Taego Order - History

History

Before 1945 the majority of Korean Buddhist monastics were descended from Master Taego Bowu, especially within the Jogye Order, which was founded at the end of the Koryeo Dynasty. This unified order continued until 1954, when President Lee Seoung Man and a number of bhikkhus ordered a separation of the Jogye Order into two orders, one composed of celibate monks and the other of those who had families (which would be known later as the Taego Order).

The celibate majority group that retained the name "Jogye Order" changed the color of the kasa (outer monastic robe worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm) to brown, despite the fact that the traditional color of a Korean kasa was red. This was done to create a visual distinction between the orders. (Interestingly, North Korean Buddhist clergy use the most traditional robes - a red kasa and a dark blue or nearly-black ceremonial robe.)

After the separation of the orders, the monastics in the celibate majority as well as the government suppressed the group that became the Taego Order, in part by forcing married clergy out of the temples, so these disestablished monks had to establish a new order that would carry the characteristics of the original Jogye Order, including the use of the original red Kasa, though allowing for marriage. In 1970 a new order was officially founded, named after Master Taego Bowu. The Korean Buddhist Taego Order does not promote a separation between the clergy and the laity, but instead, a Buddhism that fits the mundane world.

Of particular note in the Taego ritual tradition is the Yongsanjae ritual. This is a reenactment of Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching of the Lotus Sutra on Vulture Peak. It involves a great deal of chanting and dancing. The full ritual is quite long, but is sometimes performed in an abbreviated fashion lasting just a few hours. This ritual is only preserved in the Taego Order and has been recognized as an intangible cultural asset by UNESCO.