Memorial Ceremony for Sa Bu Nim Video

The video of the Memorial Ceremony for Shim Gum Do Founding Master Great Zen Master Chang Sik Kim has been uploaded and is now available.  He will forever be in our hearts and minds.

Memorial Ceremony for Sa Bu Nim

Shim Gum Do Founding Master Great Zen Master Chang Sik Kim passed away peacefully at Shim Gwang Sa on Friday March 12, 2021.

Known as “Sa Bu Nim” (father teacher) he was the creator of Shim Gum Do (Mind Sword Path), an integrated practice of Zen martial arts and meditation. With branches in Italy and Korea, Shim Gum Do’s world headquarters, Shim Gwang Sa (Mind Light Temple), is in the historic 1894 First Parish in Brighton stone church on Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton, Massachusetts.

Sa Bu Nim was born in a small farming village in Korea in 1944. When he was 13 he entered the Hwa Gye Sa temple of the Jogye Order of Zen Buddhism and began his formal Zen training under Zen Master Seung Sahn Lee, Dae Seon Sa Nim. Dae Seon Sa Nim gave him the precept’s name “Won Gwang” (Universal Light).

When he was 21, Sa Bu Nim underwent a 100-day meditation retreat and during that time attained Mind Sword enlightenment. Following his retreat he began teaching his path, emphasizing compassion and meditation through the practice of his martial arts. He always said that Shim Gum Do training was about developing a clear mind, clear thinking and clear action. He came to America in 1974 and became a United States citizen in 1985.

In addition to his teaching, Sa Bu Nim was an accomplished calligraphy artist and poet. He has written more than 83,000 poems, some of which are published in his 18 poetry books beginning with The Pillow Head Collects Your Dreams in 1996. His work has been translated into Korean, French, Spanish, Persian and Japanese. In 2014 he was awarded the International PEN Korean Center’s Special Literature Award for his book Great Nature: Poems for All of Nature. He has also written two books about Shim Gum Do.

He is survived by his wife, Shim Gum Do Head Master Mary Jeanette Stackhouse, a large extended family, and by the worldwide Shim Gum Do Family of Heroes.

Due to the COVID Pandemic, no public gathering is scheduled at this time. All are invited to join virtually in a ceremony to honor Sa Bu Nim on Saturday March 20^th @ 11 AM EST via a live feed through Facebook and Instagram

In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the American Buddhist Shim Gum Do Association:

February Shim Gwang Sa COVID Update

It is Winter here in Boston and Shim Gwang Sa continues to be closed. It is hard to believe that it has been more than a year of living in the COVID Pandemic. We are more hopeful now that the COVID vaccination program is moving forward in Massachusetts. It is still too early to know when we will be able to resume any of our activities. We will keep posting updates about how things are progressing. If you would like to receive email updates, please contact us here: CONTACT US

83,000 Poems!
Though 2020 was a challenging year, remarkable things still happened. On December 29th, Sa Bu Nim wrote his 83,000th poem.
Sa Bu Nim teaches us through his actions the importance for all of us to keep focused on our goals.
As 2021 begins during the ongoing COVID pandemic and civil discord in our country, it is important to continue to take time to focus on why we train Shim Gum Do:
For a clear mind, clear thinking and clear action.

Happy New Year 2021!

Let us all pray for a great healthy New Year that will bring great changes and growth to everyone on our planet.