BUDDHISM IN KOREA AND VIETNAM 231dream of a united Korean Sangha. The union, however, was short-lived. Mter
independence, the order was badly split between a small rural minority who
had managed to preserve their celibacy throughout the Japanese occupation
and the majority who had abandoned their celibate vows. The celibate monks
fought to regain control of the monasteries that had gone over to the married
priests, and in 1954, after the end of the Korean War, they finally won gov-
ernment support for their cause. Married priests were expelled from the order
and formed their own separate T'aego Order. All major monasteries are now
in Chogye hands, but tensions between the two groups remain strong to this
day (Strong EB, sec. 8.8.3).
9. 7 Buddhism in Modern Korea
The success of South Korea's economic policy is changing the country so dras-
tically that it is difficult to point out any clear trends in contemporary Bud-
dhism, aside from two facts: an increasing proportion of the country is
reported to be Buddhist, and Korean nuns now play a more prominent role in
Sangha affairs than before. In addition to the Chogye and T' aego Orders, there
are 16 "homegrown" sects, including Won. The Chogye Order is now domi-
nant, whereas the T' aego Order is fast dying out. Mirroring the split between
the Chogye and T' aego monks, Korean nuns now have two independent or-
ders. The larger one, formed in 1985, is affiliated with the Chogye Order; the
smaller one, founded in 1972 and heavily involved in social work, is affiliated
with the T' aego Order. As for North Korea, lack of information about the
society in general makes it difficult to assess the position ofBuddhism there,
but it is unlikely that Buddhists are free to practice.
Ordination in South Korea is controlled by government regulations. Edu-
cational standards for both monks and nuns are becoming more stringent,
with a high school diploma now a minimum requirement. Once a year, can-
didates from various masters are convened for joint ceremonies lasting several
days. In 1982, the practice of dual ordination for nuns (see Section 3.4.1) was
revived by the Chogye Order after a one-hundred-year lapse. Once ordained,
monastics spend three to five years studying Chinese language and Buddhist
Siitras. More and more Sangha members are also pursuing higher degrees be-
yond the temple, even going abroad for study.
A movement has begun to attract young people to Buddhism at the lay
level. This includes a network of Sunday schools for children based on the
Christian model. Massive efforts are under way to translate Siitras and related
texts into Han' gul, making them more accessible to the average reader, and
the Korean Tripi!aka is being put in a computer format. Monks and nuns also
devote themselves to social services. Perhaps because the nuns have tradition-
ally played a more prominent role in offering pastoral help to the laity, they
are now in the forefront of finding new ways to serve the fast-changing soci-
ety: counseling prisoners, running homes for the aged, hosting radio shows,