• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.35
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• pp.165-188
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the historical consciousness and view of the three religions (Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism) of Won Cheon Seok who lived a period of historical transition from the end of the Goryeo Dynasty to the early Joseon Dynasty. Actively speaking for the public in his time and having the same attitude as the Neo-Confucian scholars in the end of Goryeo Dynasty, he kept criticizing the abuse of the power by powerful families who made the people fall into a state of distress and misery. He believed the dispatch of troops to conquer the Yodong region as a great opportunity to boost the valiant spirit of his country; however, the reality was quite opposite to his expectation as Lee Seong Gye had withdrawn the army troops at the Wihwado causing a great risk to his country. He took a very hard line stance against what Lee Seong Gye did. Although he was a Confucian scholar, he did not ignore Buddhism and Taoism and understood that after all the three religions were based on the same principle. His deep understanding of Buddhism and Taoism as well as Confucianism helped him to make sense of Confucianism even further. He was able to sublimate the worldly anguish coming from the Confucian thinking system by indulging himself deeply into the world view of Buddhism and Taoism. In the end, his view on the three religions was based on the idea that they taught the same principle. His view of the three religions with transactional features has a huge implication for the contemporary society in which various values and multiple cultures coexist and have more common grounds.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.18
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• pp.53-79
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• 2004

This paper explores the relationship between Korean immigrants to the United States and their religious identity from the cultural point of view. Most scholarly studies on Korean immigrants in the United States have been dominated by sociological approach and ethnic studies in examining the social dimension of the Korean immigrant communities while neglecting issues concerning their religious identity and cultural heritage. Most Korean immigrants to America attend Korean churches regardless their religious affiliation before they came to America. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the fact that Korean church has provided a necessary social service for the newly arrived immigrants. Korean churches have been able to play a key role in the life of Korean immigrants. Korean immigrants, however, have shown a unique aspect regarding their religious identity compared to other immigrants communities in the United States. America is a nation of immigrants, coming from different parts of the world. Each immigrant community has brought their unique cultural heritage and religious persuasion. Asian immigrants, for example, brought their own traditional religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism. People from the Middle Eastern countries brought Islamic faith while European Jews brought the Jewish tradition. In these immigrant communities, religious identity and cultural heritage were homo genously harmonized. Jewish people built synagogue and taught Hebrew, Jewish history, culture, and faith. In this case, synagogue was not only the house of worship for Jews but also the center for learning Jewish history, culture, faith, and language. In short, Jewish cultural history was intimately related to Jewish religious history; for Jewish immigrants, learning their social and political history was indeed identical with leaning of their religious history. The same can be said about the relationship between Indian community and Hinduism. Hindu temples serve as the center of Indian immigrantsin providing the social, cultural, and spiritual functions. Buddhist temples, for that matter, serve the same function to the people from the Asian countries. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Tibetans, and Thais have brought their respective Buddhist traditions to America and practice and maintain both their religious faith and cultural heritage. Middle Eastern people, for example, have brought Islamic faith to the United States, and Mosques have become the center for learning their language, practicing their faith, and maintaining their cultural heritage. Korean immigrants, unlike any other immigrant group, have brought Christianity, which is not a Korean traditional religion but a Western religion they received in 18th and 19th centuries from the West and America, back to the United States, and church has become the center of their lives in America. In this context, Koreans and Korean-Americans have a unique situation in which they practice Christianity as their religion but try to maintain their non-Christian cultural heritage. For the Korean immigrants, their religious identity and cultural identity are not the same. Although Korean church so far has provides the social and religious functions to fill the need of Korean immigrants, but it may not be able to become the most effective institution to provide and maintain Korean cultural heritage. In this respect, Korean churches must be able to open to traditional Korean religions or the religions of Korean origin to cultivate and nurture Korean cultural heritage.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.42-52
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• 2002

The purpose of this research is to survey minpo(the nations pojagi), especially supo(the embroidered pojagi), of the Yi Chosun of Korea during the nineteenth century. This study explores the history and background of minpo, its characteristics, including forms, designs, materials, and how they related to women's daily life during the Yi Chosun in social and cultural aspects. There were minpos for use in everyday life as well as for special occasions such as weddings, funerals and religions rites, including Buddhist and other services. The research undertaken here is done by classifying minpos according to composition, design, pattern and motif.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.19
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• pp.213-250
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• 2005

