• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2003

This study examines the characteristics of 45 sects of seven new aboriginal religious groups in Korea including Jeungsan sect, Tangun sect, Soowoon sect, Won Buddhism, Bongnam sect, Gahksedo sect, Shamanism sect through field study and various documents. The purpose of the study is to elucidate how their religious ideas are reflected in their ceremonial costumes and what characteritics and underlying meanings these costumes have, and I reached the following conclusions 1. The new religious groups in Korea modified or mixed the designs or names of existing outfits to convey their ideas or beliefs in their costumes. 2. The costumes of new religious groups turned out to have certain characteristics in common: they all reflected the times, Korean tradition, ancestor worship. 3. I looked at the symbolicity, names, and types of the outfit, and their color scheme to establish their structural characteristics, and it turned out that they an symbolized the creeds and ideas of each religion. The names of the costumes such as Way-Robe, Law-Robe, and Ceremony-Robe, for instance, had to do with Buddhism Taoism, and Confucianism. The most common type of costume consisted of traditional hanbok top, pant, robe, and some type of headpiece for men, and hanbok top and, skirt for women, and if women were to wear a robe, it usually meant the sect believed in sexual equality. There was also a tendency to simplify or minimize the dress code, which seems to indicate that the sect was trying to adapt itself to, the times. The most common type of the outer garment for men was a robe with narrow sleeves, straight lapel, and no slits, and a robe with wide sleeves, straight lapel, and slits for women. The color scheme of the costumes included blue, white, yellow, red, and black, reflecting the influence of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements idea and traditional preference for white of Koreans. 4. These religious costumes were worn at various ceremonies, ritual, and various anniversary services for the master and other dignitaries of the sect to render greater piety to those gatherings, to distinguish the sect from other religious groups, to clarify the meaning of the ceremony, and to heighten the devout feelings of the participants. Thus, the structure (the symbolicity, names, and types of the outfit, and their color scheme) and religious background of the costumes of the new aboriginal religious groups in Korea turned out to have inherited and mixed various element of traditional Korean outfit and those of existing religions to symbolize their religious ideas. Many religions in and fall, and each has its own dress codes, and I hope this study provides a framework and data for other researchers and leaders of new religious groups that will emerge in the future.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.185-194
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• 2004

This study examined the characteristics of 45 sects of seven new aboriginal religious groups in Korea including Jeungsan sect, Tangun sect, Soowoon sect, Won Buddhism, Bongnam sect, Gahksedo sect, Shamanism sect that had given a considerable influence on the modem Korean society since the end of 19th century through the field study and the review of documents. The purpose of the study was to elucidate how their religious ideas were reflected in their ceremonial costumes and what characteristics these costumes had. The results were as follows: 1. The new religious groups in Korea modified or mixed the designs or the names of existing outfits to convey their ideas or beliefs through their costumes. 2. The costumes of new religious groups had common characteristics of the times, Korean tradition and ancestor worship. 3. All the ceremonial costumes symbolized the creeds and ideas of each religion in their names, designs, and colors. The names of the costumes such as Way-Robe, Law-Robe, and Ceremony-Robe, and of the headpieces such as Sky-Crown, Lotus-Crown, Ceremony-Crown, and Sevenfold-Crown, for instance, were related with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The most common design of costume was consisted of traditional hanbok and some type of headpiece and robe for men, and hanbok modified to Western-style for women. Most sects adopted hanbok as their ceremonial costume, but they tend to simplify its design. The color scheme of the costumes reflected the influence of the Yul-Yang and Five Elements idea but the colors varied depending on seasons and occasions to suit their creeds and philosophy. 4. These religious costumes were worn at various ceremonies, ritual, and various anniversary services for the master and other dignitaries of the sect to render greater piety to those gatherings, to distinguish the sect from other religious groups, to clarify the meaning of the ceremony, and to heighten the devout feelings of the participants. Thus, the structure (the symbol, names, and types of the outfit, and their color scheme) and religious background of the costumes of the new aboriginal religious groups in Korea turned out to have inherited and mixed various elements of traditional Korean outfits and those of existing religions to symbolize their religious ideas.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.37
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• pp.141-190
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• 2021

