Donghak and the God of Choe, Je-U: Through the Donggyeong Daejeon and the Yongdam Yusa* 1
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218 Understanding God in the Context of Interreligious Dialogue ❚Special Issue❚Understanding God in the Context of Interreligious Dialogue □ ISSN (Print) 1225-4924, ISSN (Online) 2508-3104 Catholic Theology and Thought, Vol. 79, July 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.21731/ctat.2017.79.218 Donghak and the God of Choe, Je-u: Through the Donggyeong Daejeon and * the Yongdam Yusa 1 Sr. Myongsook Moon 〔Lycée International Xavier, Korea〕 1. Introduction 2. Understanding Suun’s Mysticism 3. Donghak’s Morality and Religious Worldview 4. The Distinctiveness of Choe, Je-u’s Mysticism 5. Conclusion 1. Introduction During the latter part of the 19th century, Choe, Je-u (최제우: 崔濟愚, 1824-1864), better known by his honorific name, Suun (수운: 水雲) founded the Donghak movement, or the Movement for Eastern Learning. Choe, as a patriot and the Movement’s first leader, was trying to both *1This research paper is commissioned, supported, and originally published by the Founda- tion of Theology and Thought, 2017. This paper was translated from the original Korean by Fr. Patrick McMullan, SSC. Myongsook Moon / Donghak and the God of Choe, Je-u 219 counter the influence of Seohak, or Western Learning, and give support and comfort to the people, Boguk anmin.1 His writings, including the Donggyeong Daejeon (『동경대전』: 『東經大全』, Great Scripture of Eastern Learning) and the Yongdam Yusa (『용담유사』: 『龍潭遺詞』, Songs of Yongdam), articulated a sense of the mounting national anxiety and distress created by the incursion of Western religious culture.2 His trenchant criticism is directed at Western Learning, and Catholicism in particular.3 He points to the gap between the rhetoric about a God-centred life which promotes the common good and a selfish life that is lived for oneself only. His extensive criticism addressed Western Imperial aggres- sion, as well as what he observed to be the irrational and illogical empha- sis on outward religious conformism and the lack of proper reverence for dead parents.4 1 “In April 1860 the country was in chaos, and the minds of the people were confused, and no direction or solution was known”, in Nonhakmun (A Discussion on Learning), in Chondogyo Scripture: Donggyeong Daejeon (Great Scripture of Eastern Learning), ed. by Yong Choon Kim, University Press of America, 2007, no. 4, p. 8. 2 Choe, “How poor is this country […]”, in “Ansim-ga” (“The Song of Comfort”), Yongdam Yusa (Songs of Yongdam), Je-u Choe, Donggyeong Daejeon, Yongdam Yusa, pp. 159-161. 164 (in Korean version). “However, in current times the people of the world have selfish minds, and do not follow the Principle of Heaven nor care for the Will of Heaven. Therefore, my mind is always anxious and fearful, and I don’t know what will happen in the future”, in Po- deokmun (On Propagating the Truth) in Chondogyo Scripture, no. 4, p. 4; “Recently, our country has been filled with evil things. The people live in a time without peace. This is an indication of the bad fortune of our nation”, Ibid., no. 8, p. 5. 3 “Is the reason for their success none other than the way that they call the Western way: the learning they call Catholicism and the religion that they call holy religion”, in Nonhakmun, no. 4, p. 8. 4 “In 1860 there were rumours that in order to serve God’s will, the Westerners were not seeking wealth or glory, yet they attacked and conquered the world, and built their churches and spread their religion. I also wonder whether it was true and why they did that”, in Po- deokmun, no. 4, p. 4; “The Western powers are victorious whenever they fight, and they suc- ceed and takeover where they attack. There seems to be nothing that they cannot achieve”, in Podeokmun, no. 8, p. 5; “Strange rumours were rampant in the country: the Westerners have realized Truth and Virtue, and through their inventions they can accomplish anything, and if they attack with their weapons, no one can withstand them. If China is destroyed, wouldn’t Korea face the same fate?”, in Nonhakmun, no. 4, p. 8; “The Westerners have no order in their 220 Understanding God in the Context of Interreligious Dialogue Nevertheless, once we go beyond these overt criticisms of Western Learning what becomes noteworthy is, in fact, Suun’s experience of a per- sonal God. Moreover, in a context of tremendous social upheaval, this ex- perience of God and his encounter with Western monotheism lead him to reimage the traditional polytheism which dominated the religious land- scape of the later Joseon era. This paper will, through the lens of the Donggyeong Daejeon and the Yongdam Yusa, examine Suun’s experience of God as well as the Donghak understanding of God, morality, religious worldview and spirituality with a view to understanding some of its im- plications for us who live in the 21st century. 