No River to Cross: Trusting the Enlightenment That's Always Right Here

by Daehaeng, Robert Buswell (Foreword by), Chong Go Sunim (Editor)

Overview

It is often said that enlightenment means "crossing over to the other shore," that far-off place where we can at last be free from suffering. Likewise, it is said that Buddhist teachings are the raft that takes us there.

In this sparkling collection from one of the most vital teachers of modern Korean Buddhism, Zen Master Daehaeng shows us that there is no raft to find and, truly, no river to cross. She extends her hand to the Western reader, beckoning each of us into the unfailing wisdom accessible right now, the enlightenment that is always, already, right here.

A Zen (or seon, as Korean Zen is called) master with impeccable credentials, Daehaeng has developed a refreshing approach; No River to Cross is surprisingly personal. It's disarmingly simple, yet remarkably profound, pointing us again and again to our foundation, our "True Nature" - the perfection of things just as they are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861715343
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	09/28/2007
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	549,362
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Daehaeng Kun Sunim was one of the most respected Buddhist teachers in Korea. While most Korean Zen masters have traditionally taught only monks and perhaps a few nuns, Daehaeng Kun Sunim was determined to teach spiritual practice in such a way that anyone—regardless of their occupation, gender, or family status—could practice and awaken. With this in mind, in 1972 she established Hanmaum Seon Center as a place where everyone could come and learn about their true nature and how to live with freedom, dignity, and courage. The center has gone on to emerge as one of the most influential Korean Buddhist centers today, with over fifteen domestic branches and nine overseas centers. Daehaeng Kun Sunim is the author of No River to Cross. She passed away in May 2012.

Table of Contents

Foreword     ix
Editor's Introduction     xi
A Brief Biography of Daehaeng Kun Sunim     xiii
Principles
Fundamental Questions     3
Who Am I?     3
What Is Buddha?     4
What Is Buddha-nature?     5
What Is Buddha-Dharma?     6
What Is Buddhism?     6
Eternal Truth     9
Hanmaum     9
Juingong     10
My True Reality     12
Non-Duality     15
Cause and Effect     16
The Principle of Evolution     19
The Essence of Truth     22
Mind and Science     25
Cultivating Mind
The Essence of Mind     31
What Is Mind?     31
The Profound Ability of Mind     33
The Thoughts that We Give Rise To     34
Belief Is the Key     39
Entrust and Observe     41
Entrust and Let Go of Everything     41
How to Let Go     47
The Virtue and Merit of Letting Go     49
Unceasing Practice     51
Gwan (Observing)     56
Enlightenment     59
The Path to Awakening     59
Seeing Your Inherent Nature     60
Becoming a Buddha     62
Nirvana     63
The Middle Path     64
The Virtue and Merit of Awakening     65
Applying the Principle of One Mind
The Essence of Buddhism Lies in Applying and Experiencing     69
Practice in Daily Life     71
Life Itself Is Dharma     71
Handling Difficulties and Suffering     72
Illness     73
Money and Prosperity     75
Family     76
True Love     78
Happiness and Harmony     78
Religion and Daily Life     81
Teachers and Learning the Path     81
Bowing     82
Keeping the Precepts     84
Sutras     85
Reciting the Buddha's Name and Chanting Sutras     87
One with Your Ancestors     87
True Giving     89
Fate and Destiny     90
Believing in Outer Powers     91
Religious Conflict     92
Glossary     93
A Note about the Current Text     99
Notes     101

Editorial Reviews

"Daehaeng Kun Sunim emerges in this collection as one of the most creative and accessible of contemporary Korean Buddhist teachers, capable of using even the most mundane of daily events as grist for the mill of Buddhist teaching and practice."

Robert Buswell

"No River to Cross speaks directly and simply from the heart, much in the manner of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Master Daehaeng's ability to penetrate the skin with plain and pointed words should give this work the same longevity."

Francisca Cho

"No River to Cross gives us a strong voice, at times astonishingly direct; a balance of clear explanations of the complex terms and concepts of Buddhist practice with precise, perfectly chosen, illuminating examples; and a striking relevance for today's world in Daehaeng Sunim's reflections, among other topics, on creation, evolution, and religious conflict."

David McCann

“No River to Cross speaks directly and simply from the heart, much in the manner of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Master Daehaeng's ability to penetrate the skin with plain and pointed words should give this work the same longevity." — Francisca Cho, Georgetown University, translator of Everything Yearned For

"No River to Cross gives us a strong voice, at times astonishingly direct; a balance of clear explanations of the complex terms and concepts of Buddhist practice with precise, perfectly chosen, illuminating examples; and a striking relevance for today's world in Daehaeng Sunim's reflections, among other topics, on creation, evolution, and religious conflict." — David McCann, recipient of the Manhae Prize for Arts and Sciences, and Director of the Korea Institute at Harvard University

"Daehaeng Kun Sunim emerges in this collection as one of the most creative and accessible of contemporary Korean Buddhist teachers, capable of using even the most mundane of daily events as grist for the mill of Buddhist teaching and practice." — Robert Buswell, Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies, UCLA, from his Foreword

From the Publisher