In early modern Korea, the founders of three main-stream indigenous new religions, Choi Je-woo (崔濟愚), Kang Il-sun (姜一淳), and Park Jungbin (朴重彬), were all ruined yangban, who could no longer maintain the social dignity of yangban. Prior to their regular religious activities, they earned livings as rural teachers, peasants, merchants, and fortune-tellers. They were marginalized for having declined from upper-class nobles to lower-class people. Due to their subalternal status, they religiously represented the inexpressible aspirations and resentments held by various subalterns. The millennial movements of marginal religions in the late Joseon Dynasty exposed and deviated from the fetters of the established order, but they did not propose a new alternative order to replace it. Unlike these millennial movements, Choi Je-woo, Kang Il-sun, and Park Jungbin all proposed utopian visions of post-subalternal alternative religions that systematically presented and practiced new alternative worldviews characterized by the "Great Opening of the Later World (後天開闢)." The world they longed for was one wherein anti-subalternal social regulation were overthrown, the oppression of various subalterns end, and the established social order was replaced. In this article, I have argued that three main-stream indigenous Korean new religions, Donghak (Eastern Learning), the Jeungsan-inspired religious movements, and Wonbulgyo (Won Buddhism) are utopian alternative religions. I made this argument by analyzing some aspects by which they represented subalterns and offered subalterns a new religio-social status.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.34
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• pp.107-139
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• 2020

This paper primarily focuses on the highest deity, the Upper Thearch of the Nine Heavens (officially translated as 'The Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven'), in the Korean new religious movement (NRM) Daesoon Jinrihoe and the true minister of the myriad spirits in the Taiwanese NRM, Yiguan Dao, the Upper Thearch of Manifest Luminosity. As the two both serve as highly representative "Upper Thearch" beliefs in emerging NRMs, I attempt a comparative analysis of the source of these beliefs, their characteristics, and the links that exist between them. On the basis of ancient Chinese classics and Daoist texts, along with Daesoon Jinrihoe's scriptures and works from Yiguan Dao's Canon, I try to understand the distinguishing features of cosmological ideas from both religious movements. For example, because the Upper Thearch of the Nine Heavens could not bear to see the human realm growing ever more disordered and in order to improve worldly conditions, he traveled to the harmonized realm of deities, and therefore descended into the world to make a great itineration and enlighten the people through his teachings. In the end, he came to Korea and was reborn as Kang Jeungsan (secular name: Kang Il-Sun) in Gaekmang Village. In the Human Realm, he spread his transformative teachings to the people which were later became the doctrines of the Virtuous Concordance of Yin and Yang, Harmonious Union between Divine Beings and Human Beings, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence, and Perfected Unification (jingyeong 真境) with the Dao. Yiguan Dao; however, explains that the source of humanity is the "Heaven of Principle" (Litian 理天), and people are "Buddha's Children of the Original Embryo" (Yuantai Fozi 原胎佛子), created by the Upper Thearch of Manifest Luminosity, who came to world to govern and impart spiritual refinement, before returning to his native place in the Heaven of Principle. Yet, because he became infatuated with the world of mortals, he forgot the path of his return. Therefore, the Eternal Mother sent Maitreya Buddha, the Living Buddha Jigong 濟公, and the Bodhisattva of Moon Wisdom (Yuehui pusa 月慧菩薩) to descend to the human world and teach the people, so that they may acknowledge the Eternal Mother as the root of return, achieve their return to the origin, and go back to the home of the Eternal Mother in the Heaven of Principle. Both Daesoon Jinrihoe and Yiguan Dao refer to their highest deity, the true ministers of the myriad spirits, with the simple title "Upper Thearch." This phenomenon also has some ties to God in the western Biblical tradition but also has some key differences. In investigating the sources of these two deities, we find that they likely took shape during the Yinshang (殷商) period and have some relationship to the Upper Thearch of Chinese antiquity. The questions raised in this research are quite interesting and deserving of deeper comparative study.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.40
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• pp.39-76
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• 2022

The two religious ethics, Christianity's 'love your enemies' and Daesoon Jinrihoe's 'grievance-resolution for mutual beneficence', can be misunderstood as similar. The misunderstanding arises from these religious ethics having something in common that specifically points to a particular object, called an enemy, and contains instructions to treat that object altruistically. However, from the perspective of Religious Ethics, the two teachings are not the same. The beliefs they are based upon are different, the religious character they pursue is different, and their processes of obtaining legitimacy, logic, and implementation are different. The most distinct difference between these ethics is that the Christian ethic focuses on a victim's role whereas Daesoon Jinrihoe ethic emphasizes the roles of both victims and perpetrators. In case of 'love your enemies,' if a perpetrator turns away from a victim and believes that they would be forgiven for their sin, the victim is unlikely to practice the teaching 'love your enemies.' Accordingly, to avoid criticism over cases wherein love of an enemy is nothing but a shallow grace, the roles of the two sides should be more highlighted than that of the absolute being. As for grievance-resolution for mutual beneficence, this teaching encourages victims to resolve their grievance with a goal of mutual beneficence. The perpetrator should likewise resolve the grievances and grudges of their victim with the aim of mutual beneficence. Jeungsan especially stressed that perpetrators have to resolve 'Cheok (慼: the resentment and grievances that someone holds against the one who victimized them)' through the ethic of grievance-resolution in order for living well. In other words, 'the ethic of Cheok-resolution' is an ethic wherein the perpetrator also plays an important role in the implementation of grievance-resolution for mutual beneficence.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.295-330
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• 2020

