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Musim Seon Center is a Seon center that practices the Direct Pointing Dharma Gate, which is a direct and straightforward approach that points directly and allows for immediate realization.

 

***The English transliteration of Seon (禪) is Seon in Korea, Chan in China, and Zen in Japan.

 

(1) What does Musim Seon Center provide?

 

  • Musim Seon Center serves as the training ground for practicing Patriarchal Seon, which emphasizes directly pointing to the mind and seeing one's nature to achieve Buddhahood.
  • Through the Seon Master's Dharma talks and Q&A sessions, the Seon Master Kim TaeWan will directly point to and reveal the non-dual Dharma, which is the mind that cannot be discriminated.
  • Patriarchal Seon is sudden enlightenment upon hearing the words, where one immediately realizes upon hearing the teachings, without relying on seated meditation practice or koan practice.
  • If anyone desiring enlightenment trusts the Seon Master's Dharma and listens attentively to the teachings, a day of sudden realization will come to them.
  • Enlightenment is achieved through vows of dedication, not through practice.
  • If a person who truly desires enlightenment trusts the Dharma of the Patriarchs and the teachings of a wise teacher, persistently focuses their mind on studying Seon and listens to the teachings, whether good times or bad, there will surely be change and actual experience in person.
  • However, you absolutely must not try to understand enlightenment through thought or to obtain it through effort. Enlightenment is an unconditioned Dharma that spontaneously arises for those who desire it, not a conditioned Dharma that is understood through thought or obtained through effort.
  • Musim Seon Center always seeks the complete realization of enlightenment and does not pursue any worldly values.

 

(2) What is Seon?

 

  • Seon is enlightenment.
  • Before enlightenment, enlightenment is merely a question, something unknowable.
  • The mind is precisely the Buddha. We all inherently possess a complete mind, thus we are innately enlightened, innately Buddhas, and innately free from defilements and karmic obstacles.
  • However, the truth of enlightenment becomes real only when one realizes and confirms the fact that they are originally complete and originally enlightened, right now.
  • If you realize and confirm it now, your ordinary life itself is enlightenment.
  • Without enlightenment, Buddhism and Seon are just empty names and useless concepts.
  • Do not think of Seon and enlightenment as a certain thing or form an opinion about them. All words about Seon and enlightenment are merely expedient teachings to lead you to enlightenment. Therefore, enlightenment is realized only when you realize it yourself.
  • After realizing first, then you study the sutras and the words of the Patriarchs. If you read the sutras and the words of the Patriarchs without enlightenment, it will all lead to misunderstanding.
  • You must not think about how to achieve enlightenment. There is no process to enlightenment. Such thoughts are all delusions.
  • In complete enlightenment, there is nothing to be said.

 

(3) Who Studies Seon?

 

  • Those who wish to realize immediately study Seon.
  • Those who believe that Shakyamuni Buddha and Bodhidharma are human beings no different from themselves, study Seon.
  • Those who have little interest in Buddhist doctrines, precepts, practices, temple life, events, rituals, or culture, and are solely interested in the Buddha's enlightenment, study Seon.
  • Those who only look towards enlightenment and forget themselves study Seon.
  • Those who do not rely on their own thoughts and judgments, and wait for enlightenment to be realized, study Seon.
  • Those who do not look back at themselves but set their minds on enlightenment study Seon. For a drop of water to become the ocean, it must forget itself and enter directly into the ocean.
  • Those who take enlightenment as the most important thing in their lives study Seon.
  • Those who know that enlightenment cannot be achieved through their own thoughts and efforts study Seon.
  • Those who have a truly desperate interest in enlightenment and are truly thirsty for enlightenment study Seon.

 

(4) Mindset of the Seon Practitioner

 

  • You must have the decisive intention to complete this study.
  • If you have a decisive intention, there will naturally come a time of realization, so do not concern yourself with when it will happen.
  • You must have the mindset that this study is something you cannot fully complete even in a lifetime.
  • If you expect quick results, you will certainly go in the wrong direction.
  • Believe that you can only be saved through this study.
  • Since there is only the clear path of enlightenment that truly leads to realization, you must not cling to anything you try to understand and judge with your thoughts.
  • Do not give your mind to anyone or anything outside of this study, and do not hold any matters in your mind.

