• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
• /
• no.56
• /
• pp.75-115
• /
• 2014

The text reviewed in this paper "Dongbangsaek is the Secret (Dongbangsaegi bigyeorira)" is in the collection of the Yulgok Memorial Library of Dankook University. With 13 leaves ($35.7{\times}22.3cm$) bound with thread, the booklet has been transcribed by hand. Although there is no record on the place, person and year of transcription, it is estimated to have been transcribed in the 20th century based on the use of the period, a punctuation mark. In addition, the complete absence of dialect vocabulary also shows that it was transcribed in the capital area-Seoul or Gyeonggi Province. It is assumed that the text is part of a Buddhist scripture chanted by an exorcist during a shamanistic ritual. As a booklet containing secret methods to divine what is auspicious and what is ominous in daily life, it must have been transcribed by an exorcist to use it for her ritual.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
• /
• v.64
• /
• pp.109-144
• /
• 2020

In the 21st century, Our Korean churches should be reborn and truly restored in the situation korean churches have been criticized socially and adversely affected Christian missions. In this situation, the researcher analyzed the Zeraim(Agriculture) of the Jewish scripture Talmud as an alternative to solving the problems of the Korean church. In order to achieve the purpose of this research, the background of the emergence of Talmud, the main contents of Talmud Zeraim, and the application of Talmud Zeraim's Christian education were divided and analyzed. Through the Jewish Talmud Zeraim, five possibilities of application were suggested to solve the problems of Korean churches. First, it is a Christian education for a blessed life. Second, it is a Christian education that pursues social justice, life, and integrity of creation. Third, it is Christian education for a life that appreciates God's grace. Fourth, it is a Christian education for realizing the commandments and practicing the teachings. Fifth, it is a Christian education that pursues conventional spirituality. Researchers believe that the mission and direction of Christian education without losing their identity and faith under the numerous hardships in history should be found in the faith and life of Jews who have regained their traditional spirituality centered on the law (Torah) and Talmud which are the God's words. From now on, the Korean church should boldly clear up its mistakes and move on to education that humbly accepts the sounds of social criticism and can make a fresh recovery.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.34
• /
• pp.323-351
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this paper is to reveal how Christian ideas are indicative of Theocentricity (God-centeredness) whereas Daesoon Jinrihoe ideas are indicative of anthropocentrism (human-centeredness). This task will be accomplished through comparing incarnation theology from the Bible and The Canonical Scripture. Both Christianity and Daesoon Jinrihoe affirm that there is another world above the human world that cannot be touched by human sense organs. And they both acknowledge a supreme deity who exists in that above world. Furthermore, they share the notion that the supreme deity came into the human world after being born from a woman. Where they depart is that in Christianity, this belief refers to Jesus, the one who was born in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, whereas in Daesoon Jinrihoe, it is instead believed to be Kang Jeungsan (secular name: Kang Il-Sun) who was born in Gaekmang Village in Korea more than 100 years ago. The Christian God came to the human world as an atonement for humanity and died on the cross; The God of Daesoon Jinrihoe came to the human world to help mankind settle all enmities. To this end, he traveled through the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, to recalibrate the faulty Degree Numbers. The sin mentioned in Christianity means treachery against the supreme deity. It is implied that sin is not tolerated in the world of God. Due to this, the first man, Adam, was driven out of Eden after betraying God, and afterwards, there came to be an infranchissable boundary between the world of God and the world of man. By way of comparison the faulty Degree Numbers, mentioned in Daesoon Jinrihoe, were produced naturally. In other words, the faulty Degree Number existed not only in the human world, but also in the world of divinities, and those two worlds not only interact but also affect each other. Therefore, it can be said that the two worlds of Christianity are worlds in which order and systems are completely different, and that the two worlds of Daesoon Jinrihoe are worlds that operate under the same order and systems. Both explain via this two-part division to emphasize one part as more important than the other. Christianity regards the world of God as the ultimate source and ultimate concern of the human world and emphasizes the absolute faith and worship of God is the highest value in life. But Daesoon Jinrihoe, on the other hand, argues that the human world determines the value of the divine world, and that the co-prosperity of man and his surroundings are the core values of the human era (The Era of Human Nobility). Therefore, the root cause of Christianity's theocentricity is that among the two worlds that are completely cut off from one another, they believe in God's world as the ultimate source and purpose of the human world. The root cause of Daesoon Jinrihoe's anthropocentrism is that among the two worlds that interact and influence each other, they believe the human world determines the meaning of the divine world.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
• /
• v.69
• /
• pp.163-192
• /
• 2022

