Eat in order to keep the body healthy and not just to feed your belly,” “Go without noticing you are going,” and “Live to practice,” “Do not stick to tasty food, it just makes you to go to the toilet.” Sometimes he was told the people may say that we earn money in order to have good food. Then he would answer them, “We were not born to eat but for another clear reason. We were born into this life in order to practice Seon and to find our True Self. Furthermore we are here to pay back our past lives’ bad karma. Therefore, our duty in this life is to follow our karmic relationships and to diligently practice so as to find ourselves.” This was one of his favorite sayings.

He would often remark, “If you understand this teaching, then you will never envy anybody. Do not envy good-looking people, don’t envy wealth, prosperity, or intelligence for the knowledge that you learn from society is not true knowledge. Even though you keep on learning up to your last breath, you know nothing. For instance, even when you hear such simple words as ‘this is the sky’ or ‘this is your mind,’ you do not really know what the sky is or what the mind is.” He emphasized that knowing common knowledge is not true knowledge. He would say, “The scholars do not know even one-tenth about themselves. In addition none of us knows what will happen in the next second. We all know this fact very well.” He added, “We do not even know why we eat rice! How can we therefore say that we know others! We insist that the knowledge which we have learned in our delusion is right. But, we actually know nothing.”

He would say that happiness is nowhere in the world; it is merely words. Only after knowing what the mind is can a person enjoy true happiness. In order to be inspired, we must practice hwadu intensively all the time. And he often told people, “Even though you have a job, you should investigate hwadu eagerly because by raising continual, you may find your True Self.

The New Year Message (B.E. 2544)
http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/master/dharma_talk_view.asp?cat_seq=32&content_seq=188&priest_seq=0&page=1

The future is not coming, the past is not going, the present is not stopping, three times periods are full of emptiness, so it is very mysterious. Don't you understand such kinds of truth?

If you could be understood these things, the sun and moon are looks like anew, the heaven and earth are looks being special, war, disease, famine, destruction of
environment and transmigration of birth and death etcs., such kind of thousands thing of disaster are not happened here even the one only.

Who's taking the new year and day? You have to know ‘Who am I ? and then
‘Be accomplished'by yourself for your ‘Real Ego'.

Who's said no Taoist hermit with supernatural powers in the world? It is proper that you ought to believe‘The another world exists in a pot!'

In this generation, we have to enlighten a stream of over-credulity for material things except human being and must stand up with an awakening movement for human being's themselves - for the truthful Real Ego.-

Therefore it must be kept to develop with between the spiritual and culture, going to a step forward, we can overcome the crisis of civilization.

All things in the universe is being at oneness in flesh and spirit upon the same root, in case if it harms the one-side consequently the other-side will be damaged, on the other hand, helping that-side naturally this-side might be benefited, So that, if we could be known this kind of truth never harms the others ever.

Meeting happy new year, we should keep away from unreliable ‘Myself'and keep in mind to help each other continuously a step a head in advance to love the enemy
and then will be overflowed peace and happiness eventually, we can build earthly paradise up.

Rising the round sun up in mind highly as well as shining on the whole creation brightly, the world of light is opening in our presence.

B.Y. Jan. 1, 2544
Supreme Patriarch of Jogye Order

The cultivation that empties oneself is the ultimate
-Extracted from a special lecture at Haein Monastic University-
http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/master/dharma_talk_view.asp?cat_seq=32&content_seq=189&priest_seq=0&page=1

Knowing everything though the knowledge of one-
The secret of utmost importance when cultivating is that when the one is known well, all other things can immediately be known as well. Because the one is at the very center, it is the way of bringing everything else to the center as well.

Indeed, when asking 'What is the buddha dharma?', 'What is the way of enlightenment?', and 'How do monastics fulfill their duties?' when the one is known directly, the emergence of the diverse changes in appearance is only natural.

Even if you were to memorize all of the 80,000 woodblock sutras [the Tripitaka], if you memorize without understanding the deeper meaning, it could be said that you'd know the true fact that you differ not one bit from someone who knows nothing. Even if you do not learn much at all if you learn even a little bit properly, in that knowledge, the 80,000 woodblock sutras would all be be contained.

That being so, this is not to say that learning maxims from the classics and memorizing the sutras is totally useless. Moreover, the Patriarchs of old never said that we could ignore the classics or the sutras or that they were unnecessary. They taught that as you learn many scriptures, you mustn't become attached to them. If something contains logic, though it may only occur gradually step by step, people get attached to it and become fastened, as if wrapped in wire. Because people are not entering into the gate of practice, in order to overcome this malady, the 80,000 woodblock sutras are likened to a “dried shit stick,” “a used tissue,” and “dead fallen leaves.”