This paper examines the current state of the field wherein theoretical issues of ecology are still in need of concentration. Ecological texts are reconsidered from a religious worldview by extracting eco-friendly notions within religion and discourse is also essential in the practical field. As a case study on this matter, this paper aims to describe various aspects of ecological theory in Daesoon Jinrihoe, a new religious movement in Korea. In short, in its view of the natural world, Daesoon Jinrihoe values that all things originated from the Supreme God who presides over them, and the two are organically interrelated. Hence, the principle of nature is cherished. Especially as the Later World draws near, the fundamental basis of nature is slated to undergo change, and this also features heavily in Daesoon Jinrihoe's view of the natural world. Furthermore, the Supreme God reforms nature, and human beings live lives in conformity and resonance with that reformed nature. Above all else, the doctrines of haewon sangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence) and boeun sangsaeng (the reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence) are advocated in Daesoon Jinrihoe. Each supports its own form of ecological discourse, and together, they can be called Sangsaeng Ecological Theory (the Ecological Theory of Mutual Beneficence). Specific discussions of Daesoon Jinrihoe and ecology should be considered in light of this finding.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.34
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• pp.323-351
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• 2020

The purpose of this paper is to reveal how Christian ideas are indicative of Theocentricity (God-centeredness) whereas Daesoon Jinrihoe ideas are indicative of anthropocentrism (human-centeredness). This task will be accomplished through comparing incarnation theology from the Bible and The Canonical Scripture. Both Christianity and Daesoon Jinrihoe affirm that there is another world above the human world that cannot be touched by human sense organs. And they both acknowledge a supreme deity who exists in that above world. Furthermore, they share the notion that the supreme deity came into the human world after being born from a woman. Where they depart is that in Christianity, this belief refers to Jesus, the one who was born in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, whereas in Daesoon Jinrihoe, it is instead believed to be Kang Jeungsan (secular name: Kang Il-Sun) who was born in Gaekmang Village in Korea more than 100 years ago. The Christian God came to the human world as an atonement for humanity and died on the cross; The God of Daesoon Jinrihoe came to the human world to help mankind settle all enmities. To this end, he traveled through the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, to recalibrate the faulty Degree Numbers. The sin mentioned in Christianity means treachery against the supreme deity. It is implied that sin is not tolerated in the world of God. Due to this, the first man, Adam, was driven out of Eden after betraying God, and afterwards, there came to be an infranchissable boundary between the world of God and the world of man. By way of comparison the faulty Degree Numbers, mentioned in Daesoon Jinrihoe, were produced naturally. In other words, the faulty Degree Number existed not only in the human world, but also in the world of divinities, and those two worlds not only interact but also affect each other. Therefore, it can be said that the two worlds of Christianity are worlds in which order and systems are completely different, and that the two worlds of Daesoon Jinrihoe are worlds that operate under the same order and systems. Both explain via this two-part division to emphasize one part as more important than the other. Christianity regards the world of God as the ultimate source and ultimate concern of the human world and emphasizes the absolute faith and worship of God is the highest value in life. But Daesoon Jinrihoe, on the other hand, argues that the human world determines the value of the divine world, and that the co-prosperity of man and his surroundings are the core values of the human era (The Era of Human Nobility). Therefore, the root cause of Christianity's theocentricity is that among the two worlds that are completely cut off from one another, they believe in God's world as the ultimate source and purpose of the human world. The root cause of Daesoon Jinrihoe's anthropocentrism is that among the two worlds that interact and influence each other, they believe the human world determines the meaning of the divine world.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.36
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• pp.267-298
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• 2020

