Vol-1-No-8 by Seonghwan Yu

1965 VOLUME 1

NUMBER 8

KOREA

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.\:VON I}UNDHT$M l't,l,litltt d hr.

Ir;il"'r"ftit'Ar\tl

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lt'i {'itt, {"holla I'ttktfui, Kordl

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Vol.

Budclha l)harrria is: iifc itielf,'life is thrln Budclha Dhirrma :

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no other

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humin beings to grope in the abyss of uneasiness and restlessness. When and where, in the midst of this world confusion, may we cclnstruct or establish the ideals of the often repeated slogansi "World peace" and "Buddha Land"?

ffi 6l

l{ules

nriuds of othcr pet.rple. T'he othet'is tht: matr who is.ntlt capalrle of rnanaeing his uwrr irrrsin*ss, Lrut Iikes tlr irrterrfer* with tlrat of other pcople" lin:rlly *xposiug hinrsu:It. to ridictrle. or low positinns, trrtt are culy Wise nlun nrivtr Cflre: fe:r llrrir high -slrotrld do. fhcrcfor*, []tt:. nl{}rr faithful flncl sincere to wltat tlrcy

tinlr tlrat passcs, tl'rr morc rvili tlwy tr* glorilicd rvith trterit,attd I'anre, "lo ihe contrary, thc unenlighicnc'd ille 11 ffre not faithfuJ" and sirrcerc tcl wlriit thev should cler, bdt tre hirsily pursr"ring aftilr farne ant} rtantr. 'L hcrrftire, th*y {inally lose: beith f;r1u: und merrit. '!'lrr rrior* u f,rrLlt{.dt"ed is'rt:vealu:cl. t}re less its rr'ierit*11**..Jhc more it vicr: i* hidilcn, tlrr-. dccpe:r aUd r.vitler its rt'rot prevnils. 't'h*rcfttre, rrrr:t'its

11ood tleecls

grow'lonqer lntl wicle:r wlt*tr''tlmy -lrc lrnrJ nitrr$wcl' 11rh*n

of viCr gfow-shallorvc:r

lli;\ ;tt,': r.",1)rlsfd. 'l'lrc sciu:ntilic kno*:lnJ*rs, fhorrgh atr;rirrcd Lr-y c.nnliltuous'stLrtiicr; Irrc no{ usr-rr1 r)VCfy ,,rr',rri',rt, rvhilir)ur nrirttl, r}t)flc wr"flrr: i:nlighterned h6rv tp usc it, will l^rr"'prlrcticul at f\rrlry t"lirCIirrrlt. 'lltercl'orc, ttrind, i sturly ic llt.: h:tsis of lli^ i:

Material civilization ,has been primarily cultivated irt order to provide human life with comfort and convenience, but has tutmed otlt [o be a ruler, or a dictator, of our spirit. The world is filled with vanity and greed. Conflict and hatred have spread over the world, cau-sing

lin.' in tlr*ir firsl atlrnrpt. '[']tt-,te lle two hinels ul foolisl"r lflen in tlrl' rvorlcl. One js t]rt: i:ran lvho is unatlle tlr cclttttttl hjs orvn trlincl, but darcs to rule Ovrrr thc

Itiilt{c1t, ;rnd t}rr: r'oott

965

The Fifty-Fifth Anniversary of Won Buddhism

'['ltosc rvhtr u,ish to at{ain the grcat .Dlrarnra shr,rulcl ncvcrr crllcct. ttt rr-:lrclt the surltrnit in a elay" ltii.r onc c.an go a ltug rva,v rvith htrrrietl stcl)s. 't'lrr gigarrtic tree took nrurry yeiar,s trt grt:lv iei. its \1igftt" IsuiJclhas and}lrclhi$rttvas, likcwisc, hre th,: protlucts of long discip-

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{:lokleu

WON qUDDHISM

EDITORIAL

Hditeiriul

Woll RudcJlrism in Korea hy Ronald S. Suleski

\\rhat is tfur rcl;rtic:pslrip betwecp WOn :rntl tludelha? ' From th* Suprem* Sir:lptlrres o[ Won Budtllrism .

P. K" C"

No.

