Stories
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A Delightful Trip to Daesoon Jinrihoe (Mark Burman)
Mark Burman
Assistant Professor Mark Burman (College of Creative Future Talent, Daejin University) As an assistant professor at Daejin University, I have been fascinated by the teachings of the Daesoon religion for some time, and have often wondered what it would be like visiting the headquarters of Daesoon Jinrihoe in Yeoju. Until a few weeks ago, however, I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit nor learn about the religion firsthand. Fortunately, on a chance encounter at the university, I bumped into an American Ph.D. student, Jason Greenbergen, who specializes in East Asian Religions and as it happens is now doing his doctorate on the teachings and practices of Daesoon Jinrihoe. After becoming acquainted with Jason and expressing my interest in the Daesoon order, he contacted his colleagues in Yeoju and together arranged the most wonderful weekend trip to the Daesoon Jinrihoe’s Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex in and the surrounding area for both my partner, Yujin, and myself. We left Seoul early on a Saturday morning and took the subway to Yeoju where we were met with the warmest welcome by the Manager of the International Affairs Team, Cha Ikje, and Jason at Yeoju Station. After friendly greetings, we were then taken to the spectacular Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex where we formally met the Director of Religious Research & Edification Department, Director Lee Tae-yeol, for a brief introduction and overview of Daesoon Jinrihoe over tea and coffee. Whilst my Korean is certainly not fluent, we were able to have an enjoyable and relaxed conversation with some helpful translation from Cha Ikje and Jason. After tea, we were then driven to a nearby temple food restaurant named Geolgujaengi, which is famous for its nutritious and healthy vegetarian dishes. Upon arriving at the guest house, we left our suitcases in the room, and then got changed into traditional Korean attire, Hanboks, which had been kindly provided and made to measure by our kind hosts. Following a few customary pictures adorning the new Hanboks taken by the forever smiling and lovely Dahyeon, we entered the temple complex. Walking around the temples we felt as if we had not only acclimatized with the setting but even more so had gone back in time to a quieter, deeper, more spiritual place. We felt exceptionally privileged to be one of the very few people to roam around such a picturesque sanctuary, and even more fortunate to have Ikje as such a knowledgeable, informative, and accommodating guide. His explanations were extremely detailed and he was able to answer all the questions (and believe me there were many!) that we had. We were able to learn about the historical foundations of the religion from the incarnation of the supreme god, Sangje, as Kang Jeungsan to the Doju, Jo Jeungsan, and leading up to the principal leader, Dojeon, Park Wudang. Through Ikje’s meticulous explanations of the teachings of Kang Jeungsan, we could see how the scriptures have such a profound effect on the lives of Daesoon Jinrihoe followers. After the temple tour, we had the genuine honour of being the first visitors to the newly opened Daesoon Jinrihoe museum which had been translated into English by Jason. The museum gave us further insight into the teachings of Kang Jeungsan and how Daesoon Jinrihoe members coexist with others in today’s technologically advanced society. Jason had written the translations in such a clear and concise way that even visitors with no prior knowledge of the Daesoon religion or practices, could enjoy the exhibits and learn about Daesoon Jinrihoe in an interesting and easily accessible way. Time had literally flown by and as it was now reaching sunset, we had a short walk around the museum garden before going back to the guest house to relax, wash, and get ready for dinner. After a quick shower and change of clothes, we went to the guest house lounge to meet up with the International Affairs team for an informal dinner. After a few joyful hours of eating, chatting, and playing games, we decided to call it a night, as we had an early start tomorrow. On Sunday morning, we woke up at 8 am to a breakfast box delivered to our room containing a variety of tasty sandwiches and freshly brewed coffee. