History of Buddhism 6,000 monasteries in Tibet along with their art and books, an attempt to wipe out the Tibetan Buddhist culture. After 1980, Chinese repression of Tibetan Buddhism has decreased and the situation has improved with the reprinting of the Tibetan Canon and some artistic restoration. In the nearby countries of Bhutan, and Nepal, Vajrayana Buddhism continues to flourish as a major religion. In Mongolia, which also has Tibetan Buddhism as its main religion, soviet dominance (between 1924-1990) saw much repression of Buddhism. However, Buddhism is now undergoing a revival in post communist Mongolia, with more ordained monks and nuns, and 284
Won Buddhism a form of Buddhism. The name "Won Buddhism" comes from the Korean words 원/圓 "won" ("circle") and 불교/佛敎 "bulgyo" ("Buddhism"), literally meaning "Round Buddhism" or "Consummate Buddhism." By "consummate," Won Buddhists mean that they incorporate several different schools of Buddhist thought into their doctrine; that is, where some schools focus only on practicing meditation ("samādhi"), some schools devote themselves fully to studying scriptures ("prajñā"), and still others practice only their school's precepts ("śīla"), Won Buddhism believes in incorporating all three into daily practice. According to Won Buddhist sources, Bak Jungbin (, , 1891–1943, aka Sotaesan) attained bodhi in 1916 and