• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.18
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• pp.25-52
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• 2004

The history of the mankind, that is the history of the war, have been continued with the consecutive of the struggle and confrontation. In the history of many war, the most important factor of them is just the religion. so that today, for the mankind to long for the peace, all believers are charged with very important mission. Confronting with the 21th century, yet the war is not ceasing in an earth one side. At this time if we are to investigate the problem of real peace, we need to present uprightly the direction of basic religious factor and solution. In Korea, which is keeping deep religious mind, the Daesoon thought that appears newly at the modern times is proposing the 'Haewonsangsaeng'(eliminating resentment and helping one another) as new peace idea of 21th century. In this thought, we can discover the reason of the conflict to appear in the history of mankind. And there is a new idea of peace, that is to say, which is called 'sangsaeng'(mutual aid and cooperation). In this article, centering upon Sangsaeng idea, I try to introduce the new viewpoint of Daesoon thought about the conflict and peace.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.28
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• pp.73-102
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• 2017

This paper is an attempt to find commonality and complementarity between psychanalysis and Daesoon thought, while understanding the practical meaning of the Haewon-Sangsaeng, which is one of the religious doctrines of Daesoon Jinrihoe, in terms of the theory of desire posited by psychoanalysis. There is a common point between Daesoon thought and psychoanalytic theory since both ideas give importance to desire. The Haewon idea is similar to that of psychoanalytic theory, which emphasizes restoring desire through mourning and realizing it within a structure of inter-subjectivity. Of course, the meaning of desire in Daesoon thought, given its status as a religious doctrine, is polysemous, and the orientation of this type of desire is also different from that of psychoanalysis given psychoanalysis's role as a therapeutic discourse. However, Daesoon thought explains that the pain and unhappiness suffered by human beings occurs because of mutual overcoming which is a relational style wherein desire can not be solved properly for either party involved in an interaction. Mutual overcoming is a state of mutual beneficience beyond the previous state of mutual overcoming. Likewise, psychoanalysis seems to accept the loss of the object through mourning, and in this way, desire is reactivated. Daesoon thought emphasizes the importance of social and cosmic systems like mutual beneficience and the reordering of the Universe and these systems have a commonality with psychoanalysis as psychoanalysis sees desire positively within the structure of inter-subjectivity. The direction of social practice in Daesoon thought and psychoanalysis both aim at the realization of a new universality. The inter-subjectivity structure suggests desire of recognition and recognition of desire as a way of practice because desire is not personal but rather social. In conclusion, we should not stop at resolving our own individual desires, but should instead go forward in solidarity toward the achieving the common good.

• 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.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.43
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• pp.67-102
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze the human rights found in the North Korean Constitution and their core problem by focusing on elements of human rights suggested by Daesoon Jinrihoe's doctrine of Haewon-sangsaeng (解冤相生 the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence). Haewon-sangsaeng is seemingly the only natural law that could resolve human resentment lingering from the Mutual Contention of the Former World while leading humans work for the betterment of one another. Haewon-sangsaeng, as a natural law, includes the right to life, the right to autonomous decision-making, and duty to act according to human dignity (physical freedom, the freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, etc.), the right to equal treatment in one's social environment, and the right to ensure the highest level of health through treatment. The North Korean Constitution does not have a character as an institutional device to guarantee natural human rights, the fundamental principle of the Constitution, and stipulates the right of revolutionary warriors to defend dictators and dictatorships. The right to life is specified so that an individual's life belongs to the life of the group according to their socio-political theory of life. Rights to freedom are stipulated to prioritize group interests over individual interests in accordance with the principle of collectivism. The right to equality and the right to health justify discrimination through class discrimination. The right to life provided to North Koreans is not guaranteed due to the death penalty system found within the North Korean Criminal Code and the Criminal Code Supplementary Provisions. The North Korean regime deprives North Koreans of their right to die with dignity through public executions. The North Korean regime places due process under the direction of the Korea Worker's Party, recognizes religion as superstition or opium, and the Korea Worker's Party acknowledge the freedoms of bodily autonomy, religion, media, or press. North Koreans are classified according to their status, and their rights to equality are not guaranteed because they are forced to live a pre-modern lifestyle according to the patriarchal order. In addition, health rights are not guaranteed due biased availability selection and accessibility in the medical field as well as the frequent shortages of free treatments.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.33
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• pp.147-177
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• 2019