In the early 20th century, Korean Protestant Christians began two forms of prayer, Tongsung Kido and Dawn Prayer. The two prayers have been loved and performed by Korean Protestants for over 100 years. Speaking in tongues was introduced in the 1950s and became one of the most popular prayers along with Tongsung Kido and dawn prayer. Korean Protestant churches started Bible meditation in the 1970s through journals like the Daily Bible of the Scripture Union Korea. Now contemplative prayer appears as an unfamiliar and strange style of prayer, given the history of prayer so far in Korean churches. Protestant scholars and pastors have made this into a controversy; contemplative prayer is the first non-protestant prayer that has become controversial. The controversy is mainly about biblical origin, theological relevance, and historical and traditional conformity. This study asks and answers why this controversy is important for Korean Protestant churches. This study introduces the controversy and explores why one group accepts the prayer and others do not. Then, this study recounts the history of Korean Protestant prayers and shows the meanings of the encounter of Korean Protestant prayers and contemplative prayer. This study argues that Korean Protestant Christians, through the controversy, can learn that Korean Protestant churches have the potential to create a new prayer culture and tradition and need spiritual discipline through silence.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.44
• /
• pp.53-96
• /
• 2023

This article apprehends Yeongdae (靈臺), the most sacred shrine of Daesoon Jinrihoe which has earlier historical precedents, as an example of material religion. In East Asia, the first Yeongdae was a structure that King Wen of Zhou commissioned to be built. As the time passed by, the meaning of Yeongdae was changed to signify a mental yeongdae, the object and the aim of cultivation, and the notional mindset that appears in the Daoist meditation, Cunsi (存思, visualization). This implies that Yeongdae has signified both material and non-material objects. Throughout most of history, these two concepts had never been related to each other, but shifted in form and meaning depending on context. Daesoon Jinrihoe, which emerged in the modern era of Korea, used the concept of investiture of gods and combined the two into one. Accordingly, the Yeongdae, referred to by King Wen to indicate his shrine, was expressed as a spot wherein the gods were enshrined on the earth. As an innovation, Daesoon Jinrihoe argued that gods correspond to properly eligible human beings according to the degree of their cultivation and that sacred space was instead defined a spot within the human mind, a mental yeongdae, where the gods could be enshrined into humanity (神封於人). From the perspective of Lévi-Strauss, the factors that are discovered in the tradition of East Asia, namely, the Yeongdae of King Wen and the mental yeongdae of Zhuangzi can combined with consistency and established in the doctrinal system of Daesoon Jinrihoe. Such an attempt refers to bricolage which re-creates the traditional concepts of the past. In this regard, the concept of invented tradition coined by Eric Hobsbawm could also be used to conclude that the Yeongdae (the shrine of gods) of Daesoon Jinrihoe can be expressed as an invented Yeongdae, which transcends the existing categories of material yeongdae and non-material yeongdae.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.25_2
• /
• pp.1-43
• /
• 2015

