Jogye Order

Jogye Order
Kyong Ho Seong-Wu, 75th Patriarch
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization	Jogye-jong
McCune–Reischauer	Chogye-chong

The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1,200 years to Unified Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon (known as Zen in the West) and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China about 820 C.E. The name of the Order, Jogye, was adopted from the name of the village (Chinese: 曹溪; pinyin: cáo xī; Wade–Giles: ts'ao ch'i) where Patriarch Huineng's home temple is located.

The Jogye "sect" as a distinct entity arose in the late 11th century when Jinul sought to combine the direct practices of the Seon school with the theological underpinnings of sutra-based Buddhist schools, as well as with Korean Pure Land Buddhism.

In 1994, the Jogye order managed 1,725 temples, 10,056 clerics and had 9,125,991 adherents.

The original "Nine Schools" of Seon Buddhism, which descended from Chinese Chan Buddhism were instrumental in the development of the nation during Unified Silla and thereafter. However, during the Goryeo Dynasty, the Korean Cheontae School under Uicheon rose to prominence and drew away many talented monks, forcing the Seon schools to innovate. In response to this Bojo Jinul and Taego Bou led major Seon movements. Jinul in particular sought to develop an order that had the direct-practices of Seon Buddhism as its foundation, but also gave importance to sutra study, and reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha as found in the Pure Land teachings. The basic precept Jinul advocated was "sudden-enlightenment followed by gradual cultivation."