Backhouse Lecture 2018.
An Encounter of the Mysticism of Quaker and Taoism in Everyday Life
Everything is changing continually. Change is always experienced in both the material and spiritual worlds. The meaning and the perspective of the world, nations, states, religions and philosophy change all the time and in every situation. Sometimes the changes accompany disappearance of contents, but at the same time would include expansion to a new abundant meaning. This phenomenon also occurs in religion. It is a matter of tradition and identity, but also a matter of new enlightenment.
After I became acquainted with Quakers, I tried to discover the core of Quaker identity. This effort was a far cry from the Quaker tradition of not creating standards or creeds. However, since I was officially registered as a Quaker, I endlessly continued my search, because I have to know for myself what it is to be a Quaker. But the more I tried, the more abstract the Quakers claim to live appeared. It was very frustrating.
The terms, 'inner light', 'inner voice', 'the person in me', that Quakers say are hard to understand. It was as difficult as the following concepts which I have heard since childhood from the adults who have lived with Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Korea's own folk religions. For example, "God," "Holy Spirit," "Messiah," "Christ," "Okhwangsangje," "Yongwang," "Yeomnadaewang," "Geukrak," "Seobangjeongto," "Paradise," or " 'Buddha in me' or 'Tao', 'Jinin(pure man)', 'Nature' or 'Buddha' which is said to be 'Salvation' or 'Liberation' (Being Buddha,) etc., all were abstract. Nothing was obvious to my mind. However, it was clear that these abstract concepts were very closely related to everyday life, and I became more curious about Quakers' attitudes toward real life, than any literal explanation or understanding of such concepts. What Quakers are very fond of and trying to accomplish are: Peace, Simplicity, Equality, Community, Truth, Sustainability and Integrity. It was really hard for me to understand them, and not easy to practice. I feel very deeply attracted to them, but when I try to apply them to my life, they become very abstract. They are things that are relative and adaptable in relation to the situation.
The world became complicated, the community of life is broken, filled with confrontation and war rather than peace, and full of discernment and division, increasing the differentials rather than togetherness. Where is the realization of a life like the Quaker tradition, where the development and events of civilization are escalationg? Especially, how do we keep to the tradition of living a simple life in a modern civilization that advocates a complex and superlative life?
I think that the world has already progressed beyond the limits of sectarianism, considering the world as a whole, pursuing the humanity over the nation, the country or the region, and the fusion and coexistence of cultures. Quakers have been constantly trying to get rid of ties to a particular sect, and it is considered important to wear new clothes for a new age. According to the Oriental classics, the principle and the life of Taoism valued the most peaceful, simple, general and ordinary things, and insisted on living a life based on nature beyond the form and norm. I think, it would be meaningful to look into the Taoism for expanding the religiosity of Quakerism. Not just to literally compare them, but to look at the spirituality and the mysticism of the Covenant to supplement or expand Quakerism. It is because spirituality and mysticism are heard in the events we meet in our everyday life.
In order to do that, I first look at the general religious life in the Korean society that I was born into and grew up with. Then, I will briefly examine the evolution of Confucianism, Buddhism, the folk religions, and the indigenous process of Christianity that have led Korean society for a long time. And I am going to look at what Quakerism pursues and the key points that we pursue in Taoism.
Then I will look at the life and thought of Ham Sok Hon, one of Korea's early Quakers who lived in harmony with both Taoism and Quakerism. Finally, I'd like to talk about orientating of my life as a Quaker. These discussions will be organized in the form of questions and are not my claims but expressions of wonder. This is a desire to re-establish Quakerism in myself. We see Quakers are aging and number of young Quakers is shrinking so much to concern the future of the Quakerism. This may be a phenomenon that all religions experience. However, many people look upon that Quakerism is a religion for a new era and try to find a new way out, that does not propagate and preach the traditional Quakerism, but secures an extended religiousness by combining the essence of one’s own cultural and religious traditions with that of Quakerism. I feel this could be one of Quaker's ways of looking at a new era.
It is a great fortune and my pleasure to have met Quakers. At the same time, I feel a great burden because a Quakers is considered to carry an exemplar of realizing faith into everyday life, and I want to put myself in that flow, but I am not in that life. I am very hesitant to tell someone that I am a Quaker as I am not being whole-heartedly to that belief. Especially when I read the diary of the early Quaker, George Fox, I feel that I do not experience such emotions of the trembling, and the commitment to truth.
At that time, it seemed that a much more strong religious atmosphere prevailed throughout society than it is now. In other words, I feel that the society of the past as a whole had a much more religious atmosphere in the flow of the Reformation and the efforts to adhere to the traditions of the established religions than it has now. At such a time, however, the early Quakers’, such as George Fox, lives were very harsh and they were treated strangely. It is very touching to learn that they lead a life following the faith, and truth even in such circumstances.
It is like the impression I feel when reading the Acts of the New Testament. I want to be in that life myself. I feel I am now living in a very secular social atmosphere, an atmosphere of religion without religion. Of course, the number of people living by the systems and doctrines of religion is very large, but the number of people practicing a faithful religious life in formalized religion is very small. At the same time, the non-religious atmosphere seems to be the mainstream in the daily life of religion, politics, economy, culture, scholarship, and in friendship relations. It is not easy to live a deeply religious life at this time.
I have no prior experience of seeking the thorough the truth that the early Friends had and trying to realize such life. I have lived by a very ordinary and plain religion. Therefore, religion is very rare in my words, and it is difficult to find holiness in my everyday life. In fact, when I think about the question of whether I live according to the living Word of Christ living in me, or the light in me, I have no confidence for the answer to it. It is not easy to give a frank answer to the question of what Quaker life is today regardless of carrying a necklace of a cross on one’s chest. However, I agreed to deliver this lecture because I have a desire to share my own concerns.
I just want to ask how we can live a life that realizes truth without distinction between religion and non-religion in a secular social atmosphere and culture system. In order to ask that question, I will start with the following story, not the story of my Quaker Enlightenment, but what about seeking of a path to enlightenment.
1. My upbringing and the religiosity around me
I was born and raised in the non-religious tradition of Confucian family. My family lived by education and life ethics of Confucian tradition. There was no characteristics style of Buddhism, Shamanism. Our family did not practice the tradition of shamanism, while many other people in our village did. Our family never visited any Buddhist temple to meet Buddha, consult or pray for fortune. I have never heard of ‘God’ in the conversations among the family. Instead, I heard that when a person dies, he or she is divided into a soul and a body, the soul is then carried to heaven, and the energy of body is buried in the earth. I was very curious about this phenomenon. But I did not ask my grandparents seriously about this, neither did grandparents explain it. I just grew up without a queation and hence no answer about it. According to the Confucian tradition, if a person dies, the descendants set up a house for the dead in the house. They prepare three meals a day for the dead to eat just like living people do. A soul box is built in the dead person’s house in which a braided thread of blue and red is kept. The braid thread of blue and red symbolize the dead person's soul. The same was practiced in my home, and was the only religious act for our ancestors. Perhaps this should be the only religious act in our family. This was considered an act of filial piety serving ancestral spirits. Confucianism, which has led the Korean society and family tradition, believed in the ethnocentric [?] system as the ethic of life, and was exclusive to other religious activities.
There occurred, however, a problem in the family of my great-grandmother's older sons. Her daughter-in-law died early, and her great-grandson died. The great-grandmother became very sad. During that sad time, she met Christian evangelist and heard the gospel of Christianity. Ever since, she attended to the church very diligently and prayed sincerely. However, her way of prayer was the same as the typical traditional Korean family prayer system. She got up early in the morning, filled the pottery with clean water, washed her face with cold water, and gathered her hands together, rubbing them, and praying to God. It was a prayer for the dead young person and for the oldest living son for a good life. This style for prayer was common in the society, consistent with the beliefs a refreshed body at the dawn enhance our prayers. Such tradition was passed onto her daughter-in-law and later to her granddaughter-in-law, but my grandfather was very displeased with Christianity coming into our family. There was an atmosphere of strange conflict between Confucian tradition and Christian faith. Of course, my great-grandmother and grandmother did not strictly follow a Christian tradition, so there was not too much trouble in my family in carrying out practices for Confucian family ethics. I grew up watching these situations. But I did not think about it and did not know how it related to my future or daily life.
There were no Buddhist temples in my home town, and no Confucian shrines. My hometown villages were not the places where the ruling classes in Korean traditional society lived. Therefore, the village did not live thoroughly in the Confucian ceremonies or the rules of Joseondynastic society. At the yearends or early in the new year, sacrifices were made for the peace of the village at a certain place. At the entrance of the village, a guardian deity guarding the village was built. The ceremonies were also held there. Many people, depending on the season, prayed to their god according to their own family tradition, sometimes to the kitchen god, sometimes to the place of pottery, sometimes to the spring gods, and sometimes to the tree gods. Strangely, large rocks, large trees or deep valleys or wells that were several hundred years old also became prayer centers and were worshiped. It should be called a kind of animism. In this way, God was present in their daily lives.
I thought that there was a guard, or guardian of karma, that kept the house in any family. In Korean traditional society, there was no monotheistic concept as in Christianity. The gods were very diverse and numerous, each marked by the general public. There was a supreme god named OkhwangSangje, but it was a conceptual god, not an object of prayer to meet in everyday life. Ancestor worship was very strong. On the anniversary of an ancestor’s death, the people remembered him/her and held a memorial service. All these ceremonies and occasions used food as symbols, of a consciousness that was consistent with beliefs. At that time, I always assumed that the names of the gods were traditional, but they were individual, not organized in the systems. When people were sick or seriously ill, or there was a hard time for a family or a person, they earnestly prayed to the gods they believed in. For most people, these were religious ceremonies in everyday life that were not organized.
When I was in high school, I went to a Christian church for the first time. It was very strange. I sang hymns, prayed, read the Bible, listened to the sermon, and received the pastor's blessing. I felt sincere, but a lot of doubt remained. I did not understand why the name of Jesus was used when they prayed. I could not understand that Jesus died for me, and that I will be saved if I believed in him, because he carried my sins on his shoulders. I was told this was faith of the cross. The question of how he could die in my place remained puzzling. I thought I was me, he was him. How could he die for me? What does it mean to believe in him?
I heard such words in sermons, prayers, and hymns: blood, sin, original sin, death, salvation, resurrection, eternal life, destruction, hell, heaven, angel, devil, fight, victory, love, peace. Hymns that contained words of blood and sin, made me very nervous and seemed unintelligible. Moreover, the contents of the hymns were so militant that it was very uncomfortable to sing along together. How could love, curse, or destruction coexist, and how could peace and war be together. It was very difficult to understand the original sin of Christianity. There was no such a concept of original sin in Confucianism, Taoism, or general folk beliefs.
The Meaning of the faith was more difficult to understand. The education I had received since my childhood was Confucian ethics, which was based on the model of human goodness, righteousness, etiquette, and wisdom. Confucian education stressed constant ethical self-polishing. Living without moral fault in everyday life was a very good virtue. Confucianism taught how to live harmoniously with the conflicts and contradictions in life. I have heard many controversial debates about whether the nature of mankind good or evil. But I have never heard original sin before. According to the church, all human beings were born with the original sin, a concept I couldn’t understand. Though I heard the sermon, I could not comprehend that Jesus, who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago, had shed his blood to liberate all people from original sin. As the son of God, he had no sin. If we believe that he came down to this earth to take away the sins of humanity and died for sinners, we will be saved from the sin. How many people lived before Jesus, not hearing his name was therefore in a pit of destruction? I found that this required a leap of logic and was so difficult to believe. The dichotomy of heaven and hell evoked a horror, but I couldn’t take it seriously and thought it was the same thing as the Buddhist monastery’s paradise. Of course, it seemed to be a different from that of Buddhism, which preaches the endless rebirth.
Another concept I failed to understand was Jesus died for us. No one lives or dies for somebody else’s life or death. When I said this to Christians, they answered that I did not have faith and advised that I should believe it unconditionally. But how do you believe in incredible things? It was a logic that revolved. [a revolving logic?] When I read various theological writings, I could not understand their logic. Nevertheless, I continued to go to the church and stayed in the system of Christianity. My Christian life has been a process of finding my own personality as a human being and meaning of faith.
In the meantime, Howard H. Brinton's book Quaker 300 Years translated by Ham Sok Hon was introduced to Korea and it opened my eyes. The form and contents evoked empathy although of course, it was not easy to understand at first. I also gained a little knowledge of Quakerism as I read another article by Ham Sok Hon. Occasionally, I attended Quaker meetings in Seoul, and again during my stay in Germany. I arrived at a idea that I should become a Quaker when I returned to Korea. So, my wife and I became members of the Northern Germany region. Of course, I did not consider the formality to be important at the time, but I also thought about why I had to go through the formal process of Quaker membership. It would be all right not to become a member and continue worshipping with Friends in Germany, but once I returned to Korea, I thought that it would be strange for an attendees to host a Quaker meeting. So, I became an official member of the German Yearly Meeting through interviews.
Then I came back to Korea and started studying Quakerisms with some friends in Daejeon. We met every Sunday. The meeting started with one-hour silent worship and then completed with another hour of study. After six years of the study meeting, we registered with FWCC that we wished to form a Quaker Monthly Meeting. We read religious scriptures in various ways: the New Testament and the Old Testament, Buddhist scriptures and Taoist scriptures, and occasionally Confucian classics. This led to a deeper understanding of the Quaker faith based on my Christianity, and to a broader degree of religiosity. I have already mentioned my background was in the traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and the folk beliefs of Korea. Although I have not studied them systematically, I feel that these traditions remain part of my life. Now, based on that, the life of Christianity and Quakerism directs me.
