• 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.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.29
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• pp.141-170
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• 2017

In this paper, I will compare the Jinmuk tales from Korean Buddhism and those which appear in Daesoon Thought. Specifically, I will compare the Jinmuk tales from the Jinmukjosayujeokko (震黙祖師遺蹟攷, A Study on the Remains of Patriarch Jinmuk) and those from the Jeongyeong (典經), and then study the differences between the two sources. In chapter two, I approach Jinmuk's thought as conveyed in the Jinmukjosayujeokko by examining four points. The first point is that Jinmuk is a transformation-body (an incarnation) of Sakyamuni (釋迦牟尼) Buddha. In the preface of the Jinmukjosayujeokko, Choui (艸衣) says that Jinmuk is a transformation-body of Sakyamuni Buddha. The second point is the spirit of unobstructed action (無礙行), the third point is the spirit of the fundamental congruence between meditative and doctrinal approaches (禪敎一致), and the fourth is the spirit of the fundamental congruence between Confucianism and Buddhism (儒佛一致). In chapter three, I study on the viewpoints which can be derived from Jinmuk tales in Daesoon Thought, and compare the Jinmuk tales from the Jinmukjosayujeokko and the Jeongyeong. The Jinmuk tales from the Jeongyeong can be characterized by the Daesoon concepts 'Cheonji Gongsa (天地公事, The Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth)' and 'Haewon Sangsang (解冤相生, The Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficience)'. This is the key difference between the Jinmuk tales from Korean Buddhism and those from Daesoon Thought. If I compare the common subject matter of the Jinmuk tales in the Jinmukjosa yujeokko and the Jeongyeong, the Jinmuk tales from these two sources likewise contain differences. Why do these differences occur? I will explain these differences based on Mircea Eliade's approach to mythology. Eliadian theory posits that myths contain the desires of those who deliver the myths. If I explain the difference between the Jinmuk tales in the Jinmukjosayujeokko and the Jeongyeong based on Eliade's theory, Buddhism has Jinmuk tales composed to reflect Buddhist values, whereas Daesoon Thought has Jinmuk tales composed to reflect the values of Daesoon Thought. As Korean Buddhism and Daesoon Thought promote different values, they thereby have different Jinmuk tales.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.44
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• pp.213-261
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• 2023

The purpose of this article was to examine whether the parallel passages from The Canonical Scripture and Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi (甑山天師公事記 Records of the Reordering Works of Celestial Master Jeungsan), the first full-length record related to the life of Kang Jeungsan compiled by Lee Sang-ho, indicate the same chronology. A comparison of the contents between The Canonical Scripture and Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi revealed the following. The contents of The Canonical Scripture are categorized by a table of contents. By way of contrast, the contents of Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi, is organized year by year. When parallel passages appear, the two texts tend to indicate the same year for specific events, but the chronology of some events do not match. A comparison of the contents of The Canonical Scripture and the first edition of Daesoon Jeongyeong (大巡典經 The Canonical Scripture of the Great Itineration) shows the following. Once again, the contents of The Canonical Scripture are organized via a table of contents. The contents of the first edition of the Daesoon Jeongyeong are also indicated through a table of contents. When lined up for comparison, most of the passages show the same content to have occurred in matching years. However, new contents are contained in this record that were absent in Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi. All of these texts contain a summary of the life of Kang Jeung-san; however, they are organized differently. Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi presents that summary chronologically (year by year with some gaps in years). Daesoon Jeongyeong and The Canonical Scripture both feature a table of contents wherein chapters are based around specific themes. One key takeaway is that different passages appear in the contents of each text. Also, The Canonical Scripture and the first edition of the Daesoon Jeongyeong contain some parallel passages wherein the two texts disagree on what year some events took place. Despite the different style of organization, Jeungsan Cheonsa Gongsagi and The Canonical Scripture can still be compared and such comparison shows the same pattern as comparison between The Canonical Scripture and Daesoon Jeongyeong. As a result of organizing and comparing the contents of the table of contents with the chronological record, the parallel passages wherein chronology is disputed can be highlighted and the introduction of new passages can also be shown.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.49
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• pp.53-92
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• 2024

