A popular teaching that combined elements of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, folk beliefs, and Catholicism, Tonghak (Eastern Learning)

is best known for its involvement in a rebellion that touched off the Sino-Japanese War (1894 1895) and accelerated Japanese involvement in Korea. Through a careful reading of sourcesincluding religious works and biographies many of which are translated and annotated here into English for the first timeSalvation through Dissent: Tonghak Heterodoxy and Early Modern Korea, by George L. Kallander, traces Tonghaks rise amidst the debates over orthodoxy and heterodoxy in Choson Korea (13921910) and its impact on religious and political identity from 1860 to 1906. It argues that the teachings of founder Choe Cheu (18241864) attracted a large following among rural Koreans by offering them spiritual and material promises to relieve conditions such as poverty and disease

and provided consolation in a tense geopolitical climate. In this refreshingly original study of Tonghak, Kallander dismantles some of the myths that have sprung up about Koreas first indigenous organized religion. He situates Tonghak in its historical context, reading the earliest Tonghak texts the way they were meant to be read when they were first composed, rather than the way they have been interpreted by latter generations. Moreover, in a departure from much previous scholarship on Tonghak, he accurately analyzes Tonghak as more religious than political in origin. This work is a significant contribution to our understanding of both Korean religion and Korean history in the nineteenth century. Don Baker, University of British Columbia

Cheondoism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheondoism

Cheondoism Korean name Hangul Hanja

Revised Cheondogyo Romanization McCune Reischauer Ch'ndogyo

Cheondoism, or spelled Chondoism in North Korean sources[1] (Korean Cheondogyo; hanja ; hangul ; literally "Religion of the Heavenly Way"), is a 20th-century Korean religious movement, based on the 19th century Donghak Confucian movement founded

by Choe Je-u and codified under Son Byeong-hui.[2] Cheondoism has its origins in the peasant rebellions which arose starting in 1812 during the Joseon Dynasty. Cheondoism is essentially Confucian in origin, but incorporates elements of Korean nationalism, Taoism and Buddhism. It places emphasis on personal cultivation, this-worldly social welfare, and rejects any notion of an afterlife.[2]

Contents
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1 Beliefs 2 History 3 Cheondoism today 4 See also 5 References

Beliefs
"teaching", "-ism".

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Cheondogyo translated literally means "religion of the Heavenly Way", where cheon means "Heaven", do means "Way" (written with the same character as Chinese Tao), and gyo means "religion",

In keeping with its roots in Confucian thought, Cheondoism venerates Heaven as the ultimate principle of good and justice, and is referred to by the honorific term Haneullim () or "Master Heaven". This title implies the quality of Heaven as a revered teacher or instructor. Also in keeping with its Confucian background, Cheondoism places emphasis on personal cultivation in the belief that as one improves their innate nature, one comes closer to Heaven, and that all things are the same as Heaven in terms of their innate quality.[2] Thus, Cheondoism rejects the notion of an afterlife, and instead works to create a paradise on earth through peace, moral virtue and Confucian propriety, while reforming society and overcoming old, outdated customs in Korean society.[2] Over time, Cheondoism has also adapted elements of other Korean religious traditions including Taoism and Buddhism.[3]

History

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Cheondoism originated from the Donghak ("Eastern Learning"), a Confucian movement that arose in the 19th century as a reaction to Western encroachment. While the Donghak movement began with Confucian scholar Choe Jeu, it did not become a religious movement until the 3rd patriarch, Son Byeong-hui. Choe Jeu formulated the Donghak ("Eastern Learning") ideology in the 1860s to help ease the lot of the farmers suffering from abject poverty and exploitation, as well as to restore political and social stability. His ideas rapidly gained broad acceptance among the peasantry. Choe set his Donghak themes to music so that illiterate farmers could understand, accept, and remember them more readily. His teachings were systematized and compiled as a message of salvation to farmers in distress. Cheondoism as a religion evolved in the early 1900s from the Donghak peasant liberation movements in the southern provinces of Korea. Members of Donghak were severely persecuted by thecolonial government, and so, on December 1, 1905, Son Byeong-hui, who was the third patriarch of the original Donghak movement, decided to modernize the religion and usher in an era of openness and transparency in order to legitimize it in the eyes of the Japanese. As a result he officially changed the name of Donghak to Cheondoism ("religion of the Heavenly Way"). During the waning days of the Joseon Dynasty, King Gojong himself embraced Cheondoism and promoted it nationwide. The King added Buddhist rituals and codices to the new religion, which was organized into a formal organizational hierarchy.

