Chang Sik Kim (January 8, 1944 – March 12, 2021) was a South Korean-American Buddhist master. He was born in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

in 1944. When he was thirteen he met his teacher, Seung Sahn Lee, and entered the

Hwa Gye temple HWA or hwa may refer to: * Hwa, a type of traditional Korean boots * HWA (group), an American female rap group * HWA Team, a motor racing team * Hargeisa Water Agency * Heartland Wrestling Association * Hemlock woolly adelgid * Hillwood Airways, US ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. When Kim was 21, his teacher sent him on a 100-day meditation retreat. During this retreat the art of

Shim Gum Do Shim Gum Do, translated as the "mind sword path", is a Korean Martial Art and style of Korean Swordsmanship of recent invention, originating in Korea. History Shim Gum Do emerged from the enlightenment of the monk Won Gwang, born as Chang Sik ...

was revealed to Kim through his meditation and he attained Mind Sword enlightenment. In 1971,

Founding Master, Chang Sik Kim officially introduced Shim Gum Do with the Proclamation of Shim Gum Do. Kim established the Korean Shim Gum Do Association and began teaching Shim Gum Do in Korea. In 1974, Kim came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and began teaching Shim Gum Do, forming clubs at MIT and Brown University. In 1978 he established the American Buddhist Shim Gum Do Association and in 1991 he established the World Shim Gum Do Association unifying all of the worldwide Shim Gum Do Associations. In 1990, Seung Sahn Lee, certified Kim’s enlightenment. This made him the 79th patriarch of this Dharma lineage.Stackhouse-Kim, M. J. (n.d.). Shim Gum Do Founding Master Great Zen Master Chang Sik Kim 79th Patriarch. Retrieved from Until his death, Chang Sik Kim lived and taught at his temple, Shim Gwang Sa, the Mind Light Temple in

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a Municipal annexation in the United States, former town and current Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of ...

. Kim wrote 22,000 Zen Poems from 1990 to 2008. He also published 11 books in English, two in Korean, one each in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, French and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Chang Sik 1944 births 2021 deaths Seon Buddhist monks South Korean Zen Buddhists