history of Korean philosophy and religion 2

마을신앙

Village Guardian Deity

서낭당

shrine for village guardian deity, located at the entrace of the village on a hillside or on the foot of a mountain, in fhe form of a stone stack altar or in the form of a shrine house.

장승

It is the Korean traditional wooden figure erected in the entrance od a village, temple or mountain pass to serve as guardian deity. Its important function its to protect the village or the temple against diseased, bad fortune and tiger attacks. Also it is important to preserve peace and prosperity in the village. It served also as a guidepost to mark distances to major destinations and in places were according to geomancy there was a lack of energy.

솟대

Its a sacred pole made of wood or stone. You can usually found them ag the entrance of a village. Theres a bird carving on top that it can be a duck or also a wild goose, a segull etc.. (this depends on the region). Birds like ducks serve as a means od oragubv for abundant water for farming and guarding against fires.

가신

House Gods, the believing in the house of gods in Korea is due to the influence of Shamanism, Buddhism and Taoism from the ancient times. Also this concept is been organized into words such as "house", "woman", "ritual". Following what Moon Jeong-ok says, he defjnes the house of gods has "gods of the house" and he sees the housewives has the main agents of the rituals. And also according to Kim Taegon each element of the house has a God to take care of them.

성주신

The House Guardian God, he is the heighest deity of the house, overseeing everyelement related to the household, from construction to protection lf the family. He is a building God. He is born when a new house is built or when a new family moves to a new place/is formed. He is also the furniture protector and makes sure to bring peace, longevity of the parents and good fortune. Also he brings home cattle, grains, rice paddies and silk.

성줏단지

It is a earthenware jar worshipped as a sacred entity. These jars are small and round. The 성줏단지 is the sacred entity for the house guardian deity 성주, it is filled with rice stalks or grains and kept ona shelf in the inner chamber of the house

조왕신

Kitchen God, it's a fire God that governs the kitchen and oversees fortunes of the family and their health. This god is mainly worshipped by the wife of the family or her mother-in law since the kitchen is a place for women in the house..

삼신

Also called 할머니삼신 its a shamanic deity that oversees the birth and the growth of the children in the house. It is believed that humand were born with the blessing of 삼신. As an household God she overseas the childbirth, the lifespan of a child and also the health of the entire family. Some family worship one of thei deceased ancestors as 삼신. Woship rituals are held during seasonal holidays. On the day a child is born a ritual table is prepared for her.

태몽

Birth Dream. Dreams believed to foretell the conception, gender and destiny of a child. Mostly made by the mim of the woman eho woukd receive the baby. It could also happen to her husband, relatives, neighbors. During, before or after the prengnancy.

Male symbols 태몽

Symbols similar to male genitals such as peppers, dragons, serpents, cucumbers etc...

Female symbols 태몽

Symbols similar to the female genitals such as clams, rings, chestnut etc..

Metal

Skin,Nose,Lung,Large Intestine

Wood

Tendors,Eyes,Liver,Gall Bladder

Water

Bones,Ears,kidney, Urinary Bladder

Fire

Blood vessels, Tongue, Heart,Small Intestine

Earth

Muscles, mouth,Spleen,Stomach

환갑

Ritual celebration of the 61st birthday by Korean count. (For western culture it's 60st). It is consideres a very important marker in life and is the second time in the lifetime that Koreans traditionally mark the birth date.

승과제도

National examination to select buddhist monks during 고려 and 조선 period.

five zang organs

heart, spleen, liver, lungs and kidney

six fu organs

Stomach, large intestine, small intestine, urinary bladder and triple burner

무당

Word that refers to shamas who officiate rituals and perform divination in Korean folk religion

굿

Korean Shamanistic performance, ritual officiated by a shaman with a table of sacrifical offerings for the Gods, accompaomed by dancing, music and perfomance.

private 굿

inclueds well-wishing trials to pray for longevity and good fortune, helping rituals to cure diseases, rituals to help the souls of the dead to peacefully enter the other world, and shamanic initiation rituals.

