Haemin Sunim, Popular Korean Monks

Haemin Sunim is probably the most internationally famous Korean monk at the moment. (He’s got over a million followers on Twitter!) But there are several other monks who are popular in Korea and internationally.

With these unstable times, who knows when (or even if) things will ever get back to ‘normal’. And so I’ve been looking for a way to mentally deal with these uncertain times. And I’ve found some calm in the videos and books of Korean Zen monks!

With best-selling books, large followings on Twitter, and popular Youtube channels, Buddhism monks in Korea have found a place in modern society helping people navigate through their hectic lives.

Some have become known internationally and have English publications and subtitles on their channels.

This week, leading up to Buddha’s birthday, there were prominent book displays of publications by Buddhist monks in the bookshops.

I haven’t noticed this in previous years. Maybe I just wasn’t looking properly. Or perhaps with the coronavirus crisis, more people are feeling fragile like me.

Anyway, I did buy a book (by Pomnyun Sunim). And since it’s Buddha’s Birthday, I thought I’d take a look at some well-known Korean monks.

POMNYUN SUNIM

Subscribe to his Youtube channel with English subs

I first heard about Pomnyun Sunim in a taxi. The driver was listening to a Q&A session with a monk. And he was chuckling out loud, agreeing with everything, and thoroughly enjoying himself.

The driver said that he often listens to this channel. And indeed the taxi experience was a lot calmer than other rides I’ve had!

So later I took a look at his Youtube channels. He has a Korean channel and one with English subtitles.

The videos are in the form of Q&A sessions, where he tackles the personal problems of members of the audience. Pomnyun has a no-nonsense but humorous approach and his meaning is easy to understand.

He also has this recent clip on dealing with uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic crisis. See more on his homepage pomnyun.com

HAEMIN SUNIM

follow him on Twitter

Haemin Sunim is probably the most internationally famous Korean monk at the moment. Here’s an article about Haemin Sunim in the UK Guardian newspaper.

You could describe him as a celebrity monk and I’ve been told that he’s got two qualities that make him cool in Korea.

His first advantage is his American education (a master’s from Harvard and PhD from Princeton). So he speaks English which is also admired.

His second advantage is his good looks! This isn’t my personal opinion – it’s what everyone says when you mention his name! And he’s also relatively young (in his 40s).

You can see his celebrity status when you look at his Twitter account. Haemin Sunim has got over 1 million followers on Twitter. He tweets inspirational quotes in English like this one that help people deal with everyday modern life:

‘When you are depressed, don’t listen to your thoughts Your thoughts are often the cause of your depression. Instead, do something other than thinking such as walking in nature, caring for a pet, doing yoga, get into gardening or even volunteering if you can. Hugs’ Haemin Sunim

I first heard about Haemin Sunim when I was in a gallery in Insadong, Seoul. From the floor above I could hear women’s voices singing and chanting and laughing with percussion instruments.

It sounded like they were having a good time. And so I asked what was going on and discovered that it was a class in progress at Haemin Sunim’s School.

Love for imperfect things by Haemin Sunim

His books become bestsellers in Korea and he also has a couple of books translated into English. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down” and “Love for Imperfect Things”

SEUNG SAHN (1927-2004)

Read classic transcripts from his lectures

Before the days of the Internet, Seung Sahn spread the teachings through local gatherings. He lived in the States for many years where he taught Buddhism to western students spreading Korean Buddhism to America.

His book A Compass of Zen is a collection of transcripts of some of the talks that he gave in the USA in English. Through the transcripts, his distinctive voice and charisma come through in the text. Actually, this was the first book I read on Buddhism and it’s a great introduction for beginners.

Seung Sahn was a a seon (zen) master of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and the Founder of the Kwam Un International School of Zen.

This school has its HQ at Seoul International Zen Centre at Hwa Gye Sah Temple to the north of Seoul. And meditation sessions and talks are still held here every week in English.

ZEN BUDDHIST NUN JEONG KWAN

For foodies: watch her on the Chef’s Table on Netflix.

Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan is said to be the Master Chef of Temple Food. But she admits that she’s not a professional chef!

Her philosophy is that food is the path to enlightenment. And what we eat changes who we are because it affects us physically and mentally. (Who can concentrate properly with indigestion or constipation? True enough!)

I like it when I’m made to think more about my daily habits – like eating. And I’ve realised that I need to consider my state of mind more when I’m preparing food.

Watching her youtube clips makes me think more about what I’m actually eating too. I just ate a pot ramyeon and a bar of chocolate. Probably not great…

Nun Jeong Kwan lives in Suwon (just outside Seoul) and has a temple food restaurant Dusugobang (두수고방). Read more about Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan and her restaurant. She appeared on the Netflix documentary Chef’s Table Season 3 in 2017.

Related posts:

Sanchon Temple Food in Seoul

JAE WOONG KIM

Read about his book Polishing the Diamond.

Jae Woong Kim is probably one of the lesser known monks, but I’m including him as I’m fond of his book Polishing the Diamond.

He was the founder of the school of New Korean Buddhism. According to the blurb on the back cover, Polishing the Diamond: Enlightening the Mind was on the Buddhist bestseller list back in 1999 in the USA.

He tells easy-to-understand stories about Buddhism. And he introduces the teaching methods of his Korean Buddhist Master, Baek Sung Wook who was a prominent figure in Korea and involved in politics.

The book is broken down into bitesize chunks. So it’s easy to pick up anytime and digest one of the stories, anecdotes, or mini lectures which cover the fundamental principles of Buddhism.

For Buddha’s Birthday 2020 the temples in Seoul are open, but masks are required and there are staff at the temple at all the entrances offering hand sanitiser to anyone coming in to worship.

It’s great to see that life is still going on here, although it’s also clear that we all need to adapt to life in the future! I think I’ll start with some reading!