Until 1970's, mankind have not had definite perspectives on what life after the death was like, which is one of the most important problems for them. Their concepts of the 'life and death problem' has been distorted by the dogmas of the established religions such as Buddhism or Christianity on heaven and hell. But the mankind came to have wholly different views on the life after death thanks to the studies by Raymond Moody Jr. or Elizabeth Quebler-Ross in the mid-1970's. This is the studies on the so-called 'near-death experience(NDE)' which made humankind be able to have scientific approach to the life after death for the first time in their history. What attracts our attention at this point is, however, that the arguements of the NDErs on humman destiny accurately coincide with those of the established religions. In the NDE, most of the experiencers have an encounter with the personal being, symbolized by the Light, through whom they learnt that the devotion(or love) to the neighborhood and the gain of the wisdom are the sole meaning of life. With this result, we can recognize why essential virtues maintained by the established religions until now such as ultimate compassion, unconditional love, forgiveness, or insightful learning are so significant, and that our studies of the NDE are very important in this respect.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.111-132
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• 2022

In the 1920s, a new religion emerged in Tay Ninh Province, Southern Vietnam, under the name Caodaism; also known as the Third Universal Salvation of the Great Dao. It is the result of the typical combination of three main religions (Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism). Different ethnic groups populated Tay Ninh, such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham, and Kinh. Additionally, the core principle of Caodaism is known as The Three Religions Returned to the Origin, and it is also expanded as The Five Branches Reunited. The Five Branches are humankind's five ways of self-cultivation: the Way of Humans, the Way of Deities, the Way of Saints, the Way of Immortals, and the Way of Buddhas. Although Caodaism was only founded in 1920, this religion is well known domestically and internationally. This is because Caodaism has a distinctive identity; it is a new religion that advocates a syncretistic combination of essential religious teachings that follow the harmonization and reconciliation between the East and West as well as between the past and present. Moreover, the Tay Ninh Holy See is the most important, first, and largest Cao Dai temple in Vietnam. The temple is located in Tay Ninh Province in southwestern Vietnam. This article aims to introduce the Tay Ninh Holy See as the birthplace of Caodaism and as the largest Cao Dai religious palace, not only in Vietnam but also in other countries that practice Caodaism. A brief overview of Tay Ninh Holy See's origin, history, and planning will be provided. Most importantly, the style of the architecture at the Tay Ninh Holy See will be comprehensively analyzed to shed more light on the meaning of each section and the details of this temple structure.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.35-54
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• 2024

This article focuses on the image of the ancestor of Quanzhen Daoism from a narrative perspective and also evaluates the influence of this image on the development of Quanzhen Daoism in terms of belief, genealogy, and the compilation of sacred history. Quanzhen Daoism has a rich tradition of narrating andwriting its history. In fact, narrating history is actually a form of constructing history. From the recounting of events such as the birth of the founder of the religion, Wang Chongyang (王重陽, 1112-1170), his conversion to Daoism, his practice and preaching, and his 'ascent to immortality' in Quanzhen historical hagiographies, readers can observe the recording of miracles as a narrative feature. The narratives of religious texts differ from ordinary historical narratives in that the former maintain the core concern of simultaneously promoting belief in miracles and strengthening the religious lineage of the respective tradition. Therefore, exploring the relationship between the narrative of the image of the ancestor and the development of the Quanzhen Sect, along with the establishment of beliefs, is the starting point of this article.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• no.7
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• pp.87-96
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• 1996

In today's man's domestic environments, the development of furnishings in their various shapes and functions is as complex as human lives. Architecture, Interior, and Furniture, each one of these have the relationship closer and closer to the direct human environments. In this study, by choosing the theme of sitting , the transformation of man's behavioral models would be examined in sociological terms. By viewing the chair as an emblematic objects made for more than just sitting, the chair has revealed the relations of man with his environment since the history of furnishings began. Qualified architects and designers know that chairs are no longer the objects, but the primary subject of furnishings. Through this examination of the emblematic typologies of periodic chairs in the history of the Western culture, in terms of their relationships with politics , religions, monarchies, societies, and etc., the meaning of the designs could be find and which could be the resolutions for the future innovative design. These refound or recreated meanings in the history of design could create another typology for the future reality.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.41
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• pp.27-61
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• 2022

