• Title/Summary/Keyword: Confucian Ethics

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A Study on King Sejong's Amicable Consciousness of Confucianism and Buddhism (세종대왕의 유불화해의식에 관한 연구)

  • Cho, Nam-Uk
    • Journal of Ethics
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    • no.80
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    • pp.1-30
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    • 2011
  • Confucianism and Buddhism were compatible in the period of Goryeo Dynasty. And then, the rulers worshiped Confucianism and repressed the religious activity of the Buddhist monk in the early years of the Joseon Dynasty. But King Sejong planed to bring reconciliation between Confucianism and Buddhism. Especially on the ceremonies of mourning and sacrificial rituals, he always performed the two religious style. The reason of sticking to his amicable consciousness is as follows. Firstly, he thinks that both the theory of Confucianism and the religious spirit of Buddhism are very important for the building up the foundation of his Dynasty. Secondly, his mind has been of a same faith cure on the incurable disease. Therefor, when the Royal family is taken ill he must pray to Buddha for recovery from the first stage. Thirdly, he regards social conditions to be the most important and respect for man's life and dignity for the purpose of beneficent administration. But Joseon's government line was the anti-Buddhist policy. So, the policy came in the wake of a debate among King Sejong and Confucian government officials. However his harmonious mind was unchanged between Confucianism and Buddhism. After all, in the last phase of his life he was deeply religious on Buddhism. I think that King Sejong's amicable consciousness could make a contribution to overcome religious conflicts and to create a new political cultural form in the modern society

Jeong Yak Yeong's Perspective on Ethics of Revenge - centered on corelation between law and ethics - (정약용의 복수의 윤리 - 법과 윤리의 상관관계를 중심으로 -)

  • 장복동
    • 유학연구
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    • v.48
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    • pp.81-105
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    • 2019
  • This paper attempts to grasp the theory of revenge of Jung Yak-Yong in the context of the relational self of Confucian society which is the ground of familism. This paper deals with relation of the law as the ethical behavioral norm of the national community and ethics that differently apply to social relations. If the existing studies are focused on analyzing the revenge theory of Jeong Yak-yong in the context of institutional problems, legal positivism and natural law, this paper considers revenge in the moral philosophical horizon distinguishes meanings of self - awareness, an behavioral approach to human nature. The results are as follow. First, his legal philosophical point of view through the theory of revenge of Jeong Yak-yong is a mixture of legal positivism and natural law. Second, by expanding the voluntary and autonomous nature of his ethics of consideration in relation to theory of revenge to social norms, anger and conflict can be resolved from the terrain of mutual understanding. Third, his understanding of human beings, composed of the nature of good and the possibility of action, will open a way to acquire universality of conduct beyond kin or family. The distinction between the nature of good as original possibilities and empirical good according to autonomous judgments will help to clearly distinguish between revenge categories that are ambiguous in the boundary between lawand morality. In conclusion, the conclusion that can be drawn from this paper is that Jung Yak-yong proposed the grounds for reconciliation and integration community in that he strictly restrained revenge requirements for social order and stability instead of taking the revenge innocence.

Zhuzi Learning, Yangming Learning, and Formation of "Gukhak": Genealogy of Subjectivity and Silsim (주자학과 양명학, 그리고 '국학'의 형성 - 주체성과 실심(實心)의 계보학 -)

  • Kim, Woo-hyung
    • The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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    • no.58
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    • pp.307-336
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    • 2018
  • This paper traces the historical genealogy of the subjectivity and the silsim (實心, true mind) that appear in Jeong In-Bo's "gukhak" (國學, the national learning) thought and illuminates its characteristics. In the modern East Asian history of thought, the beginning of the emergence of subjectivity and the silsim as the main philosophical topic comes from the Neo-Confucianism of Song Dynasty in China. Cheng Yi is the first thinker to emphasize subjectivity and consciousness. Zhu Xi and Wang Yang-ming inherit the Neo-Confucian thought based on Cheng Yi's principle of subjectivity, but only show difference in methodology. In the Chosun Dynasty, Jeong Je-Doo and his School were one example of the Neo-Confucian spirit of subjectivity and the silsim. Although Jeong In-Bo (鄭寅普) belongs to Jeong Je-Doo's school of Ganghwa in the school curriculum, he has only used it methodologically since he believed that Yangming's learning is more effective in the awareness and practice of the silsim. Especially noteworthy is that the principle of subjectivity led Jeong In-Bo to follow the frame of Zhu Xi's moral theory. Jeong's claim that selfish desire (jasasim 自私心) should be controlled by a conscious mind (silsim) being aware of the right and 'ought to do' corresponds to Zhu Xi's view that the moral mind (dosim 道心) should be selected in the conflict situation between sensual desire (insim 人心) and moral consciousness so that the insim should be supervised by the dosim. Such ethics is a position to emphasize the inner motive and the sense of duty of conduct, and there is no fundamental difference in Zhu Xi and Wang Yang-ming. At least on this point, it is necessary to look at modern and contemporary Korean studies from the perspective of continuity, not discontinuity from Confucian tradition.