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we had our last short walk around the headquarters breathing in the fresh autumn air, before setting off to one of Yeoju's most famous attractions, King Sejong’s burial ground. King Sejong is revered as one of, if not, the most exceptional and influential of Korean rulers of the Joseon Dynasty. King Sejong reigned for over thirty years and has been credited with many important inventions, such as the rain gauge, sundial, water clock, and what is widely believed to be his greatest achievement, the creation of Hangul – the Korean alphabet. Our visit, therefore, to King Sejong’s royal mausoleum is of great interest to Koreans and internationals alike. Here you can visit the tombs of both King Sejong and his wife Queen Soheon. You can learn about the history of the life of King Sejong and can imagine what Korea was like during the early Joseon period. Actually, besides the historical significance of the burial site, the mausoleum is actually located in a spectacular part of Yeoju and is a perfect area to take a walk with your partner, family, or friends. Some of the scenery is quite stunning indeed. Jason and his family joined us for this part, and it was great to see not only the adults enjoying themselves but the kids, too. Unfortunately, the end of our trip was nearing. We had had such a splendid time, that we didn’t even realise it was almost time to go back to Seoul. The final item on our itinerary was, of course, lunch. Our hosts would never dream of sending us home on an empty stomach (even though I was still pleasantly full from such a delicious breakfast!). And so, we had finally come to the end of our Yeoju trip. Ikje and Jason dropped us off at the station and we said our goodbyes, but not farewells! I am sure we will be back again soon. It wasn’t just the generous hospitality we were shown, or the fascinating and ornate temples and museum, or even the beautiful setting of Daesoon Jinrihoe’s Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex that had made our trip so magnificent. Yujin and I felt we had actually made such a strong bond and genuine friendship with Ikje, Dahyeon, and the others in the International Affairs Team and the Department of Religious Research and Edification who all had worked so hard and tirelessly to make our trip as unforgettable as it was. Ikje and Jason both know my love of the outdoors and hiking, so hopefully, in the new year, we will meet again and go on a hiking pilgrimage together to visit some of Daesoon Jinrihoe's more remote temples amidst nature and the mountains. Thank you Daesoon Jinrihoe for everything! A massive Kamsahamnida, and see you all again soon!
2022-01-06
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An Unforgettable Yeoju Eco-Forum (Wang Zhihe)
Wang Zhihe
By Zhihe Wang, Ph.D Director of Institute for Postmodern Development of China Although more than one year has passed, the beautiful experience of the Yeoju Eco-Forum lingers as if it were just yesterday. To be honest, the great success of the Yeoju Eco-Forum exceeded my expectations, thanks to the hard work of Daesoon Jinrihoe, a main cosponsor and our host. It was a privilege to work with Daesoon Jinrihoe for the first time. I was amazed not only by the unique opening ceremony, which kicked off with the thunderous sound of drums performed by a vigorous group of female drummers dressed in red. Likewise remarkable was the hospitality which made us feel at home, and also the deep ecological insights demonstrated by President Yun Eun-do and his colleagues. There is no doubt that President Yun Eun-do and his team felt the urgency of ecological issues and recognized the extreme importance of a forum like Yeoju Eco-Forum. They realized that, although there had been many global conferences on interfaith dialogue and on ecological civilization, there have been few conferences that combined the two topics of interfaith dialogue and ecological civilization. The purpose of the Yeoju Forum was to bring leaders of different religious faiths and top scholars together, to facilitate a dialogue among different religions and spiritual traditions on ecological civilization, and to gather constructive wisdom from this dialogue in order to deal with the urgent ecological crisis and create a new civilization: an ecological civilization. It was such a sense of mission that made Daesoon Jinrihoe devote its whole organization to actively hosting this forum. I still remember the first time we discussed the original concept of the Yeoju Eco-Forum with the Daesoon Jinrihoe delegation represented by Director Lee Tae-yeol, Manager Jay Cha, and Professor Lee Gyung-Won in Toronto, Canada back in November of 2018. Less than one year later, Daesoon Jinrihoe made it happen. This was the first conference in the world that dedicated interfaith dialogue to ecological civilization. Some 500 leaders and top scholars from different traditions and faiths committed to ecological civilization participated in this historical event. That explained why Dr. John Cobb, a pioneer in promoting interfaith dialogue in the West, felt so excited about the forum. He regarded the Yeoju Eco-Forum as “a breakthrough in creating an ecological civilization.” In this sense, we indeed can say the Yeoju Eco-Forum was historically unprecedented. I also learned a great deal from the Forum, especially Daesoon Jinrihoe’s beautiful idea of Haewonsangsaeng (解怨相生), which aims to Promote the Betterment of Others and achieve eternal harmony. I felt very moved by this idea, which reminds me of the crucial role of harmony in traditional Chinese culture. Confucius emphasized, “harmony is what is most precious（和為貴）,” and a Chinese proverb states, “It is better to squash enmity than keep it alive（冤家宜解不宜結）.” Today, when we look back at the past year, at the devastating impact of Covid-19, a global ecological disaster, we have to pay respect to the wisdom of