In front of 200 people at the first-ever installation of a School Zen Master at 1:30 on April 5, 2008, Zen Master Dae Kwang Sunim pointed out that Zen Master

Soeng Hyang has already served three years of her pro-jected five-year term. Teasingly, he suggested that perhaps other great institutions, like the US, might emulate the Kwan Um School of Zen and have its presidents complete a three-year probationary term. Of course, in reality we followed Korean Buddhist protocol in waiting three years until after the death of our Founding Zen Master to officially appoint his successor.

In her inaugural speech Bobby spoke of the importance of Try Mind and the need for encouragement from a teach-er. When I heard this I was reminded that she led my first Yong Maeng Jong Jin retreat. After energetic bows, we launched into the Morning Bell Chant with such a lack of ener-gy that the JDPSN (as Bobby Rhodes then was) halted the four of us saying sternly, “Even if you are new to this, you must do better.” After our second attempt at chanting more or less passed muster we began

meditation. But little time elapsed until she admonished one of us for nodding off to sleep. Another ten minutes and noticing the reemergence of torpor, Bobby violently shook the person next to her. As a newbie I found all this intimidating. And later at my first-ever interview she

may have detected obstinacy lurking within my nervousness for she was very firm with me and unforgiving of my igno-rance and lack of perception. In her talk Bobby said that “If you feel discouraged that’s the demon in the corner. It’s not a bad thing to be discour-aged.” “Believe in yourself,” “Embrace what is difficult.”

I like to think that some of my less-than-passive obstinacy to the formalities of our practice wore away because in subse-quent visits to the Providence Zen Center I was often hugged by Bobby, who stood outside on the verandah to welcome morn-ing arrivals on the Buddha’s birthdays. I was very impressed that a teacher of her stature would do this.

Over the years I have cher-ished the warmth of Bobby’s generous affection as well as her teaching. A year ago I was her

Newsletter of the Chogye International Zen Center of New York • 400 E. 14th St., Apt. 2E • New York, NY 10009(212) 353 - 0461 • www.cizny.org

Spring/Summer 2008 Editors: Guillermo EchaniquePaul Majchrzyk

Zsuzsanna SidloM.K. Babcock

Clare EllisCalligraphy: Sung Hae Sunim

Layout: James Gouijn-Stook

Printing: Printing SpectrumWOODFISHUna persona speciale by John Holland

Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

Zen Master Soeng Hyang was installed as School Zen Master and

Guiding Dharma Teacher at a ceremony at the Providence Zen

Center on April 5, 2008. She succeeds Zen Master Seung Sahn, the

Founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen.

2

WOODFISH www.cizny.org

cushion… at that time we were just starting the Korean Heart Sutra….I’m going “ma-ha ban-ya,” trying to read the thing. And this person next to me has, to me, this very strange voice. I grew up in Philadelphia and I was thinking, “There’s a cowgirl sing-ing this Chinese stuff next to me.” I’m kind of expecting it’s going to be “ma-ha ban-ya, git along little dogie.” And it’s like “Wow, this is a really weird place!” But I kind of enjoyed the chanting, the feeling, and the sounds coming out and not knowing what it meant....Then afterwards we take a little break and there’s going to be a dharma talk and they say today the Housemaster will give the dharma talk. So I’m thinking now I’ll get a feel-ing of what this teaching is. It turns out it’s the cowgirl again. She gets up there and is sitting down, and the Zen Master is not there and it didn’t mean anything to me because I wasn’t think-ing about anything just what’s going on here.

And she’s saying, “We all have ideas about things and we all think we know how to do some things. So today I was working at my nursing home and I go to peel a banana for this old patient and you know all of us peel the banana from the part that you pull off the bunch and,” she says, “this old guy says this is not the way to peel a banana,” and she says, “No come on, this is the way everybody peels it.”

He says, “No no it’s much easier from the other end.” Deep sutra stuff!

And then she says “No, no, no, everybody peels it this way.”

And he says, “It’s easier from the other end.” So finally he convinced her to peel it from the other end and guess what?

“It’s easier.”

And that’s the only thing I remem-ber from the dharma talk.

