The "Irwon" Symbol and Its Ecumenical Significance

Abstract

Though there is an increasing recognition of the necessity for religious ecumenism, this recognition is still shared only by small liberal groups within each religion. The general attitude of world religions toward ecumenism can be characterized as a lack of interest and concern. Often Buddhists are criticized because their self-sufficiency permits a lack of participation in such projects. This essay will address a theoretical foundation of ecumenism from the Buddhist perspective, especially the perspective of Won Buddhism,' a reformed Buddhism in Korea. It will illustrate the Won Buddhist theoretical model of ecumenism2 in the context of religious pluralism, a model that could initiate a significant dialogue with ecumenical theologians of other religions. Sot'aesan (1891-1943), the founder of Won Buddhism, speaks of interreligious dialogue using the term Irwon-literally, circle, symbolized by O -as a model for religious ecumenism. Irwon in Won Buddhism represents Sot'aesan's idea of how religious was to be approached in his day. His model of religious ecumenism seems worth considering because it is so different from the models of exclusivism,inclusivism, and often used to respond to the phenomenon of religious diversity. Though the term unitive pluralism used to describe Sot'aesan's position was first introduced in Paul Knitter's book, No Other Name?3 it has never been theoretically elaborated or practically utilized in the context of the ecumenical movement. I will borrow the term in order to inquire into the ecumenical spirit of Sot'aesan. Sot'aesan, like a number of other religious leaders in Korea, showed a great concern for religious harmony and cooperation. The harmonization of the three religious teachings in East Asia-namely Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism-became one of the most important themes in the recent religious history of Korea. Two other leading religious thinkers contemporary with Sot'aesan, Suun (1824-1864) and Chungsan (1871-1909), developed their religious thought on the basis of a similar harmonization of the three religions. They appreciated the fact that each of the three religions had performed a soteriological role, however partial, and they attempted to meld them.4 Though Sot'aesan was not influenced by any particular Korean Buddhist