2. Understanding Suun’s Mysticism 2.1. The Name of God Entering into the Donghak understanding of God requires that we dis- tinguish between Suun’s formal, traditional designation of God as Cheon- ju (Heavenly Lord, God), but more often called Hanullim (God in Kore- an) and the impact of his mystical experience where we discover expres- sions for the divinity such as Sangje, Gwishinja (ghost), and the Tao. The former can be found at the beginning of the Podeokmun (On Propagating words and logic in their writings. There is no genuine service of God but they only pray for selfish ideas. Their religion is close to emptiness and their theology is not really for God. Therefore, how can one say that there is no difference between the Wester religion and my teaching?”, in Nonhakmun, no. 9, p. 10; “the meaning of statecraft is in oppressing the world” in “Gyohunga” (“The Song of Instruction”), Yongdam Yusa, p. 120; “Even after their parents die, they do not have a ritual for their parents’ soul because they believe God does not exist and neither do the souls of the dead […] how on earth we can exist in the world without the souls of the parents and God” (tr. by the author), in “Gweonghakga” (“The Song of Encour- aging Learning”), pp. 210-211. Myongsook Moon / Donghak and the God of Choe, Je-u 221 Truth) where Suun describes God as imminent within nature: Since the beginning of time, the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter have rotated in an orderly way. When spring runs its course, summer comes; when summer runs its course, autumn arrives; when autumn runs its course, winter arrives. The exchanges of seasons have been repeating in an orderly fashion without error since the be- ginning of the world. The natural environment, in which humankind and all beings live, has been shaped according to the changes of sea- sons. This order of seasons, the order of nature, is evidence of the power of God, Hanullim, by which all things are made.5 However, following his mystical experience he employs a variety of words to describe his experience of the divinity. Again, we turn to Po- deokmun for an extensive quote: Unexpectedly, in April, my mind felt chilled and my body shook. I felt ill but did not know exactly what was wrong and I could not de- scribe the condition of my feeling. Then, suddenly, a mysterious voice came to my ear, and I was frightened and woke up and asked, “Who are you?” The voice said: “Do not fear and do not be afraid. Humankind call me Sangje (God): don’t you recognize Sangje?” I asked, “Why do you reveal yourself to me?” God said: “I have not been able to find anyone to teach the Truth. Thus, I am sending you to the world to teach the Truth. Therefore, do not ever doubt it.” I asked God, “Shall I teach the Western (Christian) truth?” God said, “No. I have a talisman (spiritual symbol) which is called mystical medi- 5 Podeokmun, no. 1, p. 3. 222 Understanding God in the Context of Interreligious Dialogue cine. Its shape is like the Great Ultimate and its form is also like gung gung (a symbolic term of eternity). Receive this talisman and cure hu- mankind’s illness. Receive all my incantation and teach people to honor me. Then, you too shall become immortal and the Truth shall spread to all the world.”6 The Nonhakmun (A Discussion on Learning) provides a further de- scription: Around this time, suddenly my body shook, I felt chill and I felt the vital force of contact with the Spirit, and inwardly I head divine words of instruction. I looked around but could not see anyone. I listened but could not hear anything. Therefore, I felt it very strange. After bracing my mind and renewing my energy, I asked, “Why is it like this?” The Divine answer was, “My mind is your mind. How can human- kind know it? People know of Heaven and earth, but they do not know the Spirit. I am the Spirit. As I am giving you the eternal Truth, cultivate and refine it, write it down and teach it to the people. Establish the laws of practice and propagate the Truth (virtue). Then you will have eternal life and will brighten the world”.7 Suun uses a variety of names to describe the God he discovers within his religious, mystical experience: including the pure Korean Hanullim, and the Chinese character based appellations Sangje, Cheon, Cheonju and Gwishinja. However, when Suun was asked about God we can see a gradual coalescing of thought and expression. 6 Ibid., no. 6, pp. 4-5. 7 Ibid., no.