Claiming over a million adherents, Wŏn Buddhism has been part and parcel of Korean religious history since its founding in 1916. With a rising international community spanning five continents, the movement enjoys growing attention from scholars of Buddhism and new religious movements alike. However, sound scholarship in Western languages remains scarce, limited to a handful of publications and an even smaller number of specialized academics, of which the author is the leading authority. Chung, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Florida International University, is best known for his elegant translation of the Wŏnbulgyo kyojŏn image, the foundational text of Wŏn Buddhism, which contains the teachings of the founder, Pak Chung‐bin (Sot'aesan). Representing the second part of Chung's monumental undertaking, that is, rendering the Wŏn Buddhist scriptures accessible to a wider (scholarly) readership, the present volume clearly fills a lacuna. Chung skillfully introduces the thinking of the second great figure and chief codifier of Wŏn Buddhism, Song Kyu (Chŏngsan), providing an annotated translation of large parts of the group's second major text, the Chŏngsan chongsa pŏb'o 鼎山宗師法語, as well as some eighty sections of the Hanuran hanich'i'e image. The introductory chapter (1–48) offers a succinct overview of the history and, more particularly, the main themes of Chŏngsan's systematizing teachings. The translation itself (51–271) is carefully crafted and impresses by its engaging and accessible style. This work is an important contribution and a “must‐read” for everyone interested in East Asian Buddhism and Korean religions.