2. Religious pluralism in Korea: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Life (Folk) Faith
Korean society has historically and socially religious pluralism. Buddhism and Confucianism as national ruling ideologies have long dominated Korean society, and Taoism and folk religion as life ethics have led people's everyday life in harmony with these foreign religions. In other words, although scholars' claims are different, one of Korean traditional religions is Taoism and came from China. However, it is true that Taoism is deeply rooted at the bottom of Korean sentiments. Of course, unlike China, the philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism have never been ideologies of any dynastic states in Korean history. However, in the days when Buddhism, which served as a national ideology for nearly a thousand years, and, following Confucianism, Taoism took place in the faith and life of ordinary people.
Confucianism, a new dominant ideology, was introduced after the Buddhism that had flowed through China was. These two ideologies have coexisted but in conflict in politics and culture. Sometimes such religions have been persecuted, but they have never completely disappeared or perished. So, whenever the dynasty changed or the social order could not be sustained by the existing ideology, new ideologies and religions evolved and brought new energy into society. When the ancient nations began to take root, people’s faith did not have the capacity to lead national institutions or to assemble new intellectuals. What was needed at such time was the power of a new religion. The influx of Buddhism into Korea coincided with the formation of the ancient state. Buddhism became the dominant ideology that led to the dynasties on the Korean Peninsula. However, in the later time when exchanges between different societies and the international communities took place, new religions and ideologies were required and Confucianism was adopted.
Confucianism served as a strong ruling ideology of the Joseon Dynasty. However, the overly stringent Confucian system imposed very narrow limitations on daily life, economy, and political life as well as the spiritual world. At that time, new religions and philosophies were introduced through China. Catholicism came in the latter half of the 18th century. For those who had received inhuman treatment by the Confucian ethics of a rigid class system, the idea of Christian equality had great appeal. Catholicism played a very large role in awakening sleeping souls. The news that all humans are equal before God became the gospel. However, such thoughts and beliefs were perceived by the ruling class as a crisis that could destroy the existing order. At that time, elite groups who inclined to reform or who could not directly participate in real politics became more interested in these new ideas, and soon adopted a new religious ideology to improve the lives of ordinary people. The ruling class then began to strongly persecute Christians. The same controversy over ancestor worship in China, also happened in Korea.
A hundred years later, Protestantism was introduced to Korea. While the Catholics were very much opposed by Confucianism, and many of them were persecuted. On the other hand, the Protestants who came later had no difficulty with that ideology. Protestantism, which brought along medical science, education, natural science and technology, drew interest by many ordinary people, dynasties and ruling elites, especially, as the dynasty lost power and the forced integration and reign of Japan began. At that time, the national consciousness and Protestantism of the Korean people coincided due to the loss of national rights. As Protestants entered, Korea opened its doors to America and Europe and became interested in Western science, democracy and education. These things grew with nationalism and the Protestant mission strategy penetrated the minds of Koreans. The idea of Christianity, revealed considerable differences from that of the Confucian and Buddhist lifestyles which had dominated Korea. At that time, there was also a movement to form a new type of religion by rearranging the religious systems in Korean society and tradition, but it was not successful.
However, anew religious movement, Donghak(the eastern learning), that incorporated Korean traditional ideas, Christian gods and human thoughts, appealed to civilian society. Subsequently, it was thoroughly persecuted by the forces that led politics around the ruling classes, as the core of its ideology was very different from what was claimed in Confucianism and Buddhism. Although persecuted, Donghak spread widely and soon became deeply embedded. When protesting Japanese rule, Donghak co-operated with Protestantism over the issue of national independence, but it was prohibited from public activities by the Japanese government, and lost influence due to systematic persecution.
Eventually, Buddhism, Confucianism, traditional religion and Christianity all became part of Korean society and played an important role in mental activities and everyday life. Whenever a new religion or thought system comes into existence, conflicts with existing religions or ideological systems arise, however, over time, new ideologies compromise with traditional spiritual worlds, thought systems and lifestyles. That is to say, the new Confucianism absorbed Buddhism, and Buddhism could not help but absorb the new Confucianism. At the same time, Christianity had to accept the ideology and lifestyle of Buddhism and Confucianism, which were deeply rooted in the land. In logic and doctrine, many things were absorbed by the other, but practising them in everyday life, people had to mix and tolerate each other. In other words, the existing ideological system partially accepted the new thought system and improved its own, and the new idea system had to incorporate existing ideas and inculcate or settle, becoming a reality that enabled conflict and coexistence. The realisation that some of the core ideas in other religions and thought systems, might be different but could be accepted, led to the opposite of conflict and coexistence. In order to establish and maintain one's own religion or thought system, one has to argue that it is different from others, but at the same time, one has no other choice but to utilize or borrow key elements in others. It represents the contradiction and the dilemma of religion in daily life, a clear indication that in a multi-religious society such as Korea, one's own religion is negotiated with other religions. It shows a religion adheres to its immaculacy while at the same time accepting and evolving others. At this point, radical believers claim that "all religions are one." In other words, religious pluralism is encountered in religious unity. All religions start in their own way in their own places but meet in the ultimate. In this respect, the pluralism of religion is asserted and acknowledged in Korean society, and that behind it, all religions reach one religion. This makes it possible for the evolution of religion to converse and meet with other religions.
Korean preoccupations in religion, ideology and everyday life are very similar to those in China because they came from. For example, Confucianism and Taoism came from China, but Buddhism and Catholicism came through China. They had already evolved to a great extent or had come after experiencing conflicts in enculturation and missions. Instead, Protestantism came into Korea partly through China, but mainly by American and Western missionaries. The early arrivals converged in conflict with folk religions, and the later ones reconciled with the foreign and folk religions that came before. The main-stream religions that exist now are Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. They are combined with the unique folk religions and other foreign religions, and become Koreanized. From my childhood, I grew up in the spiritual form of wisdom, experience, scholarship, morality and religion mixed with Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and folk beliefs through the stories of old men, ancestors, or life story. I grew up in a living culture where various religions melded through stories and ordinary life, not as systematic education or religious activities. Therefore, before I met Christianity, the old religious traditions of Korean society had already flowed into me. Before the ancient state was formed, there were many claims that it should accept and spread the ideas of folk religion, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in order to create a spiritual foundation for the state. Even though there were some conflicts with other ideas following the formation of the state and the dominant ideology, I think that the result was a predominately and mutually tolerant atmosphere.
3. Encounter of traditional Religions and Christianity in Korea
No matter what a religion is, it cannot insist to retain its original contents, in order to spread its roots in new places. The fact that a religion has a root in a particular place means that it is settled in the culture through a long historical process. So, one cannot ignore the attitudes, thoughts, and rituals of life the resident in the area until that time. New religions must also enter into the language (concept) used. Here, the newly preached religions change their original form, and on the side that accepts them, face very serious conflicts. Sometimes it appears to be a question of dialogue, sometimes an aspect of persecution, sometimes indifference. The preaching of a new religion must be related to what has already taken place in the land. Religions evolve in these processes.
As I mentioned before, Korea is a multi-religious society. Throughout history, many religions became the dominant ideology of the nation and led the life culture. Even when a new religion became the dominant ideology and past religions and culture were pushed to one side, they did not disappear completely, but remained functioning in life, mind, system and consciousness. They survived in the new regime and spread to new areas because there were some contact points between them. A point of contact opens up the possibility of coexistence, and at the same time provides the possibility of dialogue and religious enculturation that can create a kind of universal human society. Human beings have always had a common religiosity, no matter where they live. This is the basis for the coexistence of different religions, and all religions evolve by different religions.
From this view point, there is a need to compare Christianity with the many religions that have been in Korea although it is impossible and meaningless to compare Christianity with them directly. The languages, concepts and images used are constantly changing, and named differently for the same deity, but even in the religion that uses the same name, images change according to the times and situation. Sometimes they are called gods, heaven, Tao, absolute, but they concur in ultimate beings, the first, the last, the greatest, the deepest, and exist in the individual. They have been used as objects of faith, though at the same time, terms and images were different in human practice. It was also the same in the effort to escape from sin, to go beyond pain and into the world of liberation, and to try to move from retraint to a free state. So, it would be meaningful to look briefly at what differences and commonalities there are in faith and practice.
Buddhism entered the Korean Peninsula through China. Of course, in China, it had undergone many changes and had been altered in coexistence and controversy with new religions, but in the Korean Peninsula, each religion has undergone another process of refraction or change. That's why we use the same name, but the content is very different.
Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism do not directly tell of God. However, there is no concept of God having a personality as in Christianity, but there is an ultimate reality that functions and performs like God. This is what makes their religiosity possible. It is called personality, but the encounter is with an impersonal God, therefore, it is not logical that there is a God. Though 'personal' and 'impersonal' can be distinguished in conceptual explanations, encounter is personal in every place. A change of life can never be brought about without such a personality encounter, because religion is a manifestation of the experience of being at one with oneself through direct contact with the ultimate Being.
Confucianism does not speak of sin. Of course, it petitions to heaven, begs to the gods, prays, but does not do so for liberation from sin, but for the well-being of the nation and the human race and for solving temporal problems. So, the key to what humans and groups do, is to recognize the will of heaven and live that way. Constant self-discipline is necessary to follow the will of the heavens and is the most important thing in life. One way was to worship the ancestors by doing good things. At this point, Confucianism caused great conflict with Christianity. The worship of ancestors was not a religious act, but a ritual of family tradition. This problem caused trouble in all kinds of family events and was a big issue in China and Korea. The conflict with the Catholic Church on this issue has now been resolved but remains a problem with Protestantism. Christians, of course, have deep thoughts about their ancestors, but they have considerable flexibility in the matter of rituals. It can be a kind of compromise. There is no big problem in other social and ethical issues.
Relations between Folk Religion and Christianity: Shamanism, described as no religion, and folk religion spread widely in Korean society as a daily life faith rather than a Western-style religion. There was a great god named OkhwangSangje, but he was not the object of prayer. Rather, the gods that were subject to prayer varied greatly depending on the region, race, family, and age. There was no hierarchy among the various gods; they simply functioned in daily life. Folk religion was based for the ceremony and life of Confucian, Buddhist and Christianity. In this sense, folk religion, that is, shamanistic folk religion, must be said to be the present religion that continues to be created. It should be seen that it is deeply rooted in the daily life and emotion of Koreans.
Nowadays, Confucianism functions only as a life ethic, and does not exist as religious education or systematic organization. There are no temples, schools or authoritative Confucian teachers. It is very common in western countries to say that Korea is a Confucian society, but is very curious whether the claim is justifiable because of a long traditional culture remained. Confucianism emphasizes ethics that regulates human and social relations and underpins daily life. It is a meaningful evaluation to call Korea a Confucian society in the sense that Koreans live a life in keeping with traditional Confucianism rather than studying the doctrine deeply and admiring it. In spite of this, Koreans assume that human beings are able reach perfection through debates whether the intrinsic nature of human beings is good (Mencius? school) or evil (XunZi school) So, they pursue self-discipline constantly and accept that it is very natural to pursue self-growth and reflection that continues even though they accept the doctrine of Christian salvation through faith in Jesus.
Buddhism has many temples and many schools training Buddhist monks. It is true that today there are fewer students than in the past, and fewer aspiring Buddhists, but in general Buddhist beliefs have not been reduced significantly. There are universities and high schools operated by Buddhist societies, and there are many institutions that provide funeral services. Buddhism plays a big role in comforting the dead, finding the way to paradise, and comforting the survivors it operate various programs for those needing to find a calm and meeting peace. The message that everyone has Buddha-nature and has the possibility to attain Buddhahood, gives immense hope to the ordinary people. Some Buddhist scholars claim they can reach enlightenment, or that they can reach at certain levels by studying and training more and more. Whatever they claim, they have something in common. The position of Mahayana Buddhism, which acknowledges that there is absolute in the relative, nirvana in many things like forest, and sacredness in the mundane world, is strong in Korean Buddhism. The difference between the Buddhist sects is not so great, but the union between Buddhism and the folk religions is unusual. This would have been the result of adaptation and spreading of Buddhism adapting to Korean society. In addition, the ceremony of ancestor worship continued in Buddhism. The concept of nirvana and liberation would have been a factor for the non-confrontational acceptance of the Christianity and its concepts of salvation and heaven.
Taoism is not a dominant ideology in Korea. There are no shrines, teachers or organization. According to Taoist philosophy, one must live a life of complete simplicity and honesty in harmony with nature. This may be possibility for those Koreans that have retired from the workforce or have withdrawn from social life. Living in harmony with nature would be difficult for contemporary Koreans. Taoist philosophy is especially critical about civilization. When Koreans experience the restlessness and the meaninglessness of their constantly changing society, the contemplation emphasized in Taoism, gives them new energy.
In Korea there are many Christian education institutions: elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities, and also theological education institutions that train Christian leaders. Also, there are Christian-run hospitals and various social service agencies to provide assistance to society as a whole, while especially encouraging those experiencing hardship. Participation in politics and business circles by Christian Koreans is particularly encouraged in new movements. Progressive Christianity expresses interest in other religions, but conservative Christianity is more interested in conversion and mission. Religious conflicts are deepening within Christian conservative sects.