C O N:T E N T S

tr-v

Won Buddhism has'grown for half a century since it gave its birth cry at Ryongkwang County, Cholla Namdo, Korea, with the motto: "As the material civilization makes rapid progress, cultivate the spiritual civilization accordinBly", aimed at the construction of an ideal worlct in which both the spiritual and the material can be completely cultivated and well harmonized. Since opening the Buddhist gate, Won Buddhism-unds1 the uncertain and unstable internal and external situation, experienceing heavy oppression under Japanese rule, and suffering from financial dilficulties continued in the course of the realization of its three great objec-has tives: culture, education, and charity. Instead of being defeated, it carried out its task with a straightforward attitude until there arc presently approximately 500,000 laymen under the banner of its faith, and with more than 200 branch temples and institutions established-still devoting itself to embodying the principle of our standarcl of life: "Keep the spirit and body fully integrated".

It may be said that the past is the best teacher of futurc. For thc further advancement of our future Buddhist activitics, bascd upon thc Buddha's compassionate spirit toward all sentient bcings, it shoulcl not be meaningless for us to look back at the footprints rvhich wc ltavc lcl't behind. For this reason, Won Buddhism has come tcl thc dccision to prepare for the observance of the fifty-fifth annivcrsirry of Won Ilucldlrisnr, which is to take placc in 1L)71, ancl is rcgarclccl as tlrc grcatcst cclcbration exhibiting thc total Buddhist works which Won lJuclclhisnr was ablc to achicve in half a century.

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117 WON BUDDHISM

WON BUDDHISM

In this observance of our 55th Birthday, short though period of half a century is, we intend to compose our fifty year old history to be handed down for generations. We will also have various commemorative establishments constructed as a token of repayment for our ancestors' meritorious deeds, reflecting the past and the prospects of hope for the future. Besides, the object and purport of Won Buddhism will be further introduced, leading our friends into the Buddha way such as the Venerable Sotesan indicated when he opened his Buddhist gate: "All things are offerings to Buddha, Everywhere one sees Buddha's image" and "Every time Ch'an, Everywhere Ch'an". Money is a requisite of success. However, the everlasting source of money is "Faith" and "Sincerity", which seems a common phrase, but seldom can be realized these days. Our attitude in the performance of this great task should be based upon religious "Faith and Sincerity", even in case of the worst possible financial difficulties, which may happen in these unsteady social conditions. Whatever may be the hardships and difficulties, five years from now, half a century of the activities of Won Buddhism are due to bear the fruits which, we hope, will rescue our brethren from their thirst for the Dharma.

What is the relationship between Won and Buddha? From the Supreme Scriptures of Won Buddhism

Once a layman said to the Ven. Sotesan, "What is the relationship between Won and Buddha?" To this question answered he as follows: "Won is the origin of the truth of the universe; Buddha, the teacher of the truth. The truth, no matter how great it may be, cannot be applied to our daily lives if there were no saint, who, realizing it, teaches it to us. Gautama Buddha was the very teacher. If there were no truth of the Won, however, Gautama Siddhartha could neither become Buddha nor would he have had anything to teach for forty nine years. We, therefore, worship the Won as the Dharma Buddha and Gautama Buddha as the Personal Buddha. This view comes when we discriminate between Won and Buddha, but we should know the two are not two but one from the view point of Truth itself, which has no discrimination in itself." Again a layman requested the Ven. Sotesan to make clear the difference between the worship of Won and that of Buddha's Image. To this question he answered as follows: "The only meaning of worship of Buddha's Image is that we, being his descendants, are to cherish his memory and to respect him, his personality; while the significance of worship of the Won is immense and boundless. We prefer the totality of the universe as the object of our -2-

worship, rather than Buddha's Image, so that we may find the cause of joys and sorrows, and of sins and blessings: Besides these, we are to hold the Won as the standard of morality in order to cultivate our character like the Won." Once the Ven. Sotesan said as follows: "It has often been necessary in evangelization to worship the Image of Buddha, but in the future no one can expect the Image of Buddha to be as Buddha. For having worshipped for more than two thousand years, they will realize the meaning of worshipping the Image of Buddha. Realizing the incompetence of the Image, they will not believe in even the truth, knowing nothing about the profound truth. There will be some who will worship even the dignified Image as a means to the making of their lives. On. the other hand they will blame the emptiness of the Image, which will hinder the propagation of what Buddha wanted to teach." Again the Ven. Sotesan said as follows: "In the following era human beings will gradually have their wisdom broadened so that they will understand their sins and blessings whenever they meet with moments of sorrow and joy. Understanding the cause of punishments and blessings, they will realize what the punishments and blessings are, so that they will worship the object easy to understand, gaining peace of mind. They will not have to ask others to hold Buddhist devotionals for them. They will look for the true and the way of worship, and then they will find it in this doctrine and in this Order. The results of the Buddhist devotional will be various, according to the situation. They will succeed in the devotional only when they do it in accordance with the situation. It entirely depends upon good devotions or bad whether everything that through many a aeon you make is good cause and effect, or is rich or poor. Some blessed and wise men become enlightened to the truth of Won by worshipping everything spiritual in the universe. The result of success of worship is distinctive, and the devotion which is offered to the origin of the punishments and blessings will reap the crops without fail. This is the reason worship the Won instead of the Image of Buddha made of wood or brass."

Buddha Dharma is life itself, life is no other than Buddha Dharma. by P. K. C.

In Korea of past days the concept of believing in and practicing Buddhism was that one should go to u distant mountain, leaving social life behind, in order to read Buddhist scriptures and to meditate, offering mass to the Image of Buddha. How can this be a perfect way of practice - 3-

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WON BUDDHISM

and belief of Buddhism? Now you don't have to trod the same way so that you may become enlightened. We should now that Buddha opened his teaching of Dharma for the purpose of helping human society as well as individuals. No religion is considered to be a proper one if it requires the laymen to leave their social life in order to practice the religion. Man is to work for his own vitality from his cradle to his grave. We should, furthermore realize that we owe what are and what we have to Heaven and Earth, parental love, and all beings in the universe. We should lead our lives so earnestly as to requite the favors they are offering to us. Buddha, therefore, taught that one should not be harmful to the society he belongs to, that one should cultivate one's mind to realize virtuous conduct, and that one should requite the favors offered by others. Ascetic exercises in the mountains for an entire life time, however, have no relation to social wellbeing, but ignores the original purpose and duty of Buddhism. In Won Buddhism we try to accomplish the original purpose of Buddhism, realizing Buddha's teaching in social life. Ch'na priest, Hui-neng, the Sixth patriarch in line from Bodhi-Dharma, who was the first Patriarch, said that one might as well seek for Dharma in abolishing social life as to try to look for the horns of a rabbit. If you lead a proper life, it may as well be said that you are accomplishing Buddha's Teachings. In Won Buddhism, therefore, we are trying, under a slogan "Buddha Dharma is life itself, life is no other than Buddha Dharma", to practice the Buddha Dharma in our daily lives. Though the method of practice may seem a little different from that of traditional Buddhism, the original duty of Buddhism is considered to be done in Won Buddhism. How can this slogan be put into practice in actual life? First of all we should use our six roots-eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind- in accordance with Buddha Dharma. We should try to make our every moment the manifestation of the Buddha Dharma. Once upon a time a Ch'na master asked one of his disciples to explain the meaning of Buddha Dharma, whereupon he, carrying a hoe on his shoulder, went to the farm to plow the field. The master told him that it was wrong. Then the master asked where the Buddha Dharma existed while he was walking and plowing the field. The master enlightened him that it is real Buddhist practice to concentrate one's mind and body on writing, walking, eating and so forth, so earnestly as to perform them without fail. What has been taught in Buddhism? Cleaning the mind of evil and banishing worldly thought, one should treat everything with the whole mind. Judging good from wrong, and blessings from punishments, you should always choose the merits. It is also an accomplishment of Buddha Dharma to sleep a sound sleep at night. This means that one practices Buddha Dharma night and day, and is a good method of accomplishing Buddha Dharma.

