Taego Order

The Taego Order, or Taego-jong, is the second largest order of Korean Seon, the Korean branch of Chan Buddhism, tracing its lineage to the historical teacher Taego Bou but formally established as a separate order in 1970 by monastics who trace their practice to before 1945. Unlike Korea's larger Jogye Order, the Taego Order permits its ordained priests to marry, a practice that took hold during Korea's period of Japanese occupation, though its nuns remain celibate; it also preserves traditional Korean Buddhist ritual practices including the UNESCO-recognized Yeongsanjae ceremony. The order is based in South Korea, with international expansion through an America-Europe parish, and counts more than 8,000 monastics across roughly 3,100 temples.