Daesoonjinrihoe perceives that human suffering is caused not only by mental factors but also by the cosmic principle of Mutual Overcoming more fundamentally. The relationship influenced among all things in the universe is Mutual Beneficence and Mutual Overcoming. If these relations are properly cooperated in harmony, all things will reveal their energetic existence in a balanced state, however, if one side, particularly, Mutual Overcoming becomes excessive, indeed, it will cause trouble. That is, the sentient beings that are inclined to excessive Mutual Overcoming rather than indispensable Mutual Overcoming make grievances among themselves and cumulate them. In the end, heaven and earth lose its constant Way[常道], leading the sentient beings to all kinds of agonies. However, it may be a problem if every agony is depicted with Mutual Overcoming, that is, one single fixed frame, because Mutual Overcoming has to be interpreted diversely according to the circumstances. Thus, it is not possible to explain precisely about the agony if not understanding its spectrum. This study analyzed the ways how Daesoonjinrihoe explains the aspects of reasons and solutions to a variety of agonies. In the Supreme Scripture of Daesoonjinrihoe, the reasons for agony vary: first, it is caused by Mutual Overcoming of the cosmos itself, which is irrelevant to human beings. Secondly, man can be victimized because of Mutual Overcoming caused by man. Thirdly, there is a case of a victim who is damaged due to Mutual Overcoming caused by the other. Fourthly, man can be victimized because of Mutual Overcoming caused by someone else's unintended deeds. Fifthly, there is a case of man having agony in return when he, as a perpetrator, hurt others or resolve his inappropriate desires. Sixthly, man's deed unintendedly became a sin and have agony in return. Seventhly, man can be a self-perpetrator, conceiving vain desire, obsession and grievance. Eightly, there is a case of man having agony during enforcement of the law or practice of justice. Ninthly, man needs to endure agony during self-cultivation, enacting Reordering of the Universe(天地公事), ritual practice, promotion of fortune, and test. However, it is important to make sure that the reason for agony can interact with not only one but also diverse models in real situation. These nine models are included in the category of Mutual Overcoming; but, these cannot be classified in a single term, Mutual Overcoming because much information will be hidden, only to make it difficult to explain about agony more precisely. There are some characteristic observed in the concept of agony in Daesoonjinrihoe as follows: first, reasons for agony are caused by Mutual Overcoming although Mutual Overcoming can be interpreted differently according to the circumstances. Secondly, Daesoonjinrihoe makes a positive valuation for some agony. Thirdly, the solution to overcome a agony is brought to a conclusion, that is cultivation practice of Daesoonjinrihoe. Fourthly, the experience of agony and solution in Daesoonjinrihoe sometimes lie in the unit of family beyond individual. Fifthly, in the painful situation resulted from vain desire and obsession, Daesoonjinrihoe suggests a solution called Mutual Beneficence. That is, it emphasizes not only self-control but also active practice of considering others.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.33-50
• /
• 2023

'Fasting of the Mind (心齋, ch. xīn zhāi)' is arguably the most important concept within the practical approach to the spiritual cultivation formulated by the Daoist philosopher, Zhuangzi (莊子). Most scholars have interpreted 'Fasting of the Mind' as an apophatic practice centered around the aim of the 'Dissolution of the Self (喪我, ch. sàng wŎ).' The Korean new religious movement, Daesoon Jinrihoe (大巡眞理會), can be shown to instead consistently utilize cataphatic descriptions of spiritual cultivation based on the 'quieting of the mind (安心, kr. anshim)' and 'quieting of the body (安身, kr. anshin)' with the highest attainable state referred to as the 'Perfected State of Unification with the Dao (道通眞境, kr. Dotong-jingyeong).' While the language used by Zhuangzi and Daesoon Jinrihoe appears quite different on a superficial level, a deeper examination shows that these rhetorical framings are likely negativistic and positivistic descriptions of the same, or at least reasonably similar, phenomena. Zhuangzi, who focused primarily on the body, mind, and internal energy, cautioned practitioners that 'mere listening stops with the ears (聽止於耳, ch. tīng zhǐ yú ěr)' and 'mere recognition stops with the mind (心止於符, ch. xīn zhǐ yú fú).' He therefore encouraged cultivators of the Dao to 'listen with the spirit (聽之以氣 ch. tīng zhī yǐ qì).' The main scripture of Daesoon Jinrihoe states that "The mind is a pivot, gate, and gateway for gods; They, who turn the pivot, open, and close the gate, and go back and forth through the gateway, can be either good or evil (心也者, 鬼神之樞機也, 門戶也,道路也)," and the Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven (九天上帝, kr. Gucheon Sangje) even promises to visit anyone who possesses a 'singularly-focused mind (一心, kr. il-shim).' In both these approaches, there is a sense of what must be kept out of the mind (e.g., external disturbances, strong emotions, malevolent entities) and what the mind should connect with to attain spiritual progress (e.g., spirit, singular focus, the Supreme God). The observations above serve as the main basis for a comparison between the apophatic descriptions of cultivation found in Zhuangzi and their cataphatic counterparts in Daesoon Thought. However, the culmination of this nuanced comparative exploration reveals that while the leanings of Zhuangzi and Daesoon Thought generally hold true, ultimately, both systems of cultivation transcend the categories of apophatic and cataphatic.

