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The combining of Zen and Taoism is not new. Bodhidharma practiced Taoist yoga in India. He brought Buddhism to China where it combined with Chinese Taoism to produce living Lin Chi (Rinzai) Zen. The great Korean Zen Master Won Hyo combined both practices in the Silla dynasty 1300 years ago, practicing the same Sun-do breathing we teach here today. Japanese Zen Master Hakuin strongly emphasized the importance of Taoist breathing techniques for Zen practitioners.
In the search for awakening to our Essence Mind, Zen meditation is a direct spiritual path. With awakening, all that remains is harmony, love, peace, compassion and wisdom. But with poor health or energy and emotional imbalances, many obstacles arise for deep sitting meditaton. Modern day Zen practitioners unknowingly are not utilizing the benefits that Taoism can bring to their practice. Also, Zen has wisdom which goes beyond the harmonizing benefits of Taoism, but Taoists do not realize this Zen wisdom and for them it is easy to become attached to their own energy.
With wisdom and pure intention, if we combine Zen and Taoism, we can enter a correct spiritual path with balanced health and purified mind, and achieve great awakening.
In 1967, the Taoist cave hermit Master Chong San came down from the hills into Seoul. He spent the next 15 years teaching a tantien breathing meditation called Sun-do, which had been a secret practice. During those years, he transmitted his teachings to eleven of his students, giving them sanction to teach. One of these eleven was our teacher, Ven. Hyunoong Sunim, a Korean Zen Buddhist monk who was trained under Master Chong San for ten years, combining this with his twenty years of traditional Zen practice. Due to the various and dramatic changes it produces, Sun-do must be practiced under the strict guidance of a sanctioned teacher.
Sun-do, a Taoist way of longevity, involves a combination of breathing patterns and a total of 365 postures divided into several different levels of practice. Over time it initiates tremendous changes involving our whole physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being. It transforms our old habits and heals the damage created by these habits. Through it, we can awaken to the truth of the universe.
Our work is with people. As Buddhists, we are concerned about relieving human suffering, the suffering of physical and emotional ills, the suffering of conflicts between people, and the suffering of the spirit which longs for peace and happiness. To ease the suffering of the spirit we teach Zen meditation. To ease the suffering of the body we teach Taoist breathing methods and provide energy analysis. For those who are able to come to us in person we can provide all these methods, but we can also help people through the mail with the energy analysis.
Everyone is welcome to visit our center. Please call first to be sure there will be someone available to speak with you.