The abbot of Gobulseonwon Monastery (古佛禪院) in Chungju has disclosed his monastery's possession of materials such as an allegedly handwritten copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong (The Canonical Scripture of the Great Itineration) and Cheonsimgyeong (The Scripture of the Heavenly Mind), gasa (Lyric) collection books, and old letters, and subsequently, investigative research reports and monographs were also published. According to Gobulseonwon Monastery, their copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong was reported to have been written in 1910. In addition, they consider their copies of Cheonsimgyeong, gasa collection books, and old letters to be closely related to Jeungsan (甑山), with the possibility that their copy of Cheonsimgyeong was directly written by Jeungsan. For context, the object of faith in the gasa collection books is Jeungsan, and the old letters describe situation that were contemporary during Jeungsan's time. However, the gasa collection book, To be Learned with True Spirit, is a collection of nearly 20 songs that encourage enlightenment, and Cheonsimgyeong is likely to have come from the Jeondoju (Transmitted Dao-Incantations) used in ritual practices, rather than having been handwritten by Jeungsan. The 36 examples of old letters contain ordinary events in daily life. As such, these materials are not specifically related to Jeungsan. The copy of Daesoon Jeongyeong kept by the monastery was transcribed by Lee Yang-Seop, who resided in Jangseong, Jeonnam, in 1957, and it is significant as it includes various religious gasa such as Chaeyakga and Jeseshinyakga. The materials of unknown origin are especially worthy of attention. The materials preserved in Gobulseonwon Monastery are valuable materials related to various Korean new religions such as Gyeongjeongyudo and various Jeungsan-inspired religions. It is necessary to find the true nature of these materials, and this line of research will contribute to the study of Korean new religions.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.41
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• pp.63-131
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• 2022

In the context of Daesoon Jinrihoe's The Canonical Scripture, 'Saving Lives' consists of one 44 verse-long chapter. The content covers Kang Jeungsan's authority and foreknowledge, and most of the passages are about the treatment of diseases. Other passages are about relief from natural disasters, the resolution of conflicts in personnel affairs, and wisdom as applied to saving lives. The treatment of diseases focuses on solving the ailments faced by lower classes during that time period. Kang Jeungsan relieved the damage suffered by the people from natural phenomena as caused by the three disasters which resulted from water, fire, and wind. He also worked to solve other difficulties experienced in human society. In addition, the definition of 'wisdom' here is one of being high-seeing and far-thinking in Saving Lives. That is the foundation upon which wisdom can save oneself and others. After comparing each chapter of The Canonical Scripture with the parallel verses from the 6th edition of Daesoon Jeongyeong, the results of this study can be summarized as follows: first, saving lives as performed by Kang Jeungsan became an unprecedented and absolute act of relieving the common people during a time when they were suffering from great harms, hardships, and difficulties in their daily lives during the late Joseon Dynasty. Second, the verses were distributed into seven parts to achieve the purpose indicated by the titles of each section which related to specific powers exhibited by Kang Jeungsan in his interactions with Heaven, Earth and Humanity. Third, the second chapter of 'Saving Lives' includes not only treatment of disease, natural disasters, and hardships, but also relief meant to lessen the burdens people experienced in their daily lives while living within the boundaries of society. This is different from the respective section from the 6th edition of Daesoon Jeongyeong which, by way of contrast, only contained verses concerning the treatment of disease. The contents of 'Saving Lives' in The Canonical Scripture deals with the relief in a wide range of applications and is thereby different from the chapter on healing from the Daesoon Jeongyeong, which merely dealt with the healing of diseases. Therefore, this broader range of meanings can be taken to be a unique feature of The Canonical Scripture.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.255-293
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• 2020

This study examines the God, Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun (九天應元雷聲普化天尊, 'The Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven, Celestial Worthy of Universal Creation through His Thunderbolt, the Originator with Whom All Beings Resonate' in Daesoon Jinrihoe), in terms of narrative imagination, by investigating the narrative of Wen Zhong (聞仲) in Investiture of the Gods (Fengshenyanyi 封神演義) and the narrative of Kang Jeungsan (姜甑山) in The Canonical Scripture (Jeongyeong 典經). This examination occurs along three dimensions: Firstly, I look into the cultural contexts of the image of the Thunder God (雷神) in Gojoseon (古朝鮮) mythology and the Korean seondo (仙道) tradition both of which are reflected in the narrative of Wen Zhong. At the same time, I also argue that the cultural contexts examined above are able to be found in the narrative of Kang Jeungsan. Secondly, I consider the essential meaning of the concept of "deifying" (封神) in the narrative of Wen Zhong and its connection to "the resolution of grievances" (haewon 解冤) in the narrative of Kang Jeungsan. Thirdly, I consider the traits of embracing heterogeneous things (異類) in the religious group "Jiejiao" (截敎) that Wen Zhong belonged to in relation to the values of "mutual beneficence" (sangsaeng 相生) that Kang Jeungsan pursued. In this study's conclusion, I posit that the "mentalité" of Dong-yi (東夷) culture and tales including Yin (殷) is identifiable in narrative imagination applied to the God, Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun. This means that the nature of Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun is closely related to the tradition of Korean seondo and Korean Daoism.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.30
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• pp.201-234
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• 2018

