Korean Thought and Religion
(Lecture 3 & 4)
Dec. 22, 2011
Prof. Eun-su CHO
Seoul National University
Dept. Of Philosophy
escho@snu.ac.kr
(Reading 3)
“Religion and Thought in Korea” by Hee-Sung Keel
• Korean Religions
– Shamanism - the earliest one
– Buddhism - the most profound one
– Confucianism - the most pervasive one
– Christianity - the latest and yet most dynamic
– New religions of Korea which began in modern times, such as
Won Buddhism
Shamanism
• Animistic religious view
– Dan’gun Myth is about how the Old Joseon (Gojoseon) state came to
be established
- A Son was born from the marriage of Hwanung, the son of the
heavenly lord Hwanin, and a bear that had turned into a woman. This
symbolizes the union of heaven and earth
• Shamanism
• Shamans: people visited by spirits; serves as medium of spirits
• Korean Shamanism came from Siberian Shamanism
• Combined with folk religion, or other religions such as
Buddhism and Taoism and Confucianism, or Christianity.
Giving/or receiving influences.
Buddhism
• Introduced to Korean in 3rd Century AD
• the introduction of Buddhism – brought new faith,
culture of the Chinese continent, architecture, letters and
writing, crafts, medicine, and political matters and
diplomacy.
• Buddhist sangha - the group of celibate monks and nuns
pursuing a transcendent goal of life
• Doctrine: impermanence, suffering of life, law of karma,
rebirth, spiritual goal of nirvana
• Cultural treasures
• Buddhist temples
Confucianism
• Social and moral teaching with family-oriented rituals
• By nature a diffused religion
• Confucianism is not a mere moral or political teaching. It is rooted in deep
faith in Heaven and its Way, and it has a basic trust in the goodness of
human nature, which is believed to be endowed by Heaven.
• In order to manifest and fully realize this universal human nature, we need
to engage ourselves in ceaseless moral-spiritual cultivation on the one
hand, and in building social order according to the Heavenly Way on the
other hand.
• Positive Korean virtues and habits - filial piety, respect for the elderly,
moralistic attitude, the zeal for education - are attributed to Confucian
influence.
• Negative aspects - social conformism, authoritarianism, and social
discriminations based upon gender and age - are also attributed by some to
Confucian legacy in Korea.
Catholicism
• Korean Catholicism - arose by those who were disenchanted
with the social and political situation in the late 18th and 19th
century Korea
• Some Korean intellectuals took the initiative to embrace the new
faith voluntarily.
• In a thoroughly Confucianized society governed by rigid
hierarchical ethics, early converts to Catholic faith had to face a
severe persecution by the authorities - harsh persecution of the
Catholics and their tremendous suffering
• During the 1960s through the 80s, Korean Catholic church
became a major force in protecting human rights and promoting
social justice in Korea.
Protestantism
• Brought in by predominantly North American foreign missionaries,
who performed evangelical activities but also educational and medical
works. They established many modern schools and hospitals, and
introduced into Korea a host of modern cultural activities such as
Western music, sports, and magazines; spread of literacy among
Koreans through its Korean translation of the Bible and its emphasis on
Bible study; Many of them became nationalistic leaders working for
independence from Japanese rule; important role in introducing and
spreading modern Western culture in Korea.
• The Korean Protestant church grew fast during and after the Korean
War. In the period of the 1960s through the 80s, when Korean society
underwent rapid transformation through industrialization and
urbanization, urban churches became spiritual home to many. Today,
the Korean Protestant church is probably the most active Christian
church in the world, sending missionaries to every continent.
New indigenous religions of Korea
• Cheondogyo, Won Buddhism, Jeungsangyo, and Daejonggyo
came into being not long before or during the Japanese colonial
period. Witnessing the collapse of the dynasty and the coming
of the Western powers along with Christianity, the founders of
these new Korean religions were gripped by a strong sense of
national crisis.
