Jeung San Do
Encyclopedia
Jeung Sando or Jeungism (in Korean
hangul
증산도, "teaching of the mountain maturity", "teaching of maturity") is a new religion
founded in Korea
in 1974. This movement is characterised by a universal message, millenarianism
and a method of healing meditation. It is primarily based on the teachings of Gang Il-Sun
(Chungsan Kang), an early 20th century religious leader described by his followers as the incarnation and personification of Sangjenim, the governing spirit of the universe. Jeungism has roots in the ancient beliefs of Korean shamanism
. The other main religion following Chungsan is Daesun Jinrihoe
; the two are bitter rivals.
The central text of Jeungism, the Dojeon
, was first published in Korean
in 1992. It contains detail description of Cheonjigongsa, the Renewal of Heaven and Earth, or the millenarian theory of Jeungic teaching. The Jeungic religion (as a Taoic system) stresses the concept of Tao
, the way of nature.
According to Jeungism teachings, humanity lives in a pivotal age. Throughout history, humankind has existed in conflict. For the most part, people achieved their goals at the expense of others. Strife has been a natural mode of growth, but this is all about to change.
, the way. Considered as a whole, therefore, the name 'Jeung San Do' signifies the highest truth that surpasses all existing religions and teachings.
Jeungism is founded upon the teachings and spiritual work of Gang Il-Sun
(1871–1909), known to his followers as Jeung San Sangjenim, and His successor Taemonim. Gang Il-Sun was born in 1871 in a small village called Gaeng mang née, (which means "expecting guests"), in the area of the city of Kimje
, (also spelled Gimje
), in what is now North Jeolla Province, (aka Jeolla buk-do), in what is now South Korea
. His family name was Gang, (sometimes spelled as Gahng), and his given name Ilsun. He later adopted the name Jeung San, which means "Cauldron Mountain." Few in Korea have not heard of Gahng Jeung San.
At the age of seven, Sangjenim attained a sudden spiritual awakening while watching a performance of traditional music and dance. When He was twenty-four, He witnessed the tumultuous events of the Donghak
(Eastern Learning) Uprising in which an ill-equipped but determined army of farmers fought the troops of both the Korean government and the Japanese. This insurrection sparked a war between China and Japan fought on the Korean peninsula and ended with the crushing defeat of the farmers and Japan's annexation of the country. After observing the death and misery brought on by these events, Jeung San Sangjenim resolved to save the world from suffering.
He traveled for three years to observe human behavior and the shape, qi
, and spirit of the land. In 1901, after a period of intensive meditation he attained perfect enlightenment into the affairs of heaven, earth, and humanity. About this he said:
In that year, Sangjenim began a spiritual work that cannot be easily explained or understood. It was called the work of renewing heaven and earth(天地公事). For nine years, he conducted works of renewal in the form of rituals, proclamations, and conversations with humans and spirits and utilized the qi of various places and people. He established a federation of spirits called the Creative Government, composed of regional spirits, the founding spirits of family lines, spirits that founded and advanced civilizations, enlightened spirits, spirits with unresolved bitterness and grief, and the spirits of revolutionaries. With this assembly of spirits, He intended to correct the wrongs of the past and chart a new course for the future. His work of renewing heaven and earth shifted the course of heaven, earth, and humanity and planted the seeds for a new enlightened and harmonious world of humans and spirits.
According to his followers, Sangjenim differed from other prophets in that he not only spoke about the future but, through his spiritual work, actually transformed it.
One way of understanding this is the Butterfly Effect in Edward Lorenz's Chaos Theory. According to that theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in America could cause or prevent a tornado in Indonesia. This of course illustrates the improbability of predicting any event in a highly complex system due to the difficulty of knowing all variables. But, what if someone were enlightened to the point of omnipotence? What if someone did know all the variables? Such a person could not only predict the future, but with the rippling effect of seemingly small actions could actually change the future.
About the method He used in the work of renewal, Sangjenim said:
Jeung San died in the year 1909
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
증산도, "teaching of the mountain maturity", "teaching of maturity") is a new religion
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
founded in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 1974. This movement is characterised by a universal message, millenarianism
Millenarianism
Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society, after which all things will be changed, based on a one-thousand-year cycle. The term is more generically used to refer to any belief centered around 1000 year intervals...
and a method of healing meditation. It is primarily based on the teachings of Gang Il-Sun
Gang Il-Sun
Gang Il-Sun , also known as Chungsan Kang Il-sun and known to his followers as JeungSan SangJeNim, is the founder of a religion that lead to the Korean religions Jeung San Do and Daesun Jinrihoe. He was born in a small town near the city of Gimje in what was then the Jeolla province of Korea...
