[Abstract]
This series focuses on Korean philosophy and the history of Korean philosophy. Korean philosophy is one ideology, that is, one mind ideology.
The fundamental spirit of Koreanness
한국철학의 기본 정신 자체가 바로 진정한 보편의 추구, 절대적 하나의 추구이기 때문이다. 나는 한국철학의 기본 정신을 하나의 큰 마음, 한마음, 일심(一心)으로 이해하며 , 바로 이것이 한국철학의 기본 줄기를 형성한다고 생각한다. 한마음의 ‘한’은 ‘크다’는 뜻과 ‘하나’라는 뜻이 합한 ‘한’이고, 그것은 곧 ‘일 (一)’과 ‘대(大)’를 합한 ‘천(天)’이다. 이 무한의 하나를 유한한 개별자들 바깥의 외적 실재가 아닌 유한한 개별자 내면의 무한, 상대적 개체들 내면의 절대로 이해하는것, 즉 절대의 무한을 개별 생명체의 핵인 마음으로 파악하는 것이 바로 한국철학의 기본 특징이라고 생각한다.
This is because the basic spirit of Korean philosophy itself is the pursuit of true universality and absolute unity. I understand the basic spirit of Korean philosophy as one significant mind, one mind, and One-Mind(一心), and I think this forms the basic stem of Korean philosophy. The ‘han’ in one mind is ‘han’, which combines the meaning of ‘huge’ and ‘one’, and it is ‘celestial; cheon (天)’, which is the combination of ‘one; il (一)’ and ‘huge; dae (大)’. This infinity is understood not as an external reality outside of a finite individual, but as an infinity inside a finite individual, an absolute inside of a relative individual, that is, an absolute infinity at the core of each living being. I believe that grasping things with one’s mind is a fundamental feature of Korean philosophy.
trans. ED. 한자경, 『한국철학의 맥』, 이화여자대학교출판문화원, 2008. 7.
This academic book by Han Ja Kyoung introduces the core spirit of Korean philosophy as the idea of One-Mind. The archetype of Korean thought begins with the “Dangun myth”. According to Carl G. Jung, the archetype is the model and structure that forms the basis of the collective unconscious. Therefore, if you want to find your identity as a Korean, you will have to start with mythology. Just as the role of philosophy is a signpost on the road to finding identity, Korean philosophy is a signpost that helps us find Koreanness and what it means to be Korean. Accordingly, to understand Korean philosophy, you must know the historical and cultural context as well as mythology, religion, and politics.
Korean philosophy was influenced by religions and philosophies such as early shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and later attempted to “Koreanize” it by adopting Western philosophy. The central idea of Korean philosophy is one mind; It is called Han Maum ideology, because since ancient times, harmony and communication between nature and humans have been emphasized, and all subsequent religions have emphasized unity with the values of community spirit, mutual respect, and trust relationships between families in Korean history.
[Reference]
- 한자경, 『한국철학의 맥』, 이화여자대학교출판문화원, 2008.