Haeja Sunim, SDPS
Abbot, Perceive Sound Zen Group
Haeja Sunim SDPS (Sondok Popsa) is a Dharma Holder in the Five Mountain Lineage and is also a Zen monk in the Taego Order. Sunim is a Dharma Holder in Five Mountain, and as an authorized teacher has been given authority by Rev. Yuánzhì Dàoqīng Chánshī to engage in beginning Koan interviews and study with students. Haeja Sunim, due to the advance precepts he has taken as a monk in the Taego Order, also holds the same position as a Bodhisattva Priest in Five Mountain. As a Senior Dharma Teacher and Bodhisattva Priest, Haeja is additionally authorized to accept personal students and to confer the precepts to students who he feels are qualified.
He is also a Dharma Instructor, and the Central U.S. Regional Director for the Taego Zen tradition. He is also a graduate of the Taego Buddhist Seminary through the Institute for Buddhist Studies. He speaks at colleges, churches, and organizations, facilitating workshops and retreats around the mid-west. Using skills learned as a Certified Life Coach, he mentors people in becoming free from stress and conditioning, helping them to wake up to their own inner wisdom. To make a rapid shift in consciousness possible, he tailors both time tested practices and modern scientific discoveries to the needs of each individual.
Sunim has practiced Zen for twenty years, most of that with the Kwan Um School of Zen where he was a Dharma Teacher in Training for ten years. He discovered the Taego Order while in Korea and was drawn by their preference for reaching out to help the community instead of focusing on monastic life. Impressed with the Taego Order's liberal view, and full acceptance of women, he is proud to be amoung the first group of male monks who received ordination with a female witness master.
Rev. Yuánzhì Daoqing
Guiding Teacher, FMO
Rev. Yuánzhì has been practicing Buddhist meditation for more than twenty five years, and with the sanction and encouragement of Zen Master Sŭngsan, founded the Huntington Beach Zen Center on August 14th of 1993 where he was installed as Abbot of the Zen Center by Zen Master Sŭngsan during the opening ceremony. The Huntington Beach Zen Center was originally a residential Zen Center where up to eight students lived and practiced. Rev. Yuánzhìfaithfully served as the Abbot for fifteen years from 1993 until the summer of 2008. The Zen Center eventually moved to Stanton and later to Long Beach when it became a non-residential Center in 2000.
Throughout the late 1980's and into the early 1990's Paul had the opportunity to practice with Zen Master Sŭngsan; and although his grand-teacher was retired from formal teaching at the time, the monks at Dharma Zen Center would frequently request him to host kōan interviews with the students during his frequent long stays in Los Angeles.
Rev. Yuánzhì received Inka from Zen Master Jibong of the Golden Wind Zen Order in April of 2006. Paul is no longer associated with the Golden Wind Order and has since founded the Five Mountain Sangha. Additionally he entered into Zen studies with James Ford Roshi in the Harada/Yasutani Lineage of Japanese Zen as transmitted through John Tarrant Roshi who was the first Dharma Heir of Robert Aitken Roshi. Besides having a practice location in Huntington Beach, California, we also have Zen Centers located in Berkeley, California, Cincinnati, Ohio, Southern Illinois and Western Michigan.
Rev. Yuánzhì has traveled extensively throughout the US and Asia sitting retreats with many of the Zen Masters both inside and outside of the Kwan Um School of Zen. He is also a Poet and Author and was encouraged by Zen Master Sŭngsan to write poetry and was counseled by his grand teacher in the proper use and function of Zen Poetry in practice and teaching. Rev. Yuánzhì has written many books; including Cold Heart Thawing, a collection of his earlier poetry, Peering Through the Cloud, a collection of his latter poetry, and A Path to Christ Consciousness was co-authored with his long time Dharma friend Robert Harwood. Pŏpsanim has also written Five Mountains - a Practice Guide to Sŏn Buddhism, Zen Liturgy - Korean Sŏn Practice Forms, Buddhist Precepts - a Guide for Western Buddhist Lay Practitioners along with Translations of The Barrier That Has No Gate, Wú Mén Guān and The Blue Cliff Record. These books are available from the Zen Center, at Before Thought Publications or any of your local booksellers. If you would like to read some ofRev. Yuánzhì’s work visit his blog site at Zen Mirror and Chán Poetry and his new blog for the Blue Mountain Chán Project before thought.
Throughout the late 1980's and into the early 1990's Paul had the opportunity to practice with Zen Master Sŭngsan; and although his grand-teacher was retired from formal teaching at the time, the monks at Dharma Zen Center would frequently request him to host kōan interviews with the students during his frequent long stays in Los Angeles.
Rev. Yuánzhì received Inka from Zen Master Jibong of the Golden Wind Zen Order in April of 2006. Paul is no longer associated with the Golden Wind Order and has since founded the Five Mountain Sangha. Additionally he entered into Zen studies with James Ford Roshi in the Harada/Yasutani Lineage of Japanese Zen as transmitted through John Tarrant Roshi who was the first Dharma Heir of Robert Aitken Roshi. Besides having a practice location in Huntington Beach, California, we also have Zen Centers located in Berkeley, California, Cincinnati, Ohio, Southern Illinois and Western Michigan.
Rev. Yuánzhì has traveled extensively throughout the US and Asia sitting retreats with many of the Zen Masters both inside and outside of the Kwan Um School of Zen. He is also a Poet and Author and was encouraged by Zen Master Sŭngsan to write poetry and was counseled by his grand teacher in the proper use and function of Zen Poetry in practice and teaching. Rev. Yuánzhì has written many books; including Cold Heart Thawing, a collection of his earlier poetry, Peering Through the Cloud, a collection of his latter poetry, and A Path to Christ Consciousness was co-authored with his long time Dharma friend Robert Harwood. Pŏpsanim has also written Five Mountains - a Practice Guide to Sŏn Buddhism, Zen Liturgy - Korean Sŏn Practice Forms, Buddhist Precepts - a Guide for Western Buddhist Lay Practitioners along with Translations of The Barrier That Has No Gate, Wú Mén Guān and The Blue Cliff Record. These books are available from the Zen Center, at Before Thought Publications or any of your local booksellers. If you would like to read some ofRev. Yuánzhì’s work visit his blog site at Zen Mirror and Chán Poetry and his new blog for the Blue Mountain Chán Project before thought.
