Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake

Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn

Hyon Gak, Zen Master Seung Sahn, Jon Kabat-Zinn

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English

Shambhala Publications Inc
01 November 2006

Zen Buddhism

Teaching stories by one of the foremost teachers of Zen in the West, whose influence spread far beyond the world of Korean Zen.

A major figure in the transmission of Zen to the West, Zen Master Seung Sahn was known for his powerful teaching style, which was direct, surprising, and often humorous. He taught that Zen is not about achieving a goal, but about acting spontaneously from ""don't-know mind."" It is from this ""before-thinking"" nature, he taught, that true compassion and the desire to serve others naturally arises. This collection of teaching stories, talks, and spontaneous dialogues with students offers readers a fresh and immediate encounter with one of the great Zen masters of the twentieth century.

By: Zen Master Seung Sahn
Foreword by: Jon Kabat-Zinn
Edited by: Hyon Gak
Imprint: Shambhala Publications Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 274g
ISBN: 9781590303405
ISBN 10: 1590303407
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 01 November 2006
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Zen Master Seung Sahn (1927-2004) was the first teacher to bring Korean Zen Buddhism to America, having already established temples in Japan and Hong Kong. In 1972 he came to the United States and started what became the Providence Zen Center, the first center in what is now the Kwan Um School of Zen, which now includes more than eighty centers and groups worldwide. His students called him Dae Soen Sa Nim, ""Great Honored Zen Teacher,"" and he was the 78th Zen master in his line of dharma transmission in the Chogye order of Korean Buddhism. His books include The Compass of Zen, Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Only Don't Know, and The Whole World Is a Single Flower- 365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life.

Reviews for Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn

Now that Soen Sa Nim [Zen Master Seung Sahn] is gone, we have only the stories, and, thankfully, books such as this one, to help bring him alive to those who never had a chance to encounter him in the flesh. In these pages, if you linger in them long enough, and let them soak into you, you will indeed meet him in his inimitable suchness, and perhaps much more important, as would have been his hope, you will meet yourself. --Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our Senses Zen Master Seung Sahn's teachings will always bring great light into the world. His extraordinary wit, intelligence, courage, and compassion are brought to us in this wonderful and important book. Thousands of students have benefited from his great understanding. Now more will come to know the heart of this rare and profound human being. --Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center