Among the intellectuals who devote themselves to each religion, those that think about enculturation have much interaction with each other. Ecumenical Christians also interact with clerics and followers of other religions. Between them there is little controversy on the premise of conversion, but there are many concerns about how to accept and recognize the doctrines and ethics of other religions and apply them to everyday life. Religious proponents of either liberal or conservative tendencies, tend to cooperate with one another on the issues each is interested in. However, it is not easy for liberalists and conservatives to interact within the same religion .Instead, those with the same tendencies but practicing different religions, tend to interact on the problems to be solved.
4. The core idea of Taoism to be considered regarding Christianity or Quakerism
Tao, the ultimate reality in Taoism, cannot be adequately expressed in finite human thought, studies, languages, and feelings. Everything that comes out of the ultimate reality is infinitely mysterious and delicate. There is no shape, no image, therefore it is not subject to objective recognition and cannot be recognized as rational thought or reasoning. It is only talked about as a symbol and because the name and reality do not coincide at the moment of naming, in the end, it is a reality that needs to be recognized, experienced and felt through denial. In other words, because everything that humans have is unrecognized?, they must reject all of them in order to enter the world of the Tao.
In particular, silence in Quaker life and the silence prayer in unprogrammed Quaker worship, could reference the Zen meditation of Buddhism. Zen meditation is a method of purifying the corrupted human mind. Its purpose is to realize the ultimate truth by firstly emptying the mind. One must abandon all obsessions and enter into the state of mindlessness. In this way, one realizes the truth of nothingness as the ultimate reality beyond all relative things and can reach the level of liberation, which meets the Buddha through the intuition of the inner mind. This can be said to correspond with the prayers of Christian practitioners that empty their minds and open themselves to God alone and is consistent with the worship of a Quaker who, in the midst of calmness, seeks and waits for the promptings of the God. In other words, encounter through self-denial. The Taoist objective of reaching absolute affirmation through rejection is compatible with Quaker thought.
At this point, it would be meaningful to briefly review the concept of Taoism in three parts; practicing social ethics, simplicity, and Tao.
What confidence and comfort do ordinary people gain when reading Tao Te Ching? This does not mean that one can advance from reading Tao Te Ching to the highest level of Taoism, there is not a fixed step that a person has to reach, but each understands the need to perceive the truthful process to the best of their ability. It is not possible to set a same standard for young children, young adults and the elderly. Each individual has different criteria, and different standards. That is the new possibility of the Taoist philosophy.
The mystic experience of Taoism is not fascinating, but dark, neutral, and uncertain. It is not based on faith, but on the direct experience of God and is a mystery that naturally occurs when living a simple life. I think of the Taoist philosophy as divided into principles, dynamic forces, actions or practices of life.
Firstly, I wish to discuss an understanding of Tao.(道).
Tao is transcendent and intrinsic as absolute reality. Everything has evolved from it. Therefore, it is the mother of all, a loving and productive reality. However, as a being of nothingness, its image cannot be drawn. Non-existence is explained only by negation and cannot be heard, seen, caught or named. It can be only seen and explained as a result of action. The source of life is black darkness and black chaos in that sense, but Tao gives the possibility of infinity. Tao can be described as deep valleys that are empty but accommodate everything: the lowest and deepest sea, the mother, or the water that flows only to the lowlands. Here, it embodies the characteristics of revelation and salvation, the concept of eternal life. It is said that salvation and eternal life are made by oneself. Tao is not exclusive to any particular upper class but is directly connected to all people's lives. The appearance and realization of Tao cannot be expressed in words but is always ordinary; a kind of logos and a way. Like a road, Tao shows the way, containing both sides of principle, relativity and equality that apply to real life. The work of balancing maintains absolute equality beyond the use of the opposing world, so there is no preciousness, no inferiority, no high and low, no fast and slow.
The way that Tao works, or the way people live in accordance with Tao is 'Doing Nothing'(無爲). If interpreted literally, this can be seen as 'not doing anything.' However, when considering the whole context and flow, it is a contradictory interpretation that means to do everything by not doing. It is said to be as natural as the water overflowing from a bowl or a pond when it is full. The water flows downward when tilted, the young sprout shoots in warm spring weather, the temperature gradually lowers when heat reaches the maximum, and rises as it approaches the minimum. Likewise, Tao does not work by human power but proceeds its own way and time. It means that we should not regulate or direct life by civilization and institution. 'Doing Nothing' pursues a life that renounces morality, law and form. Anarchist life can be considered. So, being soft, compassionate, humble and weak can be said to be a strand of inexperience. ? In this way, there is a possibility that the social aspects of contention and violence can be overcome. Should this positive passivity be considered a contradictory term?
This kind of life is possible only by returning to 'Natural disposition' (the simplest and primitive state, p'o(樸). The state of 'Natural disposition' is simple but not easily explained. It is like a blanks late, infant-like, a return to the roots. So, Lao-tze insisted that the five colours blind, the five sounds darken the ears, and the five flavours defile the mouth. In other words, these embellishments send the human mind mad, lead to a life full of covetousness and mark the beginning of an unethical civilisation. Taoism wants 'Natural disposition' that is always rustic but not polished, a life in which man pursues freedom. It is the attitude and life of the Ssial(씨알;seed) as claimed by Ham Sok Hon. How did Ham Sok Hon incorporate this Taoism thought system to his life by combining it with the Christian system?
5. Ham Sok Hon's life and thought. Religious mysticism and everyday life
It is necessary to take a brief look at the religious thought and life of Ham Sok Hon, an early Korean Quaker and a modern philosopher (thinker). He first encountered Christianity in his youth and lived the rest of his life as a Christian. But the road of his life journey varied a great deal. He started out as a Presbyterian and grew up within this denomination. When he was studying in Japan, he learned "Non-Church faith movement" from Uchimura Kanjo and lived this way for a considerable period. Then he became a Quaker when he reached at a mature age. Korean Quakers are influenced by Ham Sok Hon and I believe that I was also influenced much by him.
Ham Sok Hon read many of Rabindranath Tagore’s books. He also read Gandhi, Tolstoy, Ruskin, Carlyle, Schweitzer and H. G. Wells. Of course, he also read books on communism. During the Korean War, he read the Bhagavad-Gita and studied the Indian thought. Through reading he realised that there was no fundamental difference between Christianity and Buddhism, and came to a conclusion that all religions are one. When he began to read "Chuangtze," he felt his shell cracking off bit by bit. He thought deeply about the historical Jesus, eternal life, heaven, salvation, and so on. He declared, "The idea of being a heretic or authentic is an old idea. Where is the road in the air? Go endlessly, endlessly climb up the road. As long as you are a relative being, you are going to go way, which is just one of infinite ways. I am only going to go my way. I am not qualified to define it. There is no heresy. Only those who claim to be heresy are heresy." Following this declaration, he walked his own faith path.
Through this declaration he was able to divorce himself from the union church and go his own way. "So I am not alone in my father's bosom, and I have seen so many ways to climb the mountain of truth."
Anyone can say that theirs is the only way, but this is only subjective. There are as many ways to climb as people, although in an absolute place, one road is the only way(9, 314). It is religion in a relative world, and no religion is unique, just one of many religions. The thought that Christianity is the only true religion is a narrow idea in the relative system. So, all religions should be humble. Individual religions are not large enough to hold God. So, Ham Sok Hon, as much as possible, tried to live by the spirit of freedom, without holding onto the "formality" that began with a symbol(9, 315).
To him, the true path is the way that either you or I, or a Christian or a pagan, walk together. “I am not the only son. So, Now you have to sacrifice your self-creed."(9, 317). "To know whether it is authentic or superstition is possible only between God and me(9, 318)." "I believe not only for myself but for others, finally, the world must be saved. Belief in faith for future generations is a truly saving faith. It (truth) is in all past mankind and is the future humanity. In this way, no one will perish(9, 318-9)."
Ham Sok Hon waits for a new religion to appear, regarding the present religions as old beliefs that do not fit into the new age. The reasons for this are:
1) The completion of Christian doctrine
2) Increasingly institutionalizing
3) Being defensive, not being offensive
4) Increasingly antagonistic
5) Strong internal conflict(3, 221-222).
These are the reason that a new religion is needed. An old religion predicts and orders a new one in the same way as rot stimulates or severe shock results in a new flow.
There are a few signs that the time is not far when a new religion will be born.
1) The nature of modern war has been totally different from those of the past.
2) The progress in the atomic science.
3) World view issues.
4) The development of biotechnology
5) The whole world is in a single network(3: 223-228).
What will the new religion be like?
New religion comes from the waiting mind, and it will appear in this way:
1) "If you say the shape of the face is round, it means one. (...) Religion which refuses this belief (all religions are one) will fall in the future. (....) He will give you a Word to make the whole world one house. (...) In the future, the world will be one, and there will be one religion.”
2) " The religion would be colourless face. It means that it must become more rational. (...) The reasoning belong to the realm of science. (...) Science and religion are all growing aspects of life, but each has depreciated the other by criticising. (....) Those who are trapped in the emotions of winning and losing cannot go to heaven. Neither science nor religion wins. It is not a religion or a science until one enters the world of eternal infinity.”
3) "This is a matter of humanity. It is a matter of how people think about themselves. (...) What to do about God, what to do about the natural world, these questions reflect a person’s view of himself. (...) "Future religions should be religions that re-create this tired life, so must have a new human perspective to reunite the divided person. Body would not interfere soul, and soul would not exclude body.”(3, 229-235). It is the religion of mind because it is one of personality and logic, and it is the religion of enlightenment because it is one of mind(3, 239)." It always lives here and now(3, 239). ‘Here and now' is the reality. "Religion does not forget reality but saves reality. It requires the least amount of organization to deliver reality(3, 145)." It is not a giant organization, but a minimal organization and form. The religion of the future is the religion of here and now. Therefore, without thinking of the here and now, there can be no salvation and no repentance. It's only nonsense(3, 146). Of course, the purpose is heaven. It is the way of religion to ascend to heaven. But there are no birds that fly without encountering land. The Word, "It is done in the earth, as it is in heaven,’’ means to consider the importance of tense ? (3, 146)."
4] Authentic religion regards the people’s living important. "Religion really does not make the people into hallucination and sleep but wakes them up and fights them. (....) As long as no one can fight evil and become a good spirit, we cannot close our eyes to reality. Sin is a reality, reality is a sinful being, and sin is a social phenomenon, so that living religion is a systematic activity of those who are determined to fight against evil. (....) God, who is the winner ofthe fighting against the sin of reality, is Christ. Our religion must be realistic and scientific(3, 146-7)." How, then, will we fight against the reality?
There are two goals to fight. "God and the people, these two are one. If God is the head, his feet are in the people. That the feet of the holy God take steps on and are covered with dust, is just the people. (...) God's service is in the service of the people. The highest is at the lowest, the most holy is at the most vulgar, and the largest is at the smallest. Truth is in the people. The concept that the people are the feet of God means that the people are the reflection of the all visible. (...) Washing feet is washing the people. An absolute and holy God has no problem with cleaning the feet of those who are dirty. So, Christ said, "what you do to one of the least of my brothers is what you do to me." The extremely small is the people. The meaning of small is low. There is nothing greater than the low on earth, though it is unbelievably low compared in the heaven. A church, a nation, a culture, and a world can be said to be nothing more than architecture built on the surface (3, 147-8)." An extremely small organization is needed to wake up the people, the SSial(seed)(3, 149). In this way, Ham Sok Hon had already been a Quaker before meeting other Quakers. It was merely a confirmation that their beliefs was same when they met each other.
Ham Sok Hon’s argument can be summarized as follows: He is freed from the idea that Christianity is the only religion and that the Bible alone proclaims complete truth. He is convinced that the world must be one, encompassing science and globalisation. Therefore, he is sure that nationalism must be overcome, and all religions represent the Word of God. He believes it is important to have one’s own religion. The world’s salvation is represented by the individual’s trials. 'A religion of one's own' asks a believer to come face to face with God without a mediator, confronting God individually, not like a religion with many followers. "Christ does not represents anyone. He is the person who stands right in front of God, that is Christ." So, Ham Sok Hon wants to stand before God as a Christian. At the same time, he likes to read Lao-tze and Chuangtze. He also liked Gandhi, who said, "if there is a truth valuable to sacrifice one's life, that is, every human being must live together" At the same time, Ham Sok Hon becomes an absolute positivist influenced by Carlyle, who said, "eternal affirmation which is ultimate affirmation is reached through the ultimate negation of everything. He loves the freedom that God has given. So he becomes a free man. What do we do with such liberty? The free individual is not an admiral? , but an individual who represents the whole. So, the fusion of such individuals and the whole is important. God, manifested in the reality, represents the whole as a flow in the personal life.
One is "to realise that you should share your neighbour with yourselves," to serve your God with all your heart and all your soul and to serve your neighbour as yourself." The individual and the whole are not separate to Ham. You are in me, I am in you. I am the whole within you. Therefore, Ham Sok Hon sees the spiritual community as a new religion that frees the individual while focusing on the individual as a whole. He experiences this in Quakerism.
As a Quaker he does not condone violence, so is committed to opposing war. In this way, he believes the pacifist element of Quakerism is closest to Eastern thought. Ham Sok Hon has always been interested in the thought of Lao-tze and Chuangtze and the Zen of Buddhism and has contributed greatly to the use of this in everyday life.
