• Title/Summary/Keyword: Encountering the soul

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The Differentiation Process of the Soul and the Opposites in God in The Red Book (『레드 북』에 나타나는 심혼의 분화 과정과 신의 대극성의 문제)

  • Ki-Hwan Kim
    • Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.105-159
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    • 2021
  • The Red Book is a personal record that contains Jung's psychological self-experiment and describes his own experiences of the individuation process. Throughout The Red Book, Jung describes how he got caught by the spirit of the depths and dethroned the spirit of this time, how he regained his lost soul by getting to the bottom of inner processes, how he differentiated the soul upon encountering the various aspects of his soul, and finally how he confronted God approaching Jung in the form of the divine opposites. The spirit of the depths as a personification of the collective unconscious caught up with Jung and launched him into the individuation process. The spirit of the depths was "the God yet to come". Jung realized that he had been driven by the collective spirit of his time and then set off on a journey into a new territory of life under the guidance of the spirit of the depths. Jung first encountered his lost soul, afterwards experiencing various aspects of the soul-spirit duo such as Salome-Elijah, Helena-Simon, and Baucis-Philemon. In the process of individuation, the initial experience of the soul can appear to the ego as a Satanic force which darkens the consciousness. The Red Book describes how Jung consciously integrated the Satanic force and came to realize the meaning of it. Jung's experience of emotionally gripping aspects of the soul led him to the awareness of the dark side of God, Satan, while the insights he gained from that Satanic emotionality led him to the awareness of the bright side of God, Christ. Through this process, he finally encountered the opposites in God. Jung also referred to the Self as an image of God which manifests itself in the psyche. Jung later discovered God as a phenomenal psychic reality which incarnates itself from the unconscious into the conscious. He did it in terms of strict empirical science. Although the incarnation process of the deity is the main cause of psychological conflict and distress of a human being, if accepted consciously, we come to realize that the incarnation process of the deity in the psyche is the ultimate teleology and meaning of our life as well.

The Red Book : the East and West Issues - With Special Reference to Lao Zi, Dao De Jing - (『붉은 책』 -동서(東西)의 문제, 특히 노자(老子) 도덕경과 관련하여)

  • Bou-Yong Rhi
    • Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.1-30
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    • 2015
  • The Red Book contains C.G. Jung's insightful comment on life suggesting the thoughts of the Eastern philosophers, particularly that of Lao Zi. The author reviewed Jung's commentaries in the Red Book in comparison with Lao Zi Dao De Jing. Jung's comments on the image of despised Surpreme Being, on the Simplicity, the attitudes of 'the Spirit of the Depth' toward intellectual knowledges and speech, toward the small and the mockered one resemble to what Lao Zi spoke on Dao in his Dao De Jing. The 'good and evil' are regarded by both C.G. Jung and Lao Zi as two poles in one total psyche. The favorite words of Lao Zi : 'emptiness' or 'empty' are frequently mentioned in the Red Book. The investigation in this concern revealed that C.G. Jung, contrary to Lao Zi has applied the word 'emptiness' mostly as the opposite to the fullness. C.G. Jung's way of encountering with the darkest side of soul in the Hell and his bold confrontation to the authoritative person such as Philemon, above all, the intensity of his experiences in the state of the utmost tension between the opposites are extraordinarily impressive and somehow strange when regarded from traditional eastern way of behavior such as I-You relationship and the patterns of emotional life based on Confucian tradition. Confucius never talked about the prodigies, feasts of strength and disorders or spirits. Lao Zi never mentioned infernal cruelty. Noteworthy is however, both have enough experienced the cruelty of life and conflicts in the reality and what they spoke was not a process in search for solution but the final proposals for the solution of human agony. C.G. Jung was, like great shaman in central and East-Asia forced to go through inferno in his unique way and from these experiences obtained the insight which resembles not only to Lao Zi but also to wisdoms from the western philosophies and also from the Christianity.

Comparison of perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism (증산계 신종교와 유교, 도교의 죽음관 비교)

  • Shin, Jin-sik
    • The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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    • no.58
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    • pp.201-243
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    • 2018
  • Understanding the theory of how a religion accepts the perspective on death is a prerequisite to grasp the identity and characteristics of such religion. Furthermore, contemplating the perspective on death, itself has a significant meaning as the contemplation provides an insight on how religion has, currently is and how it would influence the practical life of the human race. This current study compares and analyzes the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. By comparing the perspectives on death, this study seeks to conclude the similarity and discrepancy of New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. The objective of this study is to summarize the religious characteristic and identity of New Religions of Jeungsan, and the social role of New Religions of Jeungsan. How does New Religions of Jeungsan preach afterlife? This question implies varieties of questions including: In what shape or form does human exist in afterlife?; Does human maintain their original identity in afterlife?; What happens to relations with family members in afterlife?; What is one's role in afterlife, and what would one experience in afterlife? or Does soul transmigrate or are reborn? This current study compares the answers to these questions one by one with Confucianism and Taoism.In general, this current study was conducted with a non-religious methodology. Death can be explained in three different domains: the psychological domain explaining the individual psychological awareness upon encountering death; the philosophical-religious domain explaining the death through the philosophical understanding of the human concept; and the socio-cultural domain explaining death through the social ceremonies upon death.This current study focuses on the philosophical domain of the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, with a comparison of the socio-cultural significance. To understand the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, It is indispensable to explain the five key elements of Hon(魂), Baek (魄), Shin(神), Young(靈) and Seon(仙) that construe death. The perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan imposes a multi layer of acceptance and overcoming. This current study complements the problems and limits of previous studies by comparison with Confucianism and Taoism. Throughout this process, this current study intends to highlight the key elements of the perspective on death preached by Deasunjinrihoe, and identify the aspects of each key element. With the sophisticated discussion of the perspective on death provided by New Religions of Jeungsan with clarity, this current study will provide grounds for future studies to extract, in detail, the aspects of the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, in further subjects including: discussions on death such as rituals for death, treatment of bodies, funerals, educating death, euthanasia, or suicide; discussions on the existence of hell; discussions on psychological aspects of ones who encounter death; or discussions on rebirth of those who died during the creation era. This current study will provide an overview on what kind of perspective on death does those who are faithful to New Religions of Jeungsan have and currently are living their life with.