'Woori Philosophy' is the modern philosophy of Korea. The purpose of this study is to make a hypothetical model of the methodologies used in Woori Philosophy, to analyze and classify this system of thought as it appears in the Jeon-gyeong (『典經』), to confirm the effectiveness of the model's application, and to present the model's methodological best practices. In this paper, I have made a standard for Woori Philosophy by combining existing studies. Thereby, although it is preliminary, I have presented the model as a way of achieving Woori philosophy by analysis and division of this thought in the Jeon-gyeong. As a result, the Jeongyeong's content is organized into an order in frequency which emerges as Model②, Model①, Essential Model, Model④, and Model③. These models can be evaluated to show that the Jeon-gyeong progressively inherited different schools of traditional Korean thought, while simultaneously characterizing them as Korean in many areas, never ignored the problems of the times or an awareness of the world, and furthermore, did not senselessly or blindly accept foreign objects spread into Korea from 1880~1890. Therefore, the Jeon-gyeong shows a comprehensive methodology for the implementation of Woori philosophy based on its own historical setting. It can be evaluated as the best practices which took many ideas and made those ideas its own. Through this, I was able to confirm its effectiveness as a methodology of Woori Philosophy and was able to extract its best practices. However, the ideas in the Jeon-gyeong did not directly become Woori Philosophy. To solve our problems in the 21st century, there is still an assignment to interpret these ideas through the application of this model. If the existing research on Daesoon Thought (大巡思想) is to become Woori Philosophy, then it should do so through the application of this model.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.1-37
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• 2020

In this paper, we investigated the principle of appropriation by which mythology and literature were accepted in the unique religious context of The Canonical Scripture (Jeongyeong 典經). First, we knew that almost all of the gods that appeared in the discourse of Kang Jeungsan (姜甑山) were related to Eastern Yi (東夷) mythology and deeply rooted in folklore. This is because the cultural tendency and historic consciousness of Kang Jeungsan was influenced by Danhakpa (the Danhak School 丹學派). Secondly, when we investigated the acceptance of literature into The Canonical Scripture, we discovered that Tang Poetry (唐詩), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguoyanyi 三國演義), and Journey to the West (Xiyouji 西遊記) were widely accepted in Kang Jeungsan's discourse. These works were used in diverse ways such as predictions, healing, and meditation. We knew that popular classical work like these were religiously appropriated in the context of The Canonical Scripture. Lastly, we investigated the mechanisms by which mythical and literary imagination was transformed into the Jeungsanist religious movements. Those mechanisms included the magical power of letter and images, sense-cognition of poetry, and the representational ability of mimesis. In conclusion, mythical and literary imagination helped Jeungsanist religious movements gain popularity and spread Kang Jeungsan's soteriology. This is especially true of how it transformed into unique religious techniques which functioned as key elements of the Reordering Works (公事).

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.36
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• pp.153-199
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• 2020

The teachings of Sangje teachings have been spread to humanity and were provided as basis for building the earthly paradise due to His having performed the Reordering Works of the Universe (Cheonjigongsa) for nine years. The work that remains will be completed year by year following the cosmic program that Sangje set for the universe. The chapters titled 'Gyoun (Progress of the Order)' in Jeon-gyeong (The Canonical Scripture) can be summarized into three parts: Viewing Gyoun, Spreading Gyoun, and Establishing the firm ground of Gyoun. Viewing Gyoun is seeing how the teachings would be transmitted from the beginning to end. The work of Gyoun was established by Sangje and promoted as the teachings of Sangje which will ultimately unfold into the realization of an earthly paradise. Spreading Gyoun is performed by disciples who received the teachings from Sangje and then the successor to whom Sangje transmitted the religious authority. Since chapter two of Gyoun is about the hagiography of Doju Jo Jeongsan, it is shown that Doju unfolded and developed Sangje's teachings. Establishing the firm ground of Gyoun is carried out to enable practitioners to understand that Dotong-gunja ('Dao-Empowered Sages,' Earthly Immortals) will be produced as a result of Sangje's Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth and that humans can perfect themselves through cultivating the Dao. In conclusion, Gyoun can be summarized as a process that started during Doju Jo Jeongsan's 50 years (1909~1958) of holy works and spreading of the teachings. Next, it was continued through the time of Dojeon who was bestowed with religious authority through Doju's last words. Dojeon, like Doju before him, spread the teachings. In later times, there will be Dotong-gunjas who transmit Sangje's teachings to the whole world. Although the above characterizations are accurate, I compared some verses from Chapter 1 of Progress of the Order (Gyoun) in The Canonical Scripture (Jeon-gyeong) of Daesoon Jinrihoe to the 6 th edition (1965) of Daesoon Jeongyeong, a key scripture from the earliest strata of Jeungsanist scriptures, and found that there were a few earlier variations of the same content. The use of words and sentences were different though in several of these verses. Also, some of the verses indicated alternative historical dates (years), and some of the verses from Chapter 1 of Progress of the Order from The Canonical Scripture do not appear anywhere in the 6^th edition of Daesoon Jeong-gyeong.

• 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.