Documentation related to Mugeuk-do (Limitless Dao) is rare in comparison to other Korean new religions given that it has been open to the public and translated since the 1970s. Due to its rarity, the documentation has been used uncritically, without there being any comparative study or historical research. It is undeniable that distortions and fallacies are embedded in these documents, and this has resulted in quite a few problems in precisely understanding Mugeuk-do and Daesoon Jinrihoe (The Fellowship of Daesoon Truth), an order that has inherited the legacy of Mugeuk-do. In this regard, this study aims to critically define the characteristics and limitations of the major documents related to Mugeuk-do that were published by the colonial government in the 1920s~1930s and recorded by multiple orders in the 1970s-1980s through comparisons. An attempt to conduct this research allows for the discovery of a solution to the problem of uncritical usage of those materials. The documents produced by the colonial government that can be used as basic texts to study Mugeuk-do are The General Conditions of the Religion Mugeuk-do (無極大道敎槪況) and Unofficial Religions of the Korea (朝鮮の類似宗敎). These can be found through bibliography, comparison, and historical research. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of The General Conditions of the Religion Mugeuk-do are a possible source on the order that reflects the circumstances of Mugeuk-do until 1925. In the case of Unofficial Religions of the Korea, if the descriptive perspective on unofficial religions is excluded, the articles written about the circumstances post 1925 have credibility. Another document that describes multiple orders and can be used as a basic text is chapter 2 of 'Progress of the Order' in Daesoon Jinrihoe's The Canonical Scripture. This is because its record precisely reflects the conditions of the era, with regard to the fact that it is the freest from distortions caused by changes in the belief system and it is less biased towards certain sects or denominations. Furthermore, the collection period of the articles is the earliest. Accordingly, as basic texts, Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of The General Conditions of the Religion Mugeuk-do and the articles from Unofficial Religions of the Korea after 1925, as well as chapter 2 of 'Progress of the Order' in The Canonical Scripture are appropriate for studying Mugeuk-do. In addition, Overview of Bocheonism, History of Jeungsan-gyo, and The True Scripture of the Great Ultimate can be utilized as references after removing distortions and fallacies through comparative study. Henceforth, relevant documents should be utilized to establish comprehensive data on Mugeuk-do through comparative and historical research.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.48
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• pp.157-198
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• 2024

Aside from enriching spirituality, religiously-themed museums play a crucial role in resolving conflicts among the nations peripherally or various cultural groups in a broad sense. Relatively speaking, Korea has achieved a peaceful multi-religious society, yet the 2019 pandemic caused certain religious conflicts to surface or perhaps resurface. Since the 2000, due to the increasing number of migrants, there has been increasing awareness of the need to accommodating even greater levels of religious diversity. Accordingly, this study aims to apprehend various educational programs and exhibitions that have been developed by St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, the State Museum of the History of Religion, and the Museum of World Religions in multi-ethnic societies such as the UK, Russia, and Taiwan. Therein, it will be determined how these museums contribute to mutual understanding and interaction and this research will suggest the development of a religiously-themed museum capable of resolving a number of social conflicts and enriching the diversity of its nation.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.31
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• pp.53-86
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• 2011

Taoism exercised its influence and has made much progress apparently under the aegis of the Tang dynasty. But since the external alchemy, a traditional way of eternal life that they have pursued, met the limitation, they were placed in a situation where they needed to seek a new discipline. From this period to the early North Song dynasty, three religions have established the unique theoretical systems of their own theory of ascetic practices. They showed their own unique formats as follows. Neo-Confucianism established the theory of moral training, Buddhism did the theory of ascetic practices and Taoism had theory of discipline. By this time, a person who claimed the Intermixture of Three Religions composed the new system of theory of ascetic practice by taking advantage of other religions and putting them into his own view. Chen tuan established the theory of internal alchemy of Taoism and was the most influential figure in the world of thought since North Song dynasty. He clearly declared that he accepted the merits of other religions in his theory. He added I Ching of Confucianism in I Ching of secret of Taoism to stop the logical gaps during the process of disciplines in Taoism and took ascetic practices on mind of Buddhism into his system while he sought a way to integrate the dual structure of body and mind. The theory of Chen tuan's internal alchemy was training schema with stages of 'YeonJeongHwaGi', 'YeonGiHwaSin', and 'YeonSinHwanHeo' based on the concepts of vital, energy and spirit. The internal alchemy practice that Chen tuan was saying started from the practice of Zen to keep the mind calm with the basis of fundamental principles of interpretation of book of change according to Taoism. When a person reached the state to be in concert with all changes at the end of the silence and be full of wisdoms, he finally returned to the state of BokGwiMuGeuk by taking the flow of subtle mind and transforming it into energy. He expressed this process by drawing 'MuGeukDo'. Oriental philosophy categorized human into 'phenomenal existence' and 'original existence'. The logic of theory of ascetic practice has been established from these 'category of existence'. It would be determined whether it will return to 'original existence' or be stepped up from 'phenomenal existence' according to how the concept of 'self' or 'I' was made. Chen tuan who established the theory of internal alchemy in Taoism has established the unique theory of internal alchemy discipline and system of intermixture of three religions in this aspect. Today is called 'era of self-loss' or 'era of incurable diseases' caused by environmental pollution. It's still meaningful to review the theory of discipline of Chen tuan's connecting the body and the soul to heal the self, and keep life healthy and pursue the new way of discipline based on it.