Won Buddhism
a new religion from Korea
Won Buddhism (Korean: 원불교) is a modern Buddhist religion originating in Korea. The name "Won Buddhism" comes from the Korean words 원/圓 won ("circle") and 불교/佛敎 bulgyo ("Buddhism"), literally meaning "Circle Buddhism" or interpreted as "Consummate Buddhism". It can be regarded as either a syncretic new religious movement or a reformed Buddhism. The stated goals of Won Buddhism are for people to realize their own innate Buddha nature and to save all sentient beings by serving others. Emphasis is on interaction with daily life, not "stilling the impulses", but rather acting in accord with "appropriate desires". Won Buddhism's founder, Sotaesan (Bak Jungbin, 1891–1943) believed that overemphasis on the material world in relation to the spiritual world would create undue suffering; his founding motto was, "With this Great Opening of matter, let there be a Great Opening of spirit."
Founder and early history
Background
Buddhism was introduced to the Korean peninsula in the fourth century CE. During the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), Confucianism became the predominant belief system and Buddhism was suppressed. Christianity — initially Catholicism and later Protestantism—was introduced in the late 19th century. Under Japanese occupation (1910–1945), Japanese-oriented Buddhism became prominent in part to counter Christianity's influence. Concurrently during the late 19th/early 20th centuries, new movements arose in Korean Buddhism to reform its traditional elements or form a "new Buddhism", e.g., Won Buddhism.
Won Buddhism is a modern Buddhist tradition that emerged in Korea.
The public source identifies “Won Buddhism” as a new religion from Korea. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Buddhism, religion and Korea.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q562984. None of the 4 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1891, 1943, 1392 and 1910.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Won Buddhism” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.