• SUVANNABHUMI
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.21-41
• /
• 2009

The Art of the Buddha's Life which depicts the life and before-life of Buddha flourished in Sanci and Bharhut in the ancient India and in Gandhara during the Kushan period. More than one hundred scenes from Buddha's life were represented in the form of relief sculpture or wall painting. They are found in Gandhara and Mathura during the Kushan period, Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda during the Satavahana period, in Mathura and Sarnath during the Gupta period, and during the Pala Period. They unfolded in various forms and styles according to the text(Buddhist scripture), layout, and expressive technique. In Mathura, where the Evolution of the Buddha image was made about the same time as in Gandhara during the Kushan period, the Buddha's life was presented in a number of scenes related to the sacred sites; in four or eight scenes. In the case of the Eight Great Events of the Buddha's Life, the four scenes out of eight were different from those that were represented in Sarnath during the Gupta period, manifesting a transitional period. The Gupta period is widely known as the time when the classic artistic style was established. The art of Buddha's Life was produced only in Sarnath during this period, and it was the time when the Eight Great Events of the Buddha's Life was established as iconography, providing a model for those of the Pala period. Also, it was the time when the single image of Buddha was produced such as the 'Buddha delivering his first sermon,' 'Buddha's Enlightenment,' and 'Buddha's Death,' thus showing the emergence of the single Buddha image from the narrative Buddha's life image. In this paper, a general introduction of the relief sculpture of the Buddha's life from Sarnath during the Gupta period was given. The art of Buddha's life gave great influences on that of China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, and can be emphasized as an important subject in understanding the development of the Buddhist art in East Asia. A further study will be made on the art of Buddha's Life of Southeast Asia in the future, which will enhance the understanding of the art of Buddha's Life in East Asia as a whole.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.95-148
• /
• 2019

The Testament is 'the repository of the psyche' which can understand the images revealed from human life, mind, and numinous experiences. When the Scripture is psychologically interpreted, not only does it offer an abundance in biblical exegesis, but is also incredibly valuable in understanding the actual dimensions of life. This study examined the meaning of main visions in the Book of Revelation from the perspective of analytical psychology. The core contents of these visions are 1) the image of Christ represented as One like the Son of Man and Apocalyptic lamb, 2) Sun and Moon Woman and Dragon, 3) Whore Babylon and Bride New Jerusalem, 4) Hieros Gamos and Descending New Jerusalem. Such archetypal images lead to become conscious of an individual, and at the same time the visions of Revelation as a drama of archetype present the transion of civilization, as ultimately penetrating the history of the time period. This article contemplated on the characteristics of the archetypal image emerging in the visions and categorized them into the father archetype, mother archetype, or anima archetype. The ultimate purpose of all the visions can be understood as the ascent, conjunction and descent. This will mean to become conscious of human and incarnation of God, i.e. the individuation process. In our time suffering from masculine one-sidedness, the vision of new Jerusalem presents how the feminine can redeem an individual and this world.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.224-243
• /
• 2020

The rock-cut relief of two Buddhas seated side-by-side in Wonpungri is a large Buddha sculpture in relief on the side of a cliff in Wonpung-ri, Goesan. This Buddha sculpture is from the Buddhist scripture Sutra of the Lotus. <法華經> Two seated Buddhas statues were prevalent in the Balhae Kingdom, but this was not popular in Silla and Goryeo. In the main text, the time that the two seated Buddhas in Wonpung-ri was created is identified as being during the 10th century. King Gwangjong created a Buddha statue for political purposes. The relief of two seated Buddha image carved on a cliff is located on an important traffic route over the Sobaek Mountain Range. After King Gwangjong took the throne, he paid close attention to the reigning powers of Jincheon and Cheongju because the people of Jincheon and Cheongju were engaged in a power struggle against Gwangjong. The huge relief of two seated Buddhas statue shows the authority of King Gwangjong. In particular, the people of Jincheon and Cheongju had to see this Buddha statue when crossing the Sobaek Mountain Range. The image contained in the relief of the two seated Buddhas features many characteristics of the sculpture style of the Balhae Kingdom. After the fall of Balhae, many of the Balhae people settled in Mungyeong. Balhae people from Mungyeong participated in the production of the relief of the two seated Buddhas. Through the relief of the two seated Buddhas, King Gwangjong wanted to show the people of Jincheon and Cheongju that the Balhae people were supporting him. The relief of two seated Buddhas reflects the historical situation of the King Gwangjong era in the late 10^th century and the style of sculpture.