Sangha - Community

About ten resident monks live at the Sambosa Diamond Meditation Center under the direction of a good and wise guiding teacher, the Master Chung Hwa (as pictured on the right).

The Master is seventy-five years old and comes from the East. He has lived an ascetic life, eating only one meal a day, while sitting, not lying down (day or night) for forty-five years. Three or four times during this period, he has practiced intensive meditation, maintaining complete silence for three years at a time.

The Venerable Chung Hwa is currently observing three-years of intensive meditation at the Palm Springs Diamond Meditation Center (a branch of the Sambosa). He will conclude the intensive meditation at the end of March, 1998 and once again continue to share Dharma (teachings) with the people of the world.

History of the Sambosa

In January of 1973, Sambosa was founded by layman Toksan (Lee, Han-Sang). He purchased about 10,000 square feet of land in Carmel. After building living quarters, he finished construction of the Sambosa Main Dharma Hall. This was the first Korean Buddhist temple in America.

The founding Abbot, Lee Woon Huh renamed the temple as Sambosa which means the temple of three treasures. After numerous changes at Sambosa, the Venerable Chung Hwa re-established the Sambosa Diamond Meditation Center in 1993. It is an important and blessed event in the progress of American Buddhism to have a Great Master from the East residing at Sambosa and sharing the Dharma teachings in the United States of America.

Currently Abbot Yong Ta Seunim is carrying out the affairs of the Sambosa Diamond Meditation Center with several resident monks.