This article attempts to examine the fundamental perceptions and attitudes of human beings towards others utilizing the concept of 'precariat,' a new word recently created to designate people affected by the inequality and instability brought about by neoliberal globalization. Especially, the precariats within South Korean society noted in this article will be North Korean migrants. When leaving North Korea, they have entered into South Korean society with hurting bodies and minds as they made their way through China or third party countries. After arriving in South Korea, they face difficulties such as inadequate jobs and low-level welfare benefits. Also, considering the social discrimination, exclusion, and indifference towards North Korean migrants which are commonplace, they come to live their lives as precariats. Given their situation, I would like to seek wisdom for North Korean migrants to apply as they escape from insecure lives, and perhaps Sangsaeng (mutual beneficence) would allow them to do that within South Korean society. In this light, I think that the concept of hospitality and Haewon Sangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence), a code of practical ethics within the Daesoon Thought, as a basis for discussion with other philosophies that are practical in enabling North Korean migrants and South Korean citizens to coexist within modern day South Korean society. This can be achieved because 'Haewon (grievance-resolution)' lowers the boundary between self and others through sharing, and consequently, daily mutual interactions can unfold as 'Sangsaeng', which stands as a new ethical and practical system of values available to all modern individuals. In fact, contrary to the religious implications of Daesoon Thought, the philosophical and existential significance of Daesoon Thought has not received much attention. However, if we pay attention to the question of why human subjects should be hospitable to others, we can grasp how Daesoon Thought presents values that are existential in nature and also consider the specific context that accompanies the religious aspects of this system of thought.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.28
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• pp.133-163
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• 2017

It is the aim of this paper to elucidate the meaning of 'Sangsaeng' in Daesoon Thought on the basis of its relation to Life and Spirit in the philosophy of Hegel. To achieve this aim, this article compares three important concepts from Daesoon Thought, namely the 'gods of heaven and earth,' 'Haewon', and 'Sangsaeng' with Hegel's 'Life,' 'Spirit,' and the 'struggle for recognition.' This paper will clarify the commonalities as well as the differences between Daesoon Thought and Hegelian philosophy. The comparison between Hegel's concept of 'life' and the 'gods of heaven and earth' shows a specific relationship between a life and a soul which is characterized by duality. The point of similarity is that the two thoughts regards the soul as the basis of all things in nature including the life itself and spirit. This is the duality of the soul in nature and spirit as the truth of nature. But the difference is that Hegel does not reduce all things in nature including life itself to the soul as the truth of nature. This paper will argue that Hegel's idea of spirit returning from nature to itself has a similarity with the essence of Haewon in Haewon-sangsaeng. Hegel insists that spirit submerges initially in nature just as human beings in Daesoon Thought have inherent Won. The realization of the spirit in the Subjective Spirit shows that the spirit sublimates this initial submergence in nature und reveals itself in corporeality. This study will suggest that this realization of spirit including the struggle for recognition may be interpreted as the meaning of Sangsaeng.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.40
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• pp.1-38
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• 2022

The aim of this research is to discover the value of peace conveyed by Haewon Sangsaeng, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence, as espoused by Holy Teacher Kang Jeungsan (姜甑山, 1871~1909) and to evaluate its modern significance. To the faithful, Jeungsan is seen as the Supreme God who descended into the world in the Late Joseon Dynasty in the year 1871. Until the time of His passing away into Heaven in 1909, He vastly saved the world and fulfilled the hopes of humankind by carrying out the fundamentally innovative Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (1901~1909) in the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. He has thereby been appraised as a great religious figure within religious and academic circles. Jeungsan's ideological contributions can be summarized into two main points. One is the concept of 'the Great Opening and the Later World,' which foreshadowed the liquidation of the old system of order and the arrival of a new world. The other contribution is the concept of 'the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence,' a fundamental principle meant to achieve human salvation and world peace. In this context, 'the Great Opening' is precisely a 'positivistic religious expression of peace,' and 'the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence' is the principle by which 'peace can be achieved in the world for all humankind.' In particular, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence is a tenet within the doctrine of Daesoon Jinrihoe, and it is the main concept that forms the basis of Daesoon Thought. It can be said to be the core current that flows through Jeungsan's Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth. Nowadays, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence is being discussed and cited in various ways in academic fields as well as in discourse on coexistence, mutual beneficence, and peace. The Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence is specifically based on observations of the structure of conflicts as observed throughout world history via global conflicts, regional conflicts, cultural conflicts, ideological conflicts, class conflicts, generational conflicts, racial conflicts, religious conflicts, and other such conflicts. That is why the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence is discussed in depth within academic settings wherein the nature of conflict-resolution is examined. Looking at the previous studies on this topic, those studies tended to focus on key concepts or concerns such as human beings, divine beings, the earthly paradise of the Later World, ideal societies, world peace, new principles of order, and lasting peace. In particular, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence has been presented as directly related to concepts such as love, coexistence, harmony, and peace for humankind and the world. Its significance has been applied to ethics, philosophy, order, and principles, and it has been understood as conveying values such as peace. Accordingly, this paper examines the ideological connections to the succession and establishment of Jeungsan's notion of the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence based on previous research, but further examines the value of peace communicated via the principles and ideas that pervade current discourse on the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence. I hope to thoroughly explore Haewon Sangsaeng in regards to its modern significance to the world and to humankind.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.89-114
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• 2022

