George Bowman
Encyclopedia
George Bowman, or Bo Mun Soen sa Nim, is a Zen
master and licensed psychotherapist living at Furnace Mountain
in Clay City, Kentucky
(he does not teach there). He received Dharma transmission
from Seung Sahn
Soen Sa Nim in 1992, and is a former teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen
. He was a founding member of the Providence Zen Center
in 1972 and also did koan study with Joshu Sasaki from 1977 to 2003. Furnace Mountain is run by Dae Gak
Soen Sa Nim—another former Kwan Um line teacher. He was a resident teacher at the Cambridge Buddhist Association
from 1991 to 1999, and in 1994 founded the Institute for the Study of Meditation and Psychotherapy. Today he travels to Boston, Massachusetts most months to lead a "floating zendo
" named the Single Flower Sangha. Bowman has given inka
to his student David Dayan Rynick, who was the first individual to be acknowledged as a teacher outside of the Kwan Um lineage.
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
master and licensed psychotherapist living at Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain
Furnace Mountain is an American Zen Buddhist retreat center in Clay City, Kentucky, co-founded in 1986 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and Dae Gak Soen Sa Nim as part of the international Kwan Um School of Zen; it is now unaffiliated with the school in an official capacity...
in Clay City, Kentucky
Clay City, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,303 people, 543 households, and 367 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,199.5 people per square mile . There were 588 housing units at an average density of 541.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.08% White, 0.23%...
(he does not teach there). He received Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
from Seung Sahn
Seung Sahn
Seung Sahn Haeng Won Dae Soen-sa , born Dok-In Lee, was a Korean Jogye Seon master and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen—the largest Zen institution present in the Western world. He was the seventy-eighth teacher in his lineage...
Soen Sa Nim in 1992, and is a former teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen
Kwan Um School of Zen
The Kwan Um School of Zen is an international school of Zen centers and groups, founded in 1983 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim. The school's international head temple is located at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island, which was founded in 1972 shortly after Seung Sahn first came to...
. He was a founding member of the Providence Zen Center
Providence Zen Center
Providence Zen Center is the international headquarters for the Kwan Um School of Zen and the first Zen center established by Seung Sahn in the United States in October 1972. The PZC offers residential training where students and teachers live together under one roof, which was one of the...
in 1972 and also did koan study with Joshu Sasaki from 1977 to 2003. Furnace Mountain is run by Dae Gak
Dae Gak
Dae Gak , born Robert Genthner, is a Zen master and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain in Clay City, Kentucky, a Korean Buddhist temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with Seung Sahn . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is...
Soen Sa Nim—another former Kwan Um line teacher. He was a resident teacher at the Cambridge Buddhist Association
Cambridge Buddhist Association
The Cambridge Buddhist Association was informally founded in 1957 when D.T. Suzuki moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and befriended John and Elsie Mitchell, who ran a vast library of books on Buddhism and held zazen for various practitioners. The institution was incorporated in 1959 and remains...
from 1991 to 1999, and in 1994 founded the Institute for the Study of Meditation and Psychotherapy. Today he travels to Boston, Massachusetts most months to lead a "floating zendo
Zendo
or is a Japanese term translating roughly as "meditation hall". In Zen Buddhism, the zen-dō is a spiritual dōjō where zazen is practiced...
" named the Single Flower Sangha. Bowman has given inka
Inka
, is a term used in Zen Buddhism to denote a high-level of certification, and literally means "the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof." In ancient times inka usually came in the form of an actual document, but this practice is no longer commonplace...
to his student David Dayan Rynick, who was the first individual to be acknowledged as a teacher outside of the Kwan Um lineage.
See also
- Dae GakDae GakDae Gak , born Robert Genthner, is a Zen master and the guiding teacher of Furnace Mountain in Clay City, Kentucky, a Korean Buddhist temple and retreat center co-founded in 1986 with Seung Sahn . He received Dharma transmission from Seung Sahn in 1994. He also holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is...
- Furnace MountainFurnace MountainFurnace Mountain is an American Zen Buddhist retreat center in Clay City, Kentucky, co-founded in 1986 by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and Dae Gak Soen Sa Nim as part of the international Kwan Um School of Zen; it is now unaffiliated with the school in an official capacity...
- Providence Zen CenterProvidence Zen CenterProvidence Zen Center is the international headquarters for the Kwan Um School of Zen and the first Zen center established by Seung Sahn in the United States in October 1972. The PZC offers residential training where students and teachers live together under one roof, which was one of the...
- Kyozan Joshu SasakiKyozan Joshu SasakiKyozan Joshu Sasaki , Roshi is a Japanese Rinzai Zen teacher who has lived in the United States since 1962. Joshu Sasaki is the founder and head abbot of the Mount Baldy Zen Center, near Mount Baldy in California, and of the Rinzai-Ji order of affiliated Zen centers. As of , he is still actively...
- List of Rinzai Buddhists
- Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesTimeline of Zen Buddhism in the United StatesBelow is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.-Early history:* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago...