Mystical form and Life Education as Healing of Tonghak(東學)

ABSTRACT

The attempt to understand Donghak in the context of traditional Korean thought has been made several times. Donghak may have begun in Suun’s experience of Youngbu(靈符). The originality in the concept of Youngbu is mystical form and symbolizes the Taiji(太極) and KungKung(弓弓). Youngbu is called by Sunyak(仙藥) or Bulsayak(不死藥) in text of Dongkyungdaechon(東經大全). It means the universal mind and ether. Youngbu is inherent mind in a human being. Also It means a One Ki(一氣) of the heavens and the earth in the universe through the filling in of all things. And all things of the heaven and the earth constitutes the original One mind(一心). So this is referred to as the mind of Youngbu(靈符心) and Hanul. Human is Hanul(人乃天), and Hanul is the mind of Youngbu(靈符心). And Hanul is in all things. In Donghak Healing is to realize the Youngbu. To realize the Youngbu is one through the Hanul mind and One Ki. It will be a oneness. By realizing the oneness of mind and ether, humans can heal own disease and restore the cosmic spirit. Also furthermore, it should heal the evils of society. The children’s movement of Donghak under Japanese imperialism was spread around the Bang, Jeong-hwan and magazine “children”. In this children’s movement Youngbu were represented as ‘life’ or ‘vigor(元氣)’and its main contents were life education. That it was a love of life and sympathy of life with the natural play, a children’s art to experience sorrow and pain of others into tears, recognizing the reality of the miserable country (Chosun), and formation and solidarity of the ‘subject’ to build a new community of Chosun. Especially among the life education, sympathy with nature and love of life was embodied in the natural play through seasons play of spring, summer, autumn, winter. These give a lot of inspiration in modern education.