After the end of World War II, Ham Sok Hon believed that the social life of human beings would be greatly changed. He thought that the way of life and the social structure itself would become fundamentally different, not just to the extent the boundaries would be changed. How will it differ? What is the role of religion? Will religion try to stand in the way of new civilization? He saw that existing religions could not endure because they were closely connected with politics. The Second World War had seen the birth of the superpower, nationalism, and continued domination. So, he thought that a new vision of nationhood should be established. He claimed that a country must be for the people, and the notion that the people should exist for the nation should be abolished. If this was to be the case, it needs to understand it in terms of the Eastern thought(3, 156-7).
So, he saw salvation in Christianity and Nirvana in Buddhism as simply different names for the same concept. For example, human thought and behaviour remain the same whether expressed as ‘sin’ in Christianity or ‘ignorance’ in Indian. In this way, there is nothing to cause conflict between the two religions. The place Lao-tze and Chuangtze call Tao, is the place of God Christians seek. If we do not analyse these concepts ideologically, but see them through the mind of a believer, the place is the same (3, 158).
One thing is clear: the afterlife is not something we aspire to live a luxurious life forever by an extension of today's world. (3, 160) Through meditation and prayer, one is emptied and the other is filled by the absorption of truth (3, 169). In this, Christianity and Zen converge.
Ham Sok Hon did not wish to distinguish between the plural, the whole, the one, the East and the West, Christianity, Buddhism, Zen, and Taoism, believing ideas may be shared so that everything is one. All are children of God. Would this new religion be perfect? It's not like that. For him, religion is not complete but continues to change, flows, and grows. The process of religion, the faith on the path, is the only thing that grows. It is a living religion that can follow the path. In reality, religion and faith cannot be completed and manifested to those who think of God as unfinished and growing.
6. Ham Sok Hon's Understanding of Christianity and Other Thought Systems
It is very important to grasp the relationship between Ham Sok Hon's understanding of Jesus and Eastern philosophy. The idea of the Ssial(씨알), which he created in the last years of his life, refers to the 'pure man'. A good example of the pure man is Jesus. "No one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is like a child." To Jesus, a child represents purity. The way to achieve this is to be born again, to return to one’s original innocent self. Eastern thought is the same. Taoists especially, think deeply about the child’s mind. He who becomes as a child is a person with a very deep virtue.
Let's look at Lao-tze chapter 28?. If you know the male (heaven, Yang) and defend the female (land, Yin), you will receive the water of the valley, the water of life under the earth. Then you will return to the child's heart without losing the purest virtue of nature. If you take advantage of virtue, you become like an infant. Bees or insects do not sting, nor peck birds and ducks. This is a simple and pure man that Lao-tze sees.
Did Ham Sok Hon regard Ssial in this way? Ssial may be soft like a child's hand but is hard to hold and can be regarded as weak even though everything is arranged around it. Therefore, the childlike mind is the true heart, the heart as it was in the beginning. If you lose the true heart, you lose Ssial. Isn't this the heart of Ssial? Ham Sok Hon seems to have regarded the true person practicing Christianity or the philosophy of Lao-tze as the heart of Ssial. Let's look in depth at how he comprehended the thoughts of Lao-tze and Chuangtze.
Ham Sok Hon interpreted the thoughts of Lao-tze and Chuangtze, in the following way:
The intention of Lao-tze and Chuangtze was to live beyond the phenomenon of reality. This is not to say that transcending means discarding. This phenomenon is not a dream, nor a falsity, nor an evil that should be thrown away, as some people believe. Lao-tze and Chuangtze did not think so and did not live that way either. We are born into the world of reality, we have no choice, nor can we avoid it. It is a natural thing and inevitable because it is nature. We cannot help that. Man is a thinking being, so our attitudes are what matters. We can understand, judge good and bad, choose or forsake. "A complicated problem arises between the thinking me and the world that surrounds me and those who think like me."
"I know that the relative emerged from the absolute by seeing the relative apart from the absolute. That is transcending reality. Absolute is infinite eternity and relative is also eternal infinite. It is called 'a mystery within a mystery' because it becomes one by the absolute in the relative. It is also called 'the gate of all subtleties.' The lives of Lao-tze and Chuangtze begin at Tao and end at Tao. The end is the beginning, the beginning is the end."
Tao is causeless because it is the basis of everything. It is said that it is nature itself, and it is said to be nothing. "What can be done to achieve the way(Tao)? Lao-tze emphasizes futility?, silence, and unselfishness in one’s thinking and doing nothing, weakness, non-violence, and restoring in practice.
So, Ham Sok Hon acknowledged Lao-tze as a pacifist. "No one has ever cried purely for pacifism ?.” Moreover, this was during the time of the Chunchu States which emphasised national prosperity and military power. Lao-tze emphasised doing nothing rather than becoming political. This applies to the principle of all life. That is to say, all belief in life and the ability to self-govern.
As poor as Chuangtze was, he disliked the prospect of a government post and said he preferred to be like the pigs herded into the gutter, rather than living in a house designed for extravagant ceremony. He related this philosophy to the messenger sent by the king to offer him a high post in the government. Instead of adopting such a high position, he remained as a person with a fiery faith to rescue Ssial who lived under the exploitation of a tyrannical ruler. This standing is linked to the life of Jesus. Ham Sok Hon expressed this posture of life in his famous article "The spirit of wilderness." This spirit is seen in the life of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos in the Old Testament. Ham Sok Hon's critique of nationalism is obviously derived from the unregulated politics of Lao-tze and Chuangtze and from the concept of the heavenly kingdom of Jesus. It is the fusion of these ideas that envisages a new world of truth and a nation without ignoring or forsaking the real world. Is this also the Quaker spirit?
7. My life as a Quaker
Am I able to practice Quakerism in my daily life? Am I able to keep that tradition, as a Quaker who sees faith and practice as equally important, or as one? When I think about it, I have grave doubts. In today’s highly civilized society, I have to live luxuriously compared to ancient times, so what is humble and simple living? How can I live without destroying the nature’s ecosystem, when I am aware of that birth itself is an environmental destruction? In what way can we live together peacefully when the pattern of life leads to competition and strife from beginning to end? In an overly systemised and organised society, is it possible to live under soul guidance like a natural and windy spirit? Strangely, in a modern society becoming increasingly nationalistic, how can I practice the beliefs and philosophy that mankind belongs to one life system? How can I follow the Quaker tradition of not swearing oaths or pledges in a digitalised modern world where almost everything is full of such things? When I think about this, my breath seems to be clogged. But I feel finding a little road to life in the frustrating and obstructed reality is essential for a Quaker. Isn't it a mystery to experience in everyday life or a life awaiting revelation, a need for a practical narrow path that captures a feeling from an invisible reality? So, it is time to wait for a mystic experience in a life that has no mystery.
I want to lead my life in the following way at least:
There is one hope and one reality on the Korean peninsula. In other words, there is an ideology that a nation should form a country, but the reality is that it is divided into two countries which fight each other. My philosophy and belief are that the entire human race must transcend nations and countries. But I think that we should pay close attention to how we can create a society that lives peacefully when all nations are becoming more self-centred. In order to do that, it is my job to make myself peaceful first and to live with a peaceful mind. At the same time, it is necessary to share a peaceful life with the people around me. To that end, I try to practice keeping a smile on my face and in my mind. I must endeavour to acknowledge and tolerate others, but at the same time, I should challenge the tradition and social trend of making everything uniform. I am trying to launch a campaign that no war should take place on the Korean peninsula. Also, I am trying to launch a peace pilgrimage and input the energy of peace in the places of severe conflict, particularly with the elderly who think that there should be no more war on the Korean peninsula, no matter whether they are on the left or the right. Since the threat of a nuclear war between the US and North Korea is on the rise, pilgrimage activities for peace are very important now, I think. We are all different, but at the same time we are one. So, we are friends. I want to undertake a peace pilgrimage to realise this.
Peace energy senses the need to train individuals creatively to change their violent tendencies into a state of nonviolence and peace. This was the result of my experience and participation as an activist for AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project). We should practice non-violence in our personal lives and relationships with others, believe that one can acknowledge and respect oneself, respect and care for others, solve all problems in a non-violent way, think deeply before acting, and expect the best result. I was convinced of these things when taking part in several workshops with AVP. Therefore, I consider trying to live in this way as my important life task. Of course, there is no order, but I hope that I can contribute to the peace of society through training myself to be peaceful.
I want to spread the message of peace to ordinary citizens through research on non-violent thoughts, lectures and forums. In daily life, I wish to assist others to love their enemy, bless those that are different and trust ? those that have no truth. In this way, the Taoist philosophy that softness encompasses strength and softness dissolves rigidity, can become a habit that is incorporated into daily life. This training begins with the belief that all people have the possibility to enter such a state. It also encompasses a common belief that all people have an inner light, there is an inner teacher, and all can find a way to Buddha-nature and get in touch with Tao. This is the mystical experience of everyday life. Mysticism is a very normal life.
However, in contemporary civilised society, Koreans especially, lack sufficient daily rest and do not practice deep breathing. So, there are many people ? who are not always burdened themselves, decide not to live their own lives, and yet are struggling with external pressures and mood. As one philosopher has analysed, modern society is an exhausted society. I do not have the ability and vision to lead those who feel tired to a place of peace, but I want to create an atmosphere where I can talk with them aa a friend. Of course, I am not a professional counsellor, nor a conflict solver, nor a person who has trained others. But I want to be a friend to troubled people who cannot establish himself or is in conflict with himself. I feel that is a way to live with the truth in my own heart. Such contacts and encounters are possible in one-to-one personal meetings, but I am confident that I can engage with small groups through some programs.
I want to live by a very common truth. That is, I admit that everything is different: language, culture, customs, clothes, living, religion, race, and so on. The difference is a big hope. But I cannot reject the truth that all other truths come from one source and eventually return to the one root. In other words, the stream in the area where I live flows from the nearby mountain. It provides my farmland and my house with water for drinking and general-use. I depend on the water. Water flows and flows into the vast ocean. The sea is wide, but the water becomes as one. In the end, the water that flows into the sea through all the rivers remains compatible as friends do. This analogy can be applied to our discussion of religion, life, faith, and practice. The core of all religions has been fixed differently according to culture and age and is practiced in separate ways, but the ultimate reality that it seeks and converges in one. Therefore, all religions are compatible to one another. Jewish, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and folk religion live in the one water as close friends, but it is very important to maintain their own traditions and way of life.
I think that bridging divisions through peace should be one of my life tasks. The type of the bridge will vary according to various fields. I will endeavour to bring bridges in at least three ways; As Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) activist, a Quaker and a member of Amnesty International. I hope to establish bridges without borders. In order to do so, I must experience other cultures, religions, people (races), civilizations and customs, either directly or indirectly, - find their core values and absorb it. It will be important to lead my life in the manner of those who always seek truth with an open mind.
Bibliography
An Encounter of the Mysticism of Quaker and Taoism in Everyday Life
Everything is changing continually. Change is always experienced in both the material and spiritual worlds. The meaning and the perspective of the world, nations, states, religions and philosophy change all the time and in every situation. Sometimes the changes accompany disappearance of contents, but at the same time would include expansion to a new abundant meaning. This phenomenon also occurs in religion. It is a matter of tradition and identity, but also a matter of new enlightenment.
After I became acquainted with Quakers, I tried to discover the core of Quaker identity. This effort was a far cry from the Quaker tradition of not creating standards or creeds. However, since I was officially registered as a Quaker, I endlessly continued my search, because I have to know for myself what it is to be a Quaker. But the more I tried, the more abstract the Quakers claim to live appeared. It was very frustrating.
The terms, 'inner light', 'inner voice', 'the person in me', that Quakers say are hard to understand. It was as difficult as the following concepts which I have heard since childhood from the adults who have lived with Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Korea's own folk religions. For example, "God," "Holy Spirit," "Messiah," "Christ," "Okhwangsangje," "Yongwang," "Yeomnadaewang," "Geukrak," "Seobangjeongto," "Paradise," or " 'Buddha in me' or 'Tao', 'Jinin(pure man)', 'Nature' or 'Buddha' which is said to be 'Salvation' or 'Liberation' (Being Buddha,) etc., all were abstract. Nothing was obvious to my mind. However, it was clear that these abstract concepts were very closely related to everyday life, and I became more curious about Quakers' attitudes toward real life, than any literal explanation or understanding of such concepts. What Quakers are very fond of and trying to accomplish are: Peace, Simplicity, Equality, Community, Truth, Sustainability and Integrity. It was really hard for me to understand them, and not easy to practice. I feel very deeply attracted to them, but when I try to apply them to my life, they become very abstract. They are things that are relative and adaptable in relation to the situation.
The world became complicated, the community of life is broken, filled with confrontation and war rather than peace, and full of discernment and division, increasing the differentials rather than togetherness. Where is the realization of a life like the Quaker tradition, where the development and events of civilization are escalationg? Especially, how do we keep to the tradition of living a simple life in a modern civilization that advocates a complex and superlative life?
I think that the world has already progressed beyond the limits of sectarianism, considering the world as a whole, pursuing the humanity over the nation, the country or the region, and the fusion and coexistence of cultures. Quakers have been constantly trying to get rid of ties to a particular sect, and it is considered important to wear new clothes for a new age. According to the Oriental classics, the principle and the life of Taoism valued the most peaceful, simple, general and ordinary things, and insisted on living a life based on nature beyond the form and norm. I think, it would be meaningful to look into the Taoism for expanding the religiosity of Quakerism. Not just to literally compare them, but to look at the spirituality and the mysticism of the Covenant to supplement or expand Quakerism. It is because spirituality and mysticism are heard in the events we meet in our everyday life.