Haewonsangsaeng. This is the time to resolve the grievances of humanity and nature. Deeply influenced by modern mechanistic thinking, we have been abusing nature for such a long time. It is time to correct our mistakes. Also, we should pay a tribute to the Yeoju Eco-Forum for enlightening people’s ecological awareness and sense of ecological responsibility. The Forum reminded us that religion, spirituality, faith, and tradition all play crucial roles. There will be no ecological civilization in any particular setting without deep commitments from a multitude of spiritual traditions. For my part, I am glad that the institution I represent, IPDC (The Institute for the Postmodern Development of China) has made every effort we could over the past ten years to promote postmodern and ecological aims. Working closely with Chinese and non-Chinese partners, IPDC has organized more than 140 conferences, arranged more than 600 lectures given to China by non-Chinese experts, and established more than 30 research centers in China. All of these efforts ultimately aimed at helping China as well as the world to turn towards postmodernism and ecology to create an ecological Civilization. Whether ethnic nationalists like it or not, nature has no boundaries. Creating ecological civilizations is a way of addressing the many problems humans face today in a holistic way, knowing that they are part and parcel of a larger web of life that has beauty and intrinsic worth. Creating an ecological civilization in order to avoid the wide wreckage humans are inflicting on one another and the earth has become the most important task to be undertaken by every global citizen. According to Alfred North Whitehead, the founder of constructive postmodern philosophy or process philosophy, the true religion – the religion of shared humanity -- shares a commitment to the well-being of life itself. Religion at its best is “World-Loyalty”,[1] in which “the human spirit has merged its individual claim with that of the objective universe.” [2] It is the true religion that directs people to the end of stretching individual interest beyond its self-defeating particularity.” [3] True religion as well as true philosophy encourages us to broaden our sympathies, thereby enlarging our interest.” [4] I am convinced that if we all work together --whatever our religious or spiritual tradition -- we can actualize the dream of ecological civilization. History will remember us. Therefore, I cannot wait to work together again with Daesoon Jinrihoe, our ecological partners. I yearn for the next Yeoju Forum and look forward to visiting beautiful Yeoju again in the near future. (Director of Institute for Postmodern Development of China) ________________________________________ [1] Alfred North Whitehead, Religion in the Making, p. 59 [2] Alfred North Whitehead, Religion in the Making, p. 59 [3] Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality, p.15. [4] David R. Griffin, Reenchantement without Supernaturalism, p.309.
2021-04-21
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We Are So Truly Alike! (Hiromi Yano)
Hiromi Yano
When others in Japan heard that I was planning to visit South Korea, many asked, “Are you sure you want to go there right now?” Many Japanese are under the impression we are poorly received in South Korea. My answer was pretty simple though: “Don’t be silly.” And I was right. Although I spent less than 72 hours in your country, I found members of Daesoon Jinrihoe and other Koreans, to be friendly, helpful, and interested in me and in Japan. The religious ceremony we attended was memorable. Eiichi Suzuki, then chief director of Oomoto, and I, were invited by Yoon- Eun-do, president of Daesoon Jinrihoe, to attend the monthly Devotional Offering Ceremony in April of 2019. We arrived at Yeoju Temple Headquarters on April 7th and left on the 10th. I vividly remember the traditional attire they gave us to wear for the religious ceremony. Oomoto and Daesoon both value the religious vestments, rituals, and other traditions. Jay (Cha Ikje), leader of the International Affairs Team, and his staff were so kind to help us put the clothes on before the ceremony. Standing through the ceremony was challenging, but when we had naorai or as you say in Korean, eumbok, I felt rewarded for my effort. In the Oomoto context, we usually translate naorai into English as “a post-ceremony feast,” and in Daesoon Jinrihoe, eumbok is translated as ‘blessed food.’ We learned that in Daesoon Jinrihoe, similar to Oomoto, eating together with the congregation is a part of the ceremony. I found other less fortunate commonalities between Oomoto and Daesoon Jinrihoe, but perhaps these are actually broader societal commonalities between Korea and Japan. Namely, when we attended executive meetings at the Yeoju headquarters, it was just like Oomoto. Most of the attendees were older men in black suits and ties. I have nothing against these men or their suits and ties. They were very distinguished, friendly, and cooperative. Oomoto is the same. Although we always have a woman as our spiritual leader, as mandated in the sacred Oomoto teachings, the vast majority of our directors are conspicuously men of advanced age, most often in black suits and ties. I am not involved at all in the feminist movement. But I do not think either of our teachings emphasize strict gender roles for men or women. I have become quite aware of these matters this past year because I have three married sons all working at their homes due to COVID-19 mandates. It is only now that they realize how exhausting household chores can be and how meaningful it is to care for their children. During our short visit, we visited Daejin Girls’ High School where we spoke to three brilliant students. In the future, I hope these girls will take the helm of their nation. Regardless of conservative or liberal leanings, Daesoon Jinrihoe and Oomoto should continue to keep our good old traditions while also examining societal conventions that warrant reconsideration. Personally, I disregard politicians, but we should honor the official decisions made between countries. Sentiments should be set aside. To overcome our misunderstandings, Oomoto and Daesoon Jinrihoe should engage in more interfaith exchanges like Daesoon Jinrihoe’s World Sangsaeng Forum and Oomoto’s IRUHA (the International Network of Universal Love and Brotherhood Association). Koreans and Japanese are similar in both positive and negative ways. Our cultural bonds, which nearly make us family, ironically make our interactions harder than they would be with complete strangers. As everybody knows, K-Pop is popular among Japanese youths and Japanese anime is popular with young Koreans. I emphasize youths because their mindset predicts our future. I have seen this directly with joint Israeli and Palestinian youth programs in Japan over the past two decades. Participants often remark they never realized how similar Israelis and Palestinians were until they came to Japan to live and travel together. Through IRUHA, youths from Daesoon Jinrihoe and Oomoto shared important teachings from their respective religions with one another. I believe this kind of sharing among the young bodes well for future relations between both our religions and our nations.
2021-04-21
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Reflections on Cao Dai and Daesoon Jinrihoe’s Precious Friendship (Canh Tran)
Canh Tran
On the eve of the New Year 2021 (Year of the Buffalo), on behalf of His Eminence Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh, Chairman of the Cao Dai Sacerdotal Council at the Tay Ninh Holy See, as well as dignitaries in Tay Ninh and Cao Dai Overseas Missionary, we sincerely wish His Excellency Yun Eun-Do, President of Daesoon Jinrihoe, together with his family, the dignitaries of Daesoon Jinrihoe, and the wonderful readers of Global Daesoon GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS, LONGEVITY AND PROSPERITY, but above all else we pray you receive many BLESSINGS from the SUPREME GOD OF THE NINTH HEAVEN – GUCHEON SANGJE. For readers who may not know of us, Cao Dai is a world peace and unity promoting religion that originated in Vietnam in the mid 1920s. Like Daesoon Jinrihoe, Cao Dai worships a Supreme God from within a context of traditional East Asian religious thought spanning Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and a multitude of other influences. Cao Dai has a proud history of many decades of interreligious exchanges with other East Asian new religious movements such as Oomoto and Dao Yuan. These past five years, we have been blessed by new friendships with Daesoon Jinrihoe and Weixin Shengjiao, and this resulted in our orders meeting up a dozen or so times to celebrate, learn with one another, and propagate our teachings overseas. Unfortunately though, the past year of 2020, marked a period when we were unable to meet due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. We remain hopeful that we can all make it through this pandemic together and return to normal sometime soon. From my recollection, the journey of friendship between our orders began in July of 2016 when I, alongside a delegation from Cao Dai, went to Daejin University for that year’s CESNUR (Center for Studies of New Religions) Conference, “Religious Movements in a Globalized World: Korea, Asia, and Beyond.” After the conference concluded, we visited Daesoon Jinrihoe’s Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex, and I remember thinking Daesoon Jinrihoe was probably five or maybe even ten times bigger than Cao Dai. Our delegation was touched by the warm hospitality we received and greatly impressed with all of the beautiful buildings, the traditional Korean design of the architecture, the marvelous landscaping, and the sheer scale of your compound. Likewise impressive was Daesoon Jinrihoe’s university, high schools, and multiple state of the art hospitals. It may take Cao Dai at least 50 more years to be like Daesoon Jinrihoe in that regard. On June 18, 2018, three religions, Daesoon Jinrihoe, Weixin Shengjiao, and Cao Dai, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Association of East Asian New Religions to engage in even closer coordination through ‘global exchange among member-groups,’ ‘joint attendance at international and global religious seminars and conferences,’ ‘the promotion of academic exchange for students and teachers among member-groups,’ and ‘encouraging youth participation in interreligious exchanges.’ In the years since, our orders have met many times and in numerous countries. We have come to feel incredibly close to wonderful friends such as Directors Lee Tae-yeol, Bae Kyuhan, and Kim Wook, Professors Lee Gyungwon, Kim Tae-soo, Ko Nam-Sik, and Park In-Gyu, as well as Jay Cha, Lee Jae-ho, Kim Dong-Hwan, and many, many more too numerous to mention here. We certainly wish to continue to work towards the shared goals stated in our MOU, and we hope that Daesoon Jinrihoe and Cao Dai will have a chance to meet again in 2021. In Cao Dai, God told us that there are no coincidences and that everything has been planned from day one. In our view, the relationship between Cao Dai and Daesoon Jinrihoe is a mission from God and not just a chance occurrence. I believe that despite the Association of East Asian New Religions starting out small, it is a stepping stone in the right direction for humanity’s future. World peace can actually begin with a small number of like-minded, peace-loving religions. Through our collective influence and continual growth, the faith-based movement for world peace that we have started together can grow larger and larger. No one should underestimate what we will be able to achieve together a half-century or full century from now. Until we meet again, my dear friends. Westminster, California, January of 2021 Reverend Canh Tran President, Cao Dai Overseas Missionary
2021-04-21
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Reflections on Daesoon Jinrihoe as a Gateway to Korea (Bernadette Rigal-Cellard)
Bernadette Rigal-Cellard
Daesoon Jinrihoe has been my miraculous key to the wonders of South Korea. In the pages that follow, I briefly will recall my fascinating discovery of Daesoon Jinrihoe. The starting point actually begins with my prior exposure to Korea. As a professor of American Studies, I have taught on US expansionism into the Pacific and thereby the Korean War. The next noteworthy instance of previous exposure came when Professor Bona Kim Lee (Korean Department), a scholar of Korean Buddhist poetry, asked me to publish Korean textbooks for French speakers. Despite some administrative resistance, I immediately accepted, and the books proved to be a great success. I almost met with Daesoon Jinrihoe in 2016 when CESNUR (Center for the Study of New Religions) held their conference at Daejin University, but sadly I could not attend it as I was undergoing surgery. In 2017, I finally had a chance to encounter Daesoon Jinrihoe while Visiting Weixin Shengjiao. The following year, Massimo Introvigne, Rosita Soryte, Gordon Melton, and I were invited by Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi of Weixin Shengjiao and his daughter Fiona Chang to attend the Chinese United Ancestors Worship Ceremony on January 1st, 2017 in Taipei. A Daesoon Jinrihoe delegation was also in attendance, and this was when I started to learn about Daesoon Jinrihoe and their connection to Weixin Shengjiao. The following spring, representatives of Daesoon Jinrihoe, Weixin Shengjiao, and Cao Dai traveled to Europe to attend an international conference on Daoism. I invited all of them to present on their religions at my university, University of Bordeaux Montaigne. Lee Gyungwon, a professor from the Department of Daesoon Theology, and Taesoo, a research member from the Daesoon Academy of Sciences (DAOS), presented on Daesoon Jinrihoe. Chairman Bae Kyuhan chaired the delegation. My next encounter with Daesoon Jinrihoe came when DAOS invited us to participate in the first World Sangsaeng Forum titled, “Peace and the Path of Mutual Beneficence,” which was held at Daejin. For that forum, I offered a presentation titled, The Strategies Devised by Religions in Order to Promote Peace in the World: Christian and East Asian Dialogues and Interactions. The highlight of our stay was visiting Daesoon Jinrihoe’s Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex. I recall being overwhelmed by its architectural and spiritual perfection. The dancheong woodwork, the uniqueness of the buildings, and the intense sacredness of Yeongdae impressed me profoundly. Cha Ikje gave a detailed theological explanation of the wall mural series, the Ox-seeking Pictures. I definitely rank Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex among the most aesthetically satisfying sites I have ever visited. After returning home, I organized a joint lecture with my friend Stéphane Couralet, Chair of the Korean Studies Department, to share what I had learned. He supplemented my photos with his knowledge of Korean history and culture. In March of that year, I presented on Weixin Shengjiao and Daesoon Jinrihoe as two examples of the revitalization of religion in East Asia for Association Thot in Bordeaux. The following year, I was invited to participate in a conference organized by the University of Riga (Latvia) on “Dynamic Asia: Shaping the Future.” I spoke on Daesoon Jinrihoe: Reclaiming the Past to Improve the Future. Weixin Shengjiao