Dae Gak (born 1947), born Robert Genthner, is a

Zen master Zen master is a somewhat vague English term that arose in the first half of the 20th century, sometimes used to refer to an individual who teaches Zen Buddhist meditation and practices, usually implying longtime study and subsequent authorizat ...

and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain in

Clay City, Kentucky Clay City is a home rule-class city in Powell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. History The first European settlement in the vicinity of present-day Clay City was in 1786, by Stephen Collins and his ...

, a

Korean Buddhist Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...

temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with

Seung Sahn Seungsahn Haengwon (, August 1, 1927November 30, 2004), born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen. He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the early ...

. He received

Dharma transmission In Chan Buddhism, Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken Lineage (Buddhism), lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretica ...

from Seung Sahn in 1994, and now teaches independently of Seung Sahn's

Kwan Um School of Zen The Kwan Um School of Zen (관음선종회) (KUSZ) is an international school of zen centers and groups founded in 1983 by Zen Master Seung Sahn. The school's international head temple is located at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Is ...

. In addition to Furnace Mountain he serves as guiding teacher for other Zen groups in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He also holds a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and is currently a licensed

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Biography

Robert Genthner (Buddhist name Dae Gak, "great enlightenment") was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

in 1947. He went to graduate school in Psychology at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

. Genthner graduated from Kent State in 1973 with his

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

, later that year teaching psychology at

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online u ...

Richmond, Kentucky Richmond is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is home to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2019, the population was 36,157. Richmond is the fourth-la ...

. He stopped teaching in 1979, afterward practicing as a licensed psychologist. In 1979, Genthner met Korean monk and Zen teacher

during a retreat at the

Providence Zen Center Providence Zen Center (PZC) is the Head Temple of the Americas for the Kwan Um School of Zen (KUSZ) and the first Zen center established by Seungsahn in the United States in October 1972. The PZC offers residential training where students and teach ...

. In the early 1980s, he and several other individuals founded the Lexington Zen Center in his home, with retreats sometimes taking place at the homes of other practitioners. The group became affiliated with Seung Sahn's

, founded in July 1983. In 1986, he co-founded a Zen temple at Furnace Mountain with Seung Sahn. The temple, Kwan Se Um San Ji Sah (which means "Perceive World Sound High Ground Temple"), was completed in 1994. Also that year, Genthner/Dae Gak received

from Seung Sahn, and founded the Cincinnati Zen Center. In 2000, Genthner was subject to disciplinary action following allegations by two patients of sexual misconduct and violations of patient confidentiality; while denying wrongdoing, he agreed to a suspension of one year, a fine, and one year of supervised probation after his license was reinstated. Also in 2000, he left the Kwan Um School of Zen and began his own. He has since established groups in North America, Germany and England.Galveston County News Genther, and the Furnace Mountain Zen Retreat Center was featured in the 2010 documentary film Zen Furnace produced by Kentucky filmmaker Steven Middleton.

Gallery

Image:Dae Gak.jpg, Dae Gak, guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain Image:Furnace Mountain road in.jpg, The road leading into Furnace Mountain—you can see the bluff above Image:Furnace Mountain retreat house.jpg, Individual retreat house for guests at Furnace Mountain

Groups

Lexington Zen Center
(Lexington, KY)
Cincinnati Zen Center
(Cincinnati, OH)
Hamilton Zen Center
(Hamilton, OH)

(Rockville, MD)
South West Son Academy
(Houston, TX)
Zen Island Fellowship
(Galveston, TX)
Bristol Zen Centre
(Bristol, UK)

Affiliates

(Mansfield, OH)
Queensland Zen Centre
(Queensland, AU)
Zen Society of Wooster
(Wooster, OH)

Bibliography

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References

* * *

External links

Official site for Furnace Mountain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dae Gak American International College alumni Kent State University alumni Kwan Um School of Zen Zen Buddhism writers Seon Buddhist monks American Zen Buddhists 1947 births Living people