The first two years I was living at the Providence Zen Center, like any-body practicing I was going through a lot of difficult emotional things. I would come home and the only per-

made attempts to address aspects of this deceptively simple (special) per-son who has a penchant for leading with her weak suit and then turning it into trenchant teaching. I am remind-ed that Alan Watts explained in The Way of Zen, “This is like encourag-ing the growth of a hedge by pruning for, obviously the basic intention is to help, but the Zen student does not really know Zen unless he finds out for himself.” Zen Master Bon Shim, from Warsaw, described asking Bobby for advice on her relationship on her first visit to the Providence Zen Center. Bobby replied that she couldn’t give her any because she didn’t know why people fight instead of loving each other. At first Zen Master Bon Shim was disappointed in Bobby’s answer but on reflection came to overlook her own problem and focused instead on that kong-an. “We have,” said she, “a strong, com-passionate head.”

Zen Master Dae Bong Sunim, who now lives in Korea, said of his first visit to the Providence Zen Center 30 years ago:

It was a Sunday night and when I came in—already evening chanting was on. Somebody showed me to a

attendant in New York. We went to the Japan Society to admire exquisite Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. When she said that she had had enough of them, we went to the Zen Center where we sat side-by-side for 40 minutes. I ascribed the samadhi that I experi-enced to being in her presence. Bobby quoted Dae Soen Sa Nim’s admoni-tion to her, “This is NOT a school of samadhi, OK? This is not about feel-ing good. It’s about ‘How may I help you?’” Later over dinner at a nearby Korean restaurant she listened with great empathy to my account of my son’s demise. On the Sunday follow-ing the retreat led by her, we had one of the heaviest rainfalls that the city has ever endured. Bobby arranged to meet me in my local coffee shop on the Upper East Side. When I saw her there, enveloped in a rain cape talk-ing on a cell-phone I was taken aback because the barista fiercely forbids the use of phones. When I thanked him later for not causing a rumpus, he replied, “Oh, I saw that she was una persona speciale.” We brought our coffee to my apartment where our stray, neurotic, cat Parker jumped onto the sofa to sit beside Bobby. Now this is a Kiplingesque cat who walks by herself and is a non-greeter. Bobby, however, said that she perceived her Buddha-nature, something that Parker has hidden from me for 14 years. Explaining as she did, that Dae Soen Sa Nim had given her the Buddhist name of Nature Smell because he knew of her delight in nature. “I am the compost queen. I love being outside,” she said. “Let Nature be your Teacher,” wrote Wordsworth. Bobby insisted that we slither across Central Park in the pouring rain to our appointment at New York Chogye Sa.

• • • • •

At Zen Master Soeng Hyang’s installation, some of the teachers from the US, Europe, and Asia Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

3

www.cizny.org WOODFISH

Hyang walked right up to him and bowed to him. It’s not so much what you say as your action….How you relate to people. How would you relate with a sangha student? Are you hear-ing what they are saying to you? This is very important. I think we have a good head. Also … harmony is very important. If we live in a house, if we are in harmony, our school will be very strong.

It doesn’t matter what people talk about us. We look funky, I must say, from a Chinese angle. But if you see behind this funky thing actually there is a lot of good stuff inside. We need each other to help. We need all of us to help this school and turn into this dhar-ma light. Our mission is to share this dharma light so all beings have this light and they don’t live in darkness.

I want to congratulate Zen Master Soeng Hyang and congratulate our school. So let’s become one: Head and body, hands and feet become one, not for ourselves but for all beings.

• • • • •

Spring comes, grass grows by itself.

The blue mountain does not move.

White clouds float back and forth.

It’s not so poetically beautiful but hopefully it’s filled with truth.

I think this simile about an outspoken cowgirl comes under Montaigne’s rubric: “Many things I would not tell anyone I tell the public [sangha].” Zen Master Dae Kwan Sunim told us another such thing:

I remember Dae Soen Sa Nim said one very important thing. It’s not so much the person; it’s who is holding this light that is very important. This head is somebody who is holding the dharma light. We are looking at the dharma light; not so much the per-son. So don’t check the person. Zen Master Soeng Hyang is very frank to tell her things to all of you… usually Zen masters don’t talk about their shortcomings, but Zen Master Soeng Hyang tells you everything. But behind is the dharma.… I represent our Zen Center from Hong Kong, all our students will support you as the head of our school.

This morning I saw something that really touched me…when we woke up very early. We have one monk here who has been a monk for 30 years and Zen Master Soeng

son there would be the cowgirl who was home from work doing the laun-dry. So I would start to tell her about whatever heart problem I was having and we would always end up talking while hanging up the laundry. When I think about those two years, the times I most felt, like [deep breath], where it was just like “Everything is OK,” was doing that together with her.

