Cheontae (, also known as the Korean Buddhist Cheontae sect ) is the Korean branch of the Chinese Tiantai school, which was founded in 594 by the monk Zhiyi (æºé¡Â) during the Sui dynasty. Though Tiantai teachings were introduced to Korea earlier, it was during the Goryeo period that Cheontae was established as an independent school by Daegak Guksa Uicheon (1055âÂÂ1101), a royal prince and Buddhist scholar.
Uicheon sought to bridge the gap between the doctrinal (Gyo æÂÂ) and meditative (Seon 禪) schools by promoting Cheontae teachings, which emphasize the Lotus Sutra as the culmination of the Buddha's teachings. Central to Cheontae doctrine are three key insights:
This philosophy teaches that everyday sensory experiences are expressions of the Dharma and pathways to enlightenment. These views are reflected in Korean temple aesthetics, such as the use of colorful Dancheong decorative painting, which contrasts with the minimalist style favored by Japanese Zen traditions.
During the Goryeo period, Cheontae gained institutional recognition, coexisting with the Jogye school (æ¹溪å®Â). The major Seon temples were collectively known as the Five Mountain Seon Schools (Gusan Seonmun), and the Buddhist landscape was organized under the "Five Orders and Two Schools" (äºÂæ´¾äºÂå®Â), namely the Jogye and Cheontae sects.
In the Joseon Dynasty, Cheontae influence waned. In 1407, King Sejong attempted to reunify various Buddhist schools, and by 1424 the Cheontae tradition was absorbed into the Chongnam sect (æ åÂÂå®Â) and later into the Seon-dominated Buddhist structure known as Seon-Gyo Yangjong (禪æÂÂå ©å®Â), meaning "Two Schools of Seon and Doctrinal Buddhism".
Cheontae re-emerged in the modern period under , also known as Sangwol Wongak Daejo, who established the contemporary Korean Buddhist Cheontae Order. The sect considers Zhiyi, Uicheon, and Park Sangwol as its spiritual forebears.
The order's headquarters are located at Guinsa Temple in Chungcheongbuk-do, near Danyang, and it also operates Geumgang University, a Buddhist university.
As of 2015, the sect's Supreme Patriarch (Jongjeong å®Âæ£) is Venerable Daesongsa Kim Do-yong. The Korean Buddhist Cheontae Order estimates its membership at approximately 1.67 to 2 million adherents.
The Guinsa Temple (æÂÂä»Â寺) of the Korean Buddhist Cheontae tradition is in Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, and is built using a different concrete structure, which is different from the usual Buddhist temples.
)
)
Total: 152 temples (as of 2017)
Total: 3 temples (as of 2019)
The Foundation Corporation of the Korean Buddhist Cheontae Order (, Daehan Bulgyo Cheontaejong) promotes the ideals of patriotic Buddhism, engaged Buddhism, and popular Buddhism. It aims to spread the teachings of the Buddha by realizing the path of sanggu bodhiâÂÂthe aspiration to attain enlightenment through both mind and bodyâÂÂand to guide all sentient beings, a practice referred to as descending sentient beings or the embodiment of the Great Bodhisattva Mind.
The corporation was officially established on 16 April 1991 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea. Its mission is to promote personal spiritual development and the realization of a Buddhist nation by encouraging all Koreans to practice the Dharma and cultivate a noble and healthy national spirit.
The administrative office is located at 132âÂÂ1, Baekjari, Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea.