Author Description

"Won Buddhism, one of the major religions of modern Korea, was established in 1916 by Pak Chung-bin (1891-1943), later known as Sot'aesan. It remains deeply entrenched in Korean society while it continues to organize chapters overseas and work toward fulfilling its founder's wish: the establishment of Won Buddhism as a world religion in the next four to five hundred years. Unsettling questions regarding the religion's true identity, however, arose early on and persist to this day. Is Won Buddhism a sect of Korean Buddhism? Is it a folk religion? Or is it, as Won Buddhist ecclesia claim, an entirely new form of Buddhism and its first patriarch, Sot'aesan, the new presiding Buddha?". "In 1943 Sot'aesan published a collection of Buddhist writings, the Correct Canon of Buddhism (Pulgyo chongjon), which included the doctrine of his new order. Four years later, the second patriarch, Chongsan (1900-1962), had the order compile a new canon, which was published in 1962. This work, translated here as The Scriptures of Won Buddhism (Wonbulgyo kyojon), consists of the Canon (a redaction of the first part of the Pulgyo chongjon) and the analects and chronicle of the founder known as the Scripture of Sot'aesan. The present translation incorporates critical tenets from the 1943 Canon that were altered in the redaction process and offers persuasive arguments for their re-inclusion.". "The translation is preceded by a two-part introduction. The first part discusses the historical context in which Won Buddhism arose. It includes a brief description of the five centuries of Buddhist persecution during the Choson dynasty, a succinct analysis of the histories and doctrines of Ch'ondogyo and Chung-sangyo (the two indigenous religions prior to Won Buddhism), and a biographical sketch of Sot'aesan. A philosophical analysis of Sot'aesan's religious thought follows, showing to what degree the central tenets of Mahayana Buddhism form the basis of Won Buddhist doctrine.". "This definitive English translation of the major scriptures of Won Buddhism will be welcomed by Buddhist studies scholars. Together with its extensive introduction, accompanying notes, and glossaries, it is a work of invaluable scholarship on an important figure in modern Buddhism and contributes extensively to the study of new Buddhist movements."--BOOK JACKET.