A Study on the Meaning of Mugeuk(無極) and Taegeuk(太極) in Daesoon Thoughts

대순사상에서의 무극(無極)과 태극(太極) 그리고 대순(大巡)의 의미 고찰

Identifying the ontological characteristics of "ultimate reality" is highly important in a specific religion or thought because it is believed to contain the logic that explain the wholistic phenomenon in the entire universe. The "ultimate reality" is called "Lee(理)", "Dao(道)", "Taegeuk; the Great Ultimate(太極)", "Mugeuk; NonUltimate(無極)", "Gong(空)", "Haven", "SangJe(上帝)", "God" in many different religions or thoughts. Taegeuk(太極), Mugeuk(無極) and Daesoon(大巡) are believed to contain the logic that explain the wholistic phenomenon in the entire universe in Daesoon Thoughts which we can see in the GooCheon SangJe(九天上帝)'s saying that "Even if the logic is so high, it comes from the surface of Taegeuk and Mugeuk and cannot be separated from every phenomenon in our life(理雖高出於太極无極之表 不離乎日用事物之間)" and Doju(道主) Cho, Jeong San's saying that "The reasion that Dao is called Dao is that it is settled to be Mugeuk and moved to be Taegeuk(道之謂道也者定而无極 動而太極)" and Dojeon(都典) Park Wu-dang's saying that "Daesoon(大巡) is circle(圓), circle is Mugeuk(無極), Mugeuk is Taegeuk(太極)". Mugeuk contains the logic of transcendence and Taegeuk contains the logic of immanance. And Nae-confucianism admit the Ultimate Reality or logic have both characteries of Mugeuk and Taegeuk and don't admit that Taegeuk comes from Mugeuk. Therefore, Mugeuk and Taegeuk are in complementary relations. These Nae-confucianism's idea about Mugeuk and Taegeuk corresponds with Deasoon Thought. Daesoon Thoughts also admit that Ultimate Reality, GooCheon SangJe can be understood with both Mugeuk and Taegeuk. That is, GooCheon SangJe, the Suprime God is transcendent from this world(Mugeuk) and also manage the whole universe using the logic of Taegeuk(太極). Daesoon(大巡) unite Mugeuk and Taegeuk using the concept of circulation. The logic of Mugeuk and Taegeuk is both two as well as one, and one as well as two. It is not dualism nor monism. It is non-dualism and super-dualism. These logic of coexistence is the core of Mugeuk and Taegeuk. And this logic is reflexed in Daesoon Thoughts' core proposition that "Daesoon(大巡) is circle (圓), circle is Mugeuk(無極), Mugeuk is Taegeuk(太極)".