That being so, the way of the Patriarchs says that expounding on the way by departing from the Buddha's teaching is reckless, even as it also says being attached to the scriptures carries with it many, many faults. Indeed, the scriptures are oriented towards the revelation of reaching the attainment of Buddhahood. Because a real object exists, an illusion can arise, if a real object does not exist, can an illusion come forth? Because a fake exists through there being a genuine article, and an outside exists through there being an inside, the heterodox teachings are also said to be a genuine method of liberation. Like this, though the dharma of the true wisdom shares a duality, this is not to say that it is something that come about through separation. We can discover this allegory when we go to a temple and pass through the “One Pillar Gate.” Isn't what we call “one-ness” the same as saying there is “one, not two”? Without any words, the “One Pillar Gate” at the entrance of a temple gives us a constant reminder of the “not two dharma,” namely, the knowledge that the ultimate truth is not two. This is the truth that cuts through duality, and truly, it is the truth that goes beyond being just one as well. Even if you didn't understand the alphabet, if you honestly knew this one truth, in this, you would be understanding each and every one of the 80,000 woodblock sutras.

In the practice of abandoning attachments and the mind of discriminating thoughts, as you must realize, the purpose of the Buddha dharma rests in the accomplishment of Buddhahood. Even to the point of abandoning one's parents, entering into this gate I must learn the scriptures and pursue the path of enlightenment. If you awakening as such, and then say “I must accomplish Buddhahood,” in this way you become attached to something and thus you suffer.

When asking, “What is it to fulfill the duties of a monastic?” know well just this one thing, everything under the sun is in perfect peace, it is paradise just as it is. Isn't it because I continuously get attached to this thing called “me,” that there is suffering and no potential for growth? It is not because of our sham of a “self” that the monastics fulfill their duties, it is only for the Buddha dharma that they must do so. It is entirely for the sake of the dharma. If we speak of the Buddha dharma, this is something that entails all sentient beings and the great parents of all creation. As for my deluded views, I need to obtain the selfless consciousness and totally abandon the thing called “self.” In all I've learned from what has been written about seated meditation, no matter what it is, I must learn from it the way to abandon “self.” This means having to learn detachment from all desires without delay.

Those people who have truly and completely emptied themselves of “self,” theirs is a truth that cannot be matched by anything in this world. Through our deluded perspective, no matter what we do, everything is all dead language, the ways of the mundane world, “dead words.” “Dead words,” those which are not “living words,” investigate the teachings of the Buddha and the Patriarchs with a discriminating mind. This is what “dead words” are.

Aren't those which could be called “live words” the pure nature of the true teachings that lives vividly within our mind? If this isn't what we must be searching for and exploring, what else could there possibly be? As “live words” are nothing other than the abandonment of the discriminating mind, we must know correctly what it is that constitutes the deep meaning of that which is called the “true dharma of live words.” If that is true, what should be the path that we must tread? The answer is something totally different from what is called the “way of the mundane world.” The “way of the mundane world” is the way that reckons based on a discriminating mind; we must learn that our path is that which finds the way to abandon this discriminating mind. Nevertheless, no matter where we turn, we are living by means of the discriminating mind. Through our minds, our mouths, and our bodies, the discriminating spirit comes forth. It is that which creates the karma that wraps our mind, as if wound by thread in a cocoon of evil influences. When seen from the ebullient truth of the dharma body, the truth that is originally without error, then the learning of scriptures, helping others, and learning technical skills, if they take us away from the way of liberation, these things are the creation of faults and the intensification of karma. When it is said that within the pure self-nature, "there is goodness," "there are blessings," "there is you," "there is me," "there is Buddha," and "there are ordinary beings," this is no different than the teachings of the lesser vehicle. Strictly speaking, unavoidably relying on writings or expedient means, in these cases as well, this is nothing other than us piling up more and more karma.

However, it will make a world of difference, depending on if such things are written about well or not. Even bad things, if they are written about in a skillful way, can also become very valuable truths. Consider this, then. In order to bring about a good result, the thing you are studying right now is something that aids in your learning about the revelation about becoming a Buddha. If today you were to spend the whole day learning the way of the mundane world, though you would be accumulating much in that time, it wouldn't be anything that could be called "the way of enlightenment," quite the contrary, it would be the eradication of the way of enlightenment.

Everything you've learned up until now, that which you've learned at a temple and in your secular home, the cultivation of the eradication of those things is the cultivation of the way to enlightenment (or, cham seon).

Casting away into the Pacific Ocean all of the discriminating knowledge you've learned until now, throwing every bit of it all into a blazing fire, this is Seon, the way of Liberation, the way of the Great Freedom.

