Debates in Korean Confucianism

Myeongkwan Kang & 7 colleagues

Undergraduate Students (Domestic and International), General Public, and Majors

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Humanities

Core Major Course

As an introductory course to understanding “Joseon’s Confucian civilization,” this lecture examines the main issues in Joseon history that arose from a Confucian context, covering topics in politics, religion, scholarship, medicine, economy, and culture. The purpose is to deepen Koreans’ understanding of their own tradition and help people around the world appreciate the foundations of Korean culture.

1. Identify the diverse points of debate that took place within a Confucian framework, and thereby examine the significance of Korean philosophy from various angles.

2. Understand how Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism, the mainstream ideology of Joseon, influenced Joseon society from different standpoints.

3. Recognize that Joseon’s society, culture, thought, and institutions were built on principles quite different from those of the modern era.

Week 1

History of Books and Knowledge in the Joseon Dynasty

1. The significance of books in Joseon

2. Who handled printing and publishing?

3. Circulation of books

4. The nature of printed and published books

Week 2

Science during King Sejong’s Reign and the Construction of Joseon as a Confucian Civilization

1. Tianming (Heaven’s Mandate) and Astronomy—Questioning the Foundations of Civilization

2. The Founding of Joseon, the Emphasis on Science Justified by Confucian Ideals, and King Sejong’s Accession

3. Correcting Heaven’s Order: Confucianism and Astronomy under King Sejong

4. Standardizing Music Studies to Establish a Confucian Ruling Order

5. The Creation of the Native Script, Hunminjeongeum

6. The Significance of Scientific Research in King Sejong's Era

Week 3

Perceptions of Internal Organs and Dissection in the Joseon Dynasty, and Confucianism

1. The “Heaven-Human Unity” View of the Body in Donguibogam

2. Did the term Sim in Neo-Confucianism refer to the physical heart? (From Yi Hwang to Jeong Yakyong)

3. Is the heart the body’s center, or is it the brain?

4. Is dissection essential for advancing medicine?

Week 4

The Four-Seven Debate in Joseon Neo-Confucianism

1. Historical/Philosophical Background of the Four-Seven Debate

2. Basic Structure and Key Propositions in Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism

3. The Argument between Yi Toegye and Gi Gobong

4. The Philosophical Significance of Toegye and Gobong’s “Four-Seven Debate”

5. The Argument between Yi Yulgok and Seong Ugye

6. Comparing Toegye and Yulgok’s Perspectives

7. Philosophical Significance of the “Four-Seven Debate”

Week 5

Rites Controversy (Yesong)

1. Questions about the Rites Controversy

2. Power and Checks: A Comparative Civilizational Perspective

3. The Uniqueness of Confucian Checks on Royal Power

4. Royal Succession and the Clan Law System: Preventive Measures Before and After

5. The Background to the Gihae Rites Controversy

6. The Gihae Rites Controversy and Its Hidden Meanings

7. How Should We View the Rites Controversy?

Week 6

The Emergence of “Virtuous Women” (Yeolnyeo)

1. What is a Yeolnyeo (virtuous woman)?

2. The Historical Formation Process of the Yeolnyeo

Week 7

Law and Governance in Joseon

1. Yeonam Park Ji-won’s “Discourse on Honor”

2. The Will to Punish Murder Cases

3. Prevention through Warnings

4. Moral Transformation (Gyo-hwa): 17th Century <Jongdeokpyeon>

5. King Yeongjo’s Discussion of Cultivating Morality

6. King Jeongjo’s Compassionate Politics

7. Joseon’s Psychological Structure

8. The Excess of Morality

9. Heumheum Sinseo (Manual of Judicial Punishments)

Week 8

Joseon’s Greatest Reform: The Daedong Law

1. The Vision and Principles of the Daedong Law

2. Why Did It Take 100 Years to Implement the Daedong Law?

3. How Did the Daedong Law Restructure Joseon's Finances?

4. How Should We View the Financial Crisis of the 19th Century?

Week 9

Sojae No Susin and Yangming Studies in Joseon

1. Sojae No Susin = Yuk-Wang-Hak (Lü-Wang Studies) Definition

2. Major Works (10 Items) Related to the Description of Yangming Studies in Korean Intellectual History Before and After 1945

