About us

Seon Master Subul Sunim
(b. 1953) became an ordained monk with the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, in 1975. In his nearly five decades with the Order, he has played an influential role in its mission. He has served as abbot of Beomeosa, a significant monastery in Busan, and as the Seon master of the Dongguk University International Meditation Center in Seoul.
He founded the flagship Anguk Seon Center in Busan in 1989. A second center in Seoul opened in 1996. Additional affiliated centers were opened in subsequent years, most recently in Los Angeles in 2022. A new center is scheduled to open early next year in New Zealand, marking the launch of a new era in his international teaching career.
Subul Sunim's most lasting contribution is his teaching in Ganwha Seon, known as Gong'an (Ko’an) in the West. Approximately 25,000 lay practitioners have benefitted from his retreats.
Anguk Seon Centers

In 1989, with a small group of devoted Ganhwa Seon practitioners in Busan, Anguk Seon Center began its journey. A few years later, the center moved to Anguk Temple, where it received its present name. In March 2005, it relocated to its current location, the Busan Anguk Seon Center.

Due to its growing number of followers in Seoul, the center opened a small facility there in 1996. In March 2001, the Anguk Seon Center in Seoul was relocated to a new, modern facility in the heart of Seoul, Jongno-gu.

Anguk Seon Center also has overseas affiliates in Los Angeles and New Zealand, alongside several local centers.
For decades, Anguk Seon Centers have hosted Ganhwa Seon retreats every summer and winter, allowing many to benefit from this practice as part of their spiritual journey.