Both in Korea and internationally, many know and appreciate Daesoon Jinrihoe for its social work in the three main areas of education, social welfare and health care, and charity aid. The article surveys Daesoon Jinrihoe's activities in these three areas and proposes a comparison with the charitable and ecological work performed by the Taiwanese Buddhist charity (and new religious movement) Tzu Chi, the peace activities of Soka Gakkai, and the projects developed in Bhutan to implement the policy of Gross National Happiness. Tzu Chi is mostly known for its massive recycling activities, but in fact its view of charity and ecology is based on a specific Buddhist theology. Soka Gakkai's vision of peace relates to its interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism. Gross National Happiness in Bhutan is a project promoted by the government, but scholars who have studied it have concluded that it is deeply rooted in Drukpa Kagyu, the dominant school in Bhutanese Buddhism. Similarities are noted, as well as differences with the Western Christian and post-Christian approach to charity, which is largely based on an affirmation of the self. Daesoon Jinrihoe's social work shares with the Buddhist cases studied in the article the idea that the self may deceive (self-deception) but appears to be inspired by the unique principle of Sangsaeng, and by the idea that the root causes of social problems are grievances accumulated through thousands of years and in need of being resolved.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.295-330
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• 2020

This paper examines the current state of the field wherein theoretical issues of ecology are still in need of concentration. Ecological texts are reconsidered from a religious worldview by extracting eco-friendly notions within religion and discourse is also essential in the practical field. As a case study on this matter, this paper aims to describe various aspects of ecological theory in Daesoon Jinrihoe, a new religious movement in Korea. In short, in its view of the natural world, Daesoon Jinrihoe values that all things originated from the Supreme God who presides over them, and the two are organically interrelated. Hence, the principle of nature is cherished. Especially as the Later World draws near, the fundamental basis of nature is slated to undergo change, and this also features heavily in Daesoon Jinrihoe's view of the natural world. Furthermore, the Supreme God reforms nature, and human beings live lives in conformity and resonance with that reformed nature. Above all else, the doctrines of haewon sangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence) and boeun sangsaeng (the reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence) are advocated in Daesoon Jinrihoe. Each supports its own form of ecological discourse, and together, they can be called Sangsaeng Ecological Theory (the Ecological Theory of Mutual Beneficence). Specific discussions of Daesoon Jinrihoe and ecology should be considered in light of this finding.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.43
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• pp.1-29
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• 2022

In this era of transnational migration, it is necessary to recognize the signs of the times regarding religion. During the globalization of Korean society, migration cannot be avoided, and as such, Korea should look towards hospitality with practical themes of religion and religious people aiming for peace. Therefore, this study examines the concept of 'conscience' in Daesoon Thought because this understanding of the conscience connects people to their heavenly endowed nature and their original selves. First, in order to explore the religious ideas of hospitality for transnational migration, this study viewed the issue through three analytical frames: exclusive perception, tolerant perception, and pluralistic perception, and then criticized these from the perspective of hospitality. Furthermore, hospitality was viewed as an attitude of attempting to expand one's sense of self in dealing with others. Religiously, it was derived that the expansion of one's sense of self should aim for relationships of Sangsaeng (相生 mutual beneficence) as these go beyond mere symbiosis. In addition, as a way to overcome otherness, the religious idea of unconditional hospitality towards migrants was explored focusing on the concept of conscience in Daesoon Thought. In Daesoon Thought, the mind is the source of Heaven and Earth and also the essence of human existence. There are two aspects of mind that arise in humans: conscience and private interest. In Daesoon Thought, the conscience enables human potential and aims for a return to the source. In other words, it is to abandon private-interest and regain one's nature and the essence of one's personality. This can be done through Mujagi (無自欺 Guarding against Self-deception); embodying and maintaining a mind that does not deceive itself. In Daesoon Thought, the practice of Sangsaeng ethics based on Mujagi is expressed as Haewon Sangsaeng (解冤相生 the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence) and working for the betterment of others. Therefore, when the relational and communal perspectives of Daesoon Truth and Sangsaeng are reinforced, the argument for developing the practical ethics of Haewon Sangsaeng based on Mujagi into the transformation of the human spirit expressed as unconditional hospitality was found to be sound.