The largest Korean Buddhist Chogye Order has been Zen Buddhism in priority. So the Zen had been the primary education for monks and nuns. But the education for monks and nuns are changing to Kyo(doctrinal teaching) Buddhism in priority after the Kyo B...
The largest Korean Buddhist Chogye Order has been Zen Buddhism in priority. So the Zen had been the primary education for monks and nuns. But the education for monks and nuns are changing to Kyo(doctrinal teaching) Buddhism in priority after the Kyo Buddhism began to encompass the Zen Buddhism since the modern period. Since the western thoughts, mainly the American thought, began to penetrate into Korean society, these are spreading over the education for monks and nuns in the Korean Buddhist Chogye Order.
The system of the education for monks and nuns in the Korean Buddhist Chogye Order has greatly been influenced by the Confucianism after the Choseon dynasty(1392-1911) supressed Buddhism while boosting Confucianism. And the atmosphere of studying the Chinese sutras spreads widely still in Korea. Further more, mundane subjects like English, Japanese, and computer are much introduced to the Kangwon. the traditional education institute for monks and nuns.
The views on the change(secularization) of the system and subjects especially around the Kangwon, the basic educational institute, are contrary to each other among Buddhists. Some insist the Kangwon system should be preserved while others insist new educational system and subjects should be introduced according to the rapidly changing times.
I thinks it is necessary for the Kangwon to have differences to sustain the identity of the Korean Buddhism. It is necessary to give ear to the contention that the Kangwon should be developed as a special education institute having practice and faith not as one satisfying only knowledge.
Of course it is also necessary to include mundane subjects asked from this new times. But it should be done after a profound study of them. This view is getting persuasive since the question of the secularization in the education for monks and nuns has a close(tight) relation to the role of Buddhism in society. So one of the most important questions on the education for monks and nuns lies in how to harmonize the traditional education and the modernized one.
I think the Kangwon will play more important role than the University, the secularized educational institute, in 21th century. And so I think it is very important to maintain the traditional education system that has a excellent thought and education system in this much westernized Korean society.
In conclusion, new subjects should be introduced in more prudent examination sustaining the traditional education system. If it does not succeed, Korean Buddhism could not but drift about on the ocean of westernized thought in 21th century even losing its identity.