3. Takahashi Tōru’s Definition of “Heterodox Studies” (Ihak)

4. Future Tasks

Week 10

Catholicism (Seohak) as a Debate

1. What is Seohak?

2. Seohak and Joseon Neo-Confucianism

3. Seohak, Religion, Science, and Modernity

4. In Lieu of an Epilogue: Seongho’s Perspective

Debates in Korean Buddhism

EunSu Cho & 8 Others

Undergraduate Students (Domestic and International), General Public, and Majors

Garam Kim, Yeong-chae Yoon

Humanities

Advanced

Focusing on the “Buddhist civilization” of Korea, this course examines major points of debate in Buddhism, exploring how various figures in Korean Buddhism held contrasting perspectives. Its aim is to deepen Koreans’ appreciation of their own tradition and help people worldwide understand the foundations of Korean culture.

1. Recognize that major debates involving the formation of East Asian Buddhism’s identity saw active participation by figures in Korean Buddhism, and examine Korea’s contribution to global culture from diverse viewpoints.

2. Explore core Buddhist figures and the controversies they were involved in from contrasting perspectives, and compare the heart of each controversy according to the main issues.

3. Understand the distinctive characteristics of Korean Buddhism across various historical and philosophical themes.

Week 1

Viewing Korean Buddhism

from the Perspective of “True and Worldly”

1. Seeing things as they are vs. seeing them from a specific viewpoint

2. Why examine Buddhism from the perspective of “True and Worldly”?

3. Korean Buddhist thought that traverses the True and Worldly realms

Week 2

The Eclectic Thinking

of Goguryeo’s Seungnang

1. Opening

2. The Life of Seungnang and His Encounter with Emperor Wu of Liang

3. The Correlation Between “The Middle Way” and Conventional Names (Ga-myeong)

4. The Correlation Between Principle and Teachings

5. Closing

Week 3

Chinese and Baekje Madhyamaka Thought

- The Dialectics of Giljang and Hye-gun

1. Opening

2. Giljang’s Dialectics in “Threefold Middle Way” (Samjong Jungdo)

3. The Twofold Categories of Baekje’s Hye-gun and His Dialectics

4. Closing

Week 4

Wonhyo’s Academic Research Method;

Focusing on Commentary, Hwajaeng, and Ilsim

1. What Does Wonhyo Mean to Us?

2. Wonhyo’s Thought of Ilshim (One Mind) and Hwajaeng (Harmonization of Disputes)

3. Wonhyo's Organic Writing Style

4. The Significance of Hwajaeng of Wonhyo

5. Analysis of Ten Approaches to Harmonization of Disputes (Sipmun Hwajaengron)

6. Analysis of The Essentials of Nirvana School (Yeolban Jong-yo)

7. Revisiting the Hwajaeng Thought

Week 5

Two Interpretations of Ālayavijñāna and Tathāgatagarbha in the Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith:

“Buddha-Nature” and Wonhyo

1. Introduction

2. Buddha-Nature

3. Different Approaches to Buddha-Nature: The Verses of Shenxiu vs. Huineng

4. Wonhyo's Hwajaeng

5. Ālayavijñāna in the Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith

6. The Non-dual Fusion of Absolute and Phenomenal

7. Differences Between Wonhyo and Fazang

8. Conclusion: Wonhyo, Transcending the Boundary Between Mundane and Transcendent

Week 6

Wonhyo Proclaims the Buddhist Spirit

of Equality and Mutual Growth

0. Was Wonhyo influential during his lifetime?

1. Buddhism’s Journey from a Local to a Global Religion

2. Patriotic and State Buddhism

3. How the Three Kingdoms Adopted Buddhism as a State Religion

4. Wonhyo (元曉) Approaches the Core of the Buddhist Spirit

5. Failed Study Abroad in Tang and His Awakening (Wudao): Gam-bun-bu-i (龕墳不二)

6. Advocating a Path Toward an Equal World

7. Wonhyo, a Thinker Who Revealed the Dignity of All Beings

Week 7

Woncheuk's Interpretation of Inanimate Objects (Mu-seong Yujeong)