Therefore, even when you are learning from the scriptures, the thing that you must most keep in mind is the eradication of the thing called “I.”

This is the unconditional eradication of the view of self and of one's own opinions. Because we set up idea of “I” and “me,” “you” comes into existence, “common knowledge” comes into existence, nations come into existence, races come into existence, doctrines come into existence, divisions come into existence, and an infinite variety of boundaries arise and quarrels never cease.

Errors and faults are exactly what exist in this place. After the Buddha's enlightenment, if we speak of his idea of the “middle path as the highest truth” wasn't the preeminent thing his insistence on equality? At the end of Chobalsim jagyoungmun doesn't it say that those who wish to establish Buddhahood must not throw away the mind of equality and instead establish it? As operating the discriminating mind is the way of making everything arise and die, even when something arises that could be seen as kind, this too becomes nothing but one more occurrence of the conglomeration of karma.

When we feel we must try to help others so that we can help ourselves as well, rather than think of this as some small virtue, though the mundane world may call it by the name virtue, from the perspective of the purest virtue that does away with all duality, this cannot be called virtue. Those who do missionary work to help sentient beings, or spread the Buddhist teachings, or try to aid others according to the various teachings within the Buddhist sutras, if those kinds of efforts continue with the idea that “I'm building up good karma,” then rather than receiving benefits, these people are truly pathetic.

From the tiniest of actions and reaching to the greatest of Buddhist works, if it is help given based on the thinking that it is done "because I'm a Buddhist," or "because I am someone who lives in accordance with the dharma," the discriminating mind arises or a sense of pleasure is created, and then from this, if one later hopes for recompense, one's karma in the world of samsara is increased and the sins that brings one suffering in life and death only grow in proportion. Accordingly, the way of liberation that inquires into the pure truth that abandons all duality is a saintly and admirable thing, that cannot be established through the common sense of the mundane world.

Having to master the path of liberation and great freedom in its origin, in order to enter into this the origin must properly be put in order. This kind of action is not easy. However, the degree of difficulty does not rest within the dharma, but rather within people. Misunderstanding this, the task is difficult, but if this fact is understood the task can be very simple.

The Buddha once asked a group of people, “What is the most lasting pleasure on this earth?”

One person answered, “I love when spring arrives and the flowers bloom,“ to which the Buddha replied, “According to the harmony of the four seasons, spring is the period of birth and fall is the period of destruction. If a year was not able to go its entire length, this would be the death of leaves turning and dying. As a result, this thing is something that is very conditional, isn't it? Thus, you are being rather absurd.”

Someone else said, “Preparing food, eating, dancing, and singing is really great.” Again, the Buddha answered, “Someone who is born cannot escape death. Meeting and loving someone, you cannot then escape separating from them. How soon is it that this comes about and how dependent are they on one another? Thus, you too are also being absurd.”

Still another person said, "Riches are the best," to which the Buddha replied, “It is pleasurable living extravagantly, visiting all sorts of great places, possessing many valuables and riding fine horses. But when you consider that this world is one determined by a constant rising and falling, like the idea that when a creek is full of water, it's an omen that it'll be dry, that if the monsoons come, it's an omen of drought, if the sun rises, it's an omen it will sink, and if the moon waxes, it's a sign that it will wane, you realize that you only live for so long and these thing are all so conditional. Once again, then, you are being foolish.”

The Buddha also offered his views about someone who was very proud of their spouse, "Just as the way by which things are governed, such that night becomes day and then day becomes night again, this is the way that an intimate friend becomes an enemy and an enemy becomes an intimate friend. Without friends, there could never be enemies. Now, because you are rich and young, your wives follow your commands, but there will soon come a time when they will not obey anymore. Thus, you too are being foolish.”

He then taught most kindly, “That which can truly be called pleasure is the gate of true knowledge in the state free from illusion, leaving the painful way of samsara and entering the gate of nirvana. Only in receiving the bliss of nirvana is there an eternal pleasure lasting from beginning to end.” This is indeed true.

Though I've only offered four cases here, we sentient beings who live with our discriminating minds, even if we were to speak of forty, or four hundred, or even more types of infinite desires being satisfied, like mountains upon mountain and water upon water, as yet another ailment or deficiency would appear, the process would continue again without end. This is because such things are all trifling issues, none of them fundamental. We must always get to the essence and know it well. But when we misconstrue it, seeing it from a discriminating perspective and judging it based on differentiation, we are continuously causing ourselves to be deceived.