hosted the 2018 CESNUR Conference from June 18-21 at their university in Nantou, Taiwan. Weixin Shengjiao, Daesoon Jinrihoe, and Cao Dai signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formally commit to the continual sharing of projects and friendship. Massimo asked me to give the plenary lecture in honor of the late Jane Williams-Hogan, our long-time friend. I spoke about the three MOU member-groups. I appraised their activities through the Revitalization Theory of Anthony F. C. Wallace. In 2018, DAOS invited us back to participate in the second World Sangsaeng Forum at Daejin from October 20-24. I spoke on The Navigatio of Saint Brendan, a narration of an Irish monk’s quest for an Earthly Paradise among the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. I entitled it, The Quest for the Earthly Paradise in Christian and Post-Christian Europe. Following the conference, we revisited Yeoju and also went to Geumgangsan Toseong Training Temple Complex. I paid my respects to Park Wudang, and it was so satisfying to finally see Daesoon Jinrihoe’s signature icon of Maitreya Buddha. The explanations by the chairman of the temple were likewise precious. At this point in my reflection, it might be of interest to mention the human factor in researching and interacting with Daesoon Jinrihoe. Each time we visited Daesoon Jinrihoe, from the moment we landed, our hosts took care of us, translated, offered explanations, and took our queries. We were treated like royalty every minute of the day and not just because of all of the fine dining and memorable banquets. I have started to study Korean at the university here in order to better interact next time I go to Korea. In 2020, precautions regarding COVID-19 resulted in the Third World Sangsaeng Forum being held online. Meanwhile, a full lockdown in France meant more time than usual to write. Increasingly familiar with Daesoon Theology, I explored a poignant image from Daesoon Jinrihoe’s promotional video: the cosmic ball of fire that hits Korea to represent the incarnation of Sangje as Kang Jeungsan. Inspired by this, I composed a nuanced comparison titled, Incarnation and Divine Essence in Daesoon Thought: Their Specificity as Compared to the Christian Ones. I worked a full month exclusively on the topic as it was profoundly fascinating to me. More recently, in December of 2020, the Korean Studies Center of Riga University organized another online conference. Using my recently received copy of The Scriptures of Daesoon Jinrihoe and The Dao Constitution of the Dao, I developed some ideas from 2018 into a paper, Daesoon Jinrihoe Analyzed in Light of Anthony F. C. Wallace’s Revitalization Theory. Whenever writing about Daesoon Jinrihoe, I have two goals in mind: 1.) make Daesoon Jinrihoe more understandable to English-speakers 2.) Provide a European perspective on Daesoon Jinrihoe. The next time I conduct field research in Korea, I hope to revisit Daejin University to ask a million questions to Daesoon scholars to perfect my knowledge of the religion because texts alone are not enough. The crown of it all would be to spend more time in Yeoju Headquarters Temple Complex which, in my eyes, is a little piece of paradise already fully realized on earth in beauty and friendship. Bernadette Rigal-Cellard Professor Emeritus in American and Religious Studies- Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France
2021-04-21
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Preface of 『Daesoon Jinrihoe in Modern Korea』 (Donald L. Baker)
Donald L. Baker
Daesoon Jinrihoe is still a new religion, so it has had to endure the criticism that new religious movements usually receive. It has been labeled a cult, it has been called a purveyor of superstition, and it has been denigrated for supposedly lacking the qualities that define a genuine religion. True to its teaching that we should do nothing to cause others to get angry with us, Daesoon Jinrihoe has not engaged in arguments with its detractors. Instead, it has let its history prove its detractors wrong. Despite its critics, it has thrived and grown large and respectable enough to become a major component of Korea's religious landscape. Yet, up to now, it has not received much scholarly attention. Most scholars of Korea's religious culture focus on its four major components: shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity. Those are all deserving of academic examination, of course, but a focus only on those four relegates to the shadows some of the more interesting, and more distinctively Korean, features of Korean spirituality. Fortunately, David Kim has stepped up to help us gain a more comprehensive view of contemporary Korean spirituality with this survey of the scriptures, theology, philosophy, ethics, rituals and even the sacred art of Daesoon Jinrihoe. Early on in this book, readers will learn about a dizzying series of fissures in the community of those who believe that Kang Jeungsan was the incarnation of the Supreme God Above (Sangje). That will inspire questions about what is so special about Daesoon Jinrihoe that it was been able to rise above the fray and become the largest, strongest