This collection of poetry is one of the best published by a living Master. Blending Zen, and the ancient style of teaching through prose, this book is about the 20th Century and not some distant place long ago. Zen Master Seung Sahn's simple style and the 'bone' of the poetry help the reader return to this very moment. For Zen practitioners as well as poetry enthusiasts this will be a tresured possesion as well as an insightful guide to living in this moment.

This book is for beginners and adepts alike, and not just for Zen students, either. The following is borrowed from The Kwan Um School of Zen's webpage: "Zen Master Seung Sahn was born in 1927 in Seun Choen, North Korea. His parents were both Christian, and later he was forced to do mandatory military service. In 1944, Seung Sahn joined the underground Korean independence movement. In no time he was caught by the Japanese police and barely, just barely escaped a deaths sentence. After his release from prison, he and two friends stole several thousand dollars from their parents and crossed the heavily-patrolled Manchurian border in an unsuccessful attempt to join the Free Korean Army. He later studied philosophy at Dong Guk Universoty-meanwhile the situation in Korea was getting worse by the day. He realized at once acedemics were not going to help him help people-nor would politics.

He decided to become a Buddhist monk and was ordained in October, 1948. Seung Sahn had already understood the sutras. The only thing left now would be practice, hard training. So ten days after his ordination as a monk, he went further up into the mountains and began a one-hundred-day retreat on Won Gak Mountain. He lived up there off of pine needles and rain water, and many times a day he took ice cold baths. For nearly 24 hours a day he would chant the Great Dharani of Original Mind Energy. Then the great doubts began to formulate-why is this needed? What use is going to all of these extremes? Why could he not, like a Japanese monk-go back to the town and maybe get married, and gradually come toward enlightenment? One night all the doubts became so vast he packed up and decided he would leave. The next day his mind was a bit clearer and so he stayed. In the following weeks he would repeat that process NINE times, pack/unpacj-pack/unpack. He was hallucinating a lot by now, about 50 days had passed. Every night he had terrifying visions. Demons would appear out of the dark and make obscene gestures at him.

After a month of this, the visions turned into visions of delight. Sometimes Buddha would come and teach him a sutra. Sometimes Bodhisattvas would appear in gorgeous clothing and tell him that he would go to heaven. Sometimes he would keel over from exhaustion and Kwan Se Um Bosal would gently wake him up. By the end of eighty days, his body was strong. His flesh had turned green from the pine needles. One day, a week before the retreat was to finish, Soen-sa was walking outside, chanting and keeping rhythm with his moktak. Suddenly, two boys, eleven or twelve years old, appeared on either side of him and bowed. They were wearing many-colored robes, and their faces were of an unearthly beauty. Seung Sahn was very surprised. His mind felt powerful and perfectly clear, so how could these demons have materialized? He walked ahead on the narrow mountain path, and the two boys followed him, walking right through the boulders on either side of the path. They walked together in silence for a half-hour, then, back at the altar, when Soen-sa got up from his bow, they were gone. This happened every day for a week. Finally it was the hundredth day.

Seung Sahn was was outside chanting and hitting the moktak. All at once his body disappeared, and he was in infinite space. From far away he could hear the moktak beating, and the sound of his own voice. He remained in this state for some time. When he returned to his body, he understood. The rocks, the river, everything he could see, everything he could hear, all this was his true self. All things are exactly as they are. The truth is just like this. Soen-sa slept very well that night."

This brief story gives you an idea of how intense this modern Zen Master's aspiration towards enlightenment had been. Following that retreat he studied with various Masters, all whom later confirmed his enlightenment. And so I believe in 1972, Seung Sahn brought the Dharma to the USA. He got a 2 bedroom apartment, worked at a laundromat-and had zazen in the apartment daily. people would be running about cooking up food, meditating, giving talks. This book is this man's legacy-just look into the matter more. Zen Master Seung Sahn started what is known as The Kwan Um School of Zen-with 160 + Zen Centers/temples worldwide. But I have given you a biographical take of the man, this book goes into the very marrow of practice-from Theoretical Zen, to Tathagata Zen-to patriarchal Zen-and yet they all are on the same cirlce! Enjoy this book, it's a must have for any practitioner-or even any spiritual voyager.

