Study on Proximity between Zen Thoughts and Aesthetic Education

ABSTRACT

Buddhism is Buddha's education as well as the education to become Buddha. The ultimately ideal goal is to achieve not only the 4 enlightenment' which is the individual perfection of personality but also the beautiful world, 불국정토(Buddha's Pure land), which, that is, means attaining self interest through 상구보리(上求菩提) and the altruistic activities of 하화중생(下化衆生). Essentially speaking, in the era of society where the human beings' sense of value and cultural consciousness had a totality without having contemporary clear divisions, there was a chaotic state in which education, intellectuality, virtue, beauty, and religion were not clearly differentiated.The 'Art Education' which aims to train experts has relatively clear purposes, and its pedagogical methods are specific showing manifest results of education. Aesthetic education aims to achieve other purposes than purposes for art without regarding the artistic activities as methodologies. In fact, it has such purposes as the moral effects of 이풍이속(移風易俗 to make the world beautiful) and 미선상락(美善相樂-to make each other happy) as well as the religious purpose of 제악막작(諸惡莫作~dong good)and 중선봉행(衆善奉行-avoiding committing evil behaviors).In this perspective, it can be said that there is inseparable causalities due to some immanent connections among religion, education, and art. Considering this perspective, this article aims to look for the proximity between Zen Buddhism and aesthetic education.In Zen Buddhism, the intuitive recognition of objects, which, in the combination of perception and emotion, does not result in the simple associations, but the form perceived will be shown embodying the emotion; in turn, the emotion will be experienced while it is immanent in perception, which will exactly fit into the aesthetic recognition.Furthermore, to express what is immanent in perception, Zen Buddhism accepts 4 art create, in aesthetics, which leads to the practice of aesthetic education. The power to shape personality in art is not the phenomenon occurred by contacting naturally, and it is possible to shape the personality by the aesthetic education when the education is conducted properly. As the direction and the value of education can change in accordance with how proper it is, we can find the premonition and meaning in combination between Zen Buddhism and art.