We talk about “Zen is Everyday life” and there’s all kinds of great poet-ical things you can say about it, but unless our everyday life really is our practice for us, not even our practice anymore, it’s just our life but it’s got Buddha’s way completely digested into it, then it’s just nice speech. I think for Zen Master Soeng Hyang it really is her everyday life, and the two have digested into one another. And I think that’s a great thing because there’s a lot of teaching that’s better organized and more beautiful speech but unless our practice really does connect com-pletely with our everyday life, it’s just a nice hobby.

And certainly in Korea one thing that you notice that really connects with young people is our way of doing things, our way of relating to our life.

Zen Master Wu Kwang Congratulates Zen Master Soeng HyangInstallation Ceremony Dharma Talk by Zen Master Wu Kwang

fect.” To this the compiler added, “I want the imperfect horn.” Now, if you listened to the School Zen Master’s talk, you will understand that “I want the imperfect horn” is her credo of giving freely, without hold-ing back, without hesitation, without being hindered by thoughts of good and bad – both for herself and for her students. So [turning to ZMSH] I hope you continue to encourage us all to bring out the imperfect horn.

The next commentator said, “If I return it to the Master then I will not have it anymore.” That is a big prob-lem. However, Zen Master Soeng

later, other monks related what they would have said if they had been the attendant. The attendant had had nothing to say when the master demanded, “Then bring your spirit out like a rhinoceros.” These monks put in their two cents and said, “If I had been there I would have said blah, blah, blah,” and the compiler of The Blue Cliff Record, as was his custom, wrote in a brief remark after each of their presentations of what they would have said.

The first monk said, “I would bring it out, but I’m afraid that the horn on its head might be imper-

I want to second Zen Master Wu Bong’s congratulations to all of us, and appreciation to you, Zen

Master Soeng Hyang, for taking on this job.

There’s a kong-an in The Blue Cliff Record: One day Zen Master Yen-kuan said to his attendant, “Bring me my rhinoceros horn fan,” to which the attendant answered,

“The fan is broken.” Zen Master Yen-kuan said, “Then bring me the rhinoceros.” The attendant did not know what to say. The next part of the kong-an is interesting: Sometime

4

WOODFISH www.cizny.org

I never understood why the dantien or hara, the parts of the anatomy located below the navel and associ-ated with Samadhi, are barely stressed here. It was an issue that nagged my practice since before I had my own robe. Perhaps others who have started in Samadhi-oriented schools of Zen have also suffered from my problem. The meditation instructions we get are not couched in terms of Samadhi. What color is the floor? Hit! Just that! Nowdays, Samadhi-less practice is important to me because I have had lots of back and shoulder pain that has ori-ented me to the actual school practice: What Is This?

-Richard Kahn

that needs some examination. Practice always requires examination. For me, there is also the grappling with kong-ans large and small, including the one from the Ten Gates that has stumped me for a long time.

The transmission took on another dimension due to something the new school Zen Master said during her Dharma talk. Zen Master Soeng Hyang said that Kwan Um School of Zen is not a Samadhi school. That is, our school does not emphasize inten-tionally created deep meditative states of mind. This surprised me because I came from a Samadhi oriented school and that affected my practice as well as my attitude towards our school.

The installation of our community’s leader is an important event. We are called to approve by our wit-

nessing the person’s new status and the relationship we have with the institu-tion and its common practices through that person. That transition is shared among all. Hopefully, we observers get some transmission, too. Chanting with over a hundred schoolmates is power-ful. The scheduled rituals at Providence also offered time for reflection. In my case, I noticed that my robe’s collar was wearing out and that moment of reflection was my transmission. After about 14 years, it makes sense. Now I have to think about ordering a new one. Reordering a short robe, or earning a long robe is a sign of commitment

that moment, the meaning of the Zen Master’s examination, inka, and the title, Ji Do Poep Sa Nim became clear. I bowed deeply to Zen Master Soeng Hyang, understanding the true nature of this rare and special friendship. Then, very humbly, I said, “Thank you for your teaching.”

-Steven Cohen, JDPSN

* Inka denotes certification, literally meaning the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof.

