• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.27
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• pp.327-361
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• 2009

So far there has been a strong tendency to study The Great Learning in terms of quite" limited ethical and moral understandings." Yet The Great Learning was originally a political text to educate the ruler. So the ethical and moral understanding discussed in the book should be interpreted as something more comprehensive and practical, which includes the political ability. This paper thus focuses on this new line of understanding of The Great Learning. Among the three principles of the book, 'Myeongmyeongdeok( 明明德)' means the virtue of a politician, that is to 'cultivate (Myeong)' the 'properties for a statesman (Myeongdeok).' 'Sinmin (新民)' means 'to innovate or reform the people as a result of substantive administration of a politician'. 'Jieojiseon (止於至善)' means 'to reach and to maintain the highest degree of goodness as a result of Myeongmyeongdeok and Sinmin'. These three principles would divide into eight practicums. Myeongmyeongdeok would divide into five steps of 'Sugi(修己: Cultivating the self)' practicum, which are 'Gyeokmul (格物) → Chiji(致知) → Seongeui(誠意)→ Jeongsim (正心)→ Susin (修身)'. Sinmin would divide into three steps of 'Chiin (治人: rule the people)' practicum which are 'Jega(齊家) → Chiguk(治國) → Pyeongcheonha(平天下).' And the point where the two practicums are harmonized, i.e. that of Sugichiin (修己治人), is the place of Jieojiseon. Not every ethical people become a politician but every politician must be ethical. That is the assertion of the Great Learning.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.22
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• pp.433-469
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• 2014

Identifying the ontological characteristics of "ultimate reality" is highly important in a specific religion or thought because it is believed to contain the logic that explain the wholistic phenomenon in the entire universe. The "ultimate reality" is called "Lee(理)", "Dao(道)", "Taegeuk; the Great Ultimate(太極)", "Mugeuk; NonUltimate(無極)", "Gong(空)", "Haven", "SangJe(上帝)", "God" in many different religions or thoughts. Taegeuk(太極), Mugeuk(無極) and Daesoon(大巡) are believed to contain the logic that explain the wholistic phenomenon in the entire universe in Daesoon Thoughts which we can see in the GooCheon SangJe(九天上帝)'s saying that "Even if the logic is so high, it comes from the surface of Taegeuk and Mugeuk and cannot be separated from every phenomenon in our life(理雖高出於太極无極之表 不離乎日用事物之間)" and Doju(道主) Cho, Jeong San's saying that "The reasion that Dao is called Dao is that it is settled to be Mugeuk and moved to be Taegeuk(道之謂道也者定而无極 動而太極)" and Dojeon(都典) Park Wu-dang's saying that "Daesoon(大巡) is circle(圓), circle is Mugeuk(無極), Mugeuk is Taegeuk(太極)". Mugeuk contains the logic of transcendence and Taegeuk contains the logic of immanance. And Nae-confucianism admit the Ultimate Reality or logic have both characteries of Mugeuk and Taegeuk and don't admit that Taegeuk comes from Mugeuk. Therefore, Mugeuk and Taegeuk are in complementary relations. These Nae-confucianism's idea about Mugeuk and Taegeuk corresponds with Deasoon Thought. Daesoon Thoughts also admit that Ultimate Reality, GooCheon SangJe can be understood with both Mugeuk and Taegeuk. That is, GooCheon SangJe, the Suprime God is transcendent from this world(Mugeuk) and also manage the whole universe using the logic of Taegeuk(太極). Daesoon(大巡) unite Mugeuk and Taegeuk using the concept of circulation. The logic of Mugeuk and Taegeuk is both two as well as one, and one as well as two. It is not dualism nor monism. It is non-dualism and super-dualism. These logic of coexistence is the core of Mugeuk and Taegeuk. And this logic is reflexed in Daesoon Thoughts' core proposition that "Daesoon(大巡) is circle (圓), circle is Mugeuk(無極), Mugeuk is Taegeuk(太極)".

