• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.42
• /
• pp.1-44
• /
• 2022

This study aims to determine the significance of the devotional offerings held in Daesoon Jinrihoe Temple Complexes (道場 dojang) and to interpret their identity. Firstly, the existing research insists that the significance of these rituals implies that offerings held by Daesoon Jinrihoe embody the order's religious purpose. However, this paper argues that the purpose of devotional offerings is not limited thereto. The reason is that the primary sources of Daesoon Jinrihoe defines the devotional offerings as practiced for purposes of worship, celebration, commemoration, the expression of gratitude, the dissemination of information, and to humbly beg pardon from divine beings. Additionally, the offerings are meant to express the solid faith of devotees. Considering the various purposes of practicing devotional offerings, rather than mostly being about prayer to divine beings, the meaning of the offerings could be better understood as forms of communication and exchange of unique ideas and intentions. Secondly, in the light of Korea's history of rituals, the devotional offerings of Daesoon Jinrihoe obviously differ from the rituals of Confucianism or the ritual for Heaven and Earth (圜丘祭 hwanguje). Indeed, the rituals of Daesoon Jinrihoe are rather alien to both of the aforementioned rituals. Accordingly, the identity of the devotional offerings in Daesoon Jinrihoe do neither succeed to the religious and cultural tradition of Korea nor transform it. It is rather the case that Daesoon Jinrihoe's devotional offerings should be identified as having been newly invented. In this regard, the devotional offerings of Daesoon Jinrihoe should be understood as an invented tradition that began in modern times. In other words, they are 'invented rituals to Heaven.'

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.23
• /
• pp.385-429
• /
• 2014

This thesis strives to identify the peculiarities of Taegeuk (the yin-yang) and the relationships of Ri (reason/cause), Ki (Energy) and Do (duty). The Taegeuk is related with the Sangjekwan (highest ruling entity), Rikiron (noble theory) and the Boncheron (ontology) of the Daesoon Sasang (Daesoon Thoughts) which therefore is a priority research topic. Although said, due to the lack of original materials and the difficulty to understand the topic, the research is insignificant. Within chapter II of this thesis, the concept of the Taegeuk, the Rigi and Do from the perspective of Juja is observed. In chapter III, the relationship of Moogeuk and the Taegeuk which is mentioned in the foundation origin of the Daesoonjinrihoe. In addition, the Taegeuk and Eumyang's noble perspectives are observed through the comparison of Juja and Daesoon Sasang. In chapter IV, the aspects of Taegeuk's supervision is observed through the noumenality of the Taegeuk which is shown in the Daesoon Sasang along with the concept of mythology. Within the overall context, the Daesoon Sasang's ontology has similar structures with Juja's Taegeuk. This can be stated that Jojeongsan who had found the system of doctrine had not acknowledged Juja's theories but have rather interpreted Kangjeungsan's ontology in a Neo-Confucianism to better let the people understand. This can be observed as expediential teachings. The metaphysical Ri and the physical Ki's separation, and the relationship of matters and functions of the Taegeuk and Do can be stated to be similar within an overall outline in the aspect of the Rikiron. The Taegeuk becomes the primary figure whilst explaining Daesoon Sasang's Ri/Ki/Do and also becomes the Soiyeon (such reasons). Extreme Do is drawn from the Taegeuk and as Do resembles the trend of the Taegeuk, it is referred as the origin of all the things in the universe. However, Juja vigorously tried to witness God's notions in a principled, atheistic way. However, the main principle is regarded as divine in the aspect of the universe's functions and effects in the Daesoon Sasang. The personal Sangjekwan which embodies these profound and mysterious Taegeuk, is Daesoon Sasang's peculiarity which cannot be found in Neo-Confucianism. Therefore, in the Daesoon Sasang, both the order and character are being regarded in the ontology through personal divine.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.37
• /
• pp.191-227
• /
• 2021