** Ji Do Poep Sa Nim means Guide to the Way or Dharma Master. It is the Korean equiva-lent of the Japanese title Sensei

ting the title Ji Do Poep Sa Nim, what does one teach?” She shot back, “How may I help YOU?” I bowed respectfully. Then she began testing my understanding of kong-ans from The Ten Gates. The more relaxed I felt, the more serious she seemed. After awhile, she challenged, “The mouse eats cat food but the cat bowl is broken.” What is the meaning? My answer was accompanied by an audi-ble chuckle.” I loved Bobby, this was fun. Suddenly , THWACK! Her stick came down so hard that my thigh skin burned. She shouted, “STEVE, THIS KONG-AN HAS NO LAUGHING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” In

Before an inka* ceremony confers the title of Ji Do Poep Sa Nim** there is an extended process of

examination by five Zen Masters and/or Ji Do Peop Sa Nims of the Kwan Um School of Zen to affirm the candidate’s readiness. The third of my five inter-views was conducted after a one-day retreat at the Chogye International Zen Center of New York with Zen Master Soeng Hyang (Bobby Rhodes). Given a twenty year friendship with Bobby, the interview room had far more a feeling of sanctuary than during any of the other teacher exchanges. Once seated, she asked how I felt and invited questions. So, I inquired, “After get-

No Samadhi Installation

True Friendship

is old. Maybe somebody else would be good to be his attendant.” The compiler made the annotation, “Such hard work with no merit.” So thank you, Zen Master Soeng Hyang for taking on this no-reward job and may you keep it for a long time.

Congratulations!

you bring it out?” A picture of a sandwich never satisfies anybody. Bobby Rhodes is big on encourag-ing us to “Do something. Do not just talk about it. Do not make some fancy design. Do something. Contribute something!”

The last commentator is rather interesting too. He said, “The master

Hyang does not seem to be afraid of losing anything. The compiler wrote, “The rhino is still there.” He must have known you!

The third commentator did not open his mouth; instead, he drew a circle and wrote the Chinese char-acter for rhino inside. The com-piler wrote under that, “Why didn’t

5

www.cizny.org WOODFISH

ing of separation that I couldn’t quite understand. One day at Providence, at the end of a sangha weekend, I was saying goodbye to people. I was an avid bicyclist then and I had a pair of expensive cycling sunglasses around my neck on a strap. Bobbi came along and we looked at each other sheep-ishly for a second, and then our eyes softened in expression and we had a spontaneous hug.

Crunch. I knew what had happened. But I didn’t look at the broken Oakleys until I got into our car. Oh well, I guess that moment was worth a pair of sun-glasses.

-Jan Potemkin

between us. She has a personality that is both tough and warm. I grew to respect her sincere work as a nurse for the dying, and her fierce devotion to Zen Master Seung Sahn and her Zen practice.

She has given me advice that has always been useful. I told her once in an interview that the stress of my work (I am a lawyer in the immigra-tion field) was sometimes overwhelm-ing, and then I realized that she has a job that is so much more taxing. But she saw that the stress was there in my mind at that moment: “Can you breathe? Just take three deep breaths.” It has always helped.

But there was still something unnamed hovering between us, a feel-

I have known Zen Master Soeng Hyang for many years. It’s hard for me not to call her Bobbi. But we

have always had a funny relationship. I’ve always thought of her as a very strong person, but also someone who is aware of her own insecurities. And that’s the same way I think of myself. Somehow when we would meet, at Providence or when she visited New York, we would have a real “buzz” to our contact. I am sure we liked each other a lot, but there was always a kind of mysterious standoffish feeling to our conversations.

Over the years, in casual conversa-tions as well as formal interviews, we got to know a lot about each other. A feeling of affection grew steadily

Coarse Words or Subtle Talk*

The True Price of Friendship

OK, so this episode will probably never be included in any compilation of “ideas for breaking the ice at temple socials.” But for those of us who were there, it was a wonderful reminder of the non-judgmental openness of our school’s teaching, and a memorable

demonstration of how any situation can be used to bring people closer together. And indeed, when we convened to sit the retreat the following morning, the atmosphere was very comfortable and intimate, like we had all been close buddies for years (well, a few of us had been buddies for years, but . . . .) And

now, if anyone ever asks you “Why did Soeng Hyang come to New York?” you know one possible style of answer.

–Paul Majchrzyk

* If this phrase isn’t familiar, see Blue Cliff Record, Case 79.

joined in (helped by the joke, which thankfully was kind of funny). With that barrier passed, we had a thigh-slappingly good time for a while as everyone reached into their repertoires of bawdy humor (with our members of the fairer sex defending themselves

quite ably). I remember surveying the scene at one point when the humor had reached rock bottom, and thinking “Yes, I have truly found my correct spiritual path.” Of course, we did not become attached to this style, and after we had exhausted its possibilities, we moved on to other subtler topics.