-4-

The purpose of reading Sutras, and of meditation, and of offering prayer to Amida Buddha is to get the right way of using the six roots in practical life. It may be foolish one spends his whole life on a remote mountain without practicing it in actual living. He may be called crazy who intends to go to school for his whole life. The conduct of a person whose life has been spent studying Buddhism in the mountains is required to be perfect in daily life. If the result of his Buddhist study does not offer anything useful to this society, where can we find the effect of such hard ascetic practices? In Won Buddhism we are trying to practice the Buddha Dharma while we are leading our occupational lives, instead of abandoning our family, occupation and nation. In other words the idea of Won Buddhism is that one should become a useful person who can, by way of being a Buddhist, accomplish something good for family life as well as social life. The concept of becoming a monk might not mean that one should abandon one's family and social life. Suppose all human beings wanted to become monks, disregarding family life, entering remote mountains? What would happen to the world? Who on earth can say it is a proper way to Buddha Dharma? The perfect road to Buddha Dharma should be that which is for the whole of mankind to pass over with ease. Practicing Buddha Dharma in daily life, we are to make progress in our actual life. Here lies the significance of real religious movement. The raison d'etre of religion is in leading a happy life. It is regrettable, however, that there are some people who, abandoning normal life to sit in the mountains to read Sutras, think themselves proper Buddhists. Although such a life may be very pleasant, it cannot be the proper way of religion for all. No matter how noble it may seem, the negative way of a religion cannot be praised. A true religion cannot deny the present life, but it is to transcend the earthly life even in the world. The life in Buddha Dharma can be compared to the wheel of a water-mill, one half of which is in the water and the other half of which is exposed to the air. Abandoning social life is like the wheel being out of the water, and being excessively attached to the world is like the water-mill wheel being beneath the water surface. This means we should lead our daily lives in the present situation, with the mind rising above the world. A proverb goes saying that a man attached to the earth cannot see the beauty of stars, while, dazzled with the beauty of the sky he falls into a ditch. The world knows the episode told of Thales (624-550 BC) who fell into ditch, walking with his eyes up to the stars, for which he was blamed as a fool by his kitchen-maid, whom the world called the greater philosopher of the two. We should bring down the lofty ideals and theories of Buddha Dharma, for us to realize them in daily lives, where we can find the raison d'etre of believing in a religion. In Won Buddhism we, under the slogan "popularization of Buddhism", 'are establishing every system

- 5 -

120

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WON BADDHISM

ll,()N Iiltt)ttIIL\^t

and order possible, to realize it in our daily lives. Not only we should believe in Dharma but we should practice it. The effect of the ascetic practice should appear in our daily lives, so to speak. We should become real persons who, being unselltsh, can rid all evils from our family, nation and from all mankind. Wherever the Buddha Dharma is realized. the daily life in a family, in a nation, and in the whole world will make a peaceful sound of cooperation and compatibility.' That will be the paradise of the world. In the supreme Scriptures of Won Buddhism we can read two phrases as follows: "As the past Buddhism in Korea emphasized only the Being Quiet,

they could not perform the daily life while they are practicing the Dharma, whereupon almost all monks left their families for ascetic practice only, spending their lives in the remote mountains. Some, while meditating, let the crops be removed from the yard by the rain, which was thought a proper way of moral training. Who will be so foolish to take it to be the proper way? [n Won Buddhism the daily occupation and ascetic practice-the two are of one suchness. A work done successfully means the Dharma realized in actual life. At the time of moving as well as being quiet, the three degrees of study: meditation (dhyana), transcendental rvisdom (prajna), and the moral precepts (vinaya), can be achieved continuously. You had better keep on going along the good avenue of keeping both the spirit and the body fully integrated, and of moving and being quiet-the two are of one suchness." The Ven. Sotesan said as follows: "The monk who tries to train his mind, avoiding worldly problems, is compared to the fisherrnan who tries to escape from the water with the purpose of fishing. The one who seeks for real Dharma, therefore, should keep and train the mind in the various worldly problems. Such a well trained layman will be able to defend himself from evil environment. The monk trained in the remote mountain may be compared to a mushroom grown in the shade, which will fade in the bright sunshine. If you read the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa Sutra, you will find one phrase as follows: "Bodhisattva keeps his mind tranquil in the noisy environment; while the one on the evil course makes tror"rbles in the mind in the quiet situation. This means that mind is the only element which makes the good and the evil.

On the 5th June, 1965, we received a research paper titled "Won in Korea" from Mr. Itonald S. Suleski, a university student ol'Pittsburgh. We have come to a decision to present his paper here for []rrclcllrism

,!l o_tour English speaking readers, As we read in his preface, his stucly of Won Buddhism was hampered by ailack of matcrizrls availablc tir him. Considering his circumstances, his rfsearch paper slror.rlcl bc said to be praiseworthy, even if we might find hib opirrions on Won Budtthisrl, somewhat inadequate. But it will be also interesting to know what impressions_ won Buddhism has given on him, a young intelligent foreigner. In response to the request of our English spea[ing rcalers who wish to study Won Truth, we will do our best to tianslate publicntions written in Korean, such as Canonical Text, Supreme Sciiptures, into English as soon as possible. We believe that th-ere will be'many Ronalds hereafter.

The following is a excerpt of his paper. we regret that, on account of the limited paper of this journal, we-are not allowed to present his whole paper to our readers.

