Teacher: Zen Master Dae Kwan

Session One
The Platform Sutra begins with an autobiography of the Sixth Patriarch, who attained enlightenment after hearing just one line from the Diamond Sutra. In this first session, we'll cover the Sixth Patriarch's life and connect his teaching of "no-thinking," "no form," and "non-attachment" (4.5-4.8) in the Platform Sutra to Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching. We'll then discuss the Sixth Patriarch's conversation with a novice monk who mistook "non-attachment" as his "original-thing" (8.13-8.15). 

Session Two
In this second session, we'll focus on sections of the Platform Sutra that connect with Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching of "Don't Make Anything"—the essence of our "primary point" practice, which you must attain in order to taste true stillness and freedom. We'll begin with a poem from the Sixth Patriarch that relates Nirvana to our primary point practice (7.26-7.27), and then we'll discuss the Sixth Patriarch's conversation with Bikkhu Xing Si, who later became Zen Master Hong Ji (7.28).

About the teacher:
Zen Master Dae Kwan, a Zen nun, was born in Hong Kong. She was previously called Hyang Um Sunim, and her Pali name is Suddhamma. In the 1970s she studied sutras for three years at the Kwok Kwong Buddhist College. In 1981, she ordained at Ajahn Chaa's International Forest Monastery in Thailand, and she practiced in Chiangmai for ten years including two years of intensive solo retreat in Tu Boo Cave. In 1995, she received inka from Zen Master Seung Sahn. In April 2001 she received tranmission at Mu Sang Sah in Korea. She is now the abbot and guiding teacher of Su Bong Zen Monastery in Hong Kong. She has translated the following books into Chinese: "Dropping Ashes on Buddha," "Only Don't Know," and "The Whole World is a Single Flower".

[ATTENTION Members of the 360 Zen Study Series: There is no need to purchase this class as it is already included in your subscription.]