We monks and nuns, with sincere minds and strident as we are on the path of ardent asceticism, because we too are beings conditioned by karma, though we may be so wonderful when we listen to dharma sermons or read scriptures, because of our habits conditioned over many lifetimes, we too can be deluded by and lapse into lives ruled by our appetites for food, riches and carnal lust. We who have come here into the sangha and not yet reached liberation, we are not the only ones who are suffering. My own eyes are closed and others are made to suffer. They are born in the east and born in the west, led about aimlessly and caused great anguish. How does this come to be?

It is truly by some great accident that we were able to make this connection with Buddhism and become monastics. These aren't mere words either. When facing some difficult situation, when we suffer or when we receive contempt from others, it's fortunate that we've become monastics. I've really found the right path. Considering how lucky I am to have come upon the path of this life, even though I say it one hundred times, the fact remains that walking this path is truly a wonderful thing.

You who are willing to sacrifice your lives for the dharma! Even if you die one thousand times, ten thousand times, firmly maintain the thought that you would never verge from this path. As you are fulfilling the duties of a monastic, you are harmonizing with everything, no matter where you go. If you go to the east or go to the west, even if you try and go to the heavens or to hell, there is nowhere that is not right for you to be.

If I were the type who simply said, “I am a monk,” but in fact was nothing but an empty shell capable of nothing, what use would I be? If that is so, when I'm fulfilling my duties as a monk, indeed I must examine carefully again and again how well I've lived up to that standard. It is exactly the same even when I'm doing prostrations. Even if all I know is the deepest meaning of how to do prostrations correctly, this enables me to accomplish Buddhahood. This is different from a prostration done as thought of in the mundane world. The prostrations that we do are prostrations done with the hope of quelling our restless mind and clarifying our wisdom. They are prostrations that liberate. Even in but one prostration, though it may be but one, we may be concerned with the looks of our bearing and we think of possessions and fame. These days, as we move further in the direction of materialism, living for the body might also be nothing more than materialism and the production of bad karma.

Though we may not partake in taking lives, or thievery or breaking the precepts, if we live in order to serve our bodies this too is misconduct. If we spend our time lazily or don't engage in cultivation, if we live our monastic lives for the sake of fame and glory, it is said that this misconduct is even worse than killing one's parents.
They say that even were we to wash ourselves in the waters of the Ganges River that sin could never be washed away. Truly, this is to say that merely talking about studying texts and confronting our passions does not constitute our experiencing the true dharma.

If the Buddha were not a monk, wouldn't it have been said that heaven and hell are disappearing? Such words make my hair stand on end. Truly, if such thoughts permeate our body, there would be nothing that isn't correct. If we create the path that practices with this type of thoroughness, in every lecture hall, in every aspect of societal daily life, whenever doing Seon meditation, there is nothing that we would not measure up to. Without such thinking, you possess deluded thoughts and the fulfillment of monastic life is tedious and vexing. Because our contemporary world is one of material omnipotence, though we still have but this one body to take care of, the truth is that this task has become infinitely more convenient. However, no matter how well you say we can now eat and dress, this all has absolutely no relation to the cultivation of the path to enlightenment, since it is not as if we couldn't cultivate if we didn't eat like this, or that we couldn't become Buddhas if we didn't dress in this way.

Cultivating enlightenment does not lie within eating well or sleeping peacefully. Indeed, what cultivation of enlightenment would there be within eating well and living comfortably? Being born as we are in the age of the "end of dharma," it is nothing but regrettable that we haven't truly been able to bring out a true mind of religious awakening.

Master Weishan entreated the public to get their houses in order, “These people, if the heating under the floor breaks in one place, they go to another, and if it breaks in the other place, they put on a hat. Suppose it were a bare floor, what would they do then? When cultivating enlightenment, it doesn't matter if we are eating well or living comfortably. Even when we can't eat or live well, there can be cultivation of enlightenment. We don't need to get permission in order to resuscitate the traditions of the great teaching Masters of old.”

Therefore, even if their ceiling disappeared and then their walls as well, in the chill of winter as icicles formed in clusters, can't we say that those people there paid no concern to their bodies, thinking only of the ways of the masters of old, applying themselves diligently in their devotion to the path? What then is the reason, this day and age, with all our magnificent bounties, that anyone reminiscent of the great masters fails to comes forth? What is the reason that we can't see such hard core practitioners?

As they developed their cultivation, the ancient monastics would devote themselves completely, with an ardent zeal. As they studied the texts, didn't their studies completely become part of their own bodies, and perfectly become their own words as well? It was never as if the texts and themselves were considered separately, they cultivated themselves such that the texts and their minds completely became one.

Whether others ever knew of this or not, wasn't the result a thoroughly cultivated outcome, done with nothing but the most ardent determination? With no consideration as to whether the circumstances are good or bad, I must always observe my own faults. Giving all of my energy until the day I die, applying myself earnestly, will there be anything that I cannot accomplish?