In order to do that, I first look at the general religious life in the Korean society that I was born into and grew up with. Then, I will briefly examine the evolution of Confucianism, Buddhism, the folk religions, and the indigenous process of Christianity that have led Korean society for a long time. And I am going to look at what Quakerism pursues and the key points that we pursue in Taoism.
Then I will look at the life and thought of Ham Sok Hon, one of Korea's early Quakers who lived in harmony with both Taoism and Quakerism. Finally, I'd like to talk about orientating of my life as a Quaker. These discussions will be organized in the form of questions and are not my claims but expressions of wonder. This is a desire to re-establish Quakerism in myself. We see Quakers are aging and number of young Quakers is shrinking so much to concern the future of the Quakerism. This may be a phenomenon that all religions experience. However, many people look upon that Quakerism is a religion for a new era and try to find a new way out, that does not propagate and preach the traditional Quakerism, but secures an extended religiousness by combining the essence of one’s own cultural and religious traditions with that of Quakerism. I feel this could be one of Quaker's ways of looking at a new era.
It is a great fortune and my pleasure to have met Quakers. At the same time, I feel a great burden because a Quakers is considered to carry an exemplar of realizing faith into everyday life, and I want to put myself in that flow, but I am not in that life. I am very hesitant to tell someone that I am a Quaker as I am not being whole-heartedly to that belief. Especially when I read the diary of the early Quaker, George Fox, I feel that I do not experience such emotions of the trembling, and the commitment to truth.
At that time, it seemed that a much more strong religious atmosphere prevailed throughout society than it is now. In other words, I feel that the society of the past as a whole had a much more religious atmosphere in the flow of the Reformation and the efforts to adhere to the traditions of the established religions than it has now. At such a time, however, the early Quakers’, such as George Fox, lives were very harsh and they were treated strangely. It is very touching to learn that they lead a life following the faith, and truth even in such circumstances.
It is like the impression I feel when reading the Acts of the New Testament. I want to be in that life myself. I feel I am now living in a very secular social atmosphere, an atmosphere of religion without religion. Of course, the number of people living by the systems and doctrines of religion is very large, but the number of people practicing a faithful religious life in formalized religion is very small. At the same time, the non-religious atmosphere seems to be the mainstream in the daily life of religion, politics, economy, culture, scholarship, and in friendship relations. It is not easy to live a deeply religious life at this time.
I have no prior experience of seeking the thorough the truth that the early Friends had and trying to realize such life. I have lived by a very ordinary and plain religion. Therefore, religion is very rare in my words, and it is difficult to find holiness in my everyday life. In fact, when I think about the question of whether I live according to the living Word of Christ living in me, or the light in me, I have no confidence for the answer to it. It is not easy to give a frank answer to the question of what Quaker life is today regardless of carrying a necklace of a cross on one’s chest. However, I agreed to deliver this lecture because I have a desire to share my own concerns.
I just want to ask how we can live a life that realizes truth without distinction between religion and non-religion in a secular social atmosphere and culture system. In order to ask that question, I will start with the following story, not the story of my Quaker Enlightenment, but what about seeking of a path to enlightenment.
1. My upbringing and the religiosity around me
I was born and raised in the non-religious tradition of Confucian family. My family lived by education and life ethics of Confucian tradition. There was no characteristics style of Buddhism, Shamanism. Our family did not practice the tradition of shamanism, while many other people in our village did. Our family never visited any Buddhist temple to meet Buddha, consult or pray for fortune. I have never heard of ‘God’ in the conversations among the family. Instead, I heard that when a person dies, he or she is divided into a soul and a body, the soul is then carried to heaven, and the energy of body is buried in the earth. I was very curious about this phenomenon. But I did not ask my grandparents seriously about this, neither did grandparents explain it. I just grew up without a queation and hence no answer about it. According to the Confucian tradition, if a person dies, the descendants set up a house for the dead in the house. They prepare three meals a day for the dead to eat just like living people do. A soul box is built in the dead person’s house in which a braided thread of blue and red is kept. The braid thread of blue and red symbolize the dead person's soul. The same was practiced in my home, and was the only religious act for our ancestors. Perhaps this should be the only religious act in our family. This was considered an act of filial piety serving ancestral spirits. Confucianism, which has led the Korean society and family tradition, believed in the ethnocentric [?] system as the ethic of life, and was exclusive to other religious activities.
There occurred, however, a problem in the family of my great-grandmother's older sons. Her daughter-in-law died early, and her great-grandson died. The great-grandmother became very sad. During that sad time, she met Christian evangelist and heard the gospel of Christianity. Ever since, she attended to the church very diligently and prayed sincerely. However, her way of prayer was the same as the typical traditional Korean family prayer system. She got up early in the morning, filled the pottery with clean water, washed her face with cold water, and gathered her hands together, rubbing them, and praying to God. It was a prayer for the dead young person and for the oldest living son for a good life. This style for prayer was common in the society, consistent with the beliefs a refreshed body at the dawn enhance our prayers. Such tradition was passed onto her daughter-in-law and later to her granddaughter-in-law, but my grandfather was very displeased with Christianity coming into our family. There was an atmosphere of strange conflict between Confucian tradition and Christian faith. Of course, my great-grandmother and grandmother did not strictly follow a Christian tradition, so there was not too much trouble in my family in carrying out practices for Confucian family ethics. I grew up watching these situations. But I did not think about it and did not know how it related to my future or daily life.
There were no Buddhist temples in my home town, and no Confucian shrines. My hometown villages were not the places where the ruling classes in Korean traditional society lived. Therefore, the village did not live thoroughly in the Confucian ceremonies or the rules of Joseondynastic society. At the yearends or early in the new year, sacrifices were made for the peace of the village at a certain place. At the entrance of the village, a guardian deity guarding the village was built. The ceremonies were also held there. Many people, depending on the season, prayed to their god according to their own family tradition, sometimes to the kitchen god, sometimes to the place of pottery, sometimes to the spring gods, and sometimes to the tree gods. Strangely, large rocks, large trees or deep valleys or wells that were several hundred years old also became prayer centers and were worshiped. It should be called a kind of animism. In this way, God was present in their daily lives.
I thought that there was a guard, or guardian of karma, that kept the house in any family. In Korean traditional society, there was no monotheistic concept as in Christianity. The gods were very diverse and numerous, each marked by the general public. There was a supreme god named OkhwangSangje, but it was a conceptual god, not an object of prayer to meet in everyday life. Ancestor worship was very strong. On the anniversary of an ancestor’s death, the people remembered him/her and held a memorial service. All these ceremonies and occasions used food as symbols, of a consciousness that was consistent with beliefs. At that time, I always assumed that the names of the gods were traditional, but they were individual, not organized in the systems. When people were sick or seriously ill, or there was a hard time for a family or a person, they earnestly prayed to the gods they believed in. For most people, these were religious ceremonies in everyday life that were not organized.
When I was in high school, I went to a Christian church for the first time. It was very strange. I sang hymns, prayed, read the Bible, listened to the sermon, and received the pastor's blessing. I felt sincere, but a lot of doubt remained. I did not understand why the name of Jesus was used when they prayed. I could not understand that Jesus died for me, and that I will be saved if I believed in him, because he carried my sins on his shoulders. I was told this was faith of the cross. The question of how he could die in my place remained puzzling. I thought I was me, he was him. How could he die for me? What does it mean to believe in him?
I heard such words in sermons, prayers, and hymns: blood, sin, original sin, death, salvation, resurrection, eternal life, destruction, hell, heaven, angel, devil, fight, victory, love, peace. Hymns that contained words of blood and sin, made me very nervous and seemed unintelligible. Moreover, the contents of the hymns were so militant that it was very uncomfortable to sing along together. How could love, curse, or destruction coexist, and how could peace and war be together. It was very difficult to understand the original sin of Christianity. There was no such a concept of original sin in Confucianism, Taoism, or general folk beliefs.
The Meaning of the faith was more difficult to understand. The education I had received since my childhood was Confucian ethics, which was based on the model of human goodness, righteousness, etiquette, and wisdom. Confucian education stressed constant ethical self-polishing. Living without moral fault in everyday life was a very good virtue. Confucianism taught how to live harmoniously with the conflicts and contradictions in life. I have heard many controversial debates about whether the nature of mankind good or evil. But I have never heard original sin before. According to the church, all human beings were born with the original sin, a concept I couldn’t understand. Though I heard the sermon, I could not comprehend that Jesus, who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago, had shed his blood to liberate all people from original sin. As the son of God, he had no sin. If we believe that he came down to this earth to take away the sins of humanity and died for sinners, we will be saved from the sin. How many people lived before Jesus, not hearing his name was therefore in a pit of destruction? I found that this required a leap of logic and was so difficult to believe. The dichotomy of heaven and hell evoked a horror, but I couldn’t take it seriously and thought it was the same thing as the Buddhist monastery’s paradise. Of course, it seemed to be a different from that of Buddhism, which preaches the endless rebirth.
Another concept I failed to understand was Jesus died for us. No one lives or dies for somebody else’s life or death. When I said this to Christians, they answered that I did not have faith and advised that I should believe it unconditionally. But how do you believe in incredible things? It was a logic that revolved. [a revolving logic?] When I read various theological writings, I could not understand their logic. Nevertheless, I continued to go to the church and stayed in the system of Christianity. My Christian life has been a process of finding my own personality as a human being and meaning of faith.
In the meantime, Howard H. Brinton's book Quaker 300 Years translated by Ham Sok Hon was introduced to Korea and it opened my eyes. The form and contents evoked empathy although of course, it was not easy to understand at first. I also gained a little knowledge of Quakerism as I read another article by Ham Sok Hon. Occasionally, I attended Quaker meetings in Seoul, and again during my stay in Germany. I arrived at a idea that I should become a Quaker when I returned to Korea. So, my wife and I became members of the Northern Germany region. Of course, I did not consider the formality to be important at the time, but I also thought about why I had to go through the formal process of Quaker membership. It would be all right not to become a member and continue worshipping with Friends in Germany, but once I returned to Korea, I thought that it would be strange for an attendees to host a Quaker meeting. So, I became an official member of the German Yearly Meeting through interviews.
Then I came back to Korea and started studying Quakerisms with some friends in Daejeon. We met every Sunday. The meeting started with one-hour silent worship and then completed with another hour of study. After six years of the study meeting, we registered with FWCC that we wished to form a Quaker Monthly Meeting. We read religious scriptures in various ways: the New Testament and the Old Testament, Buddhist scriptures and Taoist scriptures, and occasionally Confucian classics. This led to a deeper understanding of the Quaker faith based on my Christianity, and to a broader degree of religiosity. I have already mentioned my background was in the traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and the folk beliefs of Korea. Although I have not studied them systematically, I feel that these traditions remain part of my life. Now, based on that, the life of Christianity and Quakerism directs me.
2. Religious pluralism in Korea: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Life (Folk) Faith
Korean society has historically and socially religious pluralism. Buddhism and Confucianism as national ruling ideologies have long dominated Korean society, and Taoism and folk religion as life ethics have led people's everyday life in harmony with these foreign religions. In other words, although scholars' claims are different, one of Korean traditional religions is Taoism and came from China. However, it is true that Taoism is deeply rooted at the bottom of Korean sentiments. Of course, unlike China, the philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism have never been ideologies of any dynastic states in Korean history. However, in the days when Buddhism, which served as a national ideology for nearly a thousand years, and, following Confucianism, Taoism took place in the faith and life of ordinary people.
Confucianism, a new dominant ideology, was introduced after the Buddhism that had flowed through China was. These two ideologies have coexisted but in conflict in politics and culture. Sometimes such religions have been persecuted, but they have never completely disappeared or perished. So, whenever the dynasty changed or the social order could not be sustained by the existing ideology, new ideologies and religions evolved and brought new energy into society. When the ancient nations began to take root, people’s faith did not have the capacity to lead national institutions or to assemble new intellectuals. What was needed at such time was the power of a new religion. The influx of Buddhism into Korea coincided with the formation of the ancient state. Buddhism became the dominant ideology that led to the dynasties on the Korean Peninsula. However, in the later time when exchanges between different societies and the international communities took place, new religions and ideologies were required and Confucianism was adopted.
Confucianism served as a strong ruling ideology of the Joseon Dynasty. However, the overly stringent Confucian system imposed very narrow limitations on daily life, economy, and political life as well as the spiritual world. At that time, new religions and philosophies were introduced through China. Catholicism came in the latter half of the 18th century. For those who had received inhuman treatment by the Confucian ethics of a rigid class system, the idea of Christian equality had great appeal. Catholicism played a very large role in awakening sleeping souls. The news that all humans are equal before God became the gospel. However, such thoughts and beliefs were perceived by the ruling class as a crisis that could destroy the existing order. At that time, elite groups who inclined to reform or who could not directly participate in real politics became more interested in these new ideas, and soon adopted a new religious ideology to improve the lives of ordinary people. The ruling class then began to strongly persecute Christians. The same controversy over ancestor worship in China, also happened in Korea.
