Won Buddhism, founded by Sot’aesan (Pak Chung-bin) in the early twentieth century, began as a reformist movement seeking to express Buddhist awakening in a form suitable for modern life. Its earliest phase centered on spiritual cultivation, ethical reform, and community service, organized initially as the “Buddha-dharma Research Society.” Rather than emphasizing secluded monasticism, it highlighted practical application of the Dharma in everyday affairs. At the heart of this emerging tradition stood the Il-Won-Sang, the One Circle symbol, presented as the primary object of faith and meditation and as a concise expression of ultimate truth. From the outset, the movement sought to simplify and systematize Buddhist teaching into accessible principles, stressing practice in ordinary circumstances rather than in isolation from society.

Over time, this small reform movement was institutionalized into a formal religious order with the name “Won Buddhism,” adopted in the mid-twentieth century. A centralized structure with temples, training centers, and affiliated institutions such as schools and social service organizations took shape, and the Scriptures of Won Buddhism were compiled to present Sot’aesan’s teachings in clear, modern language. The order developed a clergy that remained integrated into society, softening the traditional divide between monastics and laypeople, and it articulated a doctrinal framework that combined Buddhist insight with a strong ethical and social orientation. Gender equality and the active participation of women in ordained and leadership roles came to mark a significant departure from many older Buddhist institutions, reflecting a consistent concern for reform in both doctrine and practice.

As Korean society modernized and industrialized, Won Buddhism expanded its engagement with education, social welfare, and the ethical dimensions of work, technology, and economic life. Its leaders emphasized that spiritual cultivation should permeate family, profession, and civic responsibility, thereby turning daily life into a continuous field of practice. The movement also refined its practices—meditation, chanting, scripture study, and ethical reflection—so that they could be realistically maintained by lay practitioners with ordinary obligations. Alongside this, it increasingly addressed broader social concerns, including social justice and environmental responsibility, and promoted religious pluralism, seeing different traditions as sharing a common ultimate aim.

In more recent phases, Won Buddhism has extended its reach beyond Korea, establishing temples and centers in various regions of the world and adapting its teachings to diverse cultural settings while retaining its Korean roots. This global presence has gone hand in hand with an ongoing effort to present its path in a rational, accessible manner, in dialogue with modern thought and oriented toward empirical, practice-based realization rather than abstract speculation. The result is a tradition that has evolved from a localized reform movement into a structured, transnational form of Buddhism, lay-centered yet supported by clergy, and consistently devoted to harmonizing contemplative insight with the concrete realities of contemporary life.