(Chungsan Kang), an early 20th century religious leader described by his followers as the incarnation and personification of Sangjenim, the governing spirit of the universe. Jeungism has roots in the ancient beliefs of Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism, today known as Muism or sometimes Sinism , encompasses a variety of indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Korean people and the Korean area...
. The other main religion following Chungsan is Daesun Jinrihoe
Daesun Jinrihoe
Daesun Jinrihoe is a Korean new religious movement, founded in April 1969 by Park Han-gyeong . It is a splinter of the syncretic religion founded by Gang Il-Sun . Another splinter is the religion Jeung San Do, which was founded in 1974...
; the two are bitter rivals.
The central text of Jeungism, the Dojeon
Dojeon
A sacred text of Jeungism, the original Dojeon was published in Korean on October 25, 1992. The Dojeon has been translated into eight languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese.-Background:...
, was first published in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
in 1992. It contains detail description of Cheonjigongsa, the Renewal of Heaven and Earth, or the millenarian theory of Jeungic teaching. The Jeungic religion (as a Taoic system) stresses the concept of Tao
Tao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
, the way of nature.
According to Jeungism teachings, humanity lives in a pivotal age. Throughout history, humankind has existed in conflict. For the most part, people achieved their goals at the expense of others. Strife has been a natural mode of growth, but this is all about to change.
Terminology
Jeungism or Jeung San Do means "teaching of maturity" The word jeung (甑) connotes "to bring to maturity" or "to bring to fruition," and san (山) means "mountain." The entire phrase jeung san signifies completion, maturation, and harmony. Jeung san is also a traditional Korean descriptive term for the highest mountain in a region. Do (道) denotes TaoTao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
, the way. Considered as a whole, therefore, the name 'Jeung San Do' signifies the highest truth that surpasses all existing religions and teachings.
Key theological concepts
- Cosmic year 宇宙一年
- GaebyeokGaebyeokIn the Korean religion of Jeungism, the term Gaebyeok refers to a sudden change in nature, society and human beings.-Great Opening 開闢:Jeungism calls a sudden change in culture, human and nature, Gaebyeok...
開闢 - Taeeul Ju (mantra) 太乙呪
- Wunshibanbon (Returning to the Origin) 原始反本
- Haewun (Resolution of Bitterness and Grief) 解怨
- SangsaengSangsaeng-相生:Sangsaeng means mutual life-giving, and is one of the key philosophical principles of Jeungism, a spiritual movement from Korea dedicated to the well-being of all people. In English terms, "win-win" maybe the correct translation. Sang means "mutual" or "together" and Saeng means "live" or...
(Mutual life-giving) 相生 - BoeunBoeun-報恩 :Boeun is one of the main teachings of Jeungism. Bo means "repay" and eun means "gratitude". Its literal meaning is repay other's gratitude to me.-Why Boeun is important?:...
(Offering Gratitude and Repayment) 報恩
Self-describing history
Following is the description by Jeung San DoJeungism is founded upon the teachings and spiritual work of Gang Il-Sun
Gang Il-Sun
Gang Il-Sun , also known as Chungsan Kang Il-sun and known to his followers as JeungSan SangJeNim, is the founder of a religion that lead to the Korean religions Jeung San Do and Daesun Jinrihoe. He was born in a small town near the city of Gimje in what was then the Jeolla province of Korea...
(1871–1909), known to his followers as Jeung San Sangjenim, and His successor Taemonim. Gang Il-Sun was born in 1871 in a small village called Gaeng mang née, (which means "expecting guests"), in the area of the city of Kimje
Gimje
Gimje is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea.-History:Gimje area has been cultivated since ancient times.Nations of early date ascend in year 200...
, (also spelled Gimje
Gimje
Gimje is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea.-History:Gimje area has been cultivated since ancient times.Nations of early date ascend in year 200...
), in what is now North Jeolla Province, (aka Jeolla buk-do), in what is now South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. His family name was Gang, (sometimes spelled as Gahng), and his given name Ilsun. He later adopted the name Jeung San, which means "Cauldron Mountain." Few in Korea have not heard of Gahng Jeung San.
At the age of seven, Sangjenim attained a sudden spiritual awakening while watching a performance of traditional music and dance. When He was twenty-four, He witnessed the tumultuous events of the Donghak
Donghak
Donghak is a Korean religion founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. Donghak venerated the god Haneullim and believed that man is not created by a supernatural god but man is instead caused by an innate god...