So much has been said and written about buddhism one sometimes feel unsure about where to go next along the path. Smaller Vehicle (Hinayana), Greater Vehicle (Mahayana), Zen Vehicle (Chan), which one to take to the other shore? Why buddhism? What is Karma? What is true Practice? What is Buddha Nature? What are Theoritical Zen, Tathagatha Zen and Patriarchal Zen? What is our Original Face? What can I do? So many questions...
This book will explain in a clear and comprehensive manner the three main buddhist traditions and the points they lead to. The writing style is sometimes quite scholarly, sometimes humourous, never boring. Get correct answers about buddhism today; GET THIS COMPASS, FIND YOUR WAY HOME!

I have read many books on Zen Buddhism, but have never read a book that cut to the bone as did Compass. The introduction alone, was outstanding!
I live in Orlando and have had such a hard time finding a temple or group for Zen. Then i found out about Master Seung Sahn, not knowing the Korean way of Zen, I of course wanted to "Check out" the teacher i would be working with. I am so impressed by his books and methods of teaching that I have no reservations going with his school.
An Excellent book for a novice or and experienced practioner.

This is the core of Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching in America. Will we ever understand why this wild Korean monk came to America to teach Americans the dharma, or how he made it to Providence and worked at a laundramat with great faith that students would find him? As he slowly (and imperfectly) learned English, he found a straightforward, unmystical, humorous but relentless teaching of Zen Buddhism for ordinary Americans. You may even find you do not apprehend his teaching so much as recognize it like something you used to know but forgot.

This is an excellent book for someone new to Zen, on a cognitive level. There is no meditation instruction, so for nuts and bolts about sitting posture you will have to look elsewhere (or, better still, go to your nearest Zen Center and get some instruction).

This book is a collection of lectures and letters to his students from Zen master Seung Sahn. It was compiled by long time student Stephen Mitchell. Seung Sahn has a sense of play and humor. Once when he was younger and staying at Su Dok Sa monastery, where he learned Zen language and Dharma-combat he began to feel that the monks weren't practicing hard enough, so he decided to give them some help. One night, as he was on guard-duty (there had been some burglaries), he took all the pots and pans out of the kitchen and arranged them in a circle in the front yard. The next night, he turned the Buddha on the main altar toward the wall and took the incense-burner, which was a national treasure, and hung it on a persimmon tree in the garden. By the second morning the whole monastery was in an uproar. Rumors were flying around about lunatic burglars, or gods coming from the mountain to warn the monks to practice harder.
The third night, Soen-sa went to the nuns' quarters, took seventy pairs of nuns' shoes and put them in front of Zen Master Dok Sahn's room, displayed as in a shoe store. But this time, a nun woke up to go to the outhouse and, missing her shoes, she woke up everyone in the nuns' quarters. Soen-sa was caught. The next day he was brought to trial. Since most of the monks voted to give him another chance (the nuns were unanimously against him), he wasn't expelled from the monastery.

I finally read this book in its entirety recently after a year of randomly reading the charming stories and koans comprising the book. I love the simplicity of Seung Sahn's teachings. The love he has for his student (you) truly shines through when reading. However, there are other books I would recommend to the beginner who knows little of Zen before this one -introductory books, otherwise the "methods" of zen teaching are easy misunderstood.

He isn't the first Zen teacher to offer his teaching via letters. (The teaching letters of Ta-Hui come to mind...) But has there ever been a more prolific correspondent? Until recent years, Zen Master Seung Sahn would answer every letter students or perfect strangers sent him, and bundles of letters would chase him from city to city as he flew around America in the seventies and eighties, teaching wherever the airlines would take him.