In this study, values of truth and good are expressed in the form of beauty, and truth and good are analyzed from an aesthetic point of view. This enables an assessment of how truth is expressed and presented as an "aesthetic" in Daesoon Thought. Therefore, an approach to faith in Daesoon Jinrihoe (大巡眞理會) can be presented via traditional aesthetics or theological aesthetics that reflect on sense experience, feelings, and beauty. The concept of beauty in Daesoon Thought which focuses on The Canonical Scripture appears in keywords used in Daesoon Thought such as divine nature (神性), the pattern of Dao (道理), the singularly-focused mind (一心), and relationships (關係). Therein, one can find sublimation, symmetry, moderation, and harmony. The aesthetic features of Daesoon Thought, when considered as an aesthetic system can formulate thinking regarding the aesthetics of 'Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth' (天地公事), the aesthetics of Mutual Beneficence (相生), and the aesthetics of healing. The Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth contain a record of the Supreme God visiting the world as a human being. The realization that the human figure, Kang Jeungsan (1871-1909), is the Supreme God, Sangje (上帝), is the shocking aesthetic motif and theological starting point of the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth. Mutual Beneficence can be seen aesthetically as indicating the sociality of mutual relations, and there is an aesthetic structure of Mutual Beneficence in the harmony and unification of those relations. Healing can be said to contain the sacred sublimation of Sangje, and moderation is a form of beauty that makes humans move toward Quieting the mind and Quieting the body (安心·安身), the Dharma of Presiding over Cures (醫統), and the ultimate value of healing, which is the end point of the Cultivation (修道) wherein one realizes that the ideals of humankind and the aesthetics of healing bestow the spiritual pleasures of a beautiful and valuable life. The aesthetic characteristics of Daesoon Thought demonstrate an aesthetic attitude that leads to healing through Sangje's Holy Works and the practice of Mutual Beneficence (相生) which were performed when He stayed with us to vastly save all beings throughout the Three Realms that teetered on the brink of extinction. It is not uncommon to see a beautiful woman and remark she is like a goddess (女神) or female immortal (仙女). Likewise, beautiful music is often praised as "the sound of heaven." That which fills us with joy is spoken of as "divine beings (神明)" of God. God is a symbol of beauty, and the world of God can be said to be the archetype of beauty. Experience of beauty guides our souls to God. The aesthetic experience of Daesoon Thought is a religious experience that culminates in emotional, intellectual, and spiritual joy, and it is an aesthetic experience that recognizes transcendent beauty.

• The Korean Nurse
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.86-98
• /
• 1994

We have examined the development and conceptual definition of shamanism and divination through significant characteristics of various illnesses. However, the terrminology has been inconsistent and its real conceptual meaning is not well defined. Divination is a historically dominant religious practice which represents the core of Korean folk culture. Despite prevalent prejudice toward its primitive nature, we cannot deny its profound relationship to our unconscious, especially our reliance on its religious role whenever we face crisis or conflict. It is therefore appropriate to use the term divination in this context. Shamanism originated as humanity's oldest mode of communication with divine - a religion, The shaman is not a sorceress but a priestess, a healer, a spritual guide, a leader, a mystic, traditionally having a different significance from that of the contemporary diviner or "shaman". The traditional concept of illness has been profoundly altered to serve new functions: while the shamanistic view is based upon spiritual abduction, divination on the other hand invokes concepts of spiritual invasion phenomena such as spirit intrusion, taboo violations, soul loss, object instrusion, deviations from the appropriate spiritual path besiegement, and curess or predestination (the idea that the sufferer is born with his fate), We should therefore try to understand divination from a more holistic point of view, rather than attempting to fit it into the standrd medical illness. We must recognize divination as a phenomenon within our culture, since most people have a mixed conception of illness arising from a combination of divinational and modem concepts, Since divination's humanistic approach is ingrained in our people, to irresponsibly ignore the spiritual aspects of treatment would exert a negative influence on our culture, Especially now, while attraction is focused on Korean culture and its influence on every aspect of our livies, it is important for nurses to expand our horizons in order to create a way of nursing more suitable to Korean culture. Increased importance is now being given to the opinions of patients themselves about their own illness and health, so nurses should seek to understand how patients accept their illness and what particular kinds of help they expect to receive. Consequently, an understanding of traditional divinations will enable us to utilize these characteristics on the job in order to enhance nursing care.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.211-224
• /
• 2022

Objects : Recent taste theory has been advanced to the receptor and cell of taste. We tried to apply the taste theory to the Kimi theory (氣味論) of 『ShinNongBonChoKyung (神農本草經)』 for the purpose of resonance between the Kimi theory and the taste theory. Methods : The special issues in Current Opinion in Physiology of the year 2021 gave us much information. Based on it, we have searched for more papers using google scholars with the key words; taste, taste receptor, sweet, umami, bitter, salty, sour. Then, we analyzed and compared the Kimi theory of 『ShinNong BonChoKyung)』 with the research papers of physiological taste. Results : Three classification of the herbs in 『ShinNongBonChoKyung』 is very reasonable based on the Taste theory. There is umami and no spicy in the taste theory, and Sweet includes umami in the Kimi theory. Taste is such a complex and connective sensory reaction of the brain and body of human being. There are much more results to couple the Kimi with the taste theory. Conclusions : The pharmacological property of Kimi theory of 『ShinNongBonCho Kyung』 will help the taste theory much more develop and expand. In addition to qi(氣), the Kimi theory will also find a way to be in harmony with modern pharmacology in the respective of taste(味) with the help of taste theory.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.33
• /
• pp.1-30
• /
• 2019