1. Introduction

2. Main Issues in Interpreting Inanimate Objects Between the One-Vehicle and the Three-Vehicle Perspectives

3. Woncheuk's Interpretation of Mu-seong Yujeong

4. The Philosophical Implications of the Difficulties in Woncheuk's Interpretation

Week 8

Where Do Lay Buddhists and Monks Part Ways?

1. Intro, Sudden (Dun) vs. Gradual (Jom) Issues and Jinul's Theory of Practice

2. Discovery and Research of Hwaeom-non Jeolyo

3. Annotation Characteristics of Li Tongxuan in Shin Hwaeom-gyeong-roni

4. Jinul’s Selective Summary in Hwaeom-non Jeolyo

5. Conclusion

Week 9

Jinul's Understanding of Humanity through

Awakening and Cultivation of the True Mind

1. Encountering Jinul

2. Jinul’s Life and Historical Context

3. Gyojong (Doctrinal) and Seonjong (Meditative), Cheontae and Seon

4. The “Corruption” of Buddhism at the Time

5. The Gyeolsa Movement

6. Ilsim (One Mind), “Empty/Still Yet Arising Mind” (Gongjeok Yeongi-sim), “True Mind” (Jin-shim)

7. Sudden Awakening and Gradual Cultivation

8. Self-Nature vs. Adapting to Conditions (Sujeon), Essence (Che) vs. Function (Yong), Essence vs. Phenomena (Sang)

9. Relationship with Hwaeom Buddhism

10. Sudden Awakening and Gradual Cultivation — Gradual Cultivation After Sudden Awakening

11. Modern Korean Debate on Sudden Awakening and Gradual vs. Sudden Practice

12. Conclusion

Week 10

Late Joseon Buddhist Theories of Mind-Nature and the Seon Debate

1. Late Joseon Buddhism: Linking Seon and Doctrinal Study

2. Buddhism in a Confucian Society, a Complex Inheritance of Traditions

3. The Philosophies of Yeondam and Mueom, and Their Debate on Mind and Nature

4. A 19th-Century Seon Debate Unfolds

Diagrams in Korean Confucianism

SeungWoo Ahn, KwonJong Yoo, Wonjun Lee, Boseung Kang, JeSeong Bae

Undergraduate Students (Domestic and International) and General Public

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Humanities

Advanced

This course aims to understand the meaning and characteristics of diagrammatic writings (dosŏl) in Korean philosophy and cultural history, and to explore the philosophical concerns, reflections on the relationship between nature and humanity, and the methods of study and self-cultivation toward becoming a sage (seong’in) found within them. Especially, this course is part of the fourth theme (“Debates in Korean Philosophy”) of the third year under the K-Academic Diffusion Research Center, emphasizing the significance and features of these diagrammatic writings in relation to major philosophical debates in Korean thought. The course is structured under four main pillars—“Introduction, Education, Debate, Application”— presenting the core diagrammatic writings of Korean Confucianism from ancient to modern times.

The “Introduction” section examines the beginnings of diagrammatic writings in ancient China, investigating what dosŏl (diagrammatic writings) are and how they were used in Korean Confucianism and their significance. The second pillar is “Education,” since Confucian diagrammatic writings in Korea originated with the desire to simplify difficult Neo-Confucian theories for beginning students, best exemplified by Gwon Geun’s Entrance Diagrams for Beginners (Ip-hak Dosŏl). Thus, dosŏl and “education” have always been closely interrelated, illustrated through Gwon Geun’s Ip-hak Dosŏl and Yi Hwang’s Seonghak Sipdo, in particular its “Diagram of the Lesser Learning” (So hak-do) and “Diagram of the Great Learning” (Dae hak-do).