The evening before Bobbi led her first retreat in New York, a large group of us took her to a restaurant

in Little India for dinner. Many of us were meeting her for the first time, and after some typical “getting to know you” conversation, we decided it was time for some jokes. We began with the usual fare – politician jokes, lawyer jokes, a few Buddhist jokes, some western religion jokes for balance – nice low-key material. Then Michael Wise took the floor, and after feeding us several ordi-nary sounding set-up lines, our mild-mannered resident shocked us to attention – as he quietly delivered his extremely crude and visually explicit punch-line. There was a split second of stunned silence and many jaws dropped as we wondered what the Kwan Um School’s guiding teacher could be thinking of our low-class sangha. And then Bobbi burst out laughing loudly, and we all

Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

6

WOODFISH www.cizny.org

points to "What Am I."

Shortly after, I applied to become a Dharma-Teacher-In-Training, even-tually becoming a Senior Dharma Teacher. My self-doubts have not been resolved, but now I see them as teachers' aids, thanks to Bobby’s kind lesson.

- G. Echanique

impression on me. She didn’t know whether I was serious about practice or just looking for something to be involved in, or even whether I would ever come around again, but still she took the time out of her busy schedule to connect with me. Seeing Bobby effortlessly open to anyone and every-one that came to the temple made the meaning of Sangha come alive.

-Zsuzsa Sidlo

been wondering about: What is the difference between having a religion with a God and a religion without a God? This question had arisen earlier out of a conversa-tion we had at a Dharma Teachers

In Training study group: Is samadhi the same as God? Steve Cohen, JDPSN remem-bered that Dae Soen Sa Nim often said that samadhi can be called God (and some other things), but Zen Master Wu Kwang told us Dae Soen Sa Nim would say that kind of thing when he was giving a Zen answer; at other times he distinguished between reli-gions in which you look to a God and religions in which you look into your own mind.

It still seemed to me that God and samadhi might be

very difficult for me and that I did not know what I could teach, since I had so many problems. "How can I teach when I have so many difficulties?" I asked. She looked at me intently with her kind eyes and said, "Teach about that." I instantly understood that perfection, superiority, or even accomplishment is not the core of our practice. The core is the struggle that

one of the last to arrive, and as she was walking towards the room, she noticed me. Without hesitation, she walked up to me, introduced herself, and asked me my name and which group I came with; then she said, “Nice to have you here” and rushed off to the meeting.

Her spontaneous gesture wel-coming me and showing her avail-ability and openness left a profound

really it’s not so bad - we are each supposed to be Buddha. Maybe I feel it’s hubristic because I was raised in a Western tradition.”

This somehow gave me a new perspective on something I had

For fifteen years or so, I was reluc-tant to become a Dharma teacher in training because I had many doubts

and issues with my practice. In the year 2001, Zen Master Soeng Hyang came to her once-a-year retreat and in my interview asked me why I had not applied to be a Dharma Teacher-In-Training. She said, "Richard needs you." I explained that my practice was

My very first meeting with Zen Master Soeng Hyang happened during one of the first Sangha

weekends that I attended at Providence Zen Center. I was still new to the place and hardly knew anyone outside of my Sangha. I was on my way to the kitch-en to have breakfast with others while all the teachers were gathering to have their meeting in the upstairs Dharma Room. Zen Master Soeng Hyang was

There was a moment on Thursday night, after a conflict I’d had was resolved, when I had an interesting experience while we were sitting.

The light that shines on the altar was reflecting on the floor and shining in my eyes. As a momentary reaction to my vague discomfort, I lifted my head and just let the light wash over my face. I lowered my eyes so I could see the floor and I immediately felt more upright. In fact I felt completely free of tension in my back and the rest of my body. I felt just like a statue of the Buddha! That was very pleasing, but I immediately felt “Oh, dear. This is a dan-gerous direction to be going in.” Then I thought, “Well,

On the Last Night of the Seven Day Retreat

True Teaching

Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

7

www.cizny.org WOODFISH

And he gave us the encouragement that we all have Buddha-nature. This reminds me of something Zen Master Soeng Hyang said dur-ing her speech at the Installation Ceremony. She was talking about the Buddha’s teaching that we already have what we’re looking for and what a remarkable understanding that is, how generously and

intelligently he shared it, and how it’s lasted for 2500 years. “This idea stuck,” she said, “Thank God!”

