Ko Bong

Ko Bong / 고봉 / 高峯
Religion Chogye (Seon)
Personal
Born 1890
Korea
Died 1962
Senior posting
Title Soen Sa Nim
Predecessor Man Gong
Successor Seung Sahn

Ko Bong Soen Sa Nim (Korean: 고봉선사, Hanja: 高峯禪師, 1890–1962), the 77th Korean Buddhist Partiarch in his teaching lineage, was a Korean Zen master known for spontaneous and eccentric teaching. He sometimes said that he preferred to teach laypeople because monks were too lazy to practice hard. He served as Zen priest at Hwa Gye Sa in Seoul, South Korea and died at the temple in 1962. A large granite monument was built in his honor on the hillside overlooking Hwa Gye Sah.

Ko Bong Sunim was Dharma heir to Man Gong Sunim, who was in turn Dharma heir to Kyong Ho Sunim. Ko Bong Sunim's best known student was Seung Sahn Sunim (1927–2004), founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen. Seung Sahn Sunim received Dharma transmission from Ko Bong Sunim at 22 years of age.

Sunim is a Korean word that means ordained Buddhist and can refer to both men and women who have taken ordination vows.

External links

See also