A Modern Analysis of 'Guanxi' of Foreign Investment in China

  • LEE, Seoung-Taek;PARK, Woo
    • THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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    • v.68
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    • pp.197-218
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    • 2015
  • China is a land of guanxi, everything is connected with guanxi. China has a business culture based on guanxi connections underpinned by strong Confucian ethics. However, there are some reasons why it is difficult for western companies to run businesses in China. Firstly, foreign firms lack the understanding and experiences necessary for doing business in China. They don't know the absence of alternatives is one of reasons that guanxi is so powerful in Chinese society. Secondly, there are many misconceptions about guanxi. It is easier for many foreign scholars or businessmen to equate guanxi with corruption due to the ambiguity of guanxi. Thus, if a foreign enterprise possesses guanxi, it can be a source of competitive advantage for doing business due to lack of law systems for anti-corruption activities in China. Furthermore, it is gaining increasing importance not only in Business to Government(B2G) but also in Business to Consumers(B2C) relationships. Therefore,managers should pay great attention to the proper use of guanxi instead of being involved in corrupt behaviours because now the governments hold a strong attitude against corruption. In particular, establishment of working guanxi through red envelops(basically giving money) or illegal gifts can cause a great problem for both parties, which were naturally accepted among most government officials and businessmen until recently.

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The Conduct of the Filial Education of Children in the Chason Dynasty (조선시대(朝鮮時代) 아동(兒童)의 효행교육(孝行敎育))

  • Ryu, Jeom Sook
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.21-31
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    • 1995
  • This documentary study investigated the background, content and methods of the filial education of children in the Choson Dynasty; that is, the ways in which filial conduct was taught so that the child learned manners and learned to assist parents in everyday life. The subjects of this study were the upper class(sonbi) and ranged from 7 or 8 to 13 or 14 years in Korean age. The Confucian view of nature, ethics and the family system emphasized filial duty during the Choson Dynasty. The contents of filial education were the fundamentals of filial conduct, such as daily greetings, participation(in family events), and an affectionate and respectful attitude towards parent. The method for filial education was that parents and instructors were to be good model in everyday life so that children got accustomed to good conduct. It is difficult to apply the filial conduct of the Choson Dynasty to today's life, but its basic spirit, that is, loving and respecting human beings, is still invaluable for modern times. This spirit may be applied to childhood education today by amending some out-of-date contents, and the filial ethos universalized in daily life could become a prescription for today's chaotic society.

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Transition process and Architectural composition of Prime Jurisdiction office in Joseon Dynasty (조선시대 의금부(義禁府) 청사(廳舍)의 변화 과정과 건축 공간 구성)

  • Bae, Chang-Hyun
    • Journal of architectural history
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    • v.29 no.5
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    • pp.29-40
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    • 2020
  • Ui-Gum-Bu(義禁府) is regarded as a key organization that reflects the power of the royal authority, mainly because it directly obeys the king's command and retains the power to punish or pardon government officials for severe crimes such as treason or significant breach of Confucian ethics. For this reason, Ui-Gum-Bu held a higher place in the organizational hierarchy of the government than other similar offices such as Hyung-Jo(刑曹), Sa-Heon-Bu(司憲府) and P o-Do-Cheong(捕盜廳). This characteristic of Ui-Gum-Bu is also evident in the architectural style and composition of the office building. The figures of the Ui-Gum-Bu office is depicted in detail in the paintings listed in 『Gum-Oh-Gye-Cheop(金吾契帖』, a record of Ui-Gum-Bu office meetings, and descriptions in the code book 『Gum-Oh-Hun-Rog(金吾契帖)』, both written in 18th century. The purpose of this study is to reveal the overall transition process of the Ui-Gum-Bu office building from the beginning until its demolition in the early 20th century. Based on research materials of 18th century, its architectural composition and characteristics will be dealt in detail.

