We are the American-European Parish of the Korean Taego Order. Our goal is to use authentic Dharma education in the Western World, to serve our communities, alleviate suffering and promote the Bodhisattva ideals in an engaging, approachable way.
We study all the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, including all of His fundamental ideas. These include self-enlightenment, teaching the path to enlightenment to others and using wise conduct paired with amicable sense. The Taego Order’s ultimate target is to use authentic Dharma to educate the people, to serve the community, to purify the suffering of all beings and to follow the Bodhisattvayana (Mahayana). The Taego Order respectfully follows the teachings of Taego Bowoo, which focus on combining the teaching and Zen schools and also on the integration of samadhi and prajana.
The Taego Order broadly recommends to any Buddhist practitioner to find his or her own method for self-cultivation, such as meditation, study of the sutras, chanting, etc.. Moreover, the Taego Order encourages all practitioners to focus above to obtain the Bodhi (awakening) and to focus below to alleviate the suffering all others, and this embracing of the Bodhisattva commitment is one of the main tenets of our Order. The Taego Order’s main sutras are the Diamond Sutra and the Flower Ornament Sutra. The Diamond Sutra’s main teachings are to encourage people to establish the bold wheel of intention and wisdom in order to comprehend that all existence is impermanent. The Flower Ornament Sutra’s main teachings are based on examining emptiness to understand that the whole is selfless, and therefore, that the wheel of the Dharma follows the law of dependent origination, which inspires people to make their lives unhindered.