Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn - Softcover

9781590303405: Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn
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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.

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About the Author:
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.
From Publishers Weekly:
The late Korean Zen Buddhist master Seung Sahn, who died in 2004, came from the "kill the Buddha" school of Buddhism that relishes paradox and shrewd foolishness. The playfulness of this teacher's challenges to his pupils is clearly conveyed in this compilation of short exchanges with students. These are dharma (teaching) encounters rather than the lengthier talks found in many teachers' books. When Seung Sahn is not teaching students that one plus two equals zero, he is sharply banging his Zen stick on the floor to remind them to stop thinking, or talking, in order to understand. These short pieces nicely communicate a forceful style, and they are almost philosophical for someone who reiterates the shortcomings of an intellectual understanding of things. "Primary point" is a term the master uses to explain something like an absolute, except that Buddhism constructs no absolutes. Some biographical material, including a letter the Zen Master wrote to former South Korean dictator Gen. Chun Du-Hwan, provides helpful context. Seung Sahn's students in the Kwan Um School will especially prize this collection, and its easy-to-read format should also pique the interest of students of other Zen masters. (Aug. 8)
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  • PublisherShambhala
  • Publication date2006
  • ISBN 10 1590303407
  • ISBN 13 9781590303405
  • BindingPaperback
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages224
  • EditorGak Hyon
  • Rating

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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Teaching stories by one of the foremost teachers of Zen in the West, whose influence spread far beyond the world of Korean Zen.WANTING ENLIGHTENMENT IS A BIG MISTAKE presents teaching stories by one of the foremost teachers of Zen in the West, whose influence spread far beyond the world of Korean Zen. Zen Master Seung Sahn established the Kwan Um School of Zen, with centers in Providence, Cambridge, New Haven, New York, Los Angeles, and Berkeley. (Today there are more than fifty centers of the Kwan Um School throughout the world.)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 dwelling in the realm "before thought" - and serving others.Zen Master Seung Sahn passed away in 2004, but one of his close American students has assembled a new collection of teachings stories, dialogues, and excerpts from the master's talks. This book will be cherished by students of the Kwan Um School and by the many Zen students of other schools who enjoyed his popular earlier collection of teaching stories, DROPPING ASHES ON THE BUDDHA (Grove, 1976), and his book on Zen philosophy and practice, COMPASS OF ZEN (Shambhala, 1997). Presents teaching stories by one of the most important Zen masters, Seung Sahn who established the Kwan Um School of Zen, with centres in Providence, Cambridge, New Haven, New York, Los Angeles and Berkeley. Known for his teaching style, which was direct and often humorous, he emphasized sitting meditation, koan study and compassionate action. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781590303405

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