There have been three trends in the study of the view of humanity in Daesoon Thought: insider theology, outsider theology, and religious studies. This article is intended to interpret the view of humanity in Daesoon Thought from the perspective of Mircea Eliade's New Humanism. We find similarities between Daesoon Thought and Eliade's New Humanism. Daesoon Thought deals with the complexities of life as being labyrinth-like and puts Jeungsan's view of humanity at the center of a Daesoon worldview. Jeungsan examines the existential problems which humans face in the Former World, and gives the religious remedies of Haewonsangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence) and Boeunsangsaeng (the grateful reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence) to transform humanity's worldview for usage in the Later World. Jeungsan suggests a way of peace instead of the revolution of Donghak. Through the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth, Jeungsan changes the mutual contention of the Former World into the mutual beneficence of the Later World. The cosmology of Daesoon Thought recovers the relationship between divine beings and human beings in the three realms, and proposes a system of ethics that promotes virtue and reproves vices and human-centericism. In conclusion, the view of humanity in Daesoon Thought is an unapologetic view of homo-religiosus from within a new humanism.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.37
• /
• pp.107-140
• /
• 2021

In this article, I reveal the ontological basis or grounds of 'Sangsaeng' through the Heideggerian Thought by focusing on 'HaewonSangsaeng' in Daesoon Thought and Daesoon Jinrihoe. 'Sangsaeng' means 'to live (well) with others.' 'Living' in this context means not only humans living among humans, but also all beings that exist and are able to live well with each other. At this time, we can find the basis for 'Sangsaeng' in Daesoon Thought or Daesoon Jinrihoe through Heidegger's 'Geviert-Welt,' 'Gelassenheit,' and 'Wohnen.' In other words, we can provide a basis for 'Sangsaeng' through 'Geviert-Welt' in which one of the 'four' of 'earth, sky, divine things, and those who will die' unfold in a mutually beneficent manner, and the human attitude of 'Gelassenheit' can enter 'Geviert-Welt.' Naturally, when limited to humans, this 'Sangsaeng' is achieved through 'Wohnen,' a way of being a human who enters the 'Gevirt-Welt' and lives while taking care of everything that exists. However, 'Wohnen' takes place in 'Geiert-Welt.' Therefore, in this article, I insist that the ethical ideology or guideline of Daesoon Thought or Daesoon Jinrihoe's 'Sangsaeng' is already ideologically achieved through an ontological horizon such as 'Gevier-Welt,' 'Gelassenheit,' and 'Wohnen.' And under these circumstances, it can be revealed that 'Haewon' is already being resolved.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.45
• /
• pp.1-35
• /
• 2023

This study aims at determining the meaning of Life in The Canonical Scripture of the Daesoon Thought upon the ontological bases of occidental philosophies; especially upon those of Plato and Bergson. In western philosophy, the word ontology designates investigating the meanings of being, which is derived from the Greek 'onto (being)' and 'logia (logical discourse).' The various meanings of life have been sought from ancient times all over the world, for these are the critical and vital questions that pertain to the nature of human existence. Plato had asserted that life, in his word, soul, had three different kinds of aspects of meaning. Immortal, reciprocal, and divine. Plato scheme was such that the soul could die, but after death it could became reborn into another various forms of living creatures. The real inner life of humans, the soul, would live eternally. Henri-Louis Bergson, a famous French philosopher from the 20^th century, claimed that life had three different kinds of aspects. Self-identity, Élan vital (vital impetus) and liberty. Bergson insisted especially the real meaning of life had been characterized by "unité multiple et multiplicitéune," "unity as something multiple and multiplicity something singular." The meaning of life in Daesoon Thought could be said to have three different characteristics, solidarity, earthly immortality and grievance-resolution. Some similarities can be found between certain western ontological meanings of life and those of Daesoon Thought. Namely, the qualities of eternity, reciprocity, and divinity.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
• /
• v.147
• /
• pp.117-146
• /
• 2018