A study on distinctive view of Cheng I's the sage-theory (정이(程?) 성인론(聖人論)의 특징에 관한 고찰)

  • Kim, Sang-Rae
    • The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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    • no.56
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    • pp.151-180
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    • 2018
  • Since the completion of the theories on human ethics and moral had been established to pursue by Confucian thinkers like Confucius and Mencius, they generally had agreed to present the basic principles for human education which every human could be the sage. In these principles for human ethics and morality there is on the premise that the knowledge about your own ethical and that the completion of the so-called act(爲) and learning(學). They had given to us that how to get a goal for the ethical and moral lives there are several academic oriented methodology will have act and learning set. In the point of achieving complete figures which act and learning for good society, there was named the sage(聖). This concept sage has two major types. One is on for the political figures that completed, and the other one is for the realm of academic side. Confucian as above mentioned the moral human being is equipped with a complete personality and political ability to make man and society perfect. Confucius has been understood as a complete human being. Yes, ideal for these two types of figures will be fulfilled in some way? They take a mystical ability to a priori or a posteriori, such as human effort can reach the sage. There are many thinkers are obvious and logical answer for this major problem in the system of confucian philosophy I have been trying. About the sage(聖), inherently natural learning(生知) occur to the position sage or knowledge (學知), can lead to there are two of the doctrine for that problem. With the study of learning and knowledge on human beings and real society the two systems concerned together. In fact, the main content of the "Analects of Confucius" we have a set of ethical and moral values not the benevolent conversation about Jin(仁) and his disciples a steady emphasis but on in praise of learning (學) for. However, at the time in Han Tang(漢唐) Han Wi(韓愈) and Wang Chung(王充), according to such thinkers the sage is already a priori determined, cannot be reached by human effort. But At the beginning of the Neo-Confucianism, Cheng I(程?) for the pioneer this Song(宋) scholars, regarding this issue could rebirth the thought that every human could be the sage through the learning as the pre-Chin(先秦) times.

A Study on the Relation between Matteo Ricci and Daesoon Thought: A Phenomenological Interpretation of Ricci in Daesoon Thought (마테오 리치와 대순사상의 관계성에 대한 연구 - 대순사상의 기독교 종장에 대한 종교현상학적 해석 -)

  • Ahn, Shin
    • Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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    • v.36
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    • pp.117-152
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    • 2020
  • In Daesoon Thought, Matteo Ricci is regarded highly as a Jongjang, 'religious leader,' (of Christianity). This paper deals with the life and philosophical/theological thought of Matteo Ricci as homo-religiosus from the perspective of phenomenology of religion. Examining his historical background and biographical sketch, I will analyze Ricci's understanding of God, humanity, and salvation and re-evaluate his relationship with Daesoon Thought. Matteo Ricci, born in Italy, became a Jesuit missionary to China and transmitted various products of western civilization. Accepting the pro-cultural approach of Jesuit mission, he applied it to Chinese culture and language by learning the Chinese language and regarding Chinese people as his friends. This was a sympathetic way to transmit Western religion and culture while on Chinese soil. He suggested eight reasons to look towards the future of China with optimism and taught Chinese people his Christian message through his indirect means of understanding and persuasion. In China, Jesuit missionaries called the Christian God 'Tianzhu (Cheonju in Sino-Korean),' meaning Lord of Heaven. Ricci identified the Confucian notion of 'Shangdi (Sangje in Sino-Korean),' meaning Supreme Emperor (or God) with Tianzhu. While translating Confucian scriptures, he found the common ground between Confucianism and Christianity to be the monotheism of ancient Confucianism. He criticized the concepts of God in Buddhism and Daoism, and justified the Christian doctrine of God by way of a Confucian understanding of deity. Ricci's understanding of humanity was based on his Christian faith in creation, and he criticized the Buddhist concept of transmigration. He proposed Christian ethics and doctrine of salvation by using discourse on the afterlife and in particular, the concepts of heaven and hell. Concerning the relationship between Daesoon Thought and Ricci, the following aspects should be examined: 1.) Ricci's contribution to the cultural exchanges between East and West, 2.) his peaceful approach to his mission based on dialogue and persuasion, 3.) the various activities conducted by Ricci as a Christian leader, and 4.) his belief in miraculous healings. His influence on Korea will likewise be explored. Ricci's ultimate aim was to communicate with Asian people and unify East and West under a singular worldview by emphasizing the similarities between the Christian and Confucian concepts of God.

