• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2013

Koreans' traditional view on death has been much influenced by Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and shamanism since ancient times. Confucianism emphasizes the importance of the real life in this world and highly praises doing good deeds for the family and the community. It also praises people who are enlightened by education and self-discipline. Confucian scholars admit that death cannot be understood by rational thinking although it is unavoidable as a cosmic order. Taoism sees life as the same entity as death; Both are two different aspects of the same cosmos or the wholeness. However, the disciples of Taoism became much interested in a long life and well being that may be achieved by harmonizing with the cosmic order. Buddhism thinks that death and life are an "illusion". It says that people can be enlightened by recognizing the fact that "Nothing is born and nothing is dying in this world. Everything is the product of your mind occupied with false belief." However, secular Buddhists believe in the afterlife and metempsychosis of the soul. This belief is sometimes connected with the view of the traditional shamanism. Shamanism dichotomizes the world between "this world" and "that world". After death, the person's soul travels to "that world", where it may influence life of people who reside in "this world". And shamans who are spiritual beings living in "this world" mediate souls and living people. In conclusion, there are various views and beliefs regarding death, which are influenced by a number of religions and philosophies. They should be seriously considered when making a medical decision regarding the end of patients' life.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.85-95
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• 2022

This study intends to analyze the meaning of symbolism in ancestral memorial rite arrangemen from the view that ancestral worship connecting traditional society with modernity are the transmission of ritual. It appears as a change the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements that became the basis and ideology about the Confucian view of life and death, an understanding of the universe structure, and a change in the four seasons. Ancestral memorial rite arrangements acknowledge the existence of ancestors. And it is understood as a ceremonial instrument which the living and the dead communicate spatially with time through the symbolic system. In addition, the four seasons, spaces of the skyground and underground were symbolized and embodied through the selection and arrangement of ancestral memorial rites. In the modern ancestral memorial rite arrangement, the factors that determine the location require Time-space analysis of the target. This is because the offering is understood not only as a functional role but also as a temporal and spatial symbolism to be expressed through the offering. In this study, it is meaningful to consider it from the perspective of inheritance of ancestral worship culture through discussions about the ideological background and symbolic system that appeared in ancestral memorial rite arrangement

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.184-203
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• 2020

The Confucian ruling class of the Joseon Dynasty regarded Buddhist rituals as "dangerous festivals." However, these Buddhist ceremonies facilitated transitions between phases of life from birth till death and strengthened communal unity through their joint practice of the rites. Ritual spaces were decorated with various utensils and objects that transformed them into wondrous arenas. Of these ornaments, Buddhist paintings served as the most effective visual medium for educating the common people. As an example, a painting of the Ten Kings of the Underworld (siwangdo) could be hung as a means to illustrate the Buddhist view of the afterlife, embedded in images not only inside a Buddhist temple hall, but in any space where a Buddhist ritual was being held. Demand for Buddhist paintings rose considerably with their use in ritual spaces. Nectar ritual paintings (gamnodo), including scenes of appeasement rites for the souls of the deceased, emphasized depictions of royal family members and their royal relatives. In Chinese paintings of the water and land ceremony (suryukjae), these figures referred to one of several sacred groups who invited deities to a ritual. However, in Korean paintings of a nectar ritual, the iconography symbolized the patronage of the royal court and underlined the historicity and tradition of nationally conducted water and land ceremonies. This royal patronage implied the social and governmental sanction of Buddhist rituals. By including depictions of royal family members and their royal relatives, Joseon Buddhist paintings highlighted this approval. The Joseon ruling class outwardly feared that Buddhist rituals might undermine observance of Confucian proprieties and lead to a corruption of public morals, since monks and laymen, men and women, and people of all ranks mingled within the ritual spaces. The concern of the ruling class was also closely related to the nature of festivals, which involved deviation from the routines of daily life and violation of taboos. Since visual media such as paintings were considered to hold a special power, some members of the ruling class attempted to exploit this power, while others were apprehensive of the risks they entailed. According to Joseon wangjo sillok (The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), the Joseon royal court burned Buddhist paintings and ordered the arrest of those who created them, while emphasizing their dangers. It further announced that so many citizens were gathering in Buddhist ritual spaces that the capital city was being left vacant. However, this record also paradoxically suggests that Buddhist rituals were widely considered festivals that people should participate in. Buddhist rituals could not be easily suppressed since they performed important religious functions reflecting the phases of the human life cycle, and had no available Confucian replacements. Their festive nature, unifying communities, expanded significantly at the time. The nectar ritual paintings of the late Joseon period realistically delineated nectar rituals and depicted the troops of traveling actors and performers that began to emerge during the seventeenth century. Such Buddhist rituals for consoling souls who encountered an unfortunate death were held annually and evolved into festivals during which the Joseon people relieved their everyday fatigue and refreshed themselves. The process of adopting Buddhist rituals-regarded as "dangerous festivals" due to political suppression of Buddhism in the Confucian nation-as seasonal customs and communal feasts is well reflected in the changes made in Buddhist paintings.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.139
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• pp.213-238
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• 2016

