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Ideas of Self and Self-Cultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism

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Ideas of Self and Self-Cultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism IDEAS OF SELF AND SELF-CULTIVATION IN KOREAN NEO-CONFUCIANISM by MICHAEL KEITH RALSTON B. A. University of Tennessee, 1984 M. A. University of British Columbia, 1992 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN STUDIES) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required/standard. THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA December 2001 © Michael Keith Ralston, 2001 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT Ideas of Self and Self-Cultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism This study examines ideas of self and self-cultivation as developed during the first half of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1911) by focusing on introductory texts or commentaries, diagrams, or Korean annotations on the Great Learning. Moreover, given that much of this material is pedagogical, how and to whom these ideas were presented will also be examined. The scholars examined here were leading thinkers during the first half of the Choson Dynasty— Kwon Kun (1352-1409) helped introduce and lay the intellectual framework of Ch'eng-Chu Neo-Confucianism in the early period of the Choson Dyansty. T'oegye (1501-1570) is often seen as the foremost Confucian scholar of the Choson period. His ideas served as the foundation of a major school of thought during the Choson Dyansty, the Yongnam school. The last scholar, Yulgok (1536-1584), is also seen as one of the great scholars of the period. His ideas form the basis of the other major school of thought in Korean Neo-Confucianism- the Kiho school. Examining the ideas of these thinkers will reveal how ideas of human nature and self-cultivation developed and changed over the early course of the Choson Dynasty and how and to whom these ideas were presented. ii CONTENTS Abstract ii List of Diagrams v Chapter 1. Introduction: Korea is not China 1 I. Korea is not China: The Development of 3 Neo-Confucianism II. Self-cultivation and quiet sitting 22 III. Introductory educational texts 26 IV. What's done and what's left undone , 56 Chapter 2. Kwon Kiln |g,£) (1352-1409) and The Foundations of Korean Neo-Confucianism 73 I. Kwon Kun's cosmological diagrams in Diagrams and Explanations for Entering upon Learning (Iphakdosol A<P 111 IS)~ "Heaven and Man, Mind and Nature, Combine as One" (A"A'l>l4l^—ill) and "Diagramatic Analysis of Heaven, Humanity, the Mind-and-Heart, and Nature" ('XA'L^frWM)-- and the relation of these to Chinese Neo-Confucian thought. 86 II. Kwon Kurt's "Diagram on the Great Learning" (APIra-g^lij) from his Diagrams and Explanations for Entering upon Learning (APlUlft) and his commentary on the Great Learning from Superficial Reflections on the Book of Ritual mzm&&). 147 Chapter 3. T'oegye (S] 3] (1501-1570) Cosmology, Human Nature and Self-Cultivation (I) 182 I. T'oegye's ideas on cosmological and psychological concepts in the Four-Seven Debate and their relation to the mind-and-heart and human nature. 188 II. Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning (H#H~*[!]) Psycho-cosmic principles and self-cultivation; T'oegye's revision of Kwon Kun's "Diagram of the Great Learning" and his modification of Ch'eng Fu-hsin's "Diagram of the Mind-and-Heart Combines and Controls the Nature and the Feelings". 205 III. Glossary on the Great Learning (jz^WWi) T'oegye's mixed script, Korean-Chinese annotation of the Great Learning and its importance for self-cultivation and Korean Neo-Confucianism. 234 Chapter 4. Yulgok WS) (1536-1584) Cosmology, Human Nature and Self-Cultivation (II) 276 I. Yulgok's cosmological and psychological concepts in the Four-Seven Debate and their relation to the mind-and-heart and human nature. 278 II. Yulgok's "Diagram of the Study of the Mind" 295 III. Important Methods on Eliminating Ignorance (Kydkmong-yogydl, mMMFd) Practical advise on self-cultivation: Establishing the will, reforming old habits, and self-cultivation. 