Village 굿

preventing calamities, bring fortune and peace, maintaining peace in the unity

굿 for the dead

Mortuary 굿, an essential instuement during this type of 굿 is a symbolic bridge to the othee world made of hemp and corron cloth to help the souls to arrive in the other world. There's also a special ritual for the ones who died unexpectedly, to console the spirit and help it to be reunited with the ancestors instead of keep "living" around fhe living.

Healing 굿

At the tkme the diseases were believed to be caused by malignant spirits so only 무당 could cure those illiness

Good luck 굿

there were two kinds of ritual: 1. Community: done every 2/3 years to give sacrifices to the village Gods who were believed to bring good fortune, prosperity and health to the inhabitants.

2. Private: done in the private households, to bring fortune to the household members.

내림굿

Is the 굿 for 무당s, literally means "descend ritual", it helps healing someone who is afflicted with the 신병, and for initating their calling as a shaman. When the ritual is over the person is no longer addressed with their given birth name but with a new name bestowed by the shaman. Also between the shaman and the person there will be a spiritual offspring relationship, the shaman will basically train him.

exorcist type

Only exercise

Divination type

Only divine

Exorcist- Divinest

Can do both (exercise and divine)

Chanting spell

Only chant spells

세습무

hereditary shaman, inherits the calling as part of a family trade passed down through generations

강신무

possessed shaman, has initiated into calling through a possession ritual (내림굿) and after experiencing 신병

신내림

Phenomenon of beign possessed by a spirit, a requisite stage in the process of shamanic initiation.

Religious syncretism

It is a cultural process, that may be understood as a part of the boarder process of cultural diffusion.

Ying

dark, female

Yang

white, male

환갑

Ritual celebration of the 61st birthday according to korean count. It is considered a very important marker in life, the second time in the lifetime that koreans traditionally mark the birth date

사주

birth year, month, day, and hour. From 사주 we know matters concerning personality, health, fortune, interpersonal relations and luck about work, love and health.

사주단자

it's a document containing the would be groom's horoscopic data, the hour, the day, month and year of her birth by the lunar calendar

궁함

Practice of predicting and interpreting the near future of people, or specifically of a couple who's about to marry, via divination of their birth dates. It predicts the harmony in the couple and with the in-laws. Exchanging the 사주단자 it's a tradition that is still done in Korea.

해탈

Means enlightment, awakening or a release from Samsara which is the cycle of birth and death. Achieving the englihtment is the ultimate goal for Buddhism.

Four Noble Truths

1. Dukka (고) the holy truth of suffering

2. Samduya (집) holy truth of the cause or source of suffering

3. Nirodha (멸) the holy truth of the cessation of suffering

4. Magga (도) the holy truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering

삼신

Buddha's three bodies (Mahayana theory)

1. The Dharma body, is considered the eternal true principle, Buddha's original body.

2. The response body, Buddha's manifest body.

3. The reward body, considered to be the manifestation of the combination of the two bodies, it's an ideal one possessend by the two bodies that haven't awakened yet.

삼보

Three treasures: The Buddha, The Dharma (buddha's teachings), The Samgha (community of monks and nuns)

Samsara (윤회)

It's original meaning it's flow together also translated as well as "birth and death".

Dao

Dao is flux, transformation. Its the highest knowledge, the most important in the universe, the ethernal way and law of the Universe.

Tao-Te Ching

Is a fundamental text for botb philosophical and religious taoism.

조계종

Predominant school of Korean Seon Tradition, founded during Goryeo dynasty. It survives today in Korea as the most prominent school

정토

The pure land without any bondage in contrast with the mundane world of suffering.

Three pure lands

1. The limited pure land where Amitabha Buddha lives

2.The pure land that pervades in every quarter of the universe

3. The pure land of the immaculate mind.

도가

Its a Chinese philosophy including Laozi and Zhuangzi

도교

A religion that pursues immortality and eternal youth

Daoism

Daoism is a religion based on ancient folk ideas. This religion was able to combine philosophy, medicine, astrology, I-ching, Ying and Yang and the five elements. Also to combine aspects of Buddhism and of other religions as well withour disarmony.

