The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea

Robert Buswell crafts the book "The Zen Monastic Experience" from a combination of research and personal experience in order to shed light on the monastic life and communities of Korea. He gives historic accounts and research interspersed with anecdotes from his own years spent as a monk in the Korean monastery Songgwang-sa. While this book may at first appear to be a written construct of Buswell's historical and ethnographic research, there is revealed an underlying motive to change contemporary Western views of Zen. Buswell uses Korean Buddhism as an example against typical Western thought on the topic, and states in his conclusion, "Modern Son monastic life in Korea therefore offers a valuable counterparadigm to the usual Western portrayals of Zen, an alternative vision that yields quite a different picture of the day-to-day reality of Zen religious experience from that to which we in the West have become accustomed" (Buswell 223). He spends the book explaining his research on the topic and giving a full view of everything about Korean monastic life. In his conclusion he shows some of the disparities between typical Western thought and the Buddhism he has showed in the preceding pages. He argues for a "reappraisal of Zen religious experience" (Buswell 217). Buswell's combination of research and personal experience makes this book both profoundly informative and entertaining. For every description he gives of a Son practice or monastic tradition, he has a story to illustrate the point more fully. This makes the book suitable for many audiences; it provides the accurate ethnographic and historical research a scholar would require as well as the interesting personalities that would make the book great for even an everyday reader. For example, when describing the different administrative positions within the monasteries, he gives both detailed information about what the job entails as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the politics surrounding it. After describing the position of Abbot, he mentions that because of the heavy workload involved, the monks often have to "cajole someone into accepting the job" (Buswell 109). Later when talking about the intensive meditation week that is practiced during the winter retreat, he describes the occurrence through his own experience. He provides the reader with insight into not only the details of practice, but the effects it had on the practitioner. He says at the end of his talk about intensive meditation, "Then it really was quite remarkable how effective - even almost refreshing, in a bizarre sort of way - such intensive practice could be" (Buswell 189). It is this mixture of information and experience that makes the book so different and compelling to read. It is precisely this strength that I believe leads to the major drawback of the work. Because he is mixing together several different sources of information, he ends up jumping from topic to topic with little organization. To be

Below is an edited version of a critical book review for a class on Buddhism. Professor Buswell's book is an engaging and fascinating portrait of Buddhist life in a Korean Seon temple long before it became common for us to see books and dharma talks by foreign Seon monks. His tale is as rollicking an adventure story as a tale of quiet mediation and disciplined scholarship could be. Reading his words we imagine the idealistic young man Buswell must have been, urgently holding his professor back in the halls after class to answer his eager questions, with firm purpose boarding a plane for Thailand where with a serious expression and a quick beating heart his head was shaved and he donned the robes of a monk. Then finding something missing setting out for a remote tete-a-tete, sharing his monk mentor with only one other as he diligently studied tracts on Buddhist philosophy written in Classical Chinese, then by chance and good fortune finding the spiritual home of his heart, Song'gwangsa, the `Sangha Jewel Temple'. This book, in brief, is the story of Buswell's experience of Korean Buddhism, written in a style that manages to be both conversational and easily readable and yet academic and possessed of face and content validity at the same time. Buswell explains Seon Buddhism in Korea by explaining what he saw and experienced over five years at Song'gwangsa, including chapters on the temple itself, the daily work of monks and the different positions monks filled beyond working on meditation. This book serves as a more closely focused and Korean telling of the world that you can read about in Welch's "Practice of Chinese Buddhism". The sorts of tasks, the ways the monks meditate, even the ascetic practices that we heard about from Welch reappear here in a clearly told and highly reliable illustration of the mid to late 70s practices of Korean Seon monks. It is very curious to think of the amazing success that Seon Buddhism has had with foreigners. Though Buswell was one of the early ones, or even the first, there are many monks who many years ago put on their robes, and unlike Buswell, have kept them on many more than five (or seven) years. It was Seung-san a famous Buddhist teacher who became the most active face of Seon to the outside world. Through temples and centers he established in America and Europe many non-Koreans got to experience Buddhism, Seon style, first hand. It's unsurprising to me but perhaps quite surprising to most Koreans that many of those interested in Seon went so far as to attend retreats in Korea, and some even ordained. I am not convinced that becoming a monk is any more or less difficult for a foreigner than a Korean. However there is one thing I must admit, if a westerner is lazy and shiftless and unskilled and they want to find an easy life, they would never consider moving to Korea and putting on a cheongsam. Buswell in his evaluation of those who ordained for the wrong reasons states "...contin

This book is not easy. You have to really want to know more about Korean Zen (Son) to get through this one. There is a lot of Korean words, and, as another reviewer aptly commented, 'no pop psychology' that seems so common in these types of books. However, the time you spend will be well repaid. The author writes well, and does not romanticize his topic. He speaks from experience- something that, in any field, let alone Asian Studies, seems quite rare.

This is a comprehensive and direct account of the structure of practice at a contemporary Korean Zen monastery. Robert Buswell is a Buddhist academic teaching at the University of California who also spent five years as a Zen monk in Korea. Here he ties into the book what daily life and religious ritualistic practice is truly like while staying in a Zen monastery. This book should absolutely be read by everyone. Buswell draws on personal experience in this intriguing account of day-to-day Zen monastic practice. His depiction of the life of contemporary Zen monks practicing in Korea gives an original and thought provoking look at Zen from an insiders perspective. He covers truly everything one needs to know about Zen practice in a matter of fact way which can help clear up a Westerners possible misconceptions. If you like this work, you will also like "A Glimpse of Nothingness" by Janwillem van de Wettering; an account of experiences had in an American Zen community. Also I cannot recommend enough the teachings of Zen master Seung Sahn, ie. The Compass of Zen, Only Don't Know, and Dropping Ashes on the Buddha. This is a great accent to such works.

Wow. Should have been a documentary as well. It took me into the existence of Korean Zen Monks. No pop psychology here. I was humbled at the notion of meditating for two weeks straight in one sitting and I respected more what it is to be a monk. It made me think of my childhood. When I was a little boy in Korea a renunciate came to my house to beg for rice to my mother's disdain. He wore a white tattered robe and I realize now what he was. Living in this hectic modern world and having my illusions shattered over and over again made me realize how lucky I was to have seen a Buddha with my very eyes. I think I'll read this one again soon. Buddha Bless You. You know what I mean.