A hundred years later, Protestantism was introduced to Korea. While the Catholics were very much opposed by Confucianism, and many of them were persecuted. On the other hand, the Protestants who came later had no difficulty with that ideology. Protestantism, which brought along medical science, education, natural science and technology, drew interest by many ordinary people, dynasties and ruling elites, especially, as the dynasty lost power and the forced integration and reign of Japan began. At that time, the national consciousness and Protestantism of the Korean people coincided due to the loss of national rights. As Protestants entered, Korea opened its doors to America and Europe and became interested in Western science, democracy and education. These things grew with nationalism and the Protestant mission strategy penetrated the minds of Koreans. The idea of Christianity, revealed considerable differences from that of the Confucian and Buddhist lifestyles which had dominated Korea. At that time, there was also a movement to form a new type of religion by rearranging the religious systems in Korean society and tradition, but it was not successful.
However, anew religious movement, Donghak(the eastern learning), that incorporated Korean traditional ideas, Christian gods and human thoughts, appealed to civilian society. Subsequently, it was thoroughly persecuted by the forces that led politics around the ruling classes, as the core of its ideology was very different from what was claimed in Confucianism and Buddhism. Although persecuted, Donghak spread widely and soon became deeply embedded. When protesting Japanese rule, Donghak co-operated with Protestantism over the issue of national independence, but it was prohibited from public activities by the Japanese government, and lost influence due to systematic persecution.
Eventually, Buddhism, Confucianism, traditional religion and Christianity all became part of Korean society and played an important role in mental activities and everyday life. Whenever a new religion or thought system comes into existence, conflicts with existing religions or ideological systems arise, however, over time, new ideologies compromise with traditional spiritual worlds, thought systems and lifestyles. That is to say, the new Confucianism absorbed Buddhism, and Buddhism could not help but absorb the new Confucianism. At the same time, Christianity had to accept the ideology and lifestyle of Buddhism and Confucianism, which were deeply rooted in the land. In logic and doctrine, many things were absorbed by the other, but practising them in everyday life, people had to mix and tolerate each other. In other words, the existing ideological system partially accepted the new thought system and improved its own, and the new idea system had to incorporate existing ideas and inculcate or settle, becoming a reality that enabled conflict and coexistence. The realisation that some of the core ideas in other religions and thought systems, might be different but could be accepted, led to the opposite of conflict and coexistence. In order to establish and maintain one's own religion or thought system, one has to argue that it is different from others, but at the same time, one has no other choice but to utilize or borrow key elements in others. It represents the contradiction and the dilemma of religion in daily life, a clear indication that in a multi-religious society such as Korea, one's own religion is negotiated with other religions. It shows a religion adheres to its immaculacy while at the same time accepting and evolving others. At this point, radical believers claim that "all religions are one." In other words, religious pluralism is encountered in religious unity. All religions start in their own way in their own places but meet in the ultimate. In this respect, the pluralism of religion is asserted and acknowledged in Korean society, and that behind it, all religions reach one religion. This makes it possible for the evolution of religion to converse and meet with other religions.
Korean preoccupations in religion, ideology and everyday life are very similar to those in China because they came from. For example, Confucianism and Taoism came from China, but Buddhism and Catholicism came through China. They had already evolved to a great extent or had come after experiencing conflicts in enculturation and missions. Instead, Protestantism came into Korea partly through China, but mainly by American and Western missionaries. The early arrivals converged in conflict with folk religions, and the later ones reconciled with the foreign and folk religions that came before. The main-stream religions that exist now are Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. They are combined with the unique folk religions and other foreign religions, and become Koreanized. From my childhood, I grew up in the spiritual form of wisdom, experience, scholarship, morality and religion mixed with Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and folk beliefs through the stories of old men, ancestors, or life story. I grew up in a living culture where various religions melded through stories and ordinary life, not as systematic education or religious activities. Therefore, before I met Christianity, the old religious traditions of Korean society had already flowed into me. Before the ancient state was formed, there were many claims that it should accept and spread the ideas of folk religion, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in order to create a spiritual foundation for the state. Even though there were some conflicts with other ideas following the formation of the state and the dominant ideology, I think that the result was a predominately and mutually tolerant atmosphere.
3. Encounter of traditional Religions and Christianity in Korea
No matter what a religion is, it cannot insist to retain its original contents, in order to spread its roots in new places. The fact that a religion has a root in a particular place means that it is settled in the culture through a long historical process. So, one cannot ignore the attitudes, thoughts, and rituals of life the resident in the area until that time. New religions must also enter into the language (concept) used. Here, the newly preached religions change their original form, and on the side that accepts them, face very serious conflicts. Sometimes it appears to be a question of dialogue, sometimes an aspect of persecution, sometimes indifference. The preaching of a new religion must be related to what has already taken place in the land. Religions evolve in these processes.
As I mentioned before, Korea is a multi-religious society. Throughout history, many religions became the dominant ideology of the nation and led the life culture. Even when a new religion became the dominant ideology and past religions and culture were pushed to one side, they did not disappear completely, but remained functioning in life, mind, system and consciousness. They survived in the new regime and spread to new areas because there were some contact points between them. A point of contact opens up the possibility of coexistence, and at the same time provides the possibility of dialogue and religious enculturation that can create a kind of universal human society. Human beings have always had a common religiosity, no matter where they live. This is the basis for the coexistence of different religions, and all religions evolve by different religions.
From this view point, there is a need to compare Christianity with the many religions that have been in Korea although it is impossible and meaningless to compare Christianity with them directly. The languages, concepts and images used are constantly changing, and named differently for the same deity, but even in the religion that uses the same name, images change according to the times and situation. Sometimes they are called gods, heaven, Tao, absolute, but they concur in ultimate beings, the first, the last, the greatest, the deepest, and exist in the individual. They have been used as objects of faith, though at the same time, terms and images were different in human practice. It was also the same in the effort to escape from sin, to go beyond pain and into the world of liberation, and to try to move from retraint to a free state. So, it would be meaningful to look briefly at what differences and commonalities there are in faith and practice.
Buddhism entered the Korean Peninsula through China. Of course, in China, it had undergone many changes and had been altered in coexistence and controversy with new religions, but in the Korean Peninsula, each religion has undergone another process of refraction or change. That's why we use the same name, but the content is very different.
Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism do not directly tell of God. However, there is no concept of God having a personality as in Christianity, but there is an ultimate reality that functions and performs like God. This is what makes their religiosity possible. It is called personality, but the encounter is with an impersonal God, therefore, it is not logical that there is a God. Though 'personal' and 'impersonal' can be distinguished in conceptual explanations, encounter is personal in every place. A change of life can never be brought about without such a personality encounter, because religion is a manifestation of the experience of being at one with oneself through direct contact with the ultimate Being.
Confucianism does not speak of sin. Of course, it petitions to heaven, begs to the gods, prays, but does not do so for liberation from sin, but for the well-being of the nation and the human race and for solving temporal problems. So, the key to what humans and groups do, is to recognize the will of heaven and live that way. Constant self-discipline is necessary to follow the will of the heavens and is the most important thing in life. One way was to worship the ancestors by doing good things. At this point, Confucianism caused great conflict with Christianity. The worship of ancestors was not a religious act, but a ritual of family tradition. This problem caused trouble in all kinds of family events and was a big issue in China and Korea. The conflict with the Catholic Church on this issue has now been resolved but remains a problem with Protestantism. Christians, of course, have deep thoughts about their ancestors, but they have considerable flexibility in the matter of rituals. It can be a kind of compromise. There is no big problem in other social and ethical issues.
Relations between Folk Religion and Christianity: Shamanism, described as no religion, and folk religion spread widely in Korean society as a daily life faith rather than a Western-style religion. There was a great god named OkhwangSangje, but he was not the object of prayer. Rather, the gods that were subject to prayer varied greatly depending on the region, race, family, and age. There was no hierarchy among the various gods; they simply functioned in daily life. Folk religion was based for the ceremony and life of Confucian, Buddhist and Christianity. In this sense, folk religion, that is, shamanistic folk religion, must be said to be the present religion that continues to be created. It should be seen that it is deeply rooted in the daily life and emotion of Koreans.
Nowadays, Confucianism functions only as a life ethic, and does not exist as religious education or systematic organization. There are no temples, schools or authoritative Confucian teachers. It is very common in western countries to say that Korea is a Confucian society, but is very curious whether the claim is justifiable because of a long traditional culture remained. Confucianism emphasizes ethics that regulates human and social relations and underpins daily life. It is a meaningful evaluation to call Korea a Confucian society in the sense that Koreans live a life in keeping with traditional Confucianism rather than studying the doctrine deeply and admiring it. In spite of this, Koreans assume that human beings are able reach perfection through debates whether the intrinsic nature of human beings is good (Mencius? school) or evil (XunZi school) So, they pursue self-discipline constantly and accept that it is very natural to pursue self-growth and reflection that continues even though they accept the doctrine of Christian salvation through faith in Jesus.
Buddhism has many temples and many schools training Buddhist monks. It is true that today there are fewer students than in the past, and fewer aspiring Buddhists, but in general Buddhist beliefs have not been reduced significantly. There are universities and high schools operated by Buddhist societies, and there are many institutions that provide funeral services. Buddhism plays a big role in comforting the dead, finding the way to paradise, and comforting the survivors it operate various programs for those needing to find a calm and meeting peace. The message that everyone has Buddha-nature and has the possibility to attain Buddhahood, gives immense hope to the ordinary people. Some Buddhist scholars claim they can reach enlightenment, or that they can reach at certain levels by studying and training more and more. Whatever they claim, they have something in common. The position of Mahayana Buddhism, which acknowledges that there is absolute in the relative, nirvana in many things like forest, and sacredness in the mundane world, is strong in Korean Buddhism. The difference between the Buddhist sects is not so great, but the union between Buddhism and the folk religions is unusual. This would have been the result of adaptation and spreading of Buddhism adapting to Korean society. In addition, the ceremony of ancestor worship continued in Buddhism. The concept of nirvana and liberation would have been a factor for the non-confrontational acceptance of the Christianity and its concepts of salvation and heaven.
Taoism is not a dominant ideology in Korea. There are no shrines, teachers or organization. According to Taoist philosophy, one must live a life of complete simplicity and honesty in harmony with nature. This may be possibility for those Koreans that have retired from the workforce or have withdrawn from social life. Living in harmony with nature would be difficult for contemporary Koreans. Taoist philosophy is especially critical about civilization. When Koreans experience the restlessness and the meaninglessness of their constantly changing society, the contemplation emphasized in Taoism, gives them new energy.
In Korea there are many Christian education institutions: elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities, and also theological education institutions that train Christian leaders. Also, there are Christian-run hospitals and various social service agencies to provide assistance to society as a whole, while especially encouraging those experiencing hardship. Participation in politics and business circles by Christian Koreans is particularly encouraged in new movements. Progressive Christianity expresses interest in other religions, but conservative Christianity is more interested in conversion and mission. Religious conflicts are deepening within Christian conservative sects.
Among the intellectuals who devote themselves to each religion, those that think about enculturation have much interaction with each other. Ecumenical Christians also interact with clerics and followers of other religions. Between them there is little controversy on the premise of conversion, but there are many concerns about how to accept and recognize the doctrines and ethics of other religions and apply them to everyday life. Religious proponents of either liberal or conservative tendencies, tend to cooperate with one another on the issues each is interested in. However, it is not easy for liberalists and conservatives to interact within the same religion .Instead, those with the same tendencies but practicing different religions, tend to interact on the problems to be solved.
4. The core idea of Taoism to be considered regarding Christianity or Quakerism
Tao, the ultimate reality in Taoism, cannot be adequately expressed in finite human thought, studies, languages, and feelings. Everything that comes out of the ultimate reality is infinitely mysterious and delicate. There is no shape, no image, therefore it is not subject to objective recognition and cannot be recognized as rational thought or reasoning. It is only talked about as a symbol and because the name and reality do not coincide at the moment of naming, in the end, it is a reality that needs to be recognized, experienced and felt through denial. In other words, because everything that humans have is unrecognized?, they must reject all of them in order to enter the world of the Tao.
In particular, silence in Quaker life and the silence prayer in unprogrammed Quaker worship, could reference the Zen meditation of Buddhism. Zen meditation is a method of purifying the corrupted human mind. Its purpose is to realize the ultimate truth by firstly emptying the mind. One must abandon all obsessions and enter into the state of mindlessness. In this way, one realizes the truth of nothingness as the ultimate reality beyond all relative things and can reach the level of liberation, which meets the Buddha through the intuition of the inner mind. This can be said to correspond with the prayers of Christian practitioners that empty their minds and open themselves to God alone and is consistent with the worship of a Quaker who, in the midst of calmness, seeks and waits for the promptings of the God. In other words, encounter through self-denial. The Taoist objective of reaching absolute affirmation through rejection is compatible with Quaker thought.
At this point, it would be meaningful to briefly review the concept of Taoism in three parts; practicing social ethics, simplicity, and Tao.
What confidence and comfort do ordinary people gain when reading Tao Te Ching? This does not mean that one can advance from reading Tao Te Ching to the highest level of Taoism, there is not a fixed step that a person has to reach, but each understands the need to perceive the truthful process to the best of their ability. It is not possible to set a same standard for young children, young adults and the elderly. Each individual has different criteria, and different standards. That is the new possibility of the Taoist philosophy.
The mystic experience of Taoism is not fascinating, but dark, neutral, and uncertain. It is not based on faith, but on the direct experience of God and is a mystery that naturally occurs when living a simple life. I think of the Taoist philosophy as divided into principles, dynamic forces, actions or practices of life.
Firstly, I wish to discuss an understanding of Tao.(道).