and most respected in the entire Jeungsan family of religions. Believers might answer that it is the result of Daesoon Jinrihoe sticking closer to the original message of Kang Jeungsan than other groups. Outside observers tend to give the credit to the organisational skills and charisma of Park Han-Gyeong, also known as Park Wudang. Evidence of Park's organisational skills can be seen in this study. Thanks to the example of Protestant missionaries who first began settling down in Korea near the end of the nineteenth century, for a religious organisation to be seen as respectable and modern, it should operate modem educational institutions and modern hospitals. Led by Park's skillful management in its first decades, Daesoon Jinrihoe has done both. But that is not the only reason for Daesoon Jinrihoe's rise to prominence. Daesoon Jinrihoe has provided guidance for Koreans seeking to navigate through the typhoon-force winds of modernisation. It has shown Koreans how to be both modern and Korean, how to adopt the positive features of globalised modern life without jettisoning those beliefs and values that are uniquely Korean so that they can maintain their Korean cultural identity. It has done that by being both a modern religion as well as a Korean religion with distinctive Korean elements. It is not just that Daesoon Jinri teaches that the Supreme God Above reincarnated on the Korean peninsula and lived as an ordinary Korean man for several years. It also teaches an ethical philosophy that draws on Korean ethical concerns from centuries past. And, though Daesoon Jinrihoe embraces elements from China's Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions, those elements have been so Koreanised that few Chinese would recognise them. For example, both Daoists and Confucians in China believed that change in the cosmos was fueled by relations among five forces, to which were applied the labels of wood, metal, fire, water and earth. Those relations were dominated by mutual conflict, in which wood splits earth by growing out of it, metal chops wood, fire melts metal, water quenches fire, and earth dams water, followed by wood splitting earth again and so on (Yoke 1985, 11-24). This is a never-ending circle of destructive interactions. However, Kang Jeungsan and Daesoon Jinrihoe teach that the world dominated by mutual conflict is drawing to a close. Instead, we are about to enter an age of mutual production. Just as wood produces fire, fire produces earth (ashes), earth produces metal (mined out of the ground), metal produces water (through condensation), and water, in turn, produces wood, human beings will engage in mutually productive interactions with their fellow human beings leading to a world free of injustice, disease, and other problems, a world that Daesoon Jinrihoe labels a Sangsaeng (3, 194, mutually life-giving) world. It is the emphasis on harmony, harmonious interactions within the human community, as well as harmony between human beings and nature, and harmony between human beings and spiritual beings, that resonates with Korean tradition and gives Daesoon Jinrihoe such persuasive power in Korea. Moreover, its approach to achieving such harmony, by eliminating the resentment that injustice has generated over the centuries, also has broad appeal, for who has not felt that they have been treated unfairly in the past and resented that mistreatment? Daesoon Jinri promises a better world in the near future, and also teaches techniques, such as its rituals and its ethical principles, that promise to hasten the end of the old world of constant conflict and lead to the emergence of the new world of mutual cooperation, peace and prosperity. Another reason Daesoon Jinrihoe appears distinctively Korean is that, arguably, it shows less Christian influence than other Korean new religious movements. It doesn't have regular Sunday services with hymns and sermons. Moreover, unlike Christianity, it promises a paradise on this earth, not in heaven above. Even more remarkably, Daesoon Jinrihoe promises that soon human beings will not need divine assistance. Not only does it agree with Buddhism and Confucianism that human beings are capable of becoming god-like through their own efforts, it also teaches that once the old era of constant conflict is over, human beings will no longer need gods for anything since humans will have become like gods. This means Daesoon Jinrihoe is more in tune with traditional East Asian anthropocentrism than Western theocentrism. Daesoon Jinrihoe offers a fascinating glimpse into Koreans have coped with the challenges of globalisation and modernisation while nevertheless preserving a Korean core. There is much that scholars of Korea, not just scholars of religion in Korea but scholars of Korean culture and modern Korean history in general, can learn from this comprehensive study of Daesoon Jinrihoe. We should be grateful to David Kim for finally giving it the scholarly attention it deserves. Donald L. Baker University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada Reference: Yoke, Ho Peng. Li, Qi and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1985.
2021-04-21
