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The Concept of Mind in Won-Buddhist Philosophy : 133
2. Doctrine of Won-Buddhism
A central doctrine of Mahāyāna Buddhism is the idea of tathāgata-garbha (Tathāgata's Womb), which says that all sentient beings intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Buddha nature here is understood as the ultimate truth, the ground of being.
Won-Buddhism calls this Buddha-nature Irwon (perfect roundness). Irwon is nothing other than the Dharmakaya Buddha as the basis of our nature. While we are all inherently Buddhas, there are very few who actualize this. Hence Buddhist cultivation is needed to actualize what we already are. We do not merely follow the teachings of the historical Buddha but attempt to awaken ourselves, thereby becoming Buddhas ourselves. Past and present religious teachers or founders are merely those who guide us in finding our own true nature.
The purpose of Buddhist practice according to Sot'aesan is with every action to "bow" to and worship the essence of what we already are, to our Buddha-nature, of to what Won-Buddhism refers to as the Dharmakaya Buddha within us. The round symbol in Won-Buddhism is a tangible means of worshipping Buddhanature, the nature of reality and our own nature as well.
The doctrinal system of Won-Buddhism, which reveals how to carry out the essential ways of human life and practice, aims to build a vast and immeasurable paradise through the four principles, right enlightenment and right practice, awareness of grace and requitals of grace, practical application of the Buddhadharma, and selfless service to the public.
1. The main doctrine of irwon, the Dharmakaya Buddha, consists of the Gateways of Faith and Practice. The Fourfold Grace and the Four Essentials lead followers through the Gateway of Faith based on retribution and response of cause and effect. The threefold Study and the Eight Articles lead
