Won Buddhism of Houston^welcome!

What is Won Buddhism?

Won Buddhism was founded upon the spiritual awakening in 1916 of a young Korean man, Pak Chung-bin (1891-1943), better known in the West as Sotaesan. The main distinguished characteristic of Won Buddhism is applying Buddha-dharma to the new world: Application of Buddha-dharma for human’s living, Adequate Buddha-dharma of modern times, Popularization of Buddha-dharma. Won Buddhism is a new religion founded by Sotaesan, with Shakamuni Buddha as his mentor. Won Buddhism is a new Buddhism and a new religion, with the Buddha-dharma as its origin. And Won Buddhism converts the Buddha-dharma into that of the times, of practicality, and of the public.

Buddhism and Won Buddhism

As for raising question whether this new order was a sect of Korean Buddhism, Sotaesan presumed it was a new form of Buddhism relevant to the contemporary secular world. Won Buddhism reveals the heart of Mahayana Buddhist doctrine in a renovated and simplified form. However, the order declares that Won Buddhism is not a sect of Korean Buddhism but an independent and autonomous new Buddhist order.
Why Sotaesan took Buddha-dharma as the heart of the doctrine of the order? For him, the best means to deliver the sentient beings from the tormenting seas of misery lay in Buddha-dharma.
After his spiritual awakening at age twenty-five in 1916, he was introduced to the Diamond Sutra in his dream and borrowed it from a Buddhist temple for perusal. He also perused the classics of Confucianism, Taoism, and so on. Then he made up his mind to take the Buddha-dharma as the central doctrine of the religious order he was establishing, saying that the Buddha is the sage of all sages.

What is Ilwonsang?

The order is called Won(circle) Buddhism because it has enshrined a circular symbol called Ilwonsang(unitary circular symbol) as the sign of Dharmakaya Buddha instead of the Buddha statue.
Ilwonsang is the symbol of the object of religious worship and the standard of religious practice. Simply speaking, Ilwonsang means that we are all buddhas having the perfect and complete Buddha nature.

Ilwonsang as the symbol of Dharmakaya Buddha
- the fundamental source of all beings in the universe
- the original nature of all buddhas and patriarchs,
- the Buddha-nature of all sentient beings.

 

What is the Founding Motive?

The founding slogan is “With this great Opening of matter, Let there be a Great Opening of spirit.” In other words, as material power is unfolding, let us unfold our spiritual power, accordingly.

If the world were a paradise, no religion would be necessary as if medicine and hospitals would not be necessary if no one were ill.
The world was at the turning point of old and new eras where the lights of the ancient sages were dimmed for a long time and the light of a new sage for the new era was not yet lit.  The moral world especially was dark, and sentient beings were suffering deep in the tormenting seas of misery. 
Soteasan’s enlightened view reflected the fact that the world was about to enter a dangerous era, aggravated by the formidable power of material civilization.  Material power has dual harmful effects.  Material conveniences cause enormous harm to living beings as is seen with nuclear accidents, ozone layer depletion, radiation, highway fatalities, and the pollution of air, water, and earth, to name but a few.  In addition, material conveniences fan the fire of avarice for wealth, enfeebling the moral sense of humankind and deepening the bitter seas of misery.  In his view, the only way to save sentient beings themselves lies in unfolding the spiritual power and strengthening the wisdom and moral sense of humankind.  This task can only be carried out by edification in truthful religion and training in sound morality. This idea is expressed in the founding motive.

The Founding Master, Sotaesan