The next pillar is “Debate,” the overarching theme of this course series. In Korean Confucianism, diagrammatic writings are closely tied to debates. The famous Four-Seven Debate (sadan-chiljeong) in Korean Neo-Confucianism, for instance, was sparked by the “Heavenly Mandate Diagram” (Cheonmyeong-do). Subsequent debates, like the debate on Human Mind (in-sim) and Moral Mind (do-sim), likewise yielded diagrammatic texts such as “Diagram of Heart, Nature, and Feelings” (Sim-seong-jeong-do) or “Diagram of the Human Mind and Moral Mind” (In-sim do-sim-do).

Finally, the fourth pillar is “Application.” Diagrammatic writings were widely adapted in Korean Confucianism. A prime example is the Jakseong-do-ron, which turned the path to sagehood into a traditional board game format.

1. Be able to explain what dosŏl (diagrammatic writings) are, and the meaning and role of such writings in Korean Confucianism.
2. Understand how diagrammatic writings were used for educational purposes in Korean Confucianism.
3. Understand the relationship between key Confucian debates in Korea and diagrammatic writings.
4. Grasp the meaning and significance of traditional board games as a practical application of diagrammatic writings in Korean Confucianism.

Week 1

The Origin and History of Diagrammatic Writings

1. Be able to explain the meaning of dosŏl (diagrammatic writings).

2. Understand how the Hetu (River Diagram), Luoshu (Lo River Writing), and Hongbeom (Great Norm) illustrate the function of diagrammatic writings in Confucianism.

3. Explain the Neo-Confucian theory in Zhou Dunyi’s Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate (Taijitu shuo).

Week 2

Significance of Diagrammatic Writings in Korean Confucianism

1. Investigate the academic, philosophical, and cultural significance of diagrammatic writings produced in the history of Korean Confucianism.

2. Explore how Korean Confucian diagrams differ from graphics in other traditions in terms of their cultural or scholarly approach.

3. Examine the broad historical evolution of diagrammatic writings in Korean Confucianism—from their inception to their disappearance—and the lessons that history offers.

Week 3

Gwon Geun’s Ip-hak Dosŏl (Entrance Diagrams for Beginners)

1. Study the key content of Gwon Geun’s Ip-hak Dosŏl, which marked the beginning of Neo-Confucian diagrammatic writings in the Joseon dynasty, and its significance in Confucian history.

2. Understand the purpose behind the creation of Ip-hak Dosŏl, the structure of its diagrams, and its main ideas.

3. Explore the influence of Gwon Geun’s Ip-hak Dosŏl on subsequent diagrammatic writings in Joseon Confucianism.

Week 4

Illustrating a Confucian Worldview and Educational Vision:

Yi Hwang’s Seonghak Sipdo (Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning)

1. Use the ten diagrams in Seonghak Sipdo to explain the Neo-Confucian worldview.

2. Focus on So Hak-do (Lesser Learning Diagram) and Dae Hak-do (Great Learning Diagram) to introduce the Neo-Confucian educational system envisioned by Korean Confucian scholars.

3. Through diagrams drawn by Yi Hwang’s academic successors, examine the evolution of Korean Confucianism.

Week 5

Yi Hwang’s Cheonmyeong-do and the Four-Seven Debate

1. Understand the context behind the creation of the Cheonmyeong-do (Heavenly Mandate Diagram) and explain its philosophical meaning.

2. Explain the concepts of “Four Beginnings” (Sadan) and “Seven Feelings” (Chiljeong), their interrelationship, and how each manifests according to Yi Hwang and Gi Dae-seung.

3. Through Cheonmyeong-do and the Four-Seven Debate, describe how the issues of human nature and emotions were explored in Joseon Confucianism.