–Clare Ellis

Clare Ellis was the Moktak Master for the Seven Day YMJJ retreat this March at Chogye Interna-tional Zen Center of New York.

of sitting like the Buddha, I felt grateful for his down-to-earth, empirical approach. He gave us a demonstration of what anyone can do to find relief from suffer-ing - how we can sit still to center ourselves and to create a safe place for meditation, observation, and questioning so that we can better understand ourselves and others.

different ways of describing the same thing. To experience God or samadhi you must transcend an arti-ficial boundary. Either you believe in a God out there and then find God and God’s love in yourself, or you prac-tice looking into your mind and ask, “What am I? What am I?” and chip away at the separation you make between yourself and the outside world. Either way, don’t you have a glimpse of great love and how we are not separate? And in either case don’t these glimpses, whatever religion brings them on, inspire people to try to help others?

But at the Thursday evening sitting, when I had that feeling

Sangha News

➤ During the April Sangha weekend Dr. Jae H. Park (Won Jok) took 5-precepts. Congratulations!

➤ Newly appointed as Temple Assistant, Ildon Sunim is living and working in the Zen Center.

➤ Dharma Teacher Socrates Aguayo, wife May and daughter Amy, welcomed Mia Aguayo into their family on April 11, 2008. Mia and the rest of the family are doing very well and are grateful for all the congratulations and the heartfelt wishes.

➤ During Lotus Lantern Parade on May 4th, 2008, Ildon Sunim, along with Steve Cohen JDPSN and Senior Dharma Teacher Matt Keeler did a 1,000 bows for a harmonious and peaceful world; Zsuzsa Sidlo and Martine Lindquist joined them with bowing and sitting meditation. We hope to see many more of you next year!

➤ Special thanks to Steve Cohen JDPSN for donat-ing the new bell to our sangha, as well as a new moktak and chanting books.

Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

Photo: Zsuzsa Sidlo

8

WOODFISH www.cizny.org

8 Woodfish www.cizny.org

Chogye International Zen Center of New York was founded in 1975 by Zen Master SeungSahn, who was the 78th Patriarch in his line of Dharma Transmission in the Chogye order ofKorean Buddhism. He was the first Korean Zen master to live and teach in the West, and estab-lished Zen Centers in Europe, South America, and Asia as well as in the United States. Together,these centers form the Kwan Um School of Zen.

Our Program: Daily practice, including: chanting, bowing and sitting meditation; extendedsitting practice on Wednesday evenings; monthly talks on Zen, study groups; Sunday eveningintroductions to Zen practice, two- and three-day retreats, one-day sitting intensives, and tradi-tional Zen interviews.

Teacher: Zen Master Wu Kwang (Richard Shrobe), named Zen Master by Dae Soen Sa Nim. A Zen practitionersince 1975, he received formal inka (certification) from Dae Soen Sa Nim in 1984 and is authorized to performall formal teaching activities. He holds an MSW plus a BA in music, and is a practicing psychotherapist.

The Altar, CIZCNY

Chogye International Zen Center

400 E. 14th Street. 2ENew York, NY 10009

Joseph Smith100 Any StreetAny Town, NJ 10036

PLACE

STAMP

HERE

WAFERS

The Chogye International Zen Center of New York isa non-profit Buddhist organization founded in 1975 inNew York City. CIZCNY is part of the Kwan Um Schoolof Zen following the teachings and guidance of ZenMaster Seung Sahn, the first Korean Zen Master toteach in the West. Through our Zen practice and per-sonal lives, we do our utmost to develop compassion

and insight, and to save all beings from suffering.

For more information please call 212-353-0461 orvisit CIZCNY.org or KwanUmZen.org. For a schedule ofspecial events (Meditation Retreats, Dharma Talks, andSpecial Occasions) please visit www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=cizny.sangha%40gmail.com

� � �

� � �

Teachers: Zen Master Wu Kwang • Steve Cohen, JDPSN

The Chogye International Zen Center of New York is a non-profit Buddhist organization founded in 1975 in New York City. CIZCNY is part of the Kwan Um School of Zen following the teachings and guidance of Zen Master Seung Sahn, the first Korean Zen Master to teach in the West. Through our Zen practice and personal lives, we do our utmost to develop compassion and insight, and to save all beings from suffering.

For more information please call 212-353-0461 or visit CIZCNY.org or KwanUmZen.org. For a sched-ule of special events (Meditation Retreats, Dharma Talks, and Special Occasions) please visit www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=cizny.sangha%40gmail.com