This paper examines how Dasan Jeong Yak-yong developed self-healing and his perspective of happiness during the hardest point of his political and social career. Just after the death of King Jeongjo (正祖, reign. 1766-1800) the arrest and persecution of those who accepted Christian knowledge from the West began. Among them were Jeong's family members and friends. Jeong, who had learned but had not accepted Christianity as a religious belief, was exiled to Ganggin 康津 in southern Jeolla Province where he was to spend the next 18 years. The two things that helped Jeong through his exile were the Book of Changes 易經 and his commitment to the study of Confucian thought, political, and social reforms. His life-long commitment to writing and his progressive understanding of the principle of changes of the universe in the Book of Changes, represented processes of self-healing and cultivation, depriving Jeong of self-pity and enabling him to attain the highest level in self-realization. According to Jeong, there are two kinds of happiness; "secular happiness" (yeolbok 熱福) related to power and wealth, and "pure happiness" (cheongbok 淸福), a free and idyllic life. For Jeong, the latter was more valuable than the former. Jeong believed that life pursing ethical virtues only could bring authentic joy to people. Furthermore, his devotion to the issues of systematic, social reforms was out of his desire to bring the public happiness by "practical learning", silhak 實學.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.40
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• pp.325-355
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• 2007

A national funeral was a ceremony for king symbolizing a country in Joseon. The Gukjangdogam had three practical affairs: ibang and ibang, sambag. Each practial affairs was ready for various implement and finished a national funeral very well. So various important. The Daeyeo and the Gyeonyeo which carried directly the dead from a palace to a burial in the national funeral was a chief implements to handle with careful. All people had to carry heartily him as a Daehaewang which means a previous king. But three practical affairs belonging to the Gukjangdogam made various implements directly or indirectly related in a Daehaengwang and symbolized has authority. They were related in succeeding to the throne. The departure of a funeral in Joseon was a space and a time to appear his authority. The Gukjangdogam progressed it like going in and out the palace in the life. We knew it was ready for the departure of a funeral equalizing to the life and the death. The Gukjangdogam made the best of various implements using in going in and out the palace in the departure. We saw the Confucian view about living and dying through the implements used in the departure. The Gukjangdogam assembled many technicians around the country. They had to make various implements as high-level technicians at certain hour under the supervision of officials. The Gukjangdogam payed and compensated for their labors. There is an indissoluble connection between them. The technicians belonging to three practical affairs were ready for the implements for a national funeral: newly-made and repair, existed-implements use etc. So a national funeral can be called 'the feast of techniques' as well as complexity of techniques' in the Joseon.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2010

This research is the semantic study on the nature cognition and lyricism of pavilion builders as reflected in the pavilion tablets in the Damyang poetry culture area built during 16th century. The names of pavilions, pavilion writings and "poetry with given theme" were studied by actual site visits. The view on the nature and aesthetic awareness of the pavilion builders at the time were explored together with surrounding landscapes. Following conclusions were drawn. 1. Pavilion names borrowed phrases from the famous historical events left by the sages. Or, they took the compliment on the beautiful nature surrounding orthe academic achievement of pavilion owners as the theme, then elaborated them with thinking based on Sung Confucianism. 2. The writings of pavilion literature were the idealistic view on the nature. They think the nature and human as "object and ego are one, object and ego communicate each other, object and ego become one". 3. The nature in the 16th century was the "principle of birth-death-grow-wither" for the intellectuals. They thought that the nature is the ultimate place to return for the realization of life with self-respect. 4. The introduction of fairy land among literary activities in the pavilion was the symbolic means healing the frustrated ego. It was confirmed that they temporarily entrusted their depressed feelings by borrowing the fairy land, far from the reality. The pavilion was the space to escape from the reality and soothe the anger and discord in the reality. 5. The pavilion literature in the Damyang poetry culture area during 16th century sang their pleasure of enjoying the beautiful scenery in the rural area using their social status. The literary works also contained their agony due to the frustration of difficulty in the realization of ideal. When the intellectuals, who already mastered literature, history and philosophy, came down to rural area, built pavilions at the location with beautiful scenery, and spent time while composing poetry, it was an escape from the burden that they should take the social responsibility as the model intellectuals of the society. The pavilions in Damyang poetry-culture area during 16th century were the idealized conceptual world and the space of awareness reflecting the philosophy and thinking of the time.