Cheondoism today

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As of 2005, Cheondoism had about 1.13 million followers and 280 churches in South Korea.[4] However, in 2011, MK Business News reported it to have about 100,000 followers in South Korea.[5] Very little is known of the current numbers or activities of Cheondoists in North Korea. According to official statistics, Cheondoism had 2.8 million adherents in North Korea (12.9% of the total population) as of 2000,[6] and Cheondoists are nominally represented in North Korean politics by the minor Cheondoist Chongu Party. However, independent religious activity of any kind is not tolerated by the North Korean government, and large numbers of Cheondoist believers fled to South Korea during the Korean War. By 1956, the last year for which any independent figures are available, there were probably no more than 10,000 practicing Cheondoists left in the north. Since 1959, when its original Cheondoist leadership was purged, the Cheondoist Chongu Party has been merely a satellite party of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea intended to appeal to South Korean Cheondoists (the current leader is Ryu Mi Yong, a South Korean Cheondoist who defected to the North) and

maintain an illusion of religious freedom and multi-party democracy. The party leadership are appointed by the North Korean government and never oppose the WPK on any issue.

By Chung Ah-young This year marks the 152nd anniversary since native Korean religion Chondogyo was established by Choe Je-u in 1860. The foundation day or Day of Heaven falls on April 5 and is celebrated as the biggest festival for Chondogyo believers across the country. To celebrate the occasion, Yim Woonkil, supreme leader of the religion, encouraged its believers in a statement to concentrate on more spiritual cultivation such as isinhwanseong (transformation from

flesh (to blood through temperament) and jeongsin gaebyeok spiritual awakening) and spread the truth of the religion around the world. April 5 is the biggest celebration day for Chondogyo. To mark this day, we have to focus on isinhwanseong and jeongsin gaebyeok. Only through these spiritual disciplines, we can usher in a new era for Chondogyo and our nation, he said. Yim emphasized the need for harmony in the future by embracing others and to lay the foundation for the peaceful reunification of the peninsula. For reunification, he said

Koreans have to strengthen selfdetermining spirits and pursue harmony among people. The way to achieve it lies in innaecheon, which means people are like heaven, and therefore, all people have equal dignity as heaven, he said.

I think the fate of the nation hinges on the mindsets and attitudes of

Chondogyo believers. So we feel a great sense of responsibility, he said. He will host the celebration at 11 a.m. at the central headquarters of Chondogyo in Gyeongun-dong, central Seoul, Tuesday. An archived exhibition to display historic documents and 10 Chondogyo magazines such as Gaebyeok, Children and Joseon Peasants from the 1920s and 30s and the March 1 Independence Declaration and the documents used for the Donghak peasant revolution will open on the second floor of the Seoul headquarters. In the exhibition, Gaebyeok, the first of its kind as a monthly modern

magazine, includes 15 tips for how to live long and remain healthy and introduce the experiments of a British doctor along with instructions for spiritual health by controlling minds, settling anger and maintaining a good diet and exercising properly. Based on the founding spirit of Chondogyo the magazine was launched in 1920 under the banner of nationalism and was severely oppressed by the Japanese during colonial rule. The inauguration issue was confiscated on June 25, 1920 and two days later extra issues were also seized by the Japanese colonial government. But publication resumed on June 30. The publication of the magazine was suspended 34 times

and imposed with fines until it was forcibly discontinued with the last 72nd issue on Aug. 1, 1926. In the afternoon, Chondogyo believers will take a walk along the Chondogyo Olle trails from the old site of the central headquarters, the historical site of Boseongsa where the Declaration of the Independence was printed and the house of Son Byonghi, the third supreme leader succeeding Choe Si-hyung, and some parts of Bukchon such as the houses of other Chondogyo leaders. Chondogyo is rooted in the Donghak (Eastern Learning) Movement of the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). On Dec. 1, 1905, Son officially changed

the name from Donghak to Chondogyo, to identify it as a religious group. Chondogyo has led social and political activities as a modern religious organization. From the independence movements against the Japanese occupation to cultural movements for justice, equality and spiritual and moral reform during the dawn of modern Korea, it has affected the development of nationalism and democracy throughout modern history. It is based on the fundamental doctrines Donggyeong Daejeon (Great Eastern Scripture) and Yongdam Yusa (The Legacy of

Yongdam) with the religions core principle being innaecheon. Chondogyo currently has some 200,000 believers in Korea and about 130 district parishes nationwide.
The story of this modern religion is as fascinating as its precepts. Dongghak, was introduced in 1860 by Choe Je-u as a direct response to Christianity. It became a unique religion, called Chondogyo, which employed simple but profound commentary on unity, faith, sincerity, and the place of humans and their behaviors in the universe. It appealed to the marginalized in a classobsessed culture, and it caused first political and then social revolution in Korea although its founder was executed

only four years after he introduced the faith. This translation by adherents includes scripture on propagating truth, achieving proper learning, cultivating virtue, and understanding the central concept of "not so, yet so." It includes translations of devotional literature, a chronology of Chondogyo and keys to understanding it, and explanations of terms and concepts of the faith.

