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Hwansan Sunim is anything but your typical Harvard grad. After college, he earned a post-graduate degree in psychology at NYU, and then rerouted his life to South Korea, where he became a Buddhist monk and spent 25 years in a monastery studying the principles of Seon Buddhism.

A disciple of Korean Seon Master Songdam -- the most respected Buddhist Zen master in Korea -- Sunim has devoted his life to the Seon way. And despite his traditional lifestyle, Sunim is anything but out of touch with the modern world: he now shares the teachings of Seon Buddhism with a global audience via his YouTube channel, “Hwansan Sunim: Son Meditation for the Modern World.”

"Seon meditation aims to eradicate the very roots of suffering, as well as awaken us to our infinite human potential," Sunim explained in a recent video. "This, I believe, is what the Buddha's teachings can do for us in the 21st century."

Sunim's instructional videos are roughly 45 minutes long and conducted in English, and present the Seon teachings in an engaging, accessible manner. Watch the first chapter of Sunim's video series in the clip above to learn more about the principles of Seon Buddhism.