Zen Master Su Bong

Zen Master Su Bong (1943 - 1994) was born on January 7, 1943 in North Kona, Hawaii. His mother was of Korean descent, and his father was of Chinese Hakka origin.

In 1974, he met Zen Master Seung Sahn, and soon became one of his most dedicated students in America. Between 1975 and 1981 he helped establish the Dharma Zen Centre in Los Angeles, and helped build many Buddhist temples and pagodas in North America. In 1981, he received 'inka', the authority to lead retreats and teach kong-an practice, and also served as Abbot of Dharma Zen Centre. In 1983, he was ordained as a monk and given the name Mu Deung.

Between 1983 and 1994, he led thirteen 90-days Kyol Che retreats in the United States, as well as the Su Dok Sah, Shin Won Sah and Hwa Gye Sah temples in Korea. He also made many teaching trips to Western and Eastern Europe especially Poland and Russia. In October 1992, at a formal ceremony in Providence Zen Centre, he received transmission of the Dharma from Zen Master Seung Sahn, and the Enlightenment name of Su Bong Soen Sa, meaning "Extraordinary Peak".

Between 1990 and 1994 he taught extensively in South Africa and Hong Kong. Together with Zen Master Seung Sahn, Zen Master Su Bong brought Zen teaching to China, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. He was the guiding teacher for the Hong Kong Sangha, the South African Sangha, the Seoul International Sangha, and the Queensland, Australia, Sangha.

On July 17, 1994, when Zen Master Su Bong was giving an interview to a young girl aged fourteen in Hong Kong Zen Centre, he asked the young girl: "What is the universal sound?" The young girl hit the floor. Zen Master said: "Correct", and then passed into Nirvana, sitting up in his full Dharma robe and kasa. His bodily age was fifty-one, and his monk's age was eleven