Korean Seon rests on the conviction that awakening arises from direct, non-conceptual insight into one’s own mind, often described as seeing one’s true nature or original Buddha-nature. Rather than privileging elaborate doctrine, it points straight to mind-nature, relying on experiential realization over intellectual understanding. This directness is expressed in the teaching that enlightenment is sudden: a breakthrough that reveals that one’s mind is originally pure and complete, and that ordinary and enlightened mind are not two separate realities. At the same time, this sudden awakening is not treated as a final endpoint, but as something that must be continually embodied and deepened through ongoing practice.

The distinctive method associated with Korean Seon is ganwaseon, the disciplined contemplation of a hwadu, a critical phrase akin to a koan. By concentrating on a hwadu such as “What is this?”, practitioners deliberately exhaust discursive thinking until conceptual habits fall away and a sudden insight can emerge. This process is supported by the cultivation of great doubt and alertness, a sustained questioning that penetrates to the root of self and reality. Such practice is not merely a mental exercise but a radical reorientation of attention, turning the light back onto one’s own mind rather than seeking truth outside.

Another hallmark of Korean Seon is the integration of meditation with the activities of daily life. Sitting meditation is important, yet walking, working, eating, and speaking are all regarded as fields of practice where mindfulness, questioning, and clear awareness are maintained. This reflects the recognition that samsara and nirvana, delusion and enlightenment, practice and realization, are not fundamentally separate; the very circumstances of ordinary existence are the arena in which Buddha-nature is realized. Simplicity and directness in conduct and ritual support this orientation, keeping the emphasis on lived insight rather than on external forms.

Finally, Korean Seon affirms the harmony of meditative practice and doctrinal study, often expressed as the unity of Seon and Gyo. Scriptural teachings and commentaries are respected, yet they are understood as supports that must be grounded in direct realization, not substitutes for it. This is mirrored in the value placed on mind-to-mind transmission within a living lineage, where the relationship between teacher and student embodies the continuity of awakened understanding. Underlying all of this is confidence in universal Buddha-nature: the assurance that every being, through sincere inquiry and practice, can awaken to the mind that is originally free.