This paper discusses, whether religion is possible even in the age of artificial intelligence, and whether humans alone are the subject of religious faith or ultra intelligent machines with human minds can be also subjects of faith. In order for ultra intelligent machines to be subjects of faith in the same conditions as humans, they must be able to have unique characteristics such as emotion, will, and self-consciousness. With the advent of ultra intelligent machines with the same level of cognitive and emotional abilities as human beings, the religious actions of artificial intelligence will be inevitable. The ultra intelligent machines after 'singularity' will go beyond the subject of religious belief and reign as God who can rule humans, nature and the world. This is also the common view of Morabeck, Kurzweil and Harari. Leonhart also reminds us that technological advances should make us used to the fact that we are now 'gods'. But we fear we may face distopia despite the general affluence of the 'Star Trec' economy. For this reason, even if a man says he has learned the religious truth, one can't help but wonder if it is true. Kant and Bloch are thinkers who critically reflected on our religious ideals and highest concept in different world-view premises. Kant's concept of God as 'idea of pure reason' and 'postulate of practical reason', can seem like a 'god of gap' as Jesse Bering said earlier. Kant recognized the need for religious faith only on a strict basis of moral necessity. The subjects of religious faith should always strive to do the moral good, but such efforts themselves were not enough to reach perfection and so postulated immortality of the soul. But if an ultra intelligent machines that has emerged above a singularity is given a new status in an intellectual explosion, it can reach its morality by blocking evil tendencies and by the infinite evolution of super intelligence. So it will no longer need Kant's 'Postulate for continuous progress towards greater goodness', 'Postulate for divine grace' and 'Postulate for infinite expansion of the kingdom of God on earth.' Artificial intelligence robots would not necessarily consider religious performance in the Kant's meaning, and therefore religion will also have to be abolished. Ernst Bloch transforms Kant's postulate to be Persian dualism. Therefore, in Bloch, even though the ultra intelligent machines is a divine being, one must critically ask whether it is a wicked or a good God. Artificial intelligence experts warn that ultra intellectual machine as Pandora's gift will bring disaster to mankind. In the Kant's Matrix, a ultra intelligent machines, which is the completion of morality and God itself, may fall into a bad god in Bloch's Matrix. Therefore, despite the myth of singularity, we still believe that ultra intelligent machines, whether as God leads us to the completion of one of our only religious beliefs, or as bad god to the collapse of mankind through complete denial of existence.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
• /
• no.50
• /
• pp.269-303
• /
• 2016

There are two ways of viewing the Taoism of the Joseon dynasty. One is to view it from the point of view in Joseon, another is to view it from the outside of Joseon, i.e. foreigners' point of view. Maurice Courant(maurice courant,1865~1935)'s Bibliographie Coreenne is the Korean first bibliography(書誌) recorded from the latter's point of view. This research examined the Taoist scripture in Maurice Courant's Bibliographie Coreenne. Maurice Courant classified the Taoist scripture of the Joseon into three: '1. Sacred books(經書類)', '2. Worship of Gwanseongjegun(關聖帝君), Munchangjegun(文昌帝君), Buwoojegun (孚佑帝君)', '3. Various works'. Through this category, it was determined that the belief in three gods (Gwanseongjegun Munchangjegun Buwoojegun) was widely prevalent in the Joseon dynasty in the late 19th century. In the chapter 1, he composed the books of representative Taoist scripture as Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, 'God(太上)', and 'King of heaven(九天上帝)'. Maurice Courant determined in chapter 2 that 1890s' Joseon Gwanwoo (關帝) belief was activated, and mentioned 'Musangdan(無相壇)', namely, Joseon's first religious organization. However, he could not determine that the scriptures relevant to three gods were recorded to be divine revelations uttered by gods. 19th century's 'Musangdan' was not introduced by being imported with Chinese Taoist scripture, but was published with the Joseon Taoist scripture through Gangpil(降筆: recording divine revelations uttered by gods). Also, through Maurice Courant's Bibliographie Coreenne, the point that 'belief in three gods' was prevalent in the social leader group during that period could be determined. The reason how such research could be possible seems, because Maurice Courant had Korean assistants who were good at Chinese classics. In chapter 3, Maurice Courant arranged the books based on Taoist ethic and the scriptures on Taoist social practical movement. Through the interpretation of Taoism bibliographies included in Maurice Courant's Bibliographie Coreenne, first, it could be determined that belief based on the three gods(三聖信仰) was prevalent during the 19th century, second, there were lots of the Taoist scriptures made in the late Joseon, third, the first Taoist religious organization and Taoist social movement form could be investigated.