T’aigo Wangsa

T’aigo Wangsa (born 1301, Korea—died 1382, Korea) was a Buddhist monk and the founder of the T’aigo sect of Korean Buddhism.

T’aigo entered into Buddhism at the age of 13 and at 25 passed the national Buddhist service examination. He practiced at a temple in a mountain in the north of Seoul, which he built and named T’aigoam (whence his name was derived). In 1346 he went to China and received further training for two years under the guidance of Shih-wu, the 18th patriarch in the Lin-chi branch of the Ch’an sect in China. In an attempt to reform Korean Buddhism, T’aigo adopted the Regulations of the Ch’an Sect compiled by Pai Chang, and in 1356, with the approval of King Kongmin, he established a new Buddhist administration office called Wonyung-bu. Though he became head of the office, his reform attempt did not bear tangible fruit, and the T’aigo sect has remained relatively small.