In This Life, Getting a Little Bit of Happiness Is Important

Anecdotes about Zen Master Seung Sahn

Being in Palma de Mallorca for a retreat followed by a public talk, Zen Master Seung Sahn came along with Do Mun Sunim (now Zen Master Dae Bong), Zen Master Dae Kwang, Zen Master Su Bong, Mu Sang Sunim, Jane McLaughlin (now Zen Master Bon Yeon), and Diana Clark. At one point, Zen Master Seung Sahn felt unwell and had to be admitted to a clinic.

He was there for a few days until it was time to give the public talk. Then he told me to talk to the cardiologist and tell him that he had to go out and give this talk. The doctor told me that this was impossible, that he could not assume such responsibility, and that he had to stay in the hospital following the treatment and continue doing tests. I explained what the doctor said to Dae Soen Sa Nim. He patiently listened to the story, and when I finished he told me, “Go back to the doctor and explain that it is unavoidable that I have to go to give this conference that many people will attend. Therefore, I have to leave the clinic today.”

Again I went back to meet with the cardiologist, as smoothly as I could, expecting an angry reaction. When he found out that I was a nurse, the doctor showed me the electrocardiograms and told me that with those medical tests and given his history of two previous heart attacks, he could not let him leave, but that in any case, if he wanted to leave, he would do so voluntarily and at his own risk.

I went again to transmit the information to Zen Master Seung Sahn, and he told me, “OK, give me the paper, and I’ll sign it.” The doctor signed the voluntary discharge and gave it to me so that Dae Soen Sa Nim could sign it, telling me, “If this man wants to commit suicide, I cannot prevent it.”

That same day, Zen Master Seung Sahn left the clinic to give the talk at the conference, which was a success in terms of attendance, without any problem.

The first retreat in Palma in 1982 was attended by many diverse people of all ages and from many places. Only a few of the more senior students were familiar with the formal meals served on such retreats.

At lunchtime, instructions were given on how to proceed. When it came time to clean the bowls, as it was the first time, and with so much new information, there was a misunderstanding, and many retreatants had not realized that they should not leave food in the bowls. When collecting the water at the end, they put food scraps into the water. When the collected water was presented to the head dharma teacher, it was a soup with leftover vegetables, bread, etc.

Seeing this, Dae Soen Sa Nim got quite angry and ordered that “that” be distributed among all and be drunk: “Drink necessary.” Hearing that, about twenty people got up and left. Zen Master Seung Sahn reconsidered his attitude, took back the order and explained the reason for the whole procedure in the formal style, so that things calmed down, and the retreat could continue without further incident.

While living at the Paris Zen Center, we were visited by Zen Master Seung Sahn, along with Do Mun Sunim, making a stopover on the way to Poland. Every morning Dae Soen Sa Nim went to the embassy to get the visa to enter Poland and returned without success. The situation lasted for several weeks.

The Zen center followed the rhythm of practice, work, meals, and so on. But from time to time, Dae Soen Sa Nim invited us to the movies and then to ice cream before returning for practice. After lunch each day, we made sure to have all our jobs finished so we would be prepared in case there was an “afternoon session.”

Once we went to see an action movie—Zen Master Seung Sahn’s favorite genre. I used to sit behind him and translate from French to English (sometimes without much success), so that he could follow the plot.

After endless scenes of violence and innumerable deaths, there came the final scene, in which the protagonist (Arnold Schwarzenegger) said goodbye to the girl on the steps of the plane (as in the movie Casablanca) and also decided to stay on the ground, to finish the work.

After dinner at the Zen center, we used to have tea and discuss the movies we had seen. Dae Soen Sa Nim said, “You know, he (Schwarzenegger) should have left with the girl, because in this life, getting a little bit of happiness is important.”

While visiting Seoul with my wife, Gabriela, we stayed in a yogwan (a Korean-style hotel) near Hwagyesa Temple, where Dae Soen Sa Nim lived. We participated in the practice and some temple activities.

One day, Zen Master Seung Sahn invited us to accompany him on a trip with some monks from the monastery to Pusan, in South Korea, where there was a ceremony and he had to give a dharma talk. We traveled there by car, and when we arrived, there was a theater full of people; there were traditional dances, which were very colorful, with exquisite harmony; and then Zen Master Su Bong gave a talk in Korean. Finally, Dae Soen Sa Nim concluded the event with his dharma talk. We had been asked to go on stage to greet the audience with a bow, and we were asked for our names and professions: Gabriela, journalist; Tolo, nurse.

When we went on stage, there was a great ovation for us, as Western students of Dae Soen Sa Nim visiting Korea. However, they mixed up our professions—perhaps due to gender-role assumptions,—calling Gabriela Tous the nurse and Bartolomé Cantarellas the journalist. 

While Dae Soen Sa Nim was admitted to a clinic on the outskirts of Palma (located near a forest) due to cardiac risk, we went to visit him: Do Mun Sunim, Mu Sang Sunim, Jane McLaughlin, and me. When we entered the room, we saw him, relaxed and smiling, looking up. On top of the IV support that was connected to his arm, there was a small insect with antennae perched, and Dae Soen Sa Nim was talking to it affectionately. Once all of us had joined him next to the bed, he introduced it to us and continued talking to both it and us. The scene was charming and tender. He made us smile, and at the same time relieved us of our concern for his health.