• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.48
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• pp.269-303
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• 2024

Donghak's teaching, In-nae-cheon, means "humans are divine." It is said, "When humans were formed, God's blessing was required for their formation." Donghak's Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness is based on believing in God, respecting God, and practicing His teachings with utmost sincerity. These are key to implementing In-nae-cheon. On the other hand, the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought, also Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness, appear in a religious sense. These can be distinguished from Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness in the Donghak moral sense. Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness in the context of the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought goes beyond moral awareness, and calls for belief in God as the Absolute. Accordingly, Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness in this context, that of Daesoon Thought, aims at the realization of an Earthly Paradise wherein God's will can be achieved. Humans participating in the construction of Earthly Paradise value the practice of Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness. In Daesoon Thought, it is said that when one exerts sincerity, respect, and faith in God (Sangje), all the blessings and fortune of the Later World, even those of longevity, will be endowed through transformation via effortless action (無爲而化). Accordingly, Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness in the context of the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought is based on God's descent into the world and His Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (天地公事). This is a religious faith that worships Sangje and is based on the doctrinal dimension of 'guarding against self-deception (毋自欺)' and the philosophical dimension of Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness in the context of the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought. Donghak's In-nae-cheon and the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought can be compared and analyzed. Therefore, in order to clearly compare and analyze the moral significance of Donghak history and the religious meaning of Daesoon Thought, Roderick Ninian Smart's method of religious phenomenology can be actively used. In this way, the ethical and legal dimensions of Donghak's In-nae-cheon and the doctrinal and philosophical dimensions of the Three Essential Attitudes in Daesoon Thought can be compared and analyzed. From this style of research, it can be concluded that the realization of commonly shared spirituality can be an opportunity for greater human dignity.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.49
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• pp.187-227
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• 2024

The purpose of this article is to examine the prospects of the religious cultural experience program of Daesoon Jinrihoe by referring to the current status of Korea's Buddhist temple stays, which began with the 2002 World Cup and have become a regular program for the general public with the establishment of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism in 2004. The motivation for Korean participation is mainly rest, while foreigners tend to be more interested in Korean traditional culture. During the experience, the perceived value felt by the participants led to satisfaction and an intention to revisit. Temple stays have contributed to the globalization of Korean Buddhism. The temple stay of Daesoon Jinrihoe is a religious cultural experience program for the public. If it became a regular program, the target could be expanded to include foreigners who wish to experience Korean culture. The activities such as wearing Hanbok, taking a Dojang Tour, praying, and dialogue over tea can be allocated to the program. As a result, the perceived value by participants could be taken as a cognitive value. For instance, they could learn about Sangje's Reordering of the Universe that transformed the order of Sanggeuk (Mutual Contention) into the order of Sangsaeng (Mutual Beneficence). They way that they live their lives could change as a result of these new understandings. The emotional value of the experience would come from experiencing traditional Korean religious culture. The prospect of implementing such a program is twofold: firstly, there are the tasks of proper preparation, and secondly, there are the positive effects. The tasks would first involve creating a systematic and organized center point. Next there would be the matter of preparing spaces for the temple stay, and lastly, an online platform for advertisement, recruitment, and application would also be greatly beneficial. This is a vision that could contribute to the improving public image of the order, its globalization, and to the overall improvement of the facilities and management that would produce a more socially friendly environment.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.27
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• pp.135-169
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• 2016

While examining the religious ideas implied by Jeungsan's Great Works of the Reordering of Universe, we find special ideas which cannot be found in any other religions, and these ideas are presented in diverse ways. Most of all, the representative idea is that of human nobility; a distinctive idea which makes Daesoonjinrihoe different from other religions. Thus, this research focuses on the following questions: when was Human Nobility concretely realized? What kind of organic relationship does human nobility have between the divine world and the world of humanity? In light of the forthcoming Era of Human Nobility, what are some concrete images which can be drawn from the interaction between the realms of heaven and humanity wherein preordinations are plotted in heaven and then carried out by humankind? Prior to formulating my own sense of the subject matter, I consulted 43 previous discussions and dissertations and arranged them chronologically so as to examine their correlation. From these sources and my own insights, I was able to gain a sense of the starting point of the era of human nobility and its tenor. I have found the following problems in previous research on the uniqueness and distinctness of human nobility: ①The conceptual undertones of human nobility have not been adequately gleaned. ②There do not seem to be any dissertations which examine the way in which human nobility is connected with the doctrines of the creative conjunction between yin and yang, the harmonious union of divine beings and human beings, and the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence. ③In most dissertations, not only is the starting point of the Era of Human Nobility regarded as concurrent with the start of the 50,000 years of earthly paradise in the Later World, but also the point of division between the former world and the later world is widely disputed. ④In-depth and fully realized studies dealing with the subject of human nobility are not easily found. ⑤There is little sense of progression in the research on human nobility because scholars are not sufficiently engage with one another to achieve common consensus. Therefore, in this dissertation, I have provided answers to the problems I discovered in previous research. I have developed my own tenor as follows: ①By giving priority to the Jeongyeong, I have closely investigated the period which divides the Former World and the Later World. Then, I produced a chronological timeline to demonstrate the progression: the Former World → the Era of the Resolution of Grievances → the Later World. This aids in the comprehension of human nobility. ②The Era of Human Nobility was preceeded by the opening of the Era of the Resolution of Grievances of human world which began in 1901. Human nobility is stipulated as a regulatory system for the universe set in motion by the opening the Era of Resolution of Grievances. ③While synthetically examining the aspects of transition which enable the Ear of Human Nobility to be realized, the period to be studied is stipulated as beginning from 1901 and ending at the start of the Later World. The subjects are defined as the flowing from Jeungsan, the first leader of human nobility, to the noble individuals empowered by Dao and the noble populace. In the Era of Human Nobility, studying the transition process by which human nobility is realized requires delving into the resolution of grievances. Although this method is essential to understanding Daesoon ideas, in actuality it does not hinge upon speculative exegetical theorizing but instead it was gained through eisegetical rigor.