Meaning of “Ilchi”
“Ilchi” is the spiritual name of Seung Heun Lee, one that he chose during a powerful experience following rigorous training almost 30 years ago. “Il (一)” from Ilchi means “the one, the truth, the way” and “chi (指)” means “to point.” So “Ilchi” means “to point to the truth” or “pointing the way.” Ilchi Lee often says that he does not want people to look at him, the person who is sharing this truth, but to look at where he is pointing, the truth itself.
Early Years
Ilchi Lee was born in 1950 in South Korea to a family of educators, months after the start of the Korean War.
As a student, Ilchi Lee had severe learning disabilities. Such things were not diagnosed or understood from a medical perspective at that time so he had many problems in school. His academic performance was so poor that his high school records include a degrading comment that labeled him “a student with no promise for the future.” After graduating from high school, young Ilchi failed the annual college entrance examinations, twice.
His learning disabilities were of the greatest concern to his father, a teacher at the local elementary school, who blamed himself for failing to educate his own child. Remorsefully, he retired early and this greatly affected Ilchi. Young Ilchi walked around with his father’s retirement weighing heavily upon his shoulders. At that time he noticed an opportunity to take action. He began cleaning up a local garbage mound. Then he buried the garbage in a field, where it served as fertilizer for a pumpkin patch he planted. Later he shared the pumplkins with neighbors. Through this experience, Ilchi became aware of the transformative potential of work, the joy of sharing with others, and the value of his own contribution.
After that experience, Ilchi began running regularly. This helped improve his concentration and he was able to focus on his studies. He was later admitted to college on his third attempt. In 1977 he graduated from Dan-Kuk University of Seoul, South Korea, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Pathology and Physical Education. While in college he operated a Taekwondo studio. During that time he accumulated diverse intellectual and experiential knowledge about the human body.
After college, Ilchi operated a private clinical pathology practice in his home town. He also continued to train and study in Taekwondo and other mind-body practices. He developed an interest in the relationship between certain postures or stances and their effect on the body.
From his early youth, Ilchi Lee had been driven by questions about the true meaning of his existence. Dissatisfied with intellectual answers, he had learned that training his body helped him gain a sense of centeredness and peace. Then the summer of 1980 he climbed up Mount Moak in South Korea’s Jeolla province to pursue answers to these questions. Following 21 days of intense fasting and meditation, [during which he neither ate nor slept], he experienced a very special state of awareness through which he found the answers to his questions about existence. He came to an intuitive understanding that his amazing experience was directly related to the brain, and that it was an experience others could share. He also saw that state of human consciousness ultimately affected the condition of the world we live in; our choices could lead to the destruction of our world or the revival of its primal harmony and beauty.
Since that time, he has devoted tireless efforts toward teaching others about the power of our choices, which begins in our brains. His efforts have fostered research, development, and experiential learning in the utilization of the infinite ability possessed by the human brain.
Teacher
Following his life changing experience on the mountain, Ilchi Lee felt a strong conviction to share what he had learned. He wanted to help people become physically healthier so they could make healthy choices, recognizing how many people making healthy choices would help improve society. He began teaching for free in a park in Anyang, South Korea, first assisting a lone stroke victim, and then training large groups of people. In 1985, after five years of lessons in the park, he rented a space in Seoul that became the first Dahn Center.
The exercises he taught gradually evolved to include a wide variety of over 360 meditative and brain-enhancement techniques, which he systemized into different programs and workshops and organized into five steps. This system of mind-body-spirit training is now known as Brain Education. It integrates ancient, millennia old, Korean philosophy and Sundo culture with applied neuroscience to teach optimal brain utilization. Beyond exercises, Brain Education offers wisdom for healthy living and the successful development of children and aging of adults.
Humanitarian
In August of 2000, Ilchi Lee stood as a guest speaker in the main hall of the United Nations building in New York City during the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. He recited the Prayer of Peace he had authored for the occasion, and he promised himself that the prayer would not see its end as mere words. He vowed to someday return to the UN with practical means of achieving world peace. To keep his promise, Ilchi Lee made efforts toward a multi-level strategic partnership with the UN. His chief interest was to make contributions to its global peace and humanitarian efforts.
In 2001, he hosted the New Millennium World Peace Humanity Conference in Seoul, South Korea, an event that gathered around 12,000 people from around the world to find workable means of fostering a more peaceful, sustainable global culture. Speakers at the event included former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, environmental activist Maurice Strong, and renowned journalist Seymour Topping. In addition, Ilchi Lee continued to have public seminars and academic seminars in Korea at the Korea Institute of Brain Science (KIBS) and the University of Brain Education (UBE). In 2007, KIBS earned consultative NGO status with the UN.
[Information on local activities, like contributing to the oil spill clean-up in 2007]
Then in 2008, 8 years after his determination as a guest at the UN, Ilchi Lee stood on the UN grounds not as a guest, but as a host. That June, he held the Fourth International Brain Education Conference there, while at the same time celebrating the inauguration of the International Brain Education Association (IBREA). With this event, he created a foundation for Brain Education to be utilized by the UN’s international peace activities, educational projects, and welfare promotion efforts. At the International Brain Education Conference, several distinguished neuroscientists such as Dr. Antonio Damasio and Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., as well as several other guests, lectured. In July of 2009, Brain Education was introduced to UN officials at the Annual Ministerial Review in Geneva, Switzerland during the seminar “The Role of Brain Education in Global Mental Health”.
Entrepreneur
Based on his earlier understanding of the transformative potential of work, the joy of sharing with others, and the value of his own contribution, Ilchi Lee taught this to others and developed a unique style of operating a business. Profit for the sake of helping others, for improving society, was the basis of his businesses. His unique business philosophy is embodied in the work of the management advisory company he founded but no longer manages, BR Consulting, Inc. Based in Sedona, Arizona, this company and its subsidiaries develop and provide advice on business methods and products related to Brain Education for more than 50 clients around the world.
Author
To express his pioneering views about the brain and human consciousness, Ilchi Lee has authored a total of 32 books. Among the books he has authored is his most recent one, Earth Citizen: Recovering Our Humanity, as well as Brain Wave Vibration: Getting Back into the Rhythm of a Happy, Healthy Life (Gold Medal Winner in the Living Now Book Awards [additional awards]), In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging (with Jessie Jones, Ph.D.), Principles of Brain Management: A Practical Approach to Making the Most of Your Brain, Know Your Brain, Know Happiness (with Dr. Hee-Sup Shin), Healing Society: A Prescription for Global Enlightenment, and Human Technology: A Toolkit for Authentic Living.
To reach people around the world, many of his books have been translated into different languages, especially English and Japanese. Brain Respiration has been translated the most; it exists in eight different languages. Other popular books such as Human Technology and Healing Society can be found in five different languages, including English and Korean. Brain Wave Vibration will soon be published in seven, including Russian, German, Japanese, French, and Mandarin Chinese.