Tao is transcendent and intrinsic as absolute reality. Everything has evolved from it. Therefore, it is the mother of all, a loving and productive reality. However, as a being of nothingness, its image cannot be drawn. Non-existence is explained only by negation and cannot be heard, seen, caught or named. It can be only seen and explained as a result of action. The source of life is black darkness and black chaos in that sense, but Tao gives the possibility of infinity. Tao can be described as deep valleys that are empty but accommodate everything: the lowest and deepest sea, the mother, or the water that flows only to the lowlands. Here, it embodies the characteristics of revelation and salvation, the concept of eternal life. It is said that salvation and eternal life are made by oneself. Tao is not exclusive to any particular upper class but is directly connected to all people's lives. The appearance and realization of Tao cannot be expressed in words but is always ordinary; a kind of logos and a way. Like a road, Tao shows the way, containing both sides of principle, relativity and equality that apply to real life. The work of balancing maintains absolute equality beyond the use of the opposing world, so there is no preciousness, no inferiority, no high and low, no fast and slow.
The way that Tao works, or the way people live in accordance with Tao is 'Doing Nothing'(無爲). If interpreted literally, this can be seen as 'not doing anything.' However, when considering the whole context and flow, it is a contradictory interpretation that means to do everything by not doing. It is said to be as natural as the water overflowing from a bowl or a pond when it is full. The water flows downward when tilted, the young sprout shoots in warm spring weather, the temperature gradually lowers when heat reaches the maximum, and rises as it approaches the minimum. Likewise, Tao does not work by human power but proceeds its own way and time. It means that we should not regulate or direct life by civilization and institution. 'Doing Nothing' pursues a life that renounces morality, law and form. Anarchist life can be considered. So, being soft, compassionate, humble and weak can be said to be a strand of inexperience. ? In this way, there is a possibility that the social aspects of contention and violence can be overcome. Should this positive passivity be considered a contradictory term?
This kind of life is possible only by returning to 'Natural disposition' (the simplest and primitive state, p'o(樸). The state of 'Natural disposition' is simple but not easily explained. It is like a blanks late, infant-like, a return to the roots. So, Lao-tze insisted that the five colours blind, the five sounds darken the ears, and the five flavours defile the mouth. In other words, these embellishments send the human mind mad, lead to a life full of covetousness and mark the beginning of an unethical civilisation. Taoism wants 'Natural disposition' that is always rustic but not polished, a life in which man pursues freedom. It is the attitude and life of the Ssial(씨알;seed) as claimed by Ham Sok Hon. How did Ham Sok Hon incorporate this Taoism thought system to his life by combining it with the Christian system?
5. Ham Sok Hon's life and thought. Religious mysticism and everyday life
It is necessary to take a brief look at the religious thought and life of Ham Sok Hon, an early Korean Quaker and a modern philosopher (thinker). He first encountered Christianity in his youth and lived the rest of his life as a Christian. But the road of his life journey varied a great deal. He started out as a Presbyterian and grew up within this denomination. When he was studying in Japan, he learned "Non-Church faith movement" from Uchimura Kanjo and lived this way for a considerable period. Then he became a Quaker when he reached at a mature age. Korean Quakers are influenced by Ham Sok Hon and I believe that I was also influenced much by him.
Ham Sok Hon read many of Rabindranath Tagore’s books. He also read Gandhi, Tolstoy, Ruskin, Carlyle, Schweitzer and H. G. Wells. Of course, he also read books on communism. During the Korean War, he read the Bhagavad-Gita and studied the Indian thought. Through reading he realised that there was no fundamental difference between Christianity and Buddhism, and came to a conclusion that all religions are one. When he began to read "Chuangtze," he felt his shell cracking off bit by bit. He thought deeply about the historical Jesus, eternal life, heaven, salvation, and so on. He declared, "The idea of being a heretic or authentic is an old idea. Where is the road in the air? Go endlessly, endlessly climb up the road. As long as you are a relative being, you are going to go way, which is just one of infinite ways. I am only going to go my way. I am not qualified to define it. There is no heresy. Only those who claim to be heresy are heresy." Following this declaration, he walked his own faith path.
Through this declaration he was able to divorce himself from the union church and go his own way. "So I am not alone in my father's bosom, and I have seen so many ways to climb the mountain of truth."
Anyone can say that theirs is the only way, but this is only subjective. There are as many ways to climb as people, although in an absolute place, one road is the only way(9, 314). It is religion in a relative world, and no religion is unique, just one of many religions. The thought that Christianity is the only true religion is a narrow idea in the relative system. So, all religions should be humble. Individual religions are not large enough to hold God. So, Ham Sok Hon, as much as possible, tried to live by the spirit of freedom, without holding onto the "formality" that began with a symbol(9, 315).
To him, the true path is the way that either you or I, or a Christian or a pagan, walk together. “I am not the only son. So, Now you have to sacrifice your self-creed."(9, 317). "To know whether it is authentic or superstition is possible only between God and me(9, 318)." "I believe not only for myself but for others, finally, the world must be saved. Belief in faith for future generations is a truly saving faith. It (truth) is in all past mankind and is the future humanity. In this way, no one will perish(9, 318-9)."
Ham Sok Hon waits for a new religion to appear, regarding the present religions as old beliefs that do not fit into the new age. The reasons for this are:
1) The completion of Christian doctrine
2) Increasingly institutionalizing
3) Being defensive, not being offensive
4) Increasingly antagonistic
5) Strong internal conflict(3, 221-222).
These are the reason that a new religion is needed. An old religion predicts and orders a new one in the same way as rot stimulates or severe shock results in a new flow.
There are a few signs that the time is not far when a new religion will be born.
1) The nature of modern war has been totally different from those of the past.
2) The progress in the atomic science.
3) World view issues.
4) The development of biotechnology
5) The whole world is in a single network(3: 223-228).
What will the new religion be like?
New religion comes from the waiting mind, and it will appear in this way:
1) "If you say the shape of the face is round, it means one. (...) Religion which refuses this belief (all religions are one) will fall in the future. (....) He will give you a Word to make the whole world one house. (...) In the future, the world will be one, and there will be one religion.”
2) " The religion would be colourless face. It means that it must become more rational. (...) The reasoning belong to the realm of science. (...) Science and religion are all growing aspects of life, but each has depreciated the other by criticising. (....) Those who are trapped in the emotions of winning and losing cannot go to heaven. Neither science nor religion wins. It is not a religion or a science until one enters the world of eternal infinity.”
3) "This is a matter of humanity. It is a matter of how people think about themselves. (...) What to do about God, what to do about the natural world, these questions reflect a person’s view of himself. (...) "Future religions should be religions that re-create this tired life, so must have a new human perspective to reunite the divided person. Body would not interfere soul, and soul would not exclude body.”(3, 229-235). It is the religion of mind because it is one of personality and logic, and it is the religion of enlightenment because it is one of mind(3, 239)." It always lives here and now(3, 239). ‘Here and now' is the reality. "Religion does not forget reality but saves reality. It requires the least amount of organization to deliver reality(3, 145)." It is not a giant organization, but a minimal organization and form. The religion of the future is the religion of here and now. Therefore, without thinking of the here and now, there can be no salvation and no repentance. It's only nonsense(3, 146). Of course, the purpose is heaven. It is the way of religion to ascend to heaven. But there are no birds that fly without encountering land. The Word, "It is done in the earth, as it is in heaven,’’ means to consider the importance of tense ? (3, 146)."
4] Authentic religion regards the people’s living important. "Religion really does not make the people into hallucination and sleep but wakes them up and fights them. (....) As long as no one can fight evil and become a good spirit, we cannot close our eyes to reality. Sin is a reality, reality is a sinful being, and sin is a social phenomenon, so that living religion is a systematic activity of those who are determined to fight against evil. (....) God, who is the winner ofthe fighting against the sin of reality, is Christ. Our religion must be realistic and scientific(3, 146-7)." How, then, will we fight against the reality?
There are two goals to fight. "God and the people, these two are one. If God is the head, his feet are in the people. That the feet of the holy God take steps on and are covered with dust, is just the people. (...) God's service is in the service of the people. The highest is at the lowest, the most holy is at the most vulgar, and the largest is at the smallest. Truth is in the people. The concept that the people are the feet of God means that the people are the reflection of the all visible. (...) Washing feet is washing the people. An absolute and holy God has no problem with cleaning the feet of those who are dirty. So, Christ said, "what you do to one of the least of my brothers is what you do to me." The extremely small is the people. The meaning of small is low. There is nothing greater than the low on earth, though it is unbelievably low compared in the heaven. A church, a nation, a culture, and a world can be said to be nothing more than architecture built on the surface (3, 147-8)." An extremely small organization is needed to wake up the people, the SSial(seed)(3, 149). In this way, Ham Sok Hon had already been a Quaker before meeting other Quakers. It was merely a confirmation that their beliefs was same when they met each other.
Ham Sok Hon’s argument can be summarized as follows: He is freed from the idea that Christianity is the only religion and that the Bible alone proclaims complete truth. He is convinced that the world must be one, encompassing science and globalisation. Therefore, he is sure that nationalism must be overcome, and all religions represent the Word of God. He believes it is important to have one’s own religion. The world’s salvation is represented by the individual’s trials. 'A religion of one's own' asks a believer to come face to face with God without a mediator, confronting God individually, not like a religion with many followers. "Christ does not represents anyone. He is the person who stands right in front of God, that is Christ." So, Ham Sok Hon wants to stand before God as a Christian. At the same time, he likes to read Lao-tze and Chuangtze. He also liked Gandhi, who said, "if there is a truth valuable to sacrifice one's life, that is, every human being must live together" At the same time, Ham Sok Hon becomes an absolute positivist influenced by Carlyle, who said, "eternal affirmation which is ultimate affirmation is reached through the ultimate negation of everything. He loves the freedom that God has given. So he becomes a free man. What do we do with such liberty? The free individual is not an admiral? , but an individual who represents the whole. So, the fusion of such individuals and the whole is important. God, manifested in the reality, represents the whole as a flow in the personal life.
One is "to realise that you should share your neighbour with yourselves," to serve your God with all your heart and all your soul and to serve your neighbour as yourself." The individual and the whole are not separate to Ham. You are in me, I am in you. I am the whole within you. Therefore, Ham Sok Hon sees the spiritual community as a new religion that frees the individual while focusing on the individual as a whole. He experiences this in Quakerism.
As a Quaker he does not condone violence, so is committed to opposing war. In this way, he believes the pacifist element of Quakerism is closest to Eastern thought. Ham Sok Hon has always been interested in the thought of Lao-tze and Chuangtze and the Zen of Buddhism and has contributed greatly to the use of this in everyday life.
After the end of World War II, Ham Sok Hon believed that the social life of human beings would be greatly changed. He thought that the way of life and the social structure itself would become fundamentally different, not just to the extent the boundaries would be changed. How will it differ? What is the role of religion? Will religion try to stand in the way of new civilization? He saw that existing religions could not endure because they were closely connected with politics. The Second World War had seen the birth of the superpower, nationalism, and continued domination. So, he thought that a new vision of nationhood should be established. He claimed that a country must be for the people, and the notion that the people should exist for the nation should be abolished. If this was to be the case, it needs to understand it in terms of the Eastern thought(3, 156-7).
So, he saw salvation in Christianity and Nirvana in Buddhism as simply different names for the same concept. For example, human thought and behaviour remain the same whether expressed as ‘sin’ in Christianity or ‘ignorance’ in Indian. In this way, there is nothing to cause conflict between the two religions. The place Lao-tze and Chuangtze call Tao, is the place of God Christians seek. If we do not analyse these concepts ideologically, but see them through the mind of a believer, the place is the same (3, 158).
One thing is clear: the afterlife is not something we aspire to live a luxurious life forever by an extension of today's world. (3, 160) Through meditation and prayer, one is emptied and the other is filled by the absorption of truth (3, 169). In this, Christianity and Zen converge.
Ham Sok Hon did not wish to distinguish between the plural, the whole, the one, the East and the West, Christianity, Buddhism, Zen, and Taoism, believing ideas may be shared so that everything is one. All are children of God. Would this new religion be perfect? It's not like that. For him, religion is not complete but continues to change, flows, and grows. The process of religion, the faith on the path, is the only thing that grows. It is a living religion that can follow the path. In reality, religion and faith cannot be completed and manifested to those who think of God as unfinished and growing.
6. Ham Sok Hon's Understanding of Christianity and Other Thought Systems
It is very important to grasp the relationship between Ham Sok Hon's understanding of Jesus and Eastern philosophy. The idea of the Ssial(씨알), which he created in the last years of his life, refers to the 'pure man'. A good example of the pure man is Jesus. "No one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is like a child." To Jesus, a child represents purity. The way to achieve this is to be born again, to return to one’s original innocent self. Eastern thought is the same. Taoists especially, think deeply about the child’s mind. He who becomes as a child is a person with a very deep virtue.
Let's look at Lao-tze chapter 28?. If you know the male (heaven, Yang) and defend the female (land, Yin), you will receive the water of the valley, the water of life under the earth. Then you will return to the child's heart without losing the purest virtue of nature. If you take advantage of virtue, you become like an infant. Bees or insects do not sting, nor peck birds and ducks. This is a simple and pure man that Lao-tze sees.