As far as Zen books go, it's good teaching with very little obscure dharma language. His talent was talking about Zen in a way non-scholarly Americans could understand and apply to their own lives. It's a lively collection of letters from a wide spectrum of students: from the sincere to the smart-aleck to the earnest and to the clueless. The teacher meets them all on their level, sometimes with very long letters including stories and koans.

Due to his concentrated, concise teaching style, the reader may find the letters repetitive. (When asked why he says the same thing over and over again, he has replied, "Did you hear it?") Some of the student letters may wear out their welcome, but they belong with the responses. Bear with it: there is good teaching throughout.

What could be said about Zen Master Seung Sahn, how could we thank him for his wonderful teachings? I have practiced Kwan Um Zen for over 10 years now, read plenty of literature by many many good teachers, but I don't know. None seem to have the language that Seung Sahn has. I would not call it basic, because I know plenty of people who at times find his style downright "Buddhist blasphemy". This book is a collection of letters between students. Someone pointed out in another review that Zen Master Seung Sahn is not the first to publish letters- I don't see what that has to do with wisdom. I mean, Buddhist literature in general has been 'done before", this does not detract from the teachings. It enriches them.

Yes, you will find some repetition in this book- it builds it's way with more and more insight with each letter. The reason WHY Seung Sahn tends to repeat some of the same teachings over and over is because they are the most crucial in understanding your true self. And if people who have heard it before are still at your feet, it's not your fault for telling them "I already told you this." Broken records are good, that way it not only "sinks it's way in', but it has a way of beginning to cut through your "normal" processes of thinking. Then you can say "Aha!" But not to worry, the repetition is not severe. Where he does repeat himself, he almost always adds some new "twist", a tiny bit more insight, a little glimpse-into the truth to which it points.

He speaks often of "before thinking mind", "only like this", "same or different", "only don't know"-read this book and you will feel a few steps closer to seeing everything "just like this". Then, no more opposites, outside becomes inside and BOOM!-clear like space. But all of this said, this book will not do much for you if you are not practicing, other than formulate more ideas in your "on top of your neck" mind, and not the mind which should be stored in your tantien-through practice. So Zen Master Seung Sahn is a prolific teacher of the Dharma, the 78th Zen Patriarch in lineage to Bodhidharma himself, and a Zen master who needs no credentials once you hear him teach! So enjoy this book, you deserve to find out...

These teaching letters are amazing. Seung Sahn addresses his student's concerns in language that anyone can understand, even when he's doing koan practice. His Zen isn't some airy abstract ideal; it's dealing with actual people, aspirations, and relationships. He hits the nail on the head every time.

After reading this book it was clear that koans are not a useful practice for pursuing the truth. The author lists numerous koans, and then gives some ludricrous explanations in the form of pretend wisdom based on his view of the doctrine of Buddhism. Daily life will give a Zen student all the koans needed to pursue ultimate truth. Studying koans only helps fill a student's head with more fake "knowledge".
Zen is the ultimate psychology of self knowledge, and it's misleading to think that koan study helps achieve anything.

It's clear that the last reviewer has never actually practiced with koans, which is all this book asks of you -- to practice. Perhaps "the author [seems to give] ludicrous explanations" because, as the author writes, One action is better than 10,000 sutras. In other words, this isn't a book to read in the same way that you'd read the newspaper, & you either agree or disagree with the author (like maybe reading about a jockey and deciding you hate riding horses -- when you've never even seen a horse). Plus here, essentially, there is no author. To put it another way: YOU'RE the author.

The reason I give the book five stars is also why I think the last reviewer is a bit off: Zen is NOT "the ultimate psychology of self knowledge" or anything else fitting so neatly into what we'd like it to be. Let go of "Zen," then what is this? Just this! What can you do?

