15 September 2020

22 September 2020

The great tradition of Buddhist poetry begins with the Buddha and winds its way around the world, capturing unique moments of life and death, framing our deepest thoughts and aspirations, opening our hearts and minds to the struggles and delights of this world.

Join Venerable Bom Hyon Sunim (a monastic and teacher in the Korean Zen tradition) for this 2-week course. Feast on the different styles of Buddhist poetry, and their historical contexts, over the centuries. From the Buddha himself, to the Jatakas and the early poets of northern India and Nepal such as Asvaghosa, Nagajuna and Milarepa, then travel across to East Asia and the poets of the Chinese Chan tradition, Korean Son, Japanese Zen and haiku, and on to the West to appreciate some contemporary offerings.

Pause for a moment to appreciate the outrageous, the humorous, the sorrowful and the profound – writ large in the paradox of our shared human condition.

An empty morning,
As far as I can reach
In all directions,
Nothing there.
What is all this talk
about delusion
and enlightenment?
Drinking my tea,
Listening to the wind,
Yellow daffodils
in the sunshine.

Please be sure to register so we can send you the Zoom link before the first session – Register here 

Teacher profile

Venerable Bom Hyon Sunim is from the Korean Zen tradition and is resident at the Korean Jong Bop Sa Temple in Sydney. Sunim relocated to Sydney in 2017, having lived in Victoria for the previous 8 years, where she was the resident teacher of the Bodhi Ahm Buddhist Centre and founded the Healthcare Chaplaincy program for the Buddhist Council. She is presently a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University and the Senior Buddhist Chaplain for the Australian Defence Forces – also Chairperson of the Australian Sangha Association (ASA).

Sunim conducts teachings and retreats and is active in interfaith, welcoming engagement with all who are spiritually and ecologically motivated to live in right relationship to the planet and all beings.

All Sessions are by Donation (Dana) to the Buddhist Library. All donations to the Buddhist Library of $2 and over are tax deductible.

Dana is the traditional practice of generosity, the extending of one’s goodwill, which is fundamental to Buddhism and other spiritual traditions. The dana you give helps to maintain the Library and allows us to offer more teachings on the Dhamma so that others may benefit in the future. It is up to each person to determine the amount of dana they’d like to offer. We understand that this is a difficult time financially for many, and people will give what they can. An appropriate dana can’t be prescribed but requires sensitivity to its intent and to the individual’s own situation, as well as awareness of the cost of organising events and supporting teachers who spread the Dhamma.