orean Philosophy has been influenced by a number of religious and philosophical thought-systems over the years, includingShamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism:

History and Major Schools

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Native shamanism developed in Korea for millennia, although the traditional rites and shamanistic practices were later deeply influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. In Korea, a shaman is known as a mudang, and she (it is usually a woman) seeks to solve human problems through a connection to the spirit world. Korean Shamanism held three spirits in especially high regard: Sanshin (the Mountain Spirit), Toksong (the Recluse) and Chilsong (the Spirit of the Seven Stars, the Big Dipper). Buddhism arrived in Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C. - A.D. 668), specifically in the year A.D.372. Korean Buddhism accepted and absorbed many shamanistic spirits, and early schools like Samnon, Gyeyul andYeolban attempted to develop a new holistic approach to Buddhism in order to resolve what it saw as internal inconsistencies

in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Soon Wonyung (later known as Hwaeom) became the dominant school and then, in the 7th and 8th Century and after, the meditation-based Seon school finally gained the upper hand. Seon is a version of the Chinese Chan (or Japanese Zen) Buddhism, and it developed in Korea particularly under the direction of Jinul (1158-1210), the most important figure in Seon. Buddhism in Korea initially enjoyed wide acceptance, even being supported as the state ideology during the Goryeo Dynasty (also known as Koryo: 918-1392), but it suffered extreme repression during the long Joseon Dynasty (or Chosun: 1392-1910), when Neo-Confucianism became dominant. Confucianism was the second major intellectual import from China during the Three Kingdoms period, alongside Buddhism, although the exact date of its introduction is not clear. Korean Confucianism was, and remains, a fundamental part of Korean society, shaping the moral system, the way of life, social relations between old and young, high culture and is the basis for much of the Korean legal system. During the Joseon Dynasty, Korean Confucianism (or, arguably, Neo-Confucianism) was the primary system of belief amongst the scholarly and military classes. KoreanConfucian schools were built, and there was even greater encouragement of Confucian ideas and ideals such as chung(loyalty), hyo (filial piety), in (benevolence) and sin (trust). Confucianism in Joseon Korea flourished most notably in the16th Century, under the guidance of the country's two most prominent Confucian scholars, Yi Hwang (Toegye) (15011570) and Yi I (Yulgok) (15361584). Taoism, largely shaped by the writings of the Chinese philosophers Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, also arrived in Korea during the latter part of the Three Kingdoms period, in A.D. 674. Korean Taoism enjoyed its greatest popularity during the Goryeo Dynasty, especially in the court and the ruling class. By the mid period of the Goryeo Dynasty, however, Buddhism dominated Korea, subsuming other religions and philosopies, including Taoism. Taoism never grew into an autonomous religion or philosophy in Korea, being rejected by Confucian and Buddhist elites, but it remains a minor but significant element of Korean thought.
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Modern Era

Under Japanese rule, from 1910, Shintoism became the state religion, although Western philosophy, particularly the German Idealist philosophers which were in vogue in Japan at the time, was influential. After partition in 1945, North Korea's orthodoxMarxism was loosely built on the Confucian yangban scholar-warriors of earlier times, and communist Maoism represents a latter day philosophical import from China.
http://www.philosophybasics.com/general_eastern_korean.html

The philosophy and patterns of thought of a civilization contain the historical experiences, life wisdom, and cultural ideals accumulated by a people over a long period of time. In this sense, the wisdom and ideals that are reflected in a civilization's philosophy speak a great deal about its particular cultural identity. Korean philosophy is no exception. Indeed, Korean philosophy reflects the legacy of life experience and cultural ideals accumulated by the Korean people over time. Continuously struggling to preserve its identity, traditional Korean philosophy was finally confronted with the turning point of

modernity, in the face of which it had no choice but to walk the path of reform and innovation. Confucianism and Buddhism, which played a dominant role in Korean intellectual circles until the premodern period, were now forced to meet the challenges posed by this modernity, and sought to transform themselves appropriately. This volume is a compilation of previously published articles in the field of Korean philosophy that have been carefully selected for their high scholarly value. Articles in this volume include those introducing major trends in Korean philosophy in a

concise manner: articles concerning reform in traditional philosophy in response to modernity, and those concerning the significance of traditional Korean philosophy today. This volume will provide the reader with a great deal of information on the past, present, and future of the field. I hope that it will serve as a useful guide to Korean philosophy and thought for the readers interested in Korean Studies.
http://www.koreanbook.de/Books-in-English/Religion-Philosophy/KoreanPhilosophy::206.html?XTCsid=3264e966974a9d05f05377a039058a94