Won Buddhism in Korea by Mr. Ronald S. Suleski ,'.,*{Y

CONTENTS

r) r)

Preface

Life of the Founder and the Growth of Won: A Practical Moral System

The Circle Symbolizes Won

Comments

) Preface _ This paper represents a task I have to undertake-for a long while. The Mr. Ronald s. suteski !gp.a Won movement has interesti8 *e ilnce t I

first visited one of their. meeting halls in Seoul a few years ugo, uut I must admit that the opinions expressed about Won in this p"up.. ur. I I somewhat difterent from those which I had first formed. Tlis study was hampered by Iack of time ancl a lack of materials available to me here in P.iftsburgh. W.on is not a particularly well-known movement, as evidenced by the number of Korean stuclen[s I tllkccl t11 on camptls who hacl littlc or no knowlcclgc ol'Won, antl as l'1r irs t know no otlrer studies of Won have been done. Becattse of such limited resources available I cannot defencl this paper in the face ofall criticism, rAther, I submit it for criticisni. If thc ftttttrc is kincl, I witl bc able to one clay continuc this sttrcly'.,n-'Knr.un

il.

The Philosophy of

won: A practical Moral Systcm.

6 7

r22

123

tv()N

WON BUDDHISM

In dealing with the philosophy of Won Buddhism it is difficult to remove the purely philosophical from the practical, since the former should complement the latter in Won thought. From the material available to me, it is also difficult to discover what was the original philosophy as preached by the Ven. Sotesan, and what may be later refinements in the system. Therefore, the following discussion contains both philosophy and practical rules, and makes no pretense of being chronologically correct.

Won Buddhism appears to have two basic postulates that underlie all of its teachings. The first is that man's nature is inherently good. The human spirit is naturally pure, perfect and calm. Man's good nature becomes defiled during his ". . . struggle for existence in this filthy, evil world." The second major postulate is that the essence of Buddha is Truth. This Truth is manifest and exhibited in everything in the unlverse. "Thus all beings exist and change due to the force of the great, invisible drvier: the Truth." Almost all of the teachings of Won Buddhism serve to unite these two major principles. one of the key ideas in won seems to be the principle of the "Living Sutra." This is simply the idea of putting into practice the teachings of Won. If man follows the teachings, thfu will help to bring out his true nature, which is good. And if maniealizes the importance of the Truth, then following the teachings helps him to live in harmony with the Truth. These ideas are applied in a practical manner when it is written that man should worship by good deeds. In order to provide a guide for those wishing to follow Won teachings, a number of sets of rules have been established. One set is known as the "Four Principles," another as the "Four Forms of Obligation," still another is called the "Four Essentialities." An analysis of the various sets of rules shows that they all follow a general paitern. The main features of this pattern are: 1. Moral Training. Sincerely practicing and believing in the teachings of V/on. 2. Moral Action. Objectifying the teachings of Won through action such as showing respect, gratitude, etc. 3. Teaching. Spreading the faith through teaching, as well as ,by example. 4. Public Service. Serving as well as sllpporting the public adminisTtrus the won rotto*.I11'?l;rn, ro be sincere in his betief in rhc firsr instance, then to ptrt this .be licf to work through actions, teaching ancl public service in all other instances. The Won fbllower is not content to know that he has realized that Trutli is the all-permeati.ng force in nature, he must.prove his I'aith by action

anc-l

sprcirtl his I'aith by tcaclring.

Althotrgh Won stresses uction nlorc tlran tlrought, thcre is a ptacc ti

ltL) DDI

l.\fit

Some of the clisciplined meclitation of f<lr meclitation in the teachings. -present, but laynren are not expected to the Zen school seems to be spend great lengths of time in such meclitation. The most r"tselttl metlitation foi laymen-is a quiet time after arising.- A. purely ascctic lile of Zen is of no uie in itself because it does not deal with the real worlcl. The force of Truth and the practical world have lreen linked not only in the sets of rules, but in the advicg- Biven to the followers. Tlre

Won follower is told, "learn Dharma well, and yotr will make a goocl living." l) The Circle Symbolizes Won The circle has been chosen as the symbol of Won Burlclhism. 'Ilris appears to have been done for several reasons, the most intportant bcing reason. a philosophical '

The'meisters of Won Buddhism had ". . . agreed on the point that they regarded the Lord Buddha as an idealistic Buddha rather than a hisioricil one." They further stated that a person shoulcl not himsell' seek the Lord Bucldha, but should seek" . . . what enabled l-lim (the Lorcl Buddha) to become a real Buddha." The masters were thus qcarching for a symbol which would represent an "essence" of. something suctr as the Trlth, rather than an imltation of Buddha's body. This "essence" has always been operative, and should be the object of study, not the worship of an idol.- Moreover, since a lifeless imag_e could lead to sllp.erstitious beliefs, the idea of an image was rejected. Won was interested irr clearing away empty superstitious beliefs. Anothei reason why the circle was aclopted as a symbol was probably because of the circular concept of life, deattr and re-birth helcl by so many Koreans. Not only does the circle epitomize this concept, but Truth iiself was seen to rotate like a circle ". . . without bcginning or end, . . perfect with nothing Iacking or sllperfluous." A piime object of many Buddhists is to break this cyclc. In the case ol' Won, it is the Truth which breaks the cycle. Thus the circle was seen as an ideal symbol of Won teachirrgs and _

principles.

