WKS Family
Chong An Sunim, JDPS / The Abbot
Chong An Sunim became a monk in 1994 and spent the next six years training under the guidance of Zen Master Seung Sahn at the Seoul International Zen Center. He received Inka on August 26, 1999, from Zen Master Seung Sahn, becoming the first Hungarian to be given the authority of Ji Do Poep Sa Nim in the history of Korean Buddhism.
Since 2000, his primary residence has been in Europe. First, he lived and taught at Bo Kwang Soen Won, Budapest, Hungary. In 2005, he launched the Won Kwang Sa temple project which aims at building the first international Zen temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen in Europe. In 2008, Chong An Sunim moved into Won Kwang Sa. He teaches in Hungary, elsewhere in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Dok Hae Sunim / Vice Abbot & House Master
Dok Hae Sunim was born in October, 1975. He comes originally from Debrecen, Hungary. He studied mathematics and computer programming. He first met Zen through reading in 1990. He practiced Yoga in everyday life (Maheshwarananda) for three years and Aikido for fourteen years. He has taught Aikido for three years.
He met Chong An Sunim JDPS in Winter 2003 and he started to practice with him since Spring 2004. Same year in Autumn he took 5 precepts. In Autumn 2005 he moved to Budapest Zen Center and entered his monk training as Kwang Jin HJN.
In year 2007, after he finished his first Kyol Che in Bela, Czech Republic he moved to Won Kwang Sa. There he started to work on the temple project lead by Chong An Sunim, JDPS.
After 3 years of training and hard work, he became a novice monk in Autumn 2008. His monk name Dok Hae Sunim means “The Ocean of Virtue”. He is the Vice Abbot and the House Master of our temple. He gives all his heart and life for the community, the Sangha.
He speaks Hungarian and English.
Chong Kwang HJN / Moktak Master
Chong Kwang HJN (Kamil Kusnir) was born in February, 1975 and comes originally from Košice, Slovakia. He started to practice Zen in 1996 with Košice Sangha and later lived for 2 years in Prague Zen Center, Czech Republic. He studied and graduated from Economics & Management. In his job he was designing and processing bank databases.
After he continuously practiced for 14 years he moved to Won Kwang Sa in February 2010 and in April same year entered a monk training. His name Chong Kwang means Clear Light.
He is the House Master and Moktak Master in our temple and is also the right hand to our Garden Master.
Chong Kwang HJN speaks Slovak, Czech, English and little Hungarian.
Bul Hwa HJN / Kitchen Master
Bul Hwa HJN (Alicja Jaroska) was born is 1975 in Warsaw, Poland. She studied Oriental studies in Warsaw and in 1991 she spent one year on scholarship in China. There she met Buddhism for the first time. In 2006 she started to practice in Falenica Zen Center, Warsaw. In 2008 she took 10 precepts. She lived in Falenica Zen Center for one year in 2009. During the residential training she decided to enter the monastic life and moved to Won Kwang Sa in October 2009, where she became Haeng Ja. Her name Bul Hwa means Buddha's Flower.
She is a fantastic Kitchen Master in our temple. She likes animals and takes care of any orphan animal that comes to the temple. These days it is our beloved temple cat.
Bul Hwa HJN speaks Polish, English, Mandarine Chinese and understands Russian and French.
Gal Rubinstein / Head Dharma Teacher
Gal Rubinstein was born in Israel in 1975 and until recently he lived in a small town called Kfar-Saba. In April 2009 he moved with to Hungary.
He graduated high school as a Technical Engineer in Computer Science but, after trying it out, he moved to learn and practice Chinese medicine. In the last few years he returned to his field and works as software developer.
As an angry teenager, Gal was introduced by his parents to martial art as a method for self control. He practiced Karate and (Chinese) Tibetan white crane style Wu-Shu. Martial arts where the drive that led him to oriental medicine and eventually to practicing Zen. His search for spirituality lead him also to India, where he spent four months in 1997. Gal started to practice in Kwan Um School of Zen in 1997 in Israel. In 2008, he became a Dharma teacher. After he moved to Hungary last year, he practiced with Chong An Sunim in Budapest Zen Center. There he learned about the temple project.
At the end of the year 2009, Gal purchased a land near WKS temple and is planning to build his house there in the coming years.
Gal speaks Hebrew, English and little Hungarian.
Katka Grofova / Public Relations
Katka was born in May, 1976 and has two sisters. She comes originally from Brno, Czech Republic. She graduated the University of Education, specialization “Education of handicapped children”. Before the end of studies she changed her specialization and wrote her thesis on “Being with the dying”. For two years, she worked as a volunteer in hospice.
She started to practice in year 2000, in Autumn she took 5 precepts and in 2006 she became a Dharma Teacher. For a while she lived in Brno Zen Center and from 2006 for two years she was the Abbess of Brno Sangha. She took part in many YMJJs and Kyol Ches, including a 3-week solo-retreat.
In year 2007, after she finished Kyol Che in Bela, Czech Republic she started to travel to Won Kwang Sa regularly for longer periods of time and helped with the WKS temple project. In December 2008 she moved to Won Kwang Sa and became a permanent resident. She takes care of Public Relation and Office Management of the temple. At the same time she works for the Kwan Um School of Zen in Europe as Office Manager, being the right hand for Jo Potter JDPSN, the European School Abbess.
Katka speaks fluent Czech, Slovak and English; understands German and Polish.
Erika Piti / Garden Master
Erika was born in August, 1974. She comes originally from Budapest, Hungary. After High School she studied for Chemical Laborant / Pharmacy Assistant. She also took courses of First Aid (middle level) and Baby Sitting. For two years she studied Philosophy at the Buddhist College. She worked for 7 years in Copy General at the Customer Service Department. She practiced Tai Chi Qigong for some time.
She started to practice Zen in 1997 with Budapest Sangha. Later, in 2007/8 Erika spent 11 months at Mu Sang Sa Temple in Korea doing gardening and kitchen jobs. When she returned, Erika live for half a year in Budapest Zen Center where she took care of administration. In 2009 she moved to Won Kwang Sa where she is the Garden Master now. She puts all her energy into bio-gardening and healing with herbs.
Erika speaks fluent Hungarian, English and German. She speaks very little Korean, but would love to continue studying Korean language if possible.
Radvanyi Balazs / Resident
Balazs was born in October 1977 in Hungary. He has younger sister. He studied Biology at the University of Szeged. Afterwards he worked in the desktop-publishing field, as a freelancer and also for a studio in Szeged.
Balazs studied linguistics, Chinese and western calligraphy. It is now one of his major hobbies.
He started to practice in 2003 in Budapest Zen Center. In year 2006 he took 5 precepts. In March 2010 he took part in the winter Kyol Che for one month, and after that became a resident at WKS temple. He is a right hand of our House Master, working most of the day.
Balazs speaks fluent Hungarian and English.