• They all called for a new faith and a new social order free from
foreign domination and exploitation of the common people.
• Although not comparable with the major religions in the number
of believers, these new indigenous religions of Korea are
nonetheless energetic forces invigorating Korean religious life
today.
Islam
• Islam has some believers in Korea. It first came to Korea through
the Turkish troops who participated in the Korean War (1950-53)
as a part of the United Nations Force.
• Currently, there are five mosques and about 40,000 Muslims in
Korea.
Religions in Korea - Nowadays
• Religion is the way humans understand and respond to their life and
the world from the perspective of a transcendent order of reality. As
participants in the diverse religious streams which have merged in the
land of Korea to form a powerful current, Korean people have always
lived their life with a transcendent perspective in one form or another,
construing the meaning and meeting the challenges of life in its light.
• Although it is often said that modern men and women live in an age
of the loss of faith and the disappearance of the transcendent, this is
not true as far as Koreans are concerned. Nearly one half of the
Korean population still participate in some form of religious activities
on a regular basis, and virtually all Koreans, regardless of their
religious belonging, live under the influence of their Confucian
heritage, sharing common values and virtues in their everyday life.
Religion has been, and still is, well and alive in Korea.
(Reading 4, “A Zen Journey” by Martine Batchelor)
• We will discuss religious life during the early 20th century, illustrated by
the autobiographical account of a Korean Buddhist nun, Songyong
sunim (sunim is a honorific title for monks and nuns), and what it was
like in early 20th century Korean society.
Life of Songyong sunim
• Born in 1903 in a little village in South Korea.
• Her mother died when she was 9; and her father didn’t take care of the family.
• She decided to become a nun at 18. Went to a nunnery near Magok-sa
monastery.
• At the age of 32 she met with Master Mangong, the Zen master. He urged her
to practice meditation.
• She felt that was the true role of a nun. She begged her elder for four days to
allow her to go to practice meditation.
• She went to Chonghye-sa at the age of 33, and stayed at the Kyonsong-am
nearby.
• She did the job of preparing the side dishes in the kitchen. In return she was
permitted to practice in the Zen hall with the other nuns – A communal life.
• She wanted to practice hwadu (“head of speech”) meditation, so went to
Mangong sunim to ask for one, but was scolded instead.
Rigorous Meditation
• So she moved to Yunp’il-sam and began to practice. – she pondered
“why do the monks always rebuke me and not give me a hwadu?” – selfreproach
• Slowly, a vivid and tranquil state of mind arose. Occasionally the question
“what is this?” would arise. She came up with the answer to the question
from Mangong sunim - “Since originally there is no head or tail, where
could either of them be?”
• After four years of meditation at Yunp’il-am, a friend asked her to visit
the various dharma masters.
• On the way, she performed a special session of chanting for seven days
– observed silence, chanted, and remained standing.
• Went to Mount Odae to meet with another great master, Hanam.
• She stayed at Chijang-am. She and her friend Pongong sunim, took baths,
shaved their heads, and went in to the practice season.
• Mangong sunim died.
Become a Zen master herself and trained female disciples
at Naewon-sa
• At Kyonsong-am she was given a job of food supervisor, and then
kitchen assistant. She has almost served for three years and in the middle
she had an awakening. She shouted: “I am liberated from birth and
death!”
• She decided to leave and went to Tonghwa-sa; during the Korean war.
• She took charge of her first disciple.
• Meeting with Mansong sunim, a famous Zen practicing Buddhist nun
(bhiksuni) at the time.
– Mansong asked: Is it the river that flows or the wind that blows?
– I replied: “It is your mind that flows.”
– She laughed
• She and Mansong sunim went to Naewon-sa; and became a permanent
resident; established Zen practising nuns’ community there.
• Met with great masters like Master Hyanggok and Master Kyongbong
• Hwadu: “Return to the one”, “No!” “What is it?”