The Kwan Um School of Zen is an international organization of more than a hundred Zen centers and groups founded by Zen Master Seung Sahn. The Kwan Um School of Zen is an international organization of more than a hundred Zen centers and groups founded by Zen Master Seung Sahn, the first Korean Zen Master to live and teach in the West. Zen Master Seung Sahn founded the Kwan Um School of Zen in 1972. Our teaching is rooted in the ancient Korean Seon (Zen) tradition, with many adaptations to the requirements of modern life. When you practice within a community, you can quickly go beyond obstacles to wisdom and compassion. At the heart of our practice is "don’t know mind", the mind that opens naturally and unconditionally to each moment. Our innate wisdom and compassion flow through this opening to support the well-being of all creatures. Each Zen center is an engaged community of practitioners (sangha) under the leadership of a guiding teacher. We have over 40 centers and sitting groups in the USA and elsewhere in the Americas.