Comments. ln the preceeding material we have been able to deal with the Won Buddhist movement in only the most elemental forms. There is no dotrbt

that Won is much more complex ancl dynarnic than tlrc prccecclirrg pages have inclicatcc'|. But tlrc nratcrial wc havc disctrssccl slrotrlcl hc

aclequate I'or our purpose.

I feel that if we step back from our concentration on Won tcachirrg and view Won from a wiclc cultural pcrspcctivc, Won will llppc?lr primarily as a rcilction to tlre inl'lucnccs bl'thc timcs with Iittlc, il'any, unique contributions. ln fact, none o1' Won's indiviclual points secms precedent-setting. If Won has any extraorclinary points it might bc in 9

121

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WON BUDDT{ISNI

l.l'(

her philosophy, particularly concerning the "Living Sutra" concept. But this, too, seemi'un att.mpt to make order out of chaos - a reaction to

the tinres. The earliest activities of the Ven. Sotesan's life conform to fairly well-known, traditional Oriental patterns. We read, for instance, of the young boy going into the mounfains to search for a god-. .Among the folk {hi1 qla.ctice was probably not too iuperititidus- Ko-rean cottntJY-the period of deep meditation, the. wasting unirsual. We reacl again of away of the body jus-t prior to tlie e-nlightenment. None of this is odcl in tlie Oriental *oitA. The historical prtcedent here rvtrs set, of course, by the Buddha Gautanra. He had saf for years in deep meditation and 5is body is reporterl to have been very th.in prior to enligh.tenment. After the Bucldha Gautama had tried meditation and failed to achieve enlightenment, he denounced the use of severe meditation as too extrenie. Likewise, Ven. Sotesan denounced deep meditation after trying it.

Much of Won's emphasis has been on reform. Reform of the approach to religious beliefs (clean out empty,.superstitious beliefs), ancl

r.ltom of social"relationships (the equality of the sexes). So much of this reform seems an attempt to deal with the real world. Since the late

nineteenth and early twenti6th centuries was a perio-{. of continual shock for the Korean people, this cry to deal with the "real" world would have had great meaning in those days when Won Buddhism was in its formative ltage. Thes6 ideas are well-expressed in thi.s quotation from an article ih.t. it is written that the Ven. Sotesan ". . , insisted on the urgent deliverance of the world facing a crisis-, saying the following *J.dr' 'Since the material civilization makes such rapid progress, cultivate the spiritual civilization accordinE]I:"

The Taiping Rebellion

(l({, xffi)

which -took place

in china

during the dei;adE of the 1850's is an example of a reform movement that g'rew partly as a result of the impact of -the Western world Ypot the Far Eait. A similar movement spiang to life in the southern tip of Korea about thirty years later; this was the Tong Hak Uprising of about 1884 (rFryffiL). Th'e Tong Haks had gathered strength in the southern. provinces and rose with Ihe idea of ridding the country of corrttpt administration. Calling for refornr in social relalionships as well as administrative proccdgre."s, thc Tong Hak forces at one tintc controlled sonle of the sottthcrl provinccs. It was in thcsc sotrthcrn proviltces, as wc have seen, wherc the Ven. Sotcsan was borrl, grew ttp, attd latcr establishd Iris community of followers. Tong Hak revt>lutionary. ideas ntttst have been very pronltnent in this areil' rlnci it is interestinq that-somc { thq-points of ictorm voicccl by Won hari earlicr l'rccn ativocltccl by the Ton FIaksto eqtralitv ol' tlte scxes. particularly ' Wc arcrclating l'urthcr rnaclc awitrc ol' titc promincttcc of Tong Hak teach-

l0 _-

l,l.l l) I)

Sil

inss in South Cholla Province in the passage previorrsly rncntioned ti,riilr,'1,.'r.J Trr.t' .fi.. .nrigrrtenme nt t[re'youn-g- Phrk ea si y untl erstooci LIaks later ifr. Oim.rtt purtug.t t-tn"Chondokyo texts. (Thg Tong sect in itctive an still are ancl ;h;Ga itr.ii nnrfi. to the Chondokyo, I

Korea today.)

