1. Daehaeng Kun Sunim was a Korean Buddhist nun and Seon master.
21 Facts About Daehaeng
1. 2.
Daehaeng taught monks as well as nuns, and helped to increase the participation of young people in Korean Buddhism.
3.
Daehaeng made laypeople a particular focus of her efforts, and broke out of traditional models of spiritual practice, teaching so that anyone could practice, regardless of monastic status or gender.
4.
Daehaeng was a major force for the advancement of Bhikkunis, heavily supporting traditional nuns' colleges as well as the modern Bhikkuni Council of Korea.
5.
Daehaeng Kun Sunim was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927.
6.
Daehaeng's family was originally quite wealthy, and owned large pieces of land stretching from what is Itaewon down to the Han River.
7.
Daehaeng's father was from an old Korean military family, and had continued to secretly support resistance to the Japanese Occupation of Korea.
8.
Daehaeng was warned a few minutes before their arrival and escaped out the back of his home with his family.
9.
Daehaeng was formally ordained by Hanam Kun Sunim in around 1948, and received Dharma transmission from him at the same time.
10.
Daehaeng spent many of the years that followed wandering the mountains of Korea, wearing ragged clothes and eating only what was at hand.
11.
Daehaeng was determined to teach such that spiritual practice was something everyone could participate in, and which wasn't limited to certain groups such as monks or nuns.
12.
Daehaeng advised that people should not be deceived by anyone, including her, and instead they should strive to find Juingong.
13.
Daehaeng warned followers that they should be wary of her physical form but have faith in the truth that she taught.
14.
Daehaeng advised them not to blindly follow her or the Buddha but just to take refuge in their own Buddha, Juingong.
15.
Daehaeng told them not to make her their teacher but to make themselves, the true Juingong, their own teachers.
16.
Daehaeng taught that we should have faith and leave everything to our foundation, Juingong, without worrying about anything.
17.
Daehaeng likened Juingong to a skillful servant that knows how to execute its tasks well.
18.
Daehaeng taught that letting go was the foundation of all spiritual practice.
19.
Daehaeng didn't emphasize fixed periods of sitting meditation, nor did she encourage the systematic study of hwadus.
20.
Daehaeng wanted people to get used to listening inwardly and discovering what they needed to do at any particular time to brighten their own hearts, as opposed to getting caught up in others' fixed forms and traditions.
21.
Daehaeng taught that we should be careful to interpret events positively and warned about getting caught up in blaming others for the things one experiences.