Bring me the sound of the cicada, asks one of the koans. Seung Sahn might say, Put it all down, put down "psychology" and "self knowledge" and "Zen is supposed to be this," and bring me the sound of the cicada.

(And to clarify: I've never been a student of Seung Sahn's. Unfortunately.)

There are three classic collections of kong-ans (the Korean word; Japanese is koans, Chinese is kung-ans) from ancient China: the Mumonkan, the Blue Cliff record, and (less known) the Book of Serenity. They follow the same basic form: the kong-an (the word means public case, and it's generally a very short story, e.g.: "A monk asked Joju, does a dog have Buddha nature? Joju answered Mu.") is presented, followed by commentary. In the Mumonkan and the Blue Cliff record the commentary is by the book's compiler; in the Book of Serenity you get a grab bag of comments by various teachers. This book is a contemporary representation of that tradition, presenting a large number of classic kong-ans from the Korean tradition, as well as kong-ans based on poems or fragments of poems (e.g., there's a series of kong-ans from the Tao Te Ching) and derived from other traditions (including the Christian tradition). Each kong-an is followed by a question or series of questions, and then by a short commentary. (Historical note: Today we tend to identify the kong-an with the question, but traditionally it's the basic situation that's the kong-an.)

Winslow AZ, who wrote the extremely negative review, is right on one point --- these stories, questions, and commentaries can seem incomprehensible if you read them the way you'd read, say, a review on Amazon.com. Well, hey, I'm a mathematician and mathematics papers are incomprehensible if you read them that way too. So, no, this isn't a book for people wanting an introduction to Zen Buddhism, whether philosophical or practical, and it isn't an analytical text for students working toward their PhD's either.

What it is is the real thing, a contemporary snapshot of a living tradition, and that's its value. People practicing in the very particular tradition of the Kwan Um School of Zen refer to this book regularly, just as the Mumonkan and Blue Cliff Record (most or all of whose cases are incorporated here, but with different commentary) have been referred to regularly for over 1,000 years. Kong-ans resonate with some people and not with others; for those for whom they resonate they are invaluable. If you want a taste of the living tradition, whether as a practitioner or a scholar, check this book out.

The range of reviews for this book is staggering. Imagine the Budddha at the Deer Park with all 2000 members of his sangha arguing the merits of the Dharma at once. No wonder the Buddha held up a single flower to shut everyone up. Going Beyond Buddha is simple and straigtforward just like that moment. We need caretakers of the Myth--people to keep the Word safe; and we need explorers of the Myth--people to step off the ten thousand foot pole and to see what happens. I think Zen Master Dae Gak is one of those explorers who picked the flower from his teacher's hand and now carries it in his own human direction. Zen Master Dae Gak is a teacher whose practice takes him away from the conventional. I have been his student for 12 years. I was one of his monks.While residing at the retreat center, he followed the normal sitting practice and also did 1000 full prostrations a day. He worked three days a week throughout the state of Kentucky doing disability interviews and two days in private practice to support the 700 acre retreat center. I think his clear mind is reflected in this book, provided the reader will listen. And if your mind differs from his, what then?
Ten Thousand Crows
sit in a tree,
all talking at once
with one Mind.

Zen Master Dae Gak writes with carity, wisdom and compassion. His teaching on listening is most profound and offered with humility and generosity. Zen Master Dae Gak has given his life to helping others and this book points the way for us to take up his vow. Listen, listen, and listen. With his gentle pointers he teaches that the very practice of listening itself is the way of the compassionate ones and frees one from all suffering so that one can help others. I highly recommend this book.

This has been a very valuable book for me! The real life stories of Zen Master Dae Gak bring this often esoteric teaching to life. The greatest gift of this book is that it shines a light on one's own experiences as life's best teacher. As a pianist listening is central to my life. This book brightened what I found I had always known intuitively and used in my profession. Zen Master Dae Gak's teaching has encouraged me toward a deeper exploration of listening as a path to Truth.