Daehaeng Sunim is a Korean Zen master who was born in 1927 and spent many years training in the mountains before she began to teach. The organization she founded has emerged as one of the most influential Korean Buddhist institutions today with more than 15 domestic branches and 10 overseas centers. This anthology of her writings is aimed at scholars and students alike who want to understand and put into practice the essentials of Buddhism. Daehaeng Sunim is especially helpful in her overview of "letting go," which is possible when we believe in our true Buddha nature. When we cling to fixed ideas, we continue to live in a prison, unwilling to taste the freedom the comes with an open mind and an appreciation for the connectedness of all things:
"When people hear 'Let go of everything,' they often ask, 'How can I live if I do that?' However, when you let go, you can truly live. Unenlightened people believe that it is necessary to plan and think carefully about every single thing. However, awakened people don't raise thoughts for each little thing they do. Instead, they just rest deeply. Yet everything they do is in accord with the Dharma, without even the slightest error. Because they let go, their actions are more harmonious, natural, profound, sincere, beautiful, and more beneficial than any actions that are done by relying on intellect or planning. Thus, for the true practitioner, everything in daily life is itself the path."
For Daehaeng Sunim, the essence of Buddhism lies in applying and experiencing. A chapter on "Practice in Daily Life" is a gem. She discusses handling difficulties and suffering, illness, money and prosperity, family, true love, happiness, and harmony.
