[Buddha-l] crazy wisdom

[curt]

There is an interesting figure in modern Korean Buddhism that provides a 
counter-example to the claim that there was something unique, or 
uniquely "Tibetan", in Trunpa Rinpoche - or that his "craziness" was a 
response to, or adaptation to, western culture. His name was Ko Bong 
Sunim - he was known for his long hair and beard and for his fondness 
for sake and also for smoking tobacco (monks are supposed to keep head 
an face shaved and abstain from alcohol and tobacco). He also refused to 
wear traditional grey monks robes and instead insisted on dressing in 
white (which is associated with Shamanism in Korea, not Buddhism). He 
also refused, with one notable exception, to accept monks as his 
students - he would only take on nuns and lay people (the vast majority 
of his students were nuns). The general rule, to this day, is for Korean 
Zen Masters to only teach monks. To my knowledge there are no stories 
about his engaging in sexual activity - but otherwise he "fits" the 
model. He was grudgingly accepted, as well as feared, as a Zen Master 
within the Korean Chogye order - he was given transmission by the 
universally respected (and extremely respectable) Man Gong Sunim. Ko 
Bong's principle Dharma Heir was Zen Master Seung Sahn, who was the one 
exception he made for a monk. There is a monument to Ko Bong on the 
grounds of Hwa Gye Sah Temple on the outskirts of Seoul - it is a huge 
sculpture in the shape of a perfect sphere. Ko Bong developed his 
"style" of teaching during the 30's and 40's (maybe even earlier) - a 
time when there was little if any "western" influence on Korean Buddhism 
- or vice versa.
- Curt

John Whalen-Bridge wrote:

>I have a question for anyone familiar with Tibetan Buddhism.  Was Trungpa's "Crazy Wisdom" dharma his own invention?  Clearly one could look to the Marpa/Milarepa relationship and say, in a vague way, that there is a precededent for unorthodox teaching methods.  But in terms of drinking and smoking and having vajra guards? I'm not asking "Did it happen?" but rather, "Is such 'Crazy Wisdom', as some of Trungpa's students will claim, a respected/recognized tradition? Whether or not such methods were skillful is another matter, but I'm hoping to have a better sense of whether or not the "lineage" was, as I suspect, invented to suit 1970s Americans.
>
>Ditto Shambala Training.
>
>All best,  John Whalen-Bridge
>
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