Rev. Danny Fisher

Today’s quote comes from the Venerable Samu Sunim, founder of the Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom.

Born in Korea in 1941, he was orphaned by age eleven and lived homeless until the age of fifteen, when he was ordained into the Jogye Order at Pusan’s Pomo-sa.  After going to Japan to avoid conscription, he found his way to North America.  After establishing the Zen Lotus Society (now the Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom) in New York, he moved to Montreal.  His Wikipedia biography explains:

In 1971 he spent three years in retreat in Montreal, Canada and then began teaching. He reported to have had a vision in 1977 in which his deceased teacher (Solbong Sunim) came to him and gave Dharma transmission. He received a more traditional authorization as a Zen master from Weolha Sunim in 1983.

He has founded Zen centers in Toronto, Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Mexico City.  In 1985, he established the Maitreya Buddhist Seminary, which is “designed for people who aspire to become Buddhist teachers without renouncing their worldly life pursuits, as well as for people who are willing to undertake full monastic training in an urban setting.”

During my time at Naropa, I undertook a couple of retreats at the Chicago center, including one with Sunim.  His good humor, curiousity, down-to-earth teaching style, and general approachableness left an indelible impression.

Here’s the quote, which appears on many pieces of literature published within the community.

Be quiet, look within and enjoy the healing power of silence. Let go of your sorrow and attachments. Your inner core and wisdom heart remain untouched either by insult or by praise. So have faith in your heart and trust yourself. Sit free from fear and worries. Rely on your true and sincere heart for your meditation. Pay attention and concentrate on your breath. Let peace and happiness prevail and spread through you. Remember that your life is intimately connected with all other life. May all beings benefit from your presence as a living embodiment of peace and happiness.