Korea fell prey to the power politics of.China, late t.9th beniury, much-of ttrC social orclcr that thr in Russia and Japan Sotesan ir;; b;r;d tra'ditional Korea begin to crtimble. When the Ven' hc rcccivctl whcn and rias.taking.place, upt'.aval *ui voung boy ittir ;;i;g'hi;;irlient'in 1916, Korga hac'l alrcercly.bcconrc a part of JaPatrcsc

A, u deienseless

The aJtho.ity which the Japanes6 neld over the Koreatt peopltr was harsh. It seivecl io stir up in the Koreans it fierce nationalism ancl iilrii;^i cry for sonle sort of iction to change I-lre sittration in Korclt. if ; e inalyie somc of thc basic rules of Won as cxprcsscd. in thi: Fclur Principler, *. can see that action ancl teaching are.stressccl abovc could .be .;i;phyridl seaiching. Some.of the nationalism of Won reflectecl. in Wonls-.ffo"rtr to publish its scriptures in the Korean native

i.riitory.

tongue. Murch

of the success of Japan over l(orea during this early colonial to the power ol' western technology. r'vhich to utilize successftilly. Although confronted with thir; f;;;; *rr ^Ut. quick to denounce the material world, but Won ttlstr fait, Won was the nece'ssity of living in and manipulating-the.material.worlcl' realized .1t,ur Won told its f'ollor,vers 6rst to "cultivate the Spiritttal rvorld" but u.f O.d that "your business will prosper if you have learnecl Dharma." of ro Todav Wcri Budclhism operates schools, orphanages_ a1d even a tuniversity in addition to two pr.iblishing centers. we in the united States who are iamiliar rvith the lvlormons or Christian Scientists shotrld- not find tt",ese things strange. Such activities are equally ^comnron in thc Far East. Buddhism ii particular has a long history of operating these types of institutions. J ' Won exists in Korea today, still with somewhit of missionary z-eal. And the reasons for success of the Won teachings lie not because they are unique, for they are not, but because Won attempts to deal with pressing'problems fhat exist in Korea -today-it Iu.!, they are almost ih. ru,ri. iocial and cultural problems that existed in the Korea of 1914. Rapid change in the social order is one such problem. In l9l4 the Japinese had almost overnight come to power, -imposinq tl. strict methods of a police state, and flacing a ne* set of values bcforc thc Korean pcoplc. Toclay a chaotii sociril situation still cxists by-virttrc ol' tlre largc ptipulation shil'ts which occurred c!gri1g thc Korcitn Witr, itncl by virtle ol'the fact that the country is divided into two armctl carnps. perioci can be accredited

Separatecl families are a ct)mnlon phcnomcnon,. and thc yotlngcr goncftttion in Kt-.rea is growing up in thi.s chaos searchitrg for orclcr. ln 1914, Westcrn tcchnology inrprc.sscrl tlrc Korean pcoplc antl prcscntctl thc

.t#.r'.

t26

,i.::,:.t

:t,fi:ilt

$:',,

il27

;'ti:"

t'ttl

WON BUDDHISM

of adapting some of startling western ideas to traditional i{or*n fif.- Tod'ay, "partly as result of the American forces stationed Droblems

the west are consr4ntly entering Korea, and each paiticular influence has an effect on Korean culture. The problems of ineffective or tenuous government control exists today as ihey did in 1914 right after the mon-archy had.collapsed..And I am sure that the peasanf wants today, as he wanted in 1914, only to live in peace, work his land and raise his family.. Won Buddhism arose during I time of rapid and confusing social, cultural.and political change. i.n Korea. It confronted the chaotic situation and attempted to control it by pointing out to the Korean pegPle a yay to deal with the. rapidly chairging si-tuation. Because Won philosophy implied that it could make ordeiou-t of chaos it no doubt served to relieve much of the stress which the rapid changes had produced,- and it probably helped to channel tensions by pointing them towards constructive, nonviolent goals. . It served this-function in the early decades of this century and it is serving this function todaY. With the continuance of so many problems raised by a divided Korea, t predict the continued growth of Won Buddhism.

in the country, influences irom

iii

Wo,rsbifrters rotrriu.g

lo lht shrinr at' Vcn'

Sol*tan.

