The Great Zen Master Jeongang Yeongshin ( ko, 전강영신대선사, ; 1898 1975) was a
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
Master of the
Jogye
The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗), is the representative Religious order#Buddhist tradition, order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1200 years to ...
Order of
Korean Buddhism. He used the principle of
Kong-an
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-J ...
( ko, 공안) as a way to lead his disciples to
Enlightenment.
Career
Zen Master Jeongang entered the Hae In Temple
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
(해인사) to become a
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
when he was 16 years old and after 7 years of intense self-training he attained Enlightenment.
At age 25, he received Dharma Transmission from Zen Master
Mangong
Mangong (, 1871–1946) or Song Mangong was a Korean Buddhist monk, independence activist, scholar, poet, writer, and philosopher during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Mangong was born in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk Province in 1871 and was ordai ...
. Zen Master Jeongang later became the ‘Josil’, or supreme patriarch, of Tongdo Temple when he was 33, the youngest in the history of Korean Buddhism. These achievements at such a young age are legendary in Korean Buddhism. Later he acted as Josil in the mediation halls of many famous temples within Korea including; Beobjusa, Mangwolsa, Donghwasa, Beomeosa, Cheonchuksa, Yongjusa and Jeonggaksa.
Dharma Transmission (Inga)
After receiving Dharma Transmission from Zen Master
Mangong
Mangong (, 1871–1946) or Song Mangong was a Korean Buddhist monk, independence activist, scholar, poet, writer, and philosopher during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Mangong was born in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk Province in 1871 and was ordai ...
, Zen Master Jeongang’s Enlightenment was confirmed and recognized by 6 Zen Masters of the time in Korea: Masters Hyebong, Hyewol, Hanam, Geumbong, Bowol and Yongseong.
Death (Nirvana)
On January 13, 1975, while giving a Dharma Lecture in the meditation hall at Yonghwa Temple, Beopbo, Zen Master Jeongang asked the audience, "What is the purpose of life and death?". When nobody answered, he said, "Hak! Even backwards, 9 times 9 is 81.At that very moment he is said to have attained Nirvana"
["86. Jeongang Yeongsin"]
Bulgyo Sinmun
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References
External links
*{{Official website , http://www.yonghwasunwon.or.kr/
Korean philosophy
Meditation
Seon Buddhist monks
Zen Buddhism writers
Korean Buddhist monks
Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers
Korean philosophers
Korean scholars of Buddhism