Korean philosophy is not so well known mainstream of world's thinking or ideology, but it includes the most essential thinking scheme of oriental philosophy. Most people knows only something about Chinese or Japanese philosophy. But Korean philosophy became the bridge from Chinese to Japanese philosophy, producing new creation of oriental philosophy out of Chinese one and influencing absolutely on Japanese philosophy. Concerned with Japanese philosophy, it has been almost all the way under the strong influence of Korean. Concerned with Chinese philosophy Korean philosophy has some important and essential foundation for it. If the philosophy were reflexive and critical thinking activity of a thing, along the consensus of all the philosophers, Korean philosophy can be said to be a, and perhaps only, reflexive foundation of the yin-yang philosophy of oriental. We can confirm it in the concept of Samjae. In spite of such a abundant philosophical resource Korean philosophy couldn't be known to many people, under the shade of Chinese and Japanes one, as China has been the most influential empire in the center of recent history of oriental area and its culture while Japan was the first country that Westerners got familiar to first. But all of these reasons are historical. So it cannot change the significance of each philosophy itself, though it can change the power of a philosophy. Of course, the power and influence of a philosophy has something to do with its significance in many cases. But we still have good reason left to look into the origianal value of a philosophy to know the inherent value of each. Let me comment one prominent clue to the significance of Korean philosophy. You may have heard of Yin-yang, the well-known unique concept of oriental philosophy. This concept composes hexagram that symbolizes each step or aspect of the oriental philosophy of Change. (I hope you to have some knowledge of I Ching, too, perhaps.^^) Three of yin or yang compose each hexagram, and its composition is based on the principle of Samjae. Samjae means three essential element of oriental abstract scheme; Sky, Earth and Man. Then, we can conclude Samjae is more fundamental concept, which is more philosophical in the sense that philosophy is a critical and reflexive thinking activity. But you cannot find nothing that comments more on Samjae in Chinese bibliography. Instead the oldest philosophical bibliography is full of explanations and comments on Samjae rather than Yin-yang. If you understand the full meaning of old Korean philosophy in right way, I believe you can understand the whole figure of oriental philosophy on the basis of more reasonable, not mysterious, foundation like Western one. I wish this site can help you to investigate these topics.

"Cheon Bu Kyeong"( ) means "The Bible Given by Heaven" in Korean. This text is composed of only 81 Asian letter, which was shared by all the countries of eastern Asia 2000 years ago. Many Korean philosophers have been interested in this small bible, which is known very difficult to understand instead of its profound and abundant implication. This CBK(let me call it this way) has some characteristics. The first is that it doesn't comment on human morality or who to live, yet only on the change and some kind of cosmos. The second is that this text is very short. It is composed of only 81 asian letters. And, of course, another characteristic is that this text belongs to Korean only. China or Japan don't have even another similar to this. Many philosophers tried to interprete this text but no one is satisfiable, I think. This is why there are so many kinds of interpretation of this, yet no one of consensus. I think this result is owing to their thinking way; they didn't have full understanding the essence of Korean philosophy, or that of oriental philosophy, particularly compared with western's. Then, am I only man who know it? Well, I have to say I'm not sure though I believe so. The readers may be able to make

objective decision about it.

Samjae has been the main topic of the dicussion of the old Korean philosophers. Since we can often find proofs that Samjae is the philosophical foundation of yin-yang philosophy in various bibliography, I believe it is also possible to guess that Samjae philosophy(so the old Korean philosophy) was the logical foundation of some important part of Chinese philosophy. Even if you don't agree with me, it seems clear that the weight of the old Korean philosophy focused on Samjae concept must not be considered trivial in the whole stream of the oriental thinking tradition.

The topic of this site is the History of Korea. Let me tell you why it is required to provide materials on this topic, at first. Generally speaking, the oriental culture around the eastern Asia has been developed by three countries; China, Korea and Japan. Most historians say, Korea was the bridge through which the culture flowed from China to Japan for more than a thousand years. And considering the fact that Japan had been culturally undeveloped nation before it began accepting the western civilization in 19th century, more part of main history of eastern Asia was made by China and Korea, both politically and economically. But Korea remained as the least known country of its history, and in some aspects, as a country of which the history has been known wrong to the Western people. We can find almost simliar reason of the case of philosophy; China has been the most influential empire in the center of recent history of oriental area and its culture while Japan was the first country that Westerners got familiar to first. Western people knows only the Korean War and recent dramatic economical development in Korea in most cases. In better case, you may know the names of Koguryo, Baekjae, and Shinra, or Koryo or Choseon. Even when you know some more specific history of Korea, they are wrong under the influence cultural competition among China and Japan. With those deficient and wrong knowledge of history, you cannot understand the philosophy that came from it. It is why I provide some materials on the history of Korea.(I'm supposing you are interested in Korean philosophy, here^^) Thank you for your concern with this topic.