The Jogye Order of Korea Buddhism is named after the mountain associated with the famous Sixth Ch'an Patriarch of China, Hui-neng(638-713). His important teachings were introduced to Korea by Master Toui and others in the early ninth century. As Korea's leading Son Buddhist(£¢Ch'an£¢ in Chinese; £¢Zen£¢ in Japanese) sect, it stress authentic meditation experience and £¢sudden englightenment,£¢ directly pointing to the mind to realize truth without depending on texts or words for meaning. Many different Son and Doctrinal sects arose in Korea over time as different Korean monks returned to Korea from China with teachings from different lineages. The great Master Taego Pou(1301-1382) returned from China in 1346 and united all the Son sects into the all embracing Jogye Order.

The Jogye Order extols Son meditation and experiential study as the best way to attain enlightenment among other forms of spiritual practice available to followers of the Buddhist path. The most venerated texts are the Panyashimgyong(Heart Sutra), the Kumgang-gyong(Dimond Sutra), Yukchodan-gyong(Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch), the Hwaom-gyong(Avatamsaka Sutra), and the stories of ancient Ch'an and Son masters. There are over 2,000 temples across the nation belonging to the Jogye Order, not counting numerous small heritages which dot the mountains. These temples are organized into twenty-five regional districts, each administered by a head temple (bonsa). Of the 25 regional head temple, there are five full monastic training temples, three of which are designated as £¢Three Jewels' monasteries£¢:Tongdo-sa, the Buddha Jewel Monastery of Korea; Haein-sa, the Dharma Jewel Monastery; Songgwang-sa, the Sangha Jewel monastery; and Sudok-sa, and Paegyang-sa. Each of these five monasteries has a seonbang or meditation hall, kwanwon or traditional seminary for manastics , a yulwon or institute for the buddhist percepts, and yombulwon or Pure Land liturgy halls within the same compound.

¡Ş Office bldg of JOKB

Korean Buddhism is the largest religion in Korea, and the Jogye Order has been the best protector of the history and tradition of Korean Buddhism.
Korean Buddhism includes 28 sects officially and all sects are joined in the Assembly of the Council of Buddhist Orders. Among the 28 orders, the Jogye Order is the largest, and it has kept the history and practicing tradition purely for 1600 years.
The Jogye Order includes 2000 temples, 15,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, and as of 1997, there were about 8.1 million active, registered lay members and countless followers more loosely affiliated. Also, it consists of 25 buddhist head temples(Buddhist dioceses), and each Buddhist diocese has a head temple(monastery) and branch hermitages.
About 800 monasteries of the Jogye Order are traditional monasteries, and have a history of several hundred to 1,000 years. More than 90% of traditional old monasteries belong to the Jogye Order.

The Jogye Order has followed the tradition of practice and active propagation, the education of lay Buddhists, and various forms of social welfare. The Jogye Order is also concerned with environmental problems related to the environment of its monasteries. Therefore, the Jogye Order, based on the Buddhist ethic of respect for all life forms, concerns itself with environmental problems related to development and destruction of nature. Besides these activities, the Jogye Order has a great number of organizations of lay Buddhists which are learning and practicing the Buddha's teachings. They are a positive and pure force in society.

The Jogye Order has grown and become reinvigorated in the last twenty years and its weekly newspaper Pulgyo Shinmun is read nationwide. Monks are assigned to the military to serve as Buddhist chaplains, and teachers have been dispatched to centers overseas in United States, Japan, China including Hong Kong, Australia and Europe. Korea also has a Buddhist radio station BBS-FM and cable TV station BTN-TV that function in collaboration with the Jogye Order and other Buddhist organization.