Brtddbist Corrrse Stttdcnts of Von Kuurrg (Jniucrsitlt offering

silt'ttt ltrt1'cr tt tl:c Cottrtttcrrcctrtctrl. Tbcl' orc qualificl tttissiottutl'of \Vott Budll.tisttt tt tl-tis solrntn montcnl'

12-

Itttritrt"h's cloisl t:r lorut Won lltt,lihitnt.

lltt' tt'trlt'r of I!rtiqurrrlrrs of

t28

Nervs Corrrer Bukkyo Times in Tokyo Japan, -booksdevetroped a Book .collectioir plngaign for*conrrjbutibn of to Wpn Kwang Universitlrtit lri; Koiea. 'fhe friendly relationship bet*een Koiea and :-1-*-*1'"' Ja-pan:,:iih, li promotid uy'iuii, wifl be wilr oe promoted by such n a Bluddhiricurtui"r;'Ex;hilg;:tsuddhtst Culturai'b,xchange.. 'i 2) Mrs- svece? a rnember of won; Buddhism, whri'was -an EngriSh .,' teacher at won Kwang university during ithe last year, recJntly sent books to our Iihriry from her couriti!, euffilia,'and tw6 Iarl,;l !rr::tr.!l:::" i:i ,"i*iires"tor the-{!s-pn p.p :iinag. ,iiliefi.is under_.. ^:. , ,i*J r'i l' , ', ,.: ..:r...,,,,,_ ,_ - .. j,:::::., ",+ Buddhism. ' :; r)

,': n

;,,:

3,}

..llseSt?bIishedinWonKwangUniversity*n.o"

ii: T;':i. Un;,,

,, ii trli1g built, ryhi:!,, jt

iaid. will,bedg,

,.,,ifl

.,;,,iillts Couniits w&ich.w6e orgap.ized "in,i'.';n,,., .,;rh in Koriatare inbr.*iq;'uno''J'tprieni i.,,:trl

The 32nd grSlld memorial ceremony for the latc ven..Sotesan, the'ii-.;,,. Iounder of won Buddhism, was held on the tr$t June, at-tfie " tIE

All of the staff members at Headquarters of w B.; rmo-hks.and nugs, .,:. \,::,., Buddhist. course studenls of won Kwang univeisityr are engage{ ,,. ;,,, in tli,' :r':r i:lanting for'five days. The fi"e proniin'g';* u',* fri?#"" jii;;,,:,i ,f$',il;:' ,, ' ". r : 1';i ll{f S nf \il/.Br ':': ! . 'f ,,. .: \;;rlirrlur School for the students associatiosl rvas treld ar, II,.i.itluart(rs.fro"m t\e I2th July to the 15fh, for i'cui-dal[,n,,''''" Almost two hun-dred student representatives w&tre sefit. frofi etch

flJigJr|enme1tHallofHea!quirterb.....i '

branch

r0)

temple.

i '

,,,,

li-'

Dr. Richard A. Gard,.a prontii;rrri Bue.ldhist scholar, made his second visit to Won Buddhisul i.,y1 l,r;1-., *irrt,h. $n ttre nieht he..

visited, the staff members of Heuoi, ^:r r,li . i;*ei a conversatioil''wittr on the subjert '{The Buddhis: ,: . : ir,,*t in South-E"ii*ria;." !$ Afso,.at Sunday.service, the next d,,'-,. i:; gave a brief speeeh to the attendants on his second imDressir"rri *i \Sr:n Buddhisfr.

Rev. Kil chin Park, President of \+*rn Kwang university, and M1s.; Qn Su_n Hwang. the head of l{an Kuk -arphunage, '*Jr* selected as won Buddhist representatives'of the niemrel; 'of *" th;

""*'. Korean Branch council ot ttr! woilo e,dhrisi F;ifi;;siD. Yon Buddhism established rhe prepsratory committie'ior rh"

ohservance

of the fifty-fifrh anniversliy,,wtidtrts to',:h;iJ,'ri+;,,

ycr"rrs.later. Rev. Kil-Chin park was ielected'as gesiclenr or-it,.

cornnrittee.......;:.l.; '

,,,

* 1.

li";.",. *.i

,;'

4]l corlnrun,ications should bc add,rcsr*A -:--- tir; -i-'-*-'''"'*"1ii',,,,'. ,,, The cditor, Miss Pal Kltn Chon Won l{wang Collcge, rr; b;iy Cfrolla pirkiJo, Korea f ,:

'r,

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