A Study on the Religiosity of Filial Piety Ethics in Daesoonjinrihoe (대순진리회의 효 윤리에 나타난 종교성 연구)

  • Cha, Seon-keun
    • Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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    • v.27
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    • pp.171-200
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    • 2016
  • This paper will analyze the filial piety based ethics of Daesoonjinrihoe (大巡眞理會) and the traditional filial piety of Confucianism (儒敎), Buddhism (佛敎) and Taoism (道敎) through comparing and contrasting their unique systems. The traditional Korean ethics regarding filial piety are in great need of reformation as the relationship between the parents and children should not be vertical or unilateral but parallel and reciprocal. However, there have not been sufficient in-depth studies on this specific ideology and alternative approaches. Regarding this prospect, one representative Korean indigenous new religion, Daesoonjinrihoe has emerged and directly engages in the collision between traditionalism and modernity. The modernity of Daesoonjinrihoe, enables the observation of how the filial piety based ethics have developed within a system of doctrine and thereby provides an exemplary model of traditional filial piety reimagined in accordance with modern sensibilities. A brief summary of comparative findings is as follows: First, Daesoonjinrihoe and Confucianism have taken serving parents with respect as an ethic within filial piety, but Confucianism engenders this ideal through the unilateral and unconditional sacrifice of younger people based on patriarchal feudalism whereas Daesoonjinrihoe has rejected such unilateral sacrifice and instead promotes mutual beneficience between parents and children. This difference occurs, in part, due to the filial piety of Confucianism rising in the midst of the feudal order whereas the ideology of Daesoonjinrihoe contains ideals such as "the reciprocation of favor for mutual beneficence (報恩相生)" and "respect for humanity (人尊)," both of which serve as key principles of the new religious world as envisioned by Daesoonjinrihoe. Second, filial piety in Buddhism and Taoism tends to be passive and inactive and is often expressed by praying for happiness and longevity for one's parents while they are alive and later praying for the heavenly rebirth of one's parents after they die. The filial piety of Daesoonjinrihoe also partially contains such ideas, however; they are extended much further and arrive upon novel and profound expressions. The spectrum of the filial piety in Daesoonjinrihoe expands to the extent children perform actions to resolve their parent's sins and pave a new road for their parents. This filial piety requires a cultivation practice from both parents and children. This system of dual cultivation was established because the world-view of Daesoonjinrihoe enables both parents and children to enjoy happiness and wealth both of which are achieved through the completion of religious objectives following cultivation practice. Third, Confucianism and Daesoonjinrihoe hold memorial services for ancestors with sincerity as an expression of filial piety. Filial piety in the Confucian context excludes ideas from Shamanism and thereby memorial services are held for impersonal entities, however; in the Daesoonjinrihoe context, memorial services are held for personal-entities. Accordingly, holding a memorial service for ancestors with sincerity has a greater sense of realism in Daesoonjinrihoe than it does in Confucianism. Fourth, while Confucianism and Daesoonjinrihoe both aim to requite the grace received from ancestors, the contents of grace and reciprocation of favors (報恩) are viewed differently. In Confucianism, since the ancestors existed previously and bestowed the gift of life to their children and indirectly, all of their descendents. Therefore, memorial services for ancestors are held to convey gratitude and filial piety. However, in Daesoonjinrihoe, ancestors not only bestowed the gift of earthly life to their descendents, in the spirit realm, ancestral spirits also spend sixty years accumulating the merit necessary to imbue each of their descendents with spiritual insight. Consequently, filial piety is expressed through memorial services as well as spiritual cultivation. Fifth, in Confucianism, achieving the fame and prestige indicative of success in the mundane world can be an act of filial piety as it would bring pride to one's ancestors, but in Daesoonjinrihoe, succeeding in religious objectives through spiritual cultivation is considered to be a higher form of filial piety. Sixth, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism all observe filial piety as system of familial ethics based in morality. This is likewise true of Daesoonjinrihoe, however; Daesoonjinrihoe confers greater importance on filial piety as an essential form of ethics for religious redemption. This is due to the Daesoon interpretation that the absence of filial piety was the direct cause which led to the sickened state of the world and its collapse. Forgetting the grace of parents who have given the gift of life or the grace of ancestral spirits who have accumulated merit on behalf of their descendents are acts of ingratitude which are unacceptable during the period of Reordering of the Universe. Judging from these findings, Daesoonjinrihoe embraces parts of traditional filial piety as it exists in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, but it does so on the ground of its own unique culture. Through re-interpretation and re-creation, ideas regarding filial piety are being further developed. Namely, filial piety in Daesoonjinrihoe is regulations founded upon the reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence and respect for humanity. Therefore, it is understood as a concept wherein one's own cultivation practice is performed in order to reach religious objectives, the perfection of personal character, and spiritual insight. This requires that even recipents of filial piety (i.e., parents) perform certain cultivation practices to enjoy happiness and wealth. Additionally, filial piety in Daesoonjinrihoe manifests a reinforced religious character and also serves as a system ethics which is soteriologically essential for salvation during the period known as the Reordering of the Universe.