Musim Seon Center is a Seon center that practices the Direct Pointing Dharma Gate, which is a direct and straightforward approach that points directly and allows for immediate realization.

 

*The English translation of Seon (禪) is Seon in Korea, Chan in China, and Zen in Japan.

 

(1) What is Musim Seon Center?

 

  • Musim Seon Center is a training ground that practices Patriarchal Seon, which emphasizes directly pointing to the human mind and seeing one's nature to achieve Buddhahood.
  • Through the Seon Master's Dharma talks and question-and-answer sessions, it directly points to and reveals the non-dual Dharma, which is the mind that cannot be discriminated.
  • Patriarchal Seon is sudden enlightenment upon hearing the words, where one immediately realizes upon hearing the teachings, without relying on seated meditation practice or koan practice.
  • If a person who desires enlightenment trusts the Seon Master's Dharma and listens attentively to the teachings, there will someday be a day of sudden realization.
  • Enlightenment is achieved through vows, not through practice.
  • If a person who truly desires enlightenment trusts the Dharma of the Patriarchs and the teachings of a wise teacher, and consistently focuses their mind on study and listens to the teachings, whether good times or bad, there will surely be a change and actual experience.
  • However, you must absolutely not try to understand it through thought or obtain it through effort. Enlightenment is an unconditioned Dharma that spontaneously arises for those who desire it, not a conditioned Dharma that is understood through thought or obtained through effort.
  • Musim Seon Center always seeks the complete realization of enlightenment and does not pursue any worldly values.

 

(2) What is Seon?

 

  • Seon is enlightenment.
  • Before enlightenment, enlightenment is merely a question, something unknowable.
  • The mind is precisely the Buddha. We all inherently possess a complete mind, thus we are originally enlightened, originally Buddhas, and originally free from defilements and karmic obstacles.
  • However, the truth of enlightenment becomes real only when one realizes and confirms the fact that they are originally complete and originally enlightened, right now.
  • If you realize and confirm it now, your ordinary life itself is enlightenment.
  • Without enlightenment, Buddhism and Seon are just empty names and useless concepts.
  • Do not think of Seon and enlightenment as a certain thing or form an opinion about them. All words about Seon and enlightenment are merely expedient teachings to lead you to enlightenment. Therefore, enlightenment is realized only when you realize it yourself.
  • After realizing first, then you study the sutras and the words of the Patriarchs. If you read the sutras and the words of the Patriarchs without enlightenment, it will all lead to misunderstanding.
  • You must not think about how to achieve enlightenment. There is no process to enlightenment. Such thoughts are all delusions.
  • In complete enlightenment, there is nothing to be said.

 

(3) Who Studies Seon?

 

  • Those who wish to realize immediately study Seon.
  • Those who believe that Shakyamuni Buddha and Bodhidharma are human beings no different from themselves study Seon.
  • Those who have little interest in Buddhist doctrines, precepts, practices, temple life, events, rituals, or culture, and are solely interested in the Buddha's enlightenment, study Seon.
  • Those who only look towards enlightenment and forget themselves study Seon.
  • Those who do not rely on their own thoughts and judgments, and wait for enlightenment to be realized, study Seon.
  • Those who do not look back at themselves but set their minds on enlightenment study Seon. For a drop of water to become the ocean, it must forget itself and enter directly into the ocean.
  • Those who make enlightenment the most important thing in their lives study Seon.
  • Those who know that enlightenment cannot be achieved through their own thoughts and efforts study Seon.
  • Those who have a truly desperate interest in enlightenment and are truly thirsty for enlightenment study Seon.

 

(4) Mindset of the Seon Practitioner

 

  • You must have the decisive intention to complete this practice.
  • If you have a decisive intention, there will naturally come a time of realization, so do not concern yourself with when it will happen.
  • You must have the mindset that this practice is something you cannot fully complete even in a lifetime.
  • If you expect quick results, you will certainly go in the wrong direction.
  • Believe that you can only be saved through this practice.
  • Since there is only the clear path of enlightenment that truly leads to realization, you must not cling to anything you try to understand and judge with your thoughts.
  • Do not give your mind to anyone or anything outside of this practice, and do not hold any matters in your mind.