• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.71
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• pp.205-229
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• 2018

This article proceeds to scrutinizing a oral tradition called the story of ruining one's family by daughter-in-law's cutting-condemnation conducive to any estimation of Koreans' religious mentality. This oral tradition begins with mischievous behaviors of daughter-in-law. She cut away any materials, which a vagabond monk of Buddhism identified as a source of solacing numberless visitors to her house. Tired of serving all the visitors, she cut away the material. It caused her parents-in-law's house to be collapsed. At a first glance, the daughter-in-law appears to be blamed for the collapse. Interestingly, no one cannot be blamed for the misfortune. A face value of the text does not show that the fate of misfortune comes from any ethical misconduct and its posterior mishandling. Behind this oral tradition, by the way, lies the consciousness that relates misfortune with a ceremony of cutting away any unique material; cutting away any material, cutting away the trend of coming visitors, and cutting away the mood of prosperity becomes identical. The thematic mentality of the text reveals a religious consciousness of seeing human beings' life to be identical with nature. This oral tradition must have focused on the importance of a harmonious relationship between human beings and nature.