Oslo Zen Center
What is Zen?
Zen Master Seung Sahn, the first Korean Zen master to spread Zen Buddhism in the West:
Springtime comes. You see the flowers blossoming, the butterflies flitting about; you hear the birds singing, you breathe in the warm weather. And your mind is only springtime. It is nothing at all.
You visit Niagara and take a boat to the bottom of the falls. The downpouring of the water is in front of you and around you and inside you, and suddenly you are shouting: YAAAAAA!
In all these experiences, outside and inside have become one. This is Zen mind. Your mind is clear like space.
Clear like space means clear like a mirror. When white comes, white. When red comes, red.
But one more step is necessary. How does your mind function in everyday life? When somebody is hungry, just reflecting hunger is not enough. You have to give him food! This is called correct situation, correct relationship and correct function.
This means that you can respond to every situation in a compassionate way.
Zen Meditation in the Kwan Um School of Zen
We practice Zen meditation on a regular basis in Oslo. We follow the teachings of Zen master Seung Sahn who founded the international Kwan Um School of Zen.In 1949, Zen Master Seung Sahn received transmission from Zen Master Ko Bong, one of the most brilliant Zen Masters in Korea at that time. Later he was responsible for several temples in Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. In 1972 he created the Kwan Um School of Zen in the United States in order to provide a Zen training to lay people and monastic people in the West.
Today we are represented in:
more than 30 Zen Centers in Europe (one Zen Meditation Center in Norway: Oslo)
about 30 Zen Centers in the United States
Zen Centers in Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Western form of Korean Zen is based on sitting meditation, chanting, prostrations, and kong-an training. The formal study of sutras is not used.
Zen Master Seung Sahn
Practicing Zen in the Oslo Zen Center
We regularly practice Zen meditation following the form of the Kwan Um School of Zen. Regular weekly group practice is organised every Sunday from 4pm to 8pm. We follow a schedule that starts by doing some traditional Buddhist chants, followed by formal sitting meditation.If you are new to Zen and meditation, our Dharma teachers will be glad to give you an introduction about the form, sitting posture, meditation techniques, philosopy etc.
If you like our style, every month you will get the opportunity to meet Zen teachers of our school in Oslo, Paris and other School centers. We are very lucky that there are two residential Zen teachers in Paris: Zen Master Wu Bong (head teacher for Europe and guiding teacher for Oslo) and his wife Zen Master Bon Yo.
Our School offers every year regular retreats of a day or more (up to a week) in Oslo. Retreats of up to three months take place in the Czech Republic, Poland, Korea and the United States.
At the Oslo Zen Center
Wednesday: 18:30 chanting; 19:30 Zen sitting; 20:00 kong an reading; tea.
Sunday: 16:00 chanting; 17:00 zen sitting, walking; 18:50 kong an reading; tea.
Price: 50 NOK per each single practice or 200 NOK for the whole month.
The last Sunday of each month
Introductory Dharma Talk and Zen Workshop. Time: 10:00 – 11:30. Price: 100 NOK
We talk and practice on practicing in the Kwan Um School of Zen, our Zen masters and teachers, Zen retreats, and daily Zen practice: bowing, chanting, sitting Zen, and kong-ans.
8 hour Yong Meng Jong Jin
Price: 100 NOK
12:00 – Meeting
12:15 – 108 bows
12:45 – Morning chanting
13:30 – Zen sitting 3 x 40 min, walking 2 x 10 min
16:00 – Long walk
16:30 – Tea
16:45 – Zen sitting 3 x 40 min, walking 2 x 10 min
19:05 – Heart Sutra, Great Dharani chanting, 4 Great Vows
19:15 – Closing Circle
19:30 – Tea, dinner.
Zen Master Wu Bong
Hyon Gak Sunim JDPS
The Forms of Zen Practice
In our school we use four forms of Zen practice.
Sitting Meditation
We sit usually 30 minutes in the classical posture: legs crossed, back straight, eyes half open, the hands in mudra and natural breathing. In the Chogye Order meditation is not really dependant on the form of the body, but rather on the way you keep your mind. That is why you can stand up or use a chair, if your body hurts too much.
During meditation we ask ourselves without interruption the question: 'What am I?' When this question is sincere, thinking stops and 'Don't Know' appears. 'Don't Know' is the name of the mind before thinking. You can call this point mind, Buddha, God, Nature, the Absolute, Holiness, Energy or Consciousness, but originally this point has no name or form. Cutting all thinking and returning to 'Don't Know Mind', you return to your true nature. Our true nature is like a mirror. You become One with the situation you are living. When the lights are red, you stop. When the lights are green, you go.
Chanting
Chanting meditation means keeping a not-moving mind and the perception of the sound of your voice.
Regular chanting makes our center stronger and stronger. With a strong center, we can control our feelings. When we are no more slave of our feelings and thoughts, we become free and independent.
But for many people, chanting meditation is not easy: a lot of confused thinking can appear, a lot of likes and dislikes. Like and dislike create a lot of problems in our world. Every kind of war comes from this state of mind. However, when you practice correct chanting meditation, perceiving the sound of our own voice and the sound of the voice of the other people, your mind becomes clear. In a clear mind, there is no like or dislike, but only sound. Then, you and the sound are never separated. You connect with everything. That way, world peace becomes possible.
Prostrations
Many practitioners start their day with 108 prostrations. This practice gives you a lot of energy, a strong center and cleans your mind. Our 'Small I' is prostrating itself before our 'Big I', until only the 'Big I' remains.
Kong-ans
(Questions and answers with a master.) During a retreat, all participants can have a personal interview with the teacher. 'What am I' is considered as the original kong-an. But the Chogye Order also offers 1.700 other kong-ans coming from the Indian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese tradition. These questions can help you to attain a more profound vision, which is usually difficult to attain without this technique.
Example: Ko Bong's "Mouse Eats Cat Food"
Seung Sahn visited his teacher, Zen Master Ko Bong, who asked him many difficult kong-ans which Seung Sahn answered easily. After many exchanges, Ko Bong said, "Alright, one last question. The mouse eats cat food, but the cat bowl is broken. What does this mean?"
Seung Sahn gave many answers, but to each Ko Bong only said, "No." Seung Sahn became angry and frustrated, completely stuck. After staring into Ko Bong's eyes for 50 minutes, his mind broke open like lightning striking.
Questions
1. The mouse eats cat food, but the cat bowl is broken. What does this mean?
2. Mouse and cat bowl, same or different?
Commentary: Mouse eats cat food, cat bowl is broken, then what? A quarter is 25 cents, 25 cents buys ice cream; ice cream into the stomach, very good feeling. Ah, wonderful!
How to Contact Us
If you want more information you can contact us on the phone number or the email address below.e-mail: suchanecki
hotmail
comPhone: +47 93 26 27 27 (Mariusz Suchanecki)
Address for Practice: Oslo Zen Center, Setra Vei 28, Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway
suchanecki hotmail com
Links
Kwan Um Zen School - EuropeThe European homepage of our school.
International Home Page - Kwan Um Zen School
Plenty of information about our school, teachers, chants, books etc. Every year there are retreats of three months in the United States of America. (Minimum participation of 1 week.)
Paris Zen Center - France
The European Head Temple is based in France. Zen Master Wu Bong and Zen Master Bon Yo live in this residential Zen Center.
