The Seoul International Zen Center was founded by Zen Master Seung Sahn as a place where people from all over the world can practice and find their true nature. The Center is located at beautiful Hwa Gye Sa Temple on Sam Gak Mountain in the North of Seoul.
Residents at the Zen Center practice together mornings and evenings and have various jobs at the temple during the day.
Visitors are welcome to join us for practice during the spring and fall Hae Jae seasons, which is free. It is also possible to participate in the group retreats that take place in the winter and summer Kyol Che seasons.
The Center together with Mu Sang Sa located in the Kye Ryong Mountain near by Daejon is a part of the Kwan Um School of Zen in Korea.
The head temple of the school is the Providence Zen Center, located in Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA. The School sponsors 90-day winter meditation retreats (Kyol Che) at two temples in South Korea, as well as at the Providence Zen Center in the USA and at the Warsaw Zen Center in Poland. A 90-day summer retreat is held at the Seoul International Zen Center, as well as three-week summer retreats at the Providence Zen Center and the Warsaw Zen Center. The School also publishes a quarterly journal, Primary Point.