(Eastern Learning) Uprising in which an ill-equipped but determined army of farmers fought the troops of both the Korean government and the Japanese. This insurrection sparked a war between China and Japan fought on the Korean peninsula and ended with the crushing defeat of the farmers and Japan's annexation of the country. After observing the death and misery brought on by these events, Jeung San Sangjenim resolved to save the world from suffering.
He traveled for three years to observe human behavior and the shape, qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
, and spirit of the land. In 1901, after a period of intensive meditation he attained perfect enlightenment into the affairs of heaven, earth, and humanity. About this he said:
- Since ancient times, a few have mastered the writing of the heavens, a few have mastered the principles of earth, but no one has mastered the nature of humans. I am the first to master the nature of humans.
- Dojeon 2:13:4-5
In that year, Sangjenim began a spiritual work that cannot be easily explained or understood. It was called the work of renewing heaven and earth(天地公事). For nine years, he conducted works of renewal in the form of rituals, proclamations, and conversations with humans and spirits and utilized the qi of various places and people. He established a federation of spirits called the Creative Government, composed of regional spirits, the founding spirits of family lines, spirits that founded and advanced civilizations, enlightened spirits, spirits with unresolved bitterness and grief, and the spirits of revolutionaries. With this assembly of spirits, He intended to correct the wrongs of the past and chart a new course for the future. His work of renewing heaven and earth shifted the course of heaven, earth, and humanity and planted the seeds for a new enlightened and harmonious world of humans and spirits.
According to his followers, Sangjenim differed from other prophets in that he not only spoke about the future but, through his spiritual work, actually transformed it.
One way of understanding this is the Butterfly Effect in Edward Lorenz's Chaos Theory. According to that theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in America could cause or prevent a tornado in Indonesia. This of course illustrates the improbability of predicting any event in a highly complex system due to the difficulty of knowing all variables. But, what if someone were enlightened to the point of omnipotence? What if someone did know all the variables? Such a person could not only predict the future, but with the rippling effect of seemingly small actions could actually change the future.
About the method He used in the work of renewal, Sangjenim said:
- "There are opportunities for human action," Sangjenim said. "There is a program for each heavenly principle. The work of renewal is based on creating the opportunity and establishing the program. If I were to abandon this method and perform the work forcibly, it would bring disaster upon the world and kill multitudes. That is not My intention."
- Dojeon 2:55:7-8
Jeung San died in the year 1909
Vocabularies of Jeungism
- SangjenimSangjenimSangje, or Sangjenim, is the Ruling God in the Korean religion Jeung San Do.- Meaning :Since ancient times, the people of the East have called the Ruling God of the universe "Sangje"...
上帝 - Taemonim 太母
- GaebyeokGaebyeokIn the Korean religion of Jeungism, the term Gaebyeok refers to a sudden change in nature, society and human beings.-Great Opening 開闢:Jeungism calls a sudden change in culture, human and nature, Gaebyeok...
開闢 - Taeeul ju mantra 太乙呪
- UnsibanbonUnsibanbonUnsibanbon is one of the main teachings of Jeung San Do. Wun means "origin" or "primitive" and Shi means "beginning" or "start". Ban means "reverse" or "opposite" and Bon means "origin" or "base"...
(Returning to the Origin) 原始反本 - Haewun (Resolution of Bitterness and Grief) 解怨
- SangsaengSangsaeng-相生:Sangsaeng means mutual life-giving, and is one of the key philosophical principles of Jeungism, a spiritual movement from Korea dedicated to the well-being of all people. In English terms, "win-win" maybe the correct translation. Sang means "mutual" or "together" and Saeng means "live" or...
(Mutual life-giving) 相生 - BoeunBoeun-報恩 :Boeun is one of the main teachings of Jeungism. Bo means "repay" and eun means "gratitude". Its literal meaning is repay other's gratitude to me.-Why Boeun is important?:...
(Offering Gratitude and Repayment) 報恩 - DojeonDojeonA sacred text of Jeungism, the original Dojeon was published in Korean on October 25, 1992. The Dojeon has been translated into eight languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese.-Background:...
- Sacred text of Jeung San Do 道典 - Dojang (temple)Dojang (temple)A Dojang is a place of worship of the religion of Jeungism. Jeungics gather in these temples to meditate, study and worship.Each dojang has a main room called the sung-jun "sacred shrine", which contains altars for celestial and terrestrial spirits...
- Dao center, Jeungic temple 道場 - Cosmic year - Shao Yung (AD 1011-1077) 宇宙一年
- Euitong - To heal and to unite
- Cheonjigongsa - Renewal of Heaven and Earth 天地公事
- Nam Sa-go prophecy
- Jeungic cosmology
External links
- Jeung San Do - English homepage
- Jeung San Do - Korean homepage
- The Dojeon - English