Did Ham Sok Hon regard Ssial in this way? Ssial may be soft like a child's hand but is hard to hold and can be regarded as weak even though everything is arranged around it. Therefore, the childlike mind is the true heart, the heart as it was in the beginning. If you lose the true heart, you lose Ssial. Isn't this the heart of Ssial? Ham Sok Hon seems to have regarded the true person practicing Christianity or the philosophy of Lao-tze as the heart of Ssial. Let's look in depth at how he comprehended the thoughts of Lao-tze and Chuangtze.
Ham Sok Hon interpreted the thoughts of Lao-tze and Chuangtze, in the following way:
The intention of Lao-tze and Chuangtze was to live beyond the phenomenon of reality. This is not to say that transcending means discarding. This phenomenon is not a dream, nor a falsity, nor an evil that should be thrown away, as some people believe. Lao-tze and Chuangtze did not think so and did not live that way either. We are born into the world of reality, we have no choice, nor can we avoid it. It is a natural thing and inevitable because it is nature. We cannot help that. Man is a thinking being, so our attitudes are what matters. We can understand, judge good and bad, choose or forsake. "A complicated problem arises between the thinking me and the world that surrounds me and those who think like me."
"I know that the relative emerged from the absolute by seeing the relative apart from the absolute. That is transcending reality. Absolute is infinite eternity and relative is also eternal infinite. It is called 'a mystery within a mystery' because it becomes one by the absolute in the relative. It is also called 'the gate of all subtleties.' The lives of Lao-tze and Chuangtze begin at Tao and end at Tao. The end is the beginning, the beginning is the end."
Tao is causeless because it is the basis of everything. It is said that it is nature itself, and it is said to be nothing. "What can be done to achieve the way(Tao)? Lao-tze emphasizes futility?, silence, and unselfishness in one’s thinking and doing nothing, weakness, non-violence, and restoring in practice.
So, Ham Sok Hon acknowledged Lao-tze as a pacifist. "No one has ever cried purely for pacifism ?.” Moreover, this was during the time of the Chunchu States which emphasised national prosperity and military power. Lao-tze emphasised doing nothing rather than becoming political. This applies to the principle of all life. That is to say, all belief in life and the ability to self-govern.
As poor as Chuangtze was, he disliked the prospect of a government post and said he preferred to be like the pigs herded into the gutter, rather than living in a house designed for extravagant ceremony. He related this philosophy to the messenger sent by the king to offer him a high post in the government. Instead of adopting such a high position, he remained as a person with a fiery faith to rescue Ssial who lived under the exploitation of a tyrannical ruler. This standing is linked to the life of Jesus. Ham Sok Hon expressed this posture of life in his famous article "The spirit of wilderness." This spirit is seen in the life of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos in the Old Testament. Ham Sok Hon's critique of nationalism is obviously derived from the unregulated politics of Lao-tze and Chuangtze and from the concept of the heavenly kingdom of Jesus. It is the fusion of these ideas that envisages a new world of truth and a nation without ignoring or forsaking the real world. Is this also the Quaker spirit?
7. My life as a Quaker
Am I able to practice Quakerism in my daily life? Am I able to keep that tradition, as a Quaker who sees faith and practice as equally important, or as one? When I think about it, I have grave doubts. In today’s highly civilized society, I have to live luxuriously compared to ancient times, so what is humble and simple living? How can I live without destroying the nature’s ecosystem, when I am aware of that birth itself is an environmental destruction? In what way can we live together peacefully when the pattern of life leads to competition and strife from beginning to end? In an overly systemised and organised society, is it possible to live under soul guidance like a natural and windy spirit? Strangely, in a modern society becoming increasingly nationalistic, how can I practice the beliefs and philosophy that mankind belongs to one life system? How can I follow the Quaker tradition of not swearing oaths or pledges in a digitalised modern world where almost everything is full of such things? When I think about this, my breath seems to be clogged. But I feel finding a little road to life in the frustrating and obstructed reality is essential for a Quaker. Isn't it a mystery to experience in everyday life or a life awaiting revelation, a need for a practical narrow path that captures a feeling from an invisible reality? So, it is time to wait for a mystic experience in a life that has no mystery.
I want to lead my life in the following way at least:
There is one hope and one reality on the Korean peninsula. In other words, there is an ideology that a nation should form a country, but the reality is that it is divided into two countries which fight each other. My philosophy and belief are that the entire human race must transcend nations and countries. But I think that we should pay close attention to how we can create a society that lives peacefully when all nations are becoming more self-centred. In order to do that, it is my job to make myself peaceful first and to live with a peaceful mind. At the same time, it is necessary to share a peaceful life with the people around me. To that end, I try to practice keeping a smile on my face and in my mind. I must endeavour to acknowledge and tolerate others, but at the same time, I should challenge the tradition and social trend of making everything uniform. I am trying to launch a campaign that no war should take place on the Korean peninsula. Also, I am trying to launch a peace pilgrimage and input the energy of peace in the places of severe conflict, particularly with the elderly who think that there should be no more war on the Korean peninsula, no matter whether they are on the left or the right. Since the threat of a nuclear war between the US and North Korea is on the rise, pilgrimage activities for peace are very important now, I think. We are all different, but at the same time we are one. So, we are friends. I want to undertake a peace pilgrimage to realise this.
Peace energy senses the need to train individuals creatively to change their violent tendencies into a state of nonviolence and peace. This was the result of my experience and participation as an activist for AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project). We should practice non-violence in our personal lives and relationships with others, believe that one can acknowledge and respect oneself, respect and care for others, solve all problems in a non-violent way, think deeply before acting, and expect the best result. I was convinced of these things when taking part in several workshops with AVP. Therefore, I consider trying to live in this way as my important life task. Of course, there is no order, but I hope that I can contribute to the peace of society through training myself to be peaceful.
I want to spread the message of peace to ordinary citizens through research on non-violent thoughts, lectures and forums. In daily life, I wish to assist others to love their enemy, bless those that are different and trust ? those that have no truth. In this way, the Taoist philosophy that softness encompasses strength and softness dissolves rigidity, can become a habit that is incorporated into daily life. This training begins with the belief that all people have the possibility to enter such a state. It also encompasses a common belief that all people have an inner light, there is an inner teacher, and all can find a way to Buddha-nature and get in touch with Tao. This is the mystical experience of everyday life. Mysticism is a very normal life.
However, in contemporary civilised society, Koreans especially, lack sufficient daily rest and do not practice deep breathing. So, there are many people ? who are not always burdened themselves, decide not to live their own lives, and yet are struggling with external pressures and mood. As one philosopher has analysed, modern society is an exhausted society. I do not have the ability and vision to lead those who feel tired to a place of peace, but I want to create an atmosphere where I can talk with them aa a friend. Of course, I am not a professional counsellor, nor a conflict solver, nor a person who has trained others. But I want to be a friend to troubled people who cannot establish himself or is in conflict with himself. I feel that is a way to live with the truth in my own heart. Such contacts and encounters are possible in one-to-one personal meetings, but I am confident that I can engage with small groups through some programs.
I want to live by a very common truth. That is, I admit that everything is different: language, culture, customs, clothes, living, religion, race, and so on. The difference is a big hope. But I cannot reject the truth that all other truths come from one source and eventually return to the one root. In other words, the stream in the area where I live flows from the nearby mountain. It provides my farmland and my house with water for drinking and general-use. I depend on the water. Water flows and flows into the vast ocean. The sea is wide, but the water becomes as one. In the end, the water that flows into the sea through all the rivers remains compatible as friends do. This analogy can be applied to our discussion of religion, life, faith, and practice. The core of all religions has been fixed differently according to culture and age and is practiced in separate ways, but the ultimate reality that it seeks and converges in one. Therefore, all religions are compatible to one another. Jewish, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and folk religion live in the one water as close friends, but it is very important to maintain their own traditions and way of life.
I think that bridging divisions through peace should be one of my life tasks. The type of the bridge will vary according to various fields. I will endeavour to bring bridges in at least three ways; As Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) activist, a Quaker and a member of Amnesty International. I hope to establish bridges without borders. In order to do so, I must experience other cultures, religions, people (races), civilizations and customs, either directly or indirectly, - find their core values and absorb it. It will be important to lead my life in the manner of those who always seek truth with an open mind.
Bibliography
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George Fox; The Journal of George Fox, London 2005(Korean translated)
Howard Brinton; Friends for 350 Years, Pennsylvania 2002(Korean translated)
Quaker Faith and Practice, 3.Ed. London 2005
AYM; This we can say, Canberra 2003
George Fox; The Journal of George Fox, London 2005(Korean translated)
Howard Brinton; Friends for 350 Years, Pennsylvania 2002(Korean translated)
Quaker Faith and Practice, 3.Ed. London 2005
AYM; This we can say, Canberra 2003
Bible
Lao Tze; Tao Te Ching(King), Chinese, Korean, English, German
Chuangtze; Chuangtze, Chinese, Korean, English, German
Hans Kueng, Julia Ching; Christentum und Chinesische Religion, (Korean translated) woikwan 1994
Holmes Welch; Taoism; The Parting of the Way(Korean translated), Seoul 1992
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Sung-hae Kim, Seong-rye Kim; Christianism and Shamanism(Korean), Seoul 1998
Soon-Chul Hong; Buddhism and Christianity(Korean), Seoul 1982
Sun-Hwan Byun; Encounter of Buddhism and Christianity(Korea), Cheonan 1997불교와 기독교의 만남 -
Sung-hae Kim, Kang-soo Lee; Taoism and Christianity, Seoul 2003
Sung-hae Kim, Seong-rye Kim; Christianism and Shamanism(Korean), Seoul 1998
Soon-Chul Hong; Buddhism and Christianity(Korean), Seoul 1982
Sun-Hwan Byun; Encounter of Buddhism and Christianity(Korea), Cheonan 1997불교와 기독교의 만남 -
Sung-hae Kim, Kang-soo Lee; Taoism and Christianity, Seoul 2003
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Sok Hon Ham; Queen of Suffering. A Spiritual History of Korea, West Chester, PA 1985
Sok Hon Kam; An Anthology of Ham Sok Hon, Seoul 2001
Sok Hon Ham; Whole Works, 1-20, Seoul 1983-1987(Korean)
Sok Hon Ham; Queen of Suffering. A Spiritual History of Korea, West Chester, PA 1985
Sok Hon Kam; An Anthology of Ham Sok Hon, Seoul 2001
Sok Hon Ham; Whole Works, 1-20, Seoul 1983-1987(Korean)
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Deutsche Jahesversammlung; Und was kannst du sagen?, Bad Pyrmont 2015
Steve Smith; Eastern Light, Awakening to Presence in Zen, Quakerism and Christianity, 2015
1. Biographical note to go inside the cover. Here is a draft for you to correct and add to – Cho-Nyon Kim is a Quaker from the Daejon Quaker Meeting in South Korea. He is a professor of Sociology. He edits a magazine on Ham Sok Hon, the prominent Korean Friend known internationally for his peace and justice witness. Cho-Nyon Kim is deeply committed to peace and care for the environment. His special interest is the encounter between Quaker mysticism and Taoism. He attended the World Gathering of Friends in Peru in January 2016, and the Australia Yearly Meeting gathering of Friends in Jul 2016. He is AVP-Korea facilitator. He will give the public lecture at the German Quaker Yearly Meeting in 2018.
2. Title – “An Encounter between Quaker Mysticism and Taoism in Everyday Life”
3. About this Lecture – here is a suggested brief summary to be placed on the back cover of the printed lecture:
This Lecture explores the author’s spiritual journey in the Korean religious environment, in which Confucianism, Buddhism. Taoism and Christianity have all influenced cultural practice and been integrated into daily life. He is inspired by the life and thoughts of Ham Sok Hon, a prominent Korean peace activist and Quaker. He asks how we can live a simple life in a complex world. He wants to focus on how we can create a peaceful society in the face of nationalism and self-centredness. Quakerism has similarities to Taoism in its mysticism and its sense of waiting in a meditative way. He concludes that he must “lead my life in the manner of those who always seek truth with an open mind”.
1
Deutsche Jahesversammlung; Und was kannst du sagen?, Bad Pyrmont 2015
Steve Smith; Eastern Light, Awakening to Presence in Zen, Quakerism and Christianity, 2015
1. Biographical note to go inside the cover. Here is a draft for you to correct and add to – Cho-Nyon Kim is a Quaker from the Daejon Quaker Meeting in South Korea. He is a professor of Sociology. He edits a magazine on Ham Sok Hon, the prominent Korean Friend known internationally for his peace and justice witness. Cho-Nyon Kim is deeply committed to peace and care for the environment. His special interest is the encounter between Quaker mysticism and Taoism. He attended the World Gathering of Friends in Peru in January 2016, and the Australia Yearly Meeting gathering of Friends in Jul 2016. He is AVP-Korea facilitator. He will give the public lecture at the German Quaker Yearly Meeting in 2018.
2. Title – “An Encounter between Quaker Mysticism and Taoism in Everyday Life”
3. About this Lecture – here is a suggested brief summary to be placed on the back cover of the printed lecture:
This Lecture explores the author’s spiritual journey in the Korean religious environment, in which Confucianism, Buddhism. Taoism and Christianity have all influenced cultural practice and been integrated into daily life. He is inspired by the life and thoughts of Ham Sok Hon, a prominent Korean peace activist and Quaker. He asks how we can live a simple life in a complex world. He wants to focus on how we can create a peaceful society in the face of nationalism and self-centredness. Quakerism has similarities to Taoism in its mysticism and its sense of waiting in a meditative way. He concludes that he must “lead my life in the manner of those who always seek truth with an open mind”.
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