Week 6

How to Depict Two Paths of the Mind? Yi I’s “Diagram of the Human Mind and Moral Mind” (In-sim Do-sim-do)

1. Understand the philosophical and historical significance of the Human Mind and Moral Mind Debate, along with its major points of contention.

2. Understand how these points of contention are reflected in In-sim Do-sim-do (Diagram of the Human Mind and Moral Mind).

Week 7

Cultural Application of Diagrammatic Writings:

“Jakseong-do” Traditional Board Game for Becoming a Sage

1. Explain the distinctive features of diagrammatic writings in Korean Confucianism by exploring examples of their cultural application.

2. Describe how Gwon Geun’s Ip-hak Dosŏl influenced Jakseong-do.

3. Explain the structure and significance of Gwon Chae’s Jakseong-doron.

The Philosophical Thought of Yulgok

Sungmoon Kim

General

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Humanities

Advanced

This lecture series explores the political philosophy of Yi I (Yulgok), a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. The first lecture examines the distinction between the Kingly Way, which emphasizes moral leadership, and the Way of the Hegemon, which relies on power.

The second lecture focuses on how Yi I adapts elements of the Way of the Hegemon to contribute to the realization of the Kingly Way, highlighting his pragmatic approach to governance and demonstrating its relevance for contemporary political discourse.

The final lecture considers Yi I’s vision of humane government, emphasizing its inclusivity and participatory nature, and discussing its implications for modern East Asian political thought. Overall, the series seeks to show how Yi I’s political philosophy remains relevant for understanding governance and society today.

1. Understand the core concepts and theories of Yi I's political philosophy.

2. Analyze the evolution of Confucian political theory through the differences between the Kingly Way and the Way of the Hegemon.

3. Evaluate Yi I’s inclusive and participatory vision of humane government.

4. Explore the contemporary debate between Confucian democracy and meritocracy in East Asian politics.

5. Discuss the implications of Yi I's political philosophy for modern society.

Week 1

The Kingly Way and the Way of the Hegemon: The Classical Paradigm and Korean Neo-Confucianism

1. Virtue Politics (德治) and Humane Government (仁政)

2. The Kingly Way and the Way of the Hegemon

3. The Emergence of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty and Its Introduction to Joseon

Week 2

Yi I's Neo-Confucian Reformulation of the Way of the Hegemon

1. Yi I’s view about the Kingly Way and the Way of the Hegemon

2. The Way of the Hegemon Reaffirmed

3. Political Self-Cultivation and Outcome-Oriented Government

Week 3

Yi I's Inclusive Vision of the Rule for the People and Its Contemporary Implications

1. The Role of the People in Confucian Political Theory

2. Humane Government: From Mencius to Yi I

Week 4

Yi I’s (Yulgok’s) educational text

1. Understand the ethical cultivation encouraged for children in Hakgyo Mobeom (Model School Practices).

2. Comprehend Yi I’s vision of “becoming an adult” through Kyŏngmong Yogyŏl (Essential Instructions for Enlightening the Young), with a focus on moral resolve and reading.

3. Examine Yi I’s Soasuji (Guidelines for Children’s Nurture) to understand his approach to child education grounded in temperament and disposition.

Week 5

1. Understand the origins and developmental directions of the philosophy of childhood.

2. Comprehend the four stages of moral self-cultivation in children.

3. Identify the ethical virtues to be practiced as children expand their social relationships.

4. Understand the meaning of“becoming an adult”through ethical practice.

Week 6

1. Recognize children as active agents through Yulgok’s philosophy of childhood, and understand the methods of children’s philosophical practice.

2. Comprehend the practice of “philosophizing childhood”through the Nine Modes of Conductand the ‘Nine Ways of Thinking,’and appreciate the importance of self-directed practice.

3. Understand the process by which children grow as subjects of “becoming an adult” and as practical philosophical agents, and explain the significance of Korean philosophy of childhood in the pre-modern period.