301 Conclusion 324 Bibliography 338 IV List of Diagrams Diagram 2.1 Kwon Kun's "Heaven and Man, Mind and Nature, Combine as One" 93 Diagram 2.2 Kwon Kun's "Diagrammatic Analysis of Heaven, Humanity, the Mind-and-Heart, and the Nature" 100 Diagram 2.2a Kwon Kun's "Diagram on Humanness" 101 Diagram 2.2b Kwon Kun's "Diagram of the Mind-and-Heart" 106 Diagram 2.3 Chu Hsi's "Diagram on Nature" 114 Diagram 2.4 Kwon Kun's "Diagram on the Great Learning" 153 Diagram 2.5 Chu Hsi's "Diagram of the Great Learning" 170 Diagram 3.1 T'oegye's "Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate" 207 Diagram 3.2 T'oegye's "Diagram of the Great Learning" 213 Diagram 3.3 T'oegye's "Diagram of the Great Learning- Revised" 215 Diagram 3.4 Ch'eng Fu-hsin's "Diagram of the Mind-and- Heart Combining and Governing the Nature and Feelings" and T'oegye's revision 223 Diagram 4.1 Yulgok's "Diagram of the Mind-and-Heart, the Nature, and the Feelings" 297 v INTRODUCTION I. Korea is not China: The Development of Neo-Confucianism II. Self-cultivation and quiet sitting III. Introductory educational texts IV. What's done and what's left undone We will examine ideas of self and self-eultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism by focusing on three scholars from the first half of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1911). We will also relate the ideas of self and self-cultivation these scholars put forward to their metaphysical worldview, concentrating on their introductory texts or on their commentaries on the Great Learning. In addition, these ideas will be examined in order to better understand how ideas of self and self-cultivation were adopted, changed, and presented during the first half of the Choson Dynasty. The first scholar studied, Kwon Kun (Yang Ch'on, 1352-1409), was a leading scholar during the transition from the Koryo Dynasty (935-1392) to the Choson Dynasty. Part of this transition included a shift away from the predominance of Buddhism that characterized the Koryo to the Neo-Confucian thought that came to predominate the Choson Dynasty. Kwon, as much as anyone, can be said to have laid the general framework out of which Neo-Confucianism developed in Korea over the next one to two 1 hundred years. The second scholar examined, Yi Hwang (T'oegye, 1501-70), was one of the foremost Neo-Confucian scholars of the Choson Dynasty. He played a prominent role in a debate over the Four Beginnings and Seven Feelings and their relation to principle and material force (the Four-Seven Debate), wrote a biting critique of Wang Yang-ming's thought, and wrote Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, an educational treatise on self-cultivation. He was also one of the first scholars to write an annotation of the Four Books in mixed Chinese-Korean script. His ideas more than those of any other thinker influenced the development of a leading school of Korean Neo-Confucian thought, the Yongnam School. The last scholar studied, Yi I (Yulgok, 1536-84), ranks with T'oegye as one of the top Neo-Confucian scholars in the Choson Dynasty. He played a prominent role in a later round of the Four-Seven Debate, and his ideas played a formative role in the development of the other major school in Korean Neo-Confucianism— the Kiho School. All three of these scholars had a deep interest in self-cultivation and wrote introductory texts or made diagrams for the express purpose of presenting these ideas. Examining their thought will be done in two steps. First, each scholar's ideas on major Neo-Confucian cosmological and psychological concepts will be examined in order to elucidate the intellectual framework within which they worked and to show the intricate relation between philosophical principles and self-cultivation. Second, we will examine their ideas by focusing on their introductory texts and their ideas on the Great Learning. But before we begin in 2 earnest, some background information is in order. I. Korea is not China: The Development of Neo-Confucianism When we speak of the development of ideas or social movements we often think of it in either of two ways. First, there is the attempt to find antecedents in past thinkers or social movements in order to explain what gave rise to the object of study. Second is the attempt to see how the institutions or ideas changed and adapted over time after their initial formation. Of course, development can also include both of these, and it is this that will be done here, at least to the extent feasible. A brief overview of Neo-Confucianism in China will provide a framework and a basis of comparison with developments in Korea. Although different schools of thought developed later, in the simplest terms, Neo-Confucianism started as the Confucian response to Buddhism. During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), Confucianism, closely linked with cosmological theories of correspondence, became the dominant philosophy of governance. With the fall of the Han, although much of the cosmological correspondence theory remained, Confucianism shifted its focus to education, with its primary goal being preparing candidates for government service.
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