by Aug Gilbride
Overview
On top of Cold Mountain the lone round moon
Lights the whole clear cloudless sky.
Honor this natural priceless treasure
Concealed in five shadows, sunk deep in the flesh.– Han Shan
The Cold Mountain Zen Center is located in Fairbanks, Alaska, and is a member of the Kwan Um School of Zen (관음선종회) Buddhism. Kwan Um was brought to the U.S. by Korean Seon (Zen) Master Seung Sahn Haengwon. Seung Sahn was the first Korean Zen Master to live and teach in the West, having founded the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island shortly after his arrival in 1972. The school has grown since, becoming what James Ishmael Ford has said to be “the largest Zen school in the Western world.”
Seung Sahn (숭산) & Kwan Um Zen
Seung Sahn was a Seon Master of the Jogye Order, which is seen as the predominant form of modern Korean Buddhism. The order traces its lineage to Taego Bou, who studied at the Linji School of Buddhism in China before returning to Korea to unite the Nine Mountain Schools, forming Jogye with Jinul, an important Buddhist reformer (1301–1382).
Seung Sahn was raised Christian in occupied Korea. However, after spending time in a Japanese prison, a monk friend offered him a copy of the Diamond Sutra, which motivated him to convert and (eventually) become a Zen Master. He was a troublesome student, but also very dedicated, going on to perform feats like surviving alone in the Korean mountains for 100 days on only pine needles and rainwater (during which he achieved enlightenment). This enlightenment was confirmed by the Korean master Kobong. He then went on to teach throughout much of the world, including the United States, where he founded Kwan Um Zen.
As a Zen school, Kwan Um Zen centers practice through straightforward practices (bowing, chanting, and meditation), as well as through Kong-an (Kōan), wherein the teacher will ask questions to check a student’s understanding of the point of practice. According to the school, Kong-an is “an experiential tool that helps us cut through our thinking so that we can just perceive and function clearly. It is an essential part of Zen practice.” Unlike other schools, Kwan Um does not center Kōan as the focus of meditation, but rather as a means for helping correct the direction of practice and developing practitioners’ wisdom.
The school also practices Kyol Che (“tight dharma”) during summer and winter months, which are silent meditation retreats that can last anywhere from several weeks to several months. This is seen as a way for practitioners to free themselves from attachments and develop their compassion (loving-kindness). These retreats are practiced at larger centers in Korea and at the Providence Center.
In regards to teaching Zen, the school generally has four different teaching roles: a dharma teacher, a senior dharma teacher, a dharma master, and a Zen master. Through each level of the process, prospective teachers are vetted through consultations and by: 1) taking precepts (for teachers), 2) completing kōan training and assessments by other teachers (for dharma masters), and 3) receiving a full, master-to-master Dharma transmission (for Zen masters).
Furthermore, an abbot can also be appointed to a Zen center to serve in an administrative capacity (e.g., filling out billing and paperwork). For example, Bon Soeng, the Zen Master of the Cold Mountain Zen Center, also serves as an abbot and Guiding Teacher for the Empty Gate Zen Center in Berkeley, California.
The Jogyesa Temple in Korea (the Jogye Order’s most important)
The Cold Mountain Zen Center
As a Zen center, the Cold Mountain Community centers meditation instruction and practice (both chanting and sitting), which is held every Tuesday evening. The center also holds Dharma Talks every first Tuesday of the month, with special chanting being held on the third Tuesday. The center’s unique geographical location means that Zen practice can be held virtually should temperature drop below -20oF (although special events like half-day retreats and ceremonies will generally be held).
A 2002 retreat, held at -20oF
A 2013 retreat, held at -35oF
Being of Seung Sahn’s lineage, Cold Mountain also gives instructions on his teachings, which are performed by the center’s Guiding Teacher, Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes), who began practicing with Seung Sahn in 1979 and received Transmission in 2001.
Diversity & Evaluation
Having examined the work done by scholars like Funie Hsu and Chenxing Han and examined some of the problems inherent to North American Buddhist practice more broadly, it’s important to examine the character of Kwan Um Zen and some of its controversies.
It would be best to begin with the founder himself: Seung Sahn admitted to having sexual relationships with several of his students in 1988. While Kwan Um Zen does not strictly require celibacy from its monks, Seung Sahn was nevertheless understood to be celibate by many in his community, which caused some to leave. However, Seung Sahn did participate in several repentance ceremonies, and the organization has since been one of the first North American Buddhist traditions to develop an ethics policy, which can be found below.
https://kwanumzen.org/ethics-policy
This ethics policy requires the explicit outlining of relationships between teachers and students, and requires that Guiding Teachers be notified. A grievance policy is also outlined, which outlines the steps members should take in order to find arbitrators for disputes, and the process by which action can be appealed (follows the path of local, regional, national).
Sources Cited
https://www.coldmountainzencenter.org/aboutus.htm
Zen Master Who? — Ishmael, James
Faces of Buddhism in the West — Prebish, UC Press
The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture — Batchelor, Stephen