Annandale, VA - Prominent Korean Seon (Zen) Master Dae Jaeng presented
a lecture in early June on her spirutual philosophy at the Richard
J. Ernst Community Cultural Center of Annandale Campus of Northern
Virginia Community College. It was her only public event in the
Washington D.C. area furing her visit to the United States this
year.
More than 700 people of all ages and backgrounds came from all
across the country and Canada to hear the message of Dae Haeng
Kun Sunim, a major Buddhist figure. Many were turned away at the
door for lack of seats.
Seon Master Dae Haeng is the founder and head of the HanMaUm Seon
Centers, a network of Buddhist meditation temples in Korea and
a dozen countries around the world. HanMaUm ("one mind"
in Korean) is a part of the Chogye Order the largest and most
orthodox Buddhist school in Korea whose members number in the
millions. About 2000,000 people worldwide claim Seon Master Dae
Haeng as their spiritual leader.
Seon Master Dae Haeng has the rare distinction of being a female
leader in the mainstream East Asian Buddhist tradition, and women
occupy most positions of authority in her organization. This difference
is reflected in her treaching's emphasis on the fundamental equality
of all beings. In addition, while most Buddhists stress the importance
of memorizing scripture or removing oneself from worldly life,
she teaches that it is precisely through ordinary events that
people can learn to develop themselves spiritually.
Her talk in Annandale, entitled "Life is Not Suffering",
addressed her central theme that inside of each person is a spiritual
center that is linked to all beings. This centerm she asserts,