Korean Seon Buddhism
in Europe and the Americas
A Greeting from the Patriarch
Welcome to the website of the America–Europe Region of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism. The Dharma we practice came to Korea more than 1,600 years ago and has been fostered there, generation after generation, by those who devoted their lives to the teachings of the Buddha. I am delighted to see that this tradition has taken root in the West. Our clergy have trained in that tradition and carry it into the cities and towns where they live. Whether you come to visit, to practice, or to ask about the path of ordination, you are received here as a friend in the Dharma.
May you attain Buddhahood.
With palms joined,
Kunsunim Jongmae Park
Patriarch of the Western Division, Taego Order of Korean Buddhism
About us
The Taego Order is one of the principal orders of Korean Buddhism, with more than 3,100 temples in Korea. It is in the Imje Seon (Ch. Linji, Jp. Rinzai) school. The America–Europe Region is the Order’s body in the West, active since __________. Today, there are temples and clergy active through North Ameica and many European countries. Its clergy are formed through the Order’s seminary and ordained in Korea alongside their Korean brothers and sisters.
Continuing the Lineage
The Dharma has passed from teacher to student across the centuries, and each generation of clergy receives it in order to hand it on. The Order ordains men and women who are called to this life of practice, study, and service. Candidates are formed through the Order’s seminary, which may be completed in English while living and working at home, under the guidance of senior clergy of the Region. Those who complete their formation travel to Korea to train in the Order’s temples and to receive ordination alongside their Korean brothers and sisters. The path asks years of commitment. It is open to those prepared to give them.
Global Presence
The Order’s presence in the West extends across North America and Europe. Each temple and community of the Region is run by ordained monks or dharma teachers. In each, the forms of Korean Seon are kept as they have been handed down: seated meditation, the chanting of the liturgy, the observance of ceremony, and the study of the Dharma. Every temple receives visitors and those who wish to take up the practice.