The Daoism followers main aim was to enable humans to understand that the only human actions that make sense are the ones that follow the flow of the Nature. They were actively avoiding human ideas or standards.

Confucianism

Is a religion (very related to philosophy) that inherited the ideas systematized by Confucius at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of China.

Confucius saw that the ideal world following heaven's will could be realized by human through benevolence and virtue.

Li (예)

Confucian concept often rendend as "ritual". Originally Li denoted court rites performed to sustain social and cosmic order. But then Confiucians reinterpreted to mean formal and social roles in the community life. Li redifines conventional norms generating a new social way of leaving which defined proper human behaviour.

Neo-Confucianism

It is a rethinking of the Confucian ideology under the infulence of Taoism and Buddhism adding to the origianl Confucianism a vast structure of metaphysical and cos-mological speculation.

I (li) —\> Neo Confucianism

I means the "ground of beign" present in each things in its fullness. The ultimate omnipresent principle of things.

I also represents the orifin of himan nature and it's purely good.

Ki (Qi) —\> Neo Confucianism

"Material Force" that brings each phenomenon into concrete existence.

The five Cardinal Human relationships

1. Parent and child —\> Affection

Ruler and minister

Rightnessv

Husband and Wife

Differentiation

Elder and younger siblings

Precedence

Friend and Friend

Trust/honesty

ChinChin and JonJon

The moral norm of Confucianism

ChinChin

Means to be friendly with the family

JonJon

Means to respect those of higher status or age

삼종지도

The three followings that a woman should do. According to Confucianism in Korea the woman has to follow (obey) just to the men in her life: in her young life she follows her father, once she's married she follows her husband and if the husband passes away she has to follow her son.

Also women had go practice the "feminine arts": chastity, obedience and modesty.

Hoju system

This system places the man as the legal head of the family. When a husband dies it's usually the first son to succeed him, not the widow. Children are added to the father's hojeok, and even if the couple divorces and the wife has the custody of the children, they keep the husband's surname and still are kept in his hojeok unless he gives the permission to transfer.

Also the sigrnature of the male is still required for paperwork, for example for the children's passport application.

Thanfully the Hoju system was abolished, and has been referred to as "outdated".

East Asian Microcosm and Macrocosm

East Asian thought is based on the acknowledgment of human life as a process of integrating the microcosm and the macrocosm. This process had developed into two flows :

- One is the flow of mental and inner aspwcrs expressed in training of ming and self-cultivation. (Confucianism)

-The other one is the flow of phisical and external aspects expressed in YangSheng and Yang-ki. (Daoism)

Yangsheng

Various self-cultivation practices aimed at personal health and longevity.

Qi. the vital energy (medicine)

It promotes growth, activates the five zang organs and the six fu organs. It keep the body warm, it protects the body from illiness and converts the food in energy or blood.

The channel of vital energy

The meridian system is a passage through which the energy of life passes. Acupuncture is a tachnique of inserting needles at certain points of the body in order to correcr the Qi flows.

사상

It is a personalized medicine dividing human beings into four costitutional types based on their pshicological and pathological characteristics. It presents an entire approach based on the philosophical theoriey of our Virtues in Confucianism and clinical experiences in traditional Korean medicine.

사상신

Consritutional type

Christianity

Christianity has a success story in Korea. Only the 4% of the Asian population is Christian. Catholic and Protestanr both failed to strike roots in Japan and China where less than 1% of the population is Christian.

While in Korea we can find it in various areas: education,politics, economy and society.

추도식

Christian memorial service, a real ritual already in pracrice among Korean Christian believers.

They usually pay a trubhte to good deeds of their deceased parents or ancestors ona a date of death or another date of the year after the funeral.

They commemorate the deceased person with prayers when all family members father together.

소천

This term was used to mean that God calls his children to live in heaven forever.