The Characteristics of 'Podeok (布德 Spreading Virtue)' in Daesoon Jinrihoe (대순진리회의 '포덕'개념의 특징)

  • Lee, Bong-ho;Park, Yong-cheol
    • Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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    • v.32
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    • pp.77-108
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    • 2019
  • The purpose of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of 'Podeok' in Daesoon Jinrihoe. The term Podeok can cause some misunderstanding as the same word Deok (德 virtue) has long been used in the Eastern Tradition. In other words, for most people who are used to traditional thought, Podeok may be conflated with the similar word 'Deok (virtue)' as used within Confucianism. People who are familiar with Confucian culture might thereby misunderstand the term Podeok as an aspect of Confucian moral ethics, or they could misconstrue Daesoon Jinrihoe as having appropriated and misused Confucian ideas. Furthermore, there are other problems that could arise if people compare Daesoon Jinrihoe's 'Podeok' with 'Deok (virtue)' as used by Laozi. While Deok in Laozi's usage represents the ability of an individual who can exercise his or her rationality with excellence, Deok in Daesoon Jinrihoe indicates the idea of actualizing Mutual Beneficence and the conditions that enable Mutual Beneficence. If one understands Deok as used by Laozi to contain the meaning of Mutual Beneficence, then it is possible to think that the two tradition share a similar meaning of Deok as Podeok in Daesoon Jinrihoe pursues Mutual Beneficence as its ultimate value. In order to preemptively correct these misunderstandings, I need to clarify how the idea of Deok was born out of traditional thought and what meanings it embodies. Additionally, it is necessary to examine how it became meaningful in Confucianism, and how it was criticized and ascribed new meanings in Laozi's thought. Through these clarification, it will become clear that Deok originally indicated a religious ritual that the king of the Zhou Dynasty performed after receiving the heavenly mandate and assuming rule over the nation. Later, this idea was transformed into a moral virtue and norm by Confucius. This moral virtue and norm was criticized by Laozi as an unnatural form of control as it was understood by Laozi as a teleological argument justifying whether or not lives were to be saved or sustained based on the perceived merits of each individual. On the contrary, Deok in Daesoon Jinrihoe and traditional thought stand on a totally different theological bases. Deok in Daesoon Jinrihoe is a means to practice and realize the truth of the earthly paradise of the Later World and the truth of Mutual Beneficence which were posited to the world through Kang Jeungsan's Works of Haewon (grievance resolution) that resolved the pattern of mutual conflict that characterized the Former World. Therefore, the idea of Podeok in Daesoon Jinrihoe gains completion only on the premises of Haewon Sangsaeng (resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence) and Boeun Sangsaeng (reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence), and the way to practice Podeok is to practice Haewon Sangsaeng and Boeun Sangsaeng. In addition, the subordinate virtues such as loyalty, filial piety, and faithfulness that exist within Daesoon Jinrihoe's religious practice are not same as those of traditional thought. They are new concepts of virtues drawn from the cosmological laws of Daesoon Jinrihoe. To be specific, the virtues of Daesoon Jinrihoe are not rules that create discrimination and mutual conflict, but are instead ethical rules established upon the basis of Heaven and Earth having been newly organized, and thus, they will bring virtuous concordance, harmonious union, and mutual beneficence. The idea of 'Podeok' in Daesoon Jinrihoe can be understood as a religious practice that requires doctrinal understanding and tangible practice in daily life of followers. In other words, it is not the same Deok of earlier traditional thought in East Asia, but is instead a religious truth by which practitioners realize the truth of Sangje's Works of Haewon in human world as they practice Haewon Sangsaeng and Boeun Sangsaeng.