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the developmental background and practical approaches to the arts of the Dao (道術 dosul) in Daesoon Jinrihoe (大巡真理會) by tracing this concept back to its source and comparing and contrasting Daesoon Jinrihoe's usage of 'arts of the Dao' with the usage found in traditional Daoism. The paper is divided into a preface, conclusion, and two body sections. Especially significant discoveries appear in the second and third sections. In the second section, the Daoist concept of Alterable and Unalterable Degree Numbers (運度定數 yundudingshu, 'degree numbers' suggesting 'fate' or 'destiny') allows for a comparison between the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (天地公事 cheonjigongsa) from Daesoon Jinrihoe's The Canonical Scripture (典經 jeon-gyeong) and the Opening of Calamities to Save Humanity (開劫度人 kaijieduren) in Daoism. Here discourse can be provided regarding the cause of calamities (劫 'jie' in Chinese and 'geop' in Sino-Korean). Additionally examined are the deep grievances between divine beings and humans and the cosmic cycles of growth and decay as both of these relate to the reason for calamities. As for the resolving of calamities, there are two differing perspectives proposed by Daesoon Jinrihoe and traditional Daoism. Daesoon Jinrihoe believes that Kang Jeungsan (姜甑山) led changes and renewal through the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth. In this context, clergy and laity play roles as assistants. However, Daoism emphasizes gaining merit from the recitation of scriptures and the collective participation of immortals rather than relying completely upon divine intervention from the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial State (元始天尊 yuanshi tianzun). In the third section, 'The Origin and Application of the Arts of the Dao (道術 daoshu),' analysis is provided regarding the origin and connotation of five directional generals (五方將 wufangjiang), the twenty-four generals (二十四將 ershijiang), the twenty-eight generals (二十八將 ershibajiang), and the forty-eight generals (四十八將 sishibajiang). Likewise examined is the relationship between the arts of the Dao in The Canonical Scripture and Thunder Rites in the Shen Xiao Lineage (道教神霄雷法 daojiao shenxiao leifa) of Daoism. Lastly, some points are made about the operation of two ceremonies: The Ceremony of Transformation and Pacing (遁甲步罡儀式 dunjiabugangyishi) and Divination through the Formula Disc of the Six Ren Gods (六壬式盤占卜 liuren shipanzhanbu).

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.37
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• pp.229-262
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• 2021

The debate on the treatment of animals has accelerated as a social issue in the West since the 1970s. In 1975, Peter Singers argued in his book, Animal Liberation, that speciesism should be banned. This led to an explosion in research on animal welfare in the philosophical and social sciences. Following Singer, Tom Regan suggested considering the animal rights as being on the same level as human rights. Their arguments were that animals should be imbued with some intrinsic weight sufficient enough to remind humans of their social responsibility to animals at least to a certain degree. In this regard, social responsibility for animal welfare as well as animal rights has formed an axis that organizes human morality in modern society. Such arguments regarding animal welfare can be perceived as an active and creative effort which accords with the free will of human beings who in Daesoon Thought are understood as facing the era of human nobility. This argumentation also aligns with the doctrine of grievance-resolution for mutual beneficence as a practical creed due to the way in which modern bioethics implies that animal welfare could become a practical communal morality integrated into legal systems prior to adoption as a system of individual morality. From within this context, this study discusses the nature and limits of modern animal welfare and animal rights from the perspective of the grievance-resolution which Kang Jeungsan promised to animals.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.26
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• pp.1-41
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• 2016

The script of the Fellowship of Daesoon Truth, 『Jeongyeong』 consists of seven sectors and 17 chapters. The seven sectors include 「Life of Sangje」, 「Reordering of the Universe」, 「Passing on of Teaching」, 「Law of Teaching」, 「Wisdom」, 「Cure of the Sick」, and 「Foreseeing」. The chapter 「Reordering of the Universe」 has the most records about Sangje, while the 「Law of Teaching」 has the most variety of materials in many passages about Sangje. This shows that the chapter 「Reordering of the Universe」 puts emphasis on the unique religious activities of Sangje and 「Law of Teaching」 is important for its edifying elements. "Law of teaching" is 敎法(Gyobeop) in Chinese character. 敎 means "teaching" and 法 "laws". What is law? A law becomes the rules for maintaining order of a society. In the view of religion, the law is ethical rules set by Kang Jeungsan to keep an order in the world. The first and second chapters of 「Law of Teaching」 have writings on 1. What Sangje said in person to the disciples, 2. The teachings Sangje gave to the disciples in certain occasions, 3. Reality of the society in late Joseon Dynasty, 4. Teachings related to the historical figures and old stories, and 5. Literatures. The third chapter has two special types of writing, which is about Taoism myths and statements written only in Chinese characters. In 『Daesoon Jeongyeong Volume 6』, the chapter 「Words of Law」 has more contents on edification for disciples, Cheok and resolving grudges with more detailed expression of woman resolving their piled up grudges. This chapter also has writings about discriminating old evil customs of Confucianism, emphasizing virtue and act of reciprocating for offered graces while training of one's mind and working on one's daily practice (shown in Sangje's saying about certain historical figures, quoting the Song of Suwun, statements in Chinese characters), Sangje's opinion about Japan, China, ancestral beings, eating raw foods, Byeokgok and others. In comparison with 「Words of Law」 in 『Daesoon Jeongyeong Volume 6』, which was issued in 1965 as the previous generation literature, 「Law of Teaching」 in 『Jeongyeong』 has many additional statements made to existing passages. Also, some passages were combined of two previous passages, some words were corrected, and in some passages, additional statements were made about the same person mentioned in another passage. And some passages were dropped. For the contents, 『Jeongyeong』 has additional statements about spiritual training of one's mind and practicing the teaching in daily lives, which indicates that 『Jeongyeong』 is focusing more on actual daily practice and the idea of overcoming hardships during the practice and realizing the principle of Resolution of all grudges.