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.43
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• pp.267-293
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• 2014

This paper is aimed at analyzing the characteristics of Image-Meaning theory focused on image in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty and SongMing period. Zhouyi' theory in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty was constructed on the basis of Zhouyi' theory of SongMing period. The characteristics of Image-Meaning theory in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty can be explained largely by two routes. One is the perspective of critical succession on Zhouyi'theory of focusing on meaning that led Chengyi(程?) and Yangwanli(楊萬裏). As the representative of this route, Gwongeun and Toegye not only asserted Image-meaning theory focused on meaning, but also developed a perspective of taking all the image and meaning. The other is the active succession and creative transformation about Image-Meaning theory of Tushuxue that led Chentuan(陳?) and Shaoyong(邵雍). As the representative of that route, Yulgok and Yeohun explained the schematic diagram of the universe of the universe by using methodology of Tushuxue. Furthermore, they actively succeed Shaoyong' Zhouyi theory to expand Image-Meaning theory focused on number. In addition, Cho, Haoyi(曺好益)described the propositions - "meaning is not out of image area, image equipped with meaning all, then there is no law of limitation in image adopted theory. Those propositions are opposed to Chengyi(程?) and Zhuxi(朱熹)' ZhouYi' theory.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.37
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• pp.441-471
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• 2009

Both in the East and the West, the most classical question in political philosophy was 'what is truly a good life?' 'Good life' and 'good politics' are thus essentially tied together. Mencius (孟子, B.C385-303/302) was not exception to this belief. It is not an exaggeration that his Mencius, the treatise that encapsulates his whole views, begins and ends with good life and good politics. He began with new definitions of good life and politics and the rest elaborates why they are so. This paper attempts to systematically approach to what Mencius thinks as a good life in terms of political thoughts. Confucius, his intellectual mentor, asserted that the most humane human life is a civilized life and it means to realize the value of 'Yin (仁: Grace)' and thus set his good life from previous ones. Mencius concurred that Confucius's explication of the good life was right. Moreover, he argued that to realize this, political practice should follow. The 'good life' for Mencius consists of 1) the life in which the ruler does not monopolize joy but shares it with people, that is '$Y{\breve{o}}mindongrak$(與民同樂)' or '$Y{\breve{o}}minhaerak$(與民偕樂)' and 2) the life, based on this political foundation, that pursues the life of 'Five Ethics (五倫)' in which each individual member of society has its share in it. Mencius discussed about 'Four Virtues (四德)', the essential goodness of human, confirmed by 'Four Clues (四端)' to talk about the possibility of realizing the good life. On the other hand, he devised the political device of '$YinJ{\breve{o}}ng$ (仁政: Gracious Politics)' as a practical tool for it. Furthermore, he asserted 'Good people theory (養民論)' as the first condition for the good politics, '$YinJ{\breve{o}}ng$' and 'Education of people theory (敎民論)' as the final one. As Mencius inherited Confucius effort for a good life with the theory of '$YinJ{\breve{o}}ng$', the so-called Zhuxi scholars inherited his as 'Sugichiin (修己治人: cultivate yourself and then order society)' after 1500.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.49
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• pp.7-38
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• 2012

This study is an argument that Yeoheon Jang Hyun Gwang's Yeok-Hak-Do-Seol has been on the context of the typical Confucian methodology of self-organization for a sage's or superman's character (爲己之學) and completed the methodology. Therefore the context from Confucius to Southern Song China Era is argued as a context of development and systematization of the methodology. In addition the fact that Zhuxi(朱熹) and his students had systimatization of the methodology with the publications of some important textbooks is also explained. The most stressed thing of this study is Yeoheon's Yeok-Hak-Do-Seol is just the text that succeeded them as the methodology of self-organization and had a special purpose of completion of the methodology not only with comprehensive items of practice but also intuition into the human's life and the world by his mastery of Yeokhak(易學). The viewpoint this study keeps is the Confucian methodology of self-organization is considered for the purpose of development and upholding the Confucian truth, and thus the methodology itself has been regarded as the necessary one that is the closest approximation to a pursuit of Confucian truth. According to this viewpoint we can observe the features of methodology of the pursuit of Confucian truth from the Yeok-Hak-Do-Seol. However the Yeok-Hak-Do-Seol has its purpose merely on a human being's self-organization but also on an enormous enterprise to make the universe peace or sustainability of the world. His stress on the enterprise shows that his methodology is not a merely repetition of the tradition of the Zhuzixue but a creative deveopment of the tradition. The other feature is that his methodology is systematization on the basis of Yeokhak, or the study of Yi-jing(易經). The main method he intensified is easiness and simplification that is the main point which he extracted from Yi-jing as the most important and necessary way of life.