Won Buddhism

Overview

In 1916, a twenty-five-year-old Korean named Park Chung-bin - the future Sotaesan (“Perfectly Enlightened Master”) - experienced awakening after years of solitary searching. He had no teacher, no monastery, no lineage. Seeing the world anew, he concluded that Shakyamuni’s Buddhism contained the highest truth but needed radical updating to serve modern people. So was born Won Buddhism - “Round Buddhism” - the least known reformist Buddhist school outside Korea.

The central symbol is Irwonsang - a simple black circle on white ground. Not a mandala, not an art object. It represents Dharmakaya - the original nature of the universe from which all arises and to which all returns. Won Buddhists relate to the circle the way Theravadins relate to the Buddha image: it reminds them that reality is one, indivisible, without beginning or end.

Sotaesan taught the “Threefold Practice” (samhak): cultivation of spirit - including meditation and mantra recitation; study of facts and principles - which may include reading sacred texts and discussion among practitioners; and choice of right action - everyday practice of mindfulness in one’s conduct, keeping a mindfulness diary. This is not the classical sila-samadhi-prajna formula, though some parallels are clear. It is an attempt to create a Buddhism in which laypeople can practice within their ordinary lives - without a monastery, without celibacy vows, without renouncing the world. Won Buddhism was created for laypeople from the start.

To be honest: Won Buddhism is one of the smallest traditions in this catalog. About one million followers, nearly all in South Korea. Outside Korea, a few dozen temples and centers exist, but finding a living community in Europe or Russia is not easy. This does not mean the tradition lacks value, but the scale is important to understand.

History

Park Chung-bin was born in 1891 in South Jeolla Province (southwestern Korea) during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). His spiritual search began in childhood. In 1916, after years of intensive solitary practice, he experienced what the tradition describes as “great awakening.”

Sotaesan gathered nine initial disciples who became the core of the new movement. In 1924, he established the Society for the Study of Buddhism (Bulgyo Yeongu-hoe) in the city of Iksan. This was not a monastery but a study center for laypeople. Sotaesan wrote “The Fundamental Book of Won Buddhism” (Jeongjeon), the school’s central text.

After Sotaesan’s death in 1943, his disciple Cheongsan (1900-1962) led the movement and gave it organizational structure. The third patriarch, Daesan (1914-1998), expanded its international presence, opening the first temples outside Korea.

Today, Won Buddhism’s headquarters is in Iksan. The movement has about 500 temples in Korea and several dozen abroad - in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Wonkwang University in Iksan is the educational institution founded by Won Buddhism.

What Practice Looks Like

Sunday service is the central weekly event. It resembles a Protestant service more than a Buddhist ceremony: the community gathers in the temple, sings hymns, listens to a sermon, and meditates. Irwonsang is the only object on the altar. No statues, no incense (in some temples).

Meditation exists in Won Buddhism but does not hold center stage. Seated meditation (chwaseon) is practiced, but the main emphasis falls on “timeless practice” (musiseon): mindfulness in daily life. Sotaesan taught that every action - eating, working, socializing - can be practice when performed with full attention.

The mindfulness diary (ilgi) is a characteristic practice: each evening, the practitioner records the day’s actions and evaluates how well they aligned with Dharma principles.

Chanting includes recitation of texts such as the Heart Sutra and Won Buddhism’s own scriptures.

Voices of the Tradition

Today, as civilization advances, the human spirit, which ought to make use of material things, grows ever weaker, while the power of material things, which ought to serve humankind, grows day by day; subjugating this weakened spirit, it brings it under its dominion, so that no one has been able to escape enslavement to the material. How, in such a life, could there not be a raging sea of suffering? With this Great Opening of matter, let there be a Great Opening of spirit.

Won Buddhism is an attempt to make Buddhism into what Sotaesan believed it should become in the modern world: accessible, practical, demystified. A circle instead of a statue. A Sunday service instead of a multi-hour retreat. A diary instead of ten hours of meditation.

How It Differs

Won Buddhism and Korean Seon are both Korean, but the resemblance ends there. Seon is a monastic tradition with intensive meditation, koans, and retreats. Won Buddhism is a lay tradition with Sunday services and mindfulness diaries. Seon inherits Chinese Chan; Won Buddhism is an independent phenomenon.

Won Buddhism and Soka Gakkai are both lay-oriented and reformist. But Soka Gakkai is a massive global movement with tens of millions of followers; Won Buddhism has about one million, nearly all in Korea. Soka Gakkai practices daimoku; Won Buddhism emphasizes meditation and mindfulness.

What critics say. Won Buddhism is sometimes perceived as “Buddhism for people who find real Buddhism too hard” - a simplified, institutionalized version that lost depth in pursuit of accessibility. The Sunday service format raises suspicions of excessive Christian influence. Practitioners reply that accessibility is not synonymous with superficiality, and that Sotaesan did not simplify the Dharma but made it applicable for modern people.

Who This Tradition Speaks To

This is a doorway, not a diagnosis. But here are some signs that Won Buddhism might be your kind of practice.

Won Buddhism may resonate with you if you:

• Seek Buddhism for everyday life. No monastery, no long retreats, no radical lifestyle changes.
• Value community. Weekly gatherings, shared practice, mutual support - Won Buddhism is built around community.
• Live in Korea or are connected to Korean culture. Resources outside Korea are extremely limited.

An honest caveat: if you are seeking deep meditative practice or a rich philosophical tradition, Won Buddhism may feel too “thin.” If you are not in Korea, access to a living community will be a challenge.

Where to Practice

Korea:

Won Institute of Graduate Studies and numerous temples in cities across the country. Headquarters in Iksan (wonbuddhism.or.kr).

International:

Won Buddhism of Manhattan, Won Buddhist Temple in Philadelphia, several centers in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities. Won Institute of Graduate Studies in Glenside, Pennsylvania (woninstitute.edu).

Online:

wonbuddhism.org - English-language resource for the international movement.