Quote from Kai Chan Andrew on 10/16/2025, 12:40 am

1. Asceticism and Rigorous Practice

 

• The Vow of Non-Lying (長坐不臥, Jangjwa Bulwa) and Non-Sleeping: For an extensive period, including eight years after his enlightenment, Master Seongcheol strictly practiced Jangjwa Bulwa, meaning he never lay down to sleep, maintaining a sitting or meditation posture even during rest. This level of rigorousness was nearly unparalleled in modern Korean Buddhism.

• A Life of Austerity and the Threadbare Robe: He was known for his extreme frugality. He wore a single, heavily patched grey monastic robe for half a lifetime, demonstrating his complete detachment from material possessions and comforts. He famously mended his own clothes and socks, and often used recycled paper instead of new toilet paper.

• The Five Disciplines (修座五戒, Sujwa Ogye): He presented a stern set of five rules for practicing monks to maintain true focus on Seon:

  1. Do not sleep much.

  2. Do not speak much.

  3. Do not snack.

  4. Do not look at written texts (avoid theoretical distraction).

  5. Do not wander or travel often.

 

2. The 'Three Thousand Prostrations' (三千拜, Samcheonbae)

 

• The Condition for Meeting the Master: It is perhaps his most famous—and controversial—practice. Master Seongcheol demanded that any lay person who wished to meet him (親見, chin-gyeon) must first perform three thousand full prostrations (bows).

• The Meaning Behind the Demand: He insisted this was not for him, but for the visitor. By performing the exhausting Samcheonbae, the ego would be crushed, and the person would be stripped of their worldly attachments (money, social status, vanity), enabling them to encounter the Buddha within themselves. He saw it as a prerequisite for true humility and earnest seeking of the Dharma.

 

3. Cutting Off Family Ties for the Path

 

• Renunciation of Family: He made the radical decision to leave his wife and six-month pregnant daughter to fully commit to his monastic path, a choice demonstrating his absolute devotion to enlightenment over all personal ties.

• Refusal to Meet His Mother and Daughter: Anecdotes recount his refusal to meet even his own mother when she came to visit him at his hermitage, arguing that a true monk must sever the most fundamental attachments. When his daughter (who later became the nun Bulpil) came to see him, he reportedly drove her away, famously shouting, "Go! Go!"—an act seen as 'non-compassion' that ultimately serves a higher compassion by preventing the formation of worldly affection.

 

4. The Famous Dharma Saying

 

• "Mountains are Mountains, Water is Water" (山은 山이요, 물은 물이로다): This is his most celebrated saying, summarizing the process of Zen enlightenment:

  1. Before Practice: Mountains are mountains, water is water.

  2. During Practice: Mountains are not mountains, water is not water.

  3. After Enlightenment: Mountains are mountains, water is water. The saying encapsulates the realization that the world, once seen through the lens of dualism and conceptualization, is finally seen again as it truly is—with a clarity that transcends ordinary perception.

 

5. Last Words (Final Gatha)

 

• The Final Confession: Just before his passing, he left a powerful final verse (Nirvana Gatha) that shocked the Buddhist world, where he appeared to confess and repent for his life's work: "The sins accumulated in a lifetime, deceiving the crowds of men and women, surpass Mount Sumeru... I fall straight into the Avīci Hell..." This profound statement is often interpreted not as a literal confession of sin, but as the ultimate, radical teaching on the nature of ego and the absolute requirement of non-attachment, even to one's own virtuous deeds.

 

Introduction to The Orthodox Path of Seon (선문정로) by Seongcheol

 

The Orthodox Path of Seon, or Seonmun Jeongro (선문정로), is a monumental work by the late Korean Seon Master Seongcheol (1912–1993). The book serves as a definitive statement on the pure and authentic tradition of Seon Buddhism as taught in Korea.

 

Core Message: The Seon Tradition and Practice

 

The book's primary purpose is to clearly articulate the 'orthodox' lineage and principles of Seon and to correct what Master Seongcheol saw as erroneous interpretations and practices that had crept into the modern tradition.

• Sudden Enlightenment, Sudden Cultivation (돈오돈수, Don-o Don-su): The central theme is the vigorous assertion of the principle of Sudden Enlightenment followed by Sudden Cultivation. This is a powerful counterpoint to the more gradualist view (Sudden Enlightenment, Gradual Cultivation). Master Seongcheol argues that once the true nature is realized (Sudden Enlightenment), all subsequent practice must also be one of pure realization and expression (Sudden Cultivation), with no need for a lengthy, step-by-step process of 'purifying' the already pure mind.

• Emphasis on the Ganhwa Seon (화두, Hwadu): Master Seongcheol strongly advocates for the traditional practice of Ganhwa Seon—contemplating a Hwadu (a Korean Zen kōan)—as the only true path to realization in the Seon tradition. He stresses that genuine awakening requires direct and relentless investigation of the Hwadu.

• Scholarship and Critique: The book is renowned for its meticulous scholarship and use of various Buddhist scriptures to support its arguments. It systematically analyzes and often refutes historical and contemporary views that deviate from the core teachings of the great Zen patriarchs, particularly regarding the nature of enlightenment and practice.

 

Significance

 

The Orthodox Path of Seon is considered a landmark text in modern Korean Buddhism. It sparked significant debate and controversy upon its release, but ultimately solidified Master Seongcheol's position as a fiercely dedicated guardian of the pure Seon tradition, deeply influencing subsequent generations of Korean monastics and scholars. It is a powerful read for anyone interested in the Zen/Seon tradition, particularly the robust and direct style of Korean Buddhism.