Daejongism
Daejongism | |
Korean name | |
---|---|
Hangul | 대종교 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Daejonggyo |
McCune–Reischauer | Taejonggyo |
Daejongism (Korean: 대종교; Hanja: 大倧敎, "religion of the Divine Progenitor"[1] or "great ancestral religion"[2]: 192 ) and Dangunism (단군교, 檀君敎 Dangungyo or Tangunkyo, "religion of Dangun")[3] are the names of a number of religious movements within the framework of Korean shamanism, focused on the worship of Dangun (or Tangun). There are around seventeen of these groups, the main one of which was founded in Seoul in 1909 by Na Cheol (1864–1916).[1][4][5]
Dangunists believe their
The religion believes in one God manifested in three persons,
Daejongism does not focus so much on institutions or rituals but rather on central doctrines and associated mythologies, so that it is more definable as a creed or a faith system rather than an organized religion. In the decade of 1910 to 1920, it had its major growth, reaching an estimated following of 400,000.[10] Its popularity was largely due to its efforts on behalf of Korean independence. Once this aim was achieved, its membership declined, although Daejongism acquired a reputation for its educational and scholarly institutions, which published in particular monumental works about Korea's struggle for independence and Daejongism's contribution to it.[11] A 1995 census found that fewer than 10,000 Koreans claimed to follow the religion,[4] although Korean census figures systematically underestimate the number of followers of new religions, who are often reluctant to indicate their religious affiliation.[12]
Teaching
Central to the faith is the belief in
After his earthly reign, Dangun ascended to Heaven.[13] Semantically, Haneul connotes three Gods: God-Father as the creator of the universe, God-Teacher as the mentor of universal nature and God-King as ruler of creation.[14]
The faith is embodied in three sacred texts. Believers claim that they date back to the time of Dangun, or even earlier, and this claim, although disputed by scholars, is also accepted by many Koreans who do not belong to Daejongism.[15] The three texts are the Ch'ónbugong (The Classic of the Seal of Heaven), a narrative of the origins of the world, the Samil sin'go (The Teachings of the Triune God), a theological statement, and the Ch'amjóngyóng (The Classic of the Wise One), a manual of ethics.[15] A number of scholars believe that these books were compiled in the first two decades of the 20th century, based on visions and revelation the founder of Daejongism, Na Cheol (1863-1916), claimed to have received.[16]
Daejongism is also well known for its teaching of breathing techniques, known in the West as part of the so-called internal alchemy (Neidan in Taoism). Daejongism's techniques focus on the '"sea of energy," which is also often referred to as the cinnabar field or the elixir field (tanjón).The tanjon is a field rich in the vital energy Qi and the religion offers techniques to draw on this field and circulate the energy through the human body. These techniques became extremely popular in the 1970s and generated a new interest in Daejongism and its school of internal alchemy, known as Kich'ónmun.[17]
Samsin Sinang
Samsin Sinang is a Dangunist sect.[18] Its headquarters are in Pyeongchang County.[18] The current leader is Bae Sun-moon, and the religion promotes the Korean reunification.[18]
History and influences
Na Cheol, known for his role as a leader of the Korean independence movement from Japanese rule, founded the religion in 1909 as its "great teacher" (tosagyo)[19] and named it first "Dangunism" (Dangungyo, Dangun religion) and then a year later "Daejongism" (Daejonggyo).[1][2]: 192
He said that it was a revival of Goshindo (古神道, "way of the Ancestral God"),
The importance of
After the
Leaders of the religion after Na include his successor Kim Kyohong,
A particularly controversial issue concerns the roots in Daejongism of the global physical exercise and spirituality system known as Body & Brain, Dahnhak, or Dahn Yoga, founded by Korean master of martial arts and author Ilchi Lee. While "Body and Brain" does not normally emphasize its connection with Daejongism, scholars see it as one of many schools teaching a form of internal alchemy based on the techniques Daejongism popularized. According to American scholar of Korean religion Don Baker, "not only-did Dahn claim that its techniques were the same practices that Tàn'gun [Dangun] taught when he ruled over the first Korean kingdom; it also heralded the three Tàn'gun-era sacred texts of Taejonggyo [Daejongism] as authentic scripture." Only when the movement became international, references to Dangun and Daejongism were downplayed, although the Daejongism symbol was embroidered on the original uniforms given to Dahnhak students in America and the organization "erected a large outdoor statue of Tan'gun near [its] Sedona [Arizona] headquarters." Baker states that references to Daejongism, although not made explicit, remain easy to detect for those familiar with the Korean religion.[21]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-45879-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-231-12539-9.
- ^ Daejonggyo, national religion of Korea Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Quote: «A great scholar of the Silla Dynasty Choe Chi-weon (857-? A.D.), naturally wrote that Dangunism (Dae-jong-Gyo), a religious teaching indigenous to Korea, embraces the essential teachings of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.»
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59884-160-2.
- ^ 한국브리태니커 온라인 - 나철 Archived 2014-09-18 at archive.today Encyclopædia Britannica online Korea 'Na Cheol'
- ^ Lee Chi-ran, pp. 11-12
- ^ a b c Lee Chi-ran, p. 12
- ^ Baker (2007a), p. 464.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8248-3233-9.
- ^ Lee Gyungwon, p. 54.
- ^ Lee Gyungwon, p. 67.
- ^ Baker, Don (September 2006). "The Religious Revolution in Modern Korean History: From ethics to theology and from ritual hegemony to religious freedom". The Review of Korean Studies. 9 (3). Academy of Korean Studies: 249–275.
- ^ a b Lee Chi-ran, p. 13
- ^ Lee Chi-ran, p. 14
- ^ a b Baker (2007a), p. 465.
- ^ Lee Gyungwon, p. 39.
- ^ Baker (2007b), p. 508.
- ^ a b c Lee Chi-ran, p. 16
- ^ ISBN 0-231-12031-1.
- ^ Kevin A. Cawley, Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea, London and New York: Routledge 2019, 135–136.
- ^ Baker (2007b), p. 509.
Sources
- Baker, Don (2007a). "The Korean God Is Not the Christian God: Taejonggyo's Challenge to Foreign Religions." pp. 464–475 in Robert E. Buswell (ed.), Religions of Korea in Practice, Princeton (New Jersey) and Oxford (U.K.): Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-06-91113-47-0.
- Baker, Don (2007b). "Internal Alchemy in the Dahn World School." pp. 508–513 in Robert E. Buswell (ed.), Religions of Korea in Practice, Princeton (New Jersey) and Oxford (U.K.): Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-06-91113-47-0.
- Lee, Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy. The Emergence of National Religions in Korea.
- Lee, Gyungwon (2016). An Introduction to New Korean Religions.Seoul: Moonsachul Publishing. ISBN 979-11-86853-16-0.
External links
- (in Korean) Official Site