CHONDOGYO

1. The life of Ch'oe Cheu, founder of Ch'ondogyo (better known by his pen name Suun and honorofic name Taeshinsa, the great divine teacher)

1. BIRTH OF CH'OE SUUN
Ch'oe Suun, founder and the great first leader of Ch'ondogyo was born in the village of Kajungri, Kyongju, an ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom, on October 28, 1824. He was the only son of Mr.
Ch'oe Ok, a well-known scholar. His mother came from the Han lineage of Kyongju.
At the time of his birth, the village of Kajongri was filled with bright and Kumi Mountain surrounding the village trembled three times.
At the age of eight, he entered school. He read thousands of books and understood them all.
At the age of ten, his wisdom was bright and his talents surpassed those of others.
However, he suffered at being left an orphan at the age of seventeen. At the age of nineteen, he married a daughter of the Park family.
The following year, however, his house and all books written by his father were burned by accident.
So, he moved to Yongdam pavilion, where his father built and studied.
Even though he moved to Yongdam pavilion, his living was economically difficult.

2. IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH OF THE WAY FOR TEN YEARS.

At the age of twenty-one, Ch'oe Suun travelled widely in search of the Way whereby he could correct and cure the sickness of a nation which suffered from serious moral and political decay.
Moreover, the influence of Christianity, Western capitalism and international politics began to add strong external pressures to those already being felt internally.
By travelling throughout Korea in order to seek for the truth of the Way for 10 years, he came to realize more fully the seriousness of the moral decay of the nation.
Every where people were restless and the social system was corrupted. So, Eastern culture had reached a deadend.
Confucianism and Buddhism had no capacity to cure the ills of Korean society. Thus, the masses suffered under the minority ruling class.
Moreover, the learned people wandered without direction and lost their historical consciousness.
Therefore, Ch'oe Suun was led to the conviction that there must be some Way to create a new culture in order to save the nation from its sickness.

3. MEDITATION FOR 6 YEARS
After 10 years of wandering in search for the Way to create the new thoughts, he returned to Ulsan where his wife lived when he was thirty-one years old.
He built a hut and meditated for six years.

His religious object was neither getting rid of birth, becoming old, sickness or death, or seeking for the Way to relief from original sin.
His major task was only to search for the answer to cure the decay of society. However, the answer to the question was not so easy, so, he was disappointed.

While he was meditating at home, he had a mystical experience: A strange monk appeared and gave him a mystical book written "Pray for Heaven."
After the mystical experience, he rather concentrated more deeply in studying cultivation of religious spirit rather than only meditation.
Since then, he prayed for Heaven every day at home.
On the other hand, he also twice made trips to Ch'unsung Mountain for praying.
During these days, his living became harder and harder.
So, he sold his house and the rest of his property in Ulsan.
However, he was not discouraged and continued to study on spiritual cultivation every day at his home.
In order to continue on studying to find out the Way, he returned to Yongdam pavilion in Kyongju, his home town, and he changed his name and pen name.
After winter, in April 1860, unexpectedly his heart felt chilly and his body shivered.
He heard a mysterious voice in his ears: Hanulnim (God of Ch'ondogyo) said "Receive my spiritual symbol (made of paper with sacred letters) and deliver mankind from sickness.
Receive my incantation and teach man for me" It was on April 5, 1860, Ch'oe Suun finally arrived at the point of the Great awakening of the eternal Way of Ch'ondogyo.
It is the first day of the year of spreading the new truth of the Way to the world.

4. Propagation and Organization of Ch'ondogyo At the age of thirty-eight in June, 1861, he began to spread the virtue of Ch'ondogyo.
There were a great number of peoples from all parts of the nation gathered in Yongdam pavilion to learn Ch'ondogyo within two months.
Because of the large crowd, serious criticisim arise from Confucious members.
Furthermore, government authority persecuted the spreading of Ch'ondogyo as a dangerous ideology.
So he could not continue to propagate Ch'ondogyo at Kyongju due to pressure by government.
Therefore, he left Kyongju with one of his disciples. In December he arrived at Mildukam temple in Kyoryong castle, Namwon.
He lived in seclusion at this place and changed the temple's name to Unjokam tample.
During his stays at Unjokam temple, he wrote Nonhakmoon, a part of the Scripture of Ch'ondogyo asserting that "My eternal great Way is not the Western Way (Catholicism ) but my Way is the Heavenly Way(Eastern Way, Donghak ).
Since he wrote this Nonhakmoon scripture, his truth of the Way was called Donghak(Eastern learning ), later declared to Ch'ondo-gyo.

At the age of thirty-nine (1862 June), he returned to kyongju from Namwon and a great number of people from all parts of Korea gathered again in Kyongju to learn Ch'ondogyo.
So government arrested him for propagating heresy.
However, government released him after five days his arrest because a great number of Ch'ondogyo believers protested against the government.
Upon his release he traveled to Pohang (Heung hae). During his travelling to Heunghae after his release, he initiated an official religious organization appointing 16 leaders "Jop" (local community leader).
Jop is a community organization which is composed of 30 or 50 houses of Ch'ondogyo believers.

5.THE SPIRIT OF CH'ONDOGYO SUCCEEDED BY CH'OESI-HYUNG
In April 1863, Ch'oe Suun returned Yongdam pavilion again to concentrate on the propagation of Ch'ondogyo.
Since propagation of Ch'ondogyo came into the open out of the underground, Kyongju local police reguested the central government to take measures against Ch'oe Su-un's propagating Ch'ondogyo.
As he predicted the danger of his arrest, his spirit of Ch'ondogyo was succeed by Ch'oe Si-Hyung, the most favored disciple, on August 14, 1863.
At that time, Ch'oe Su-un was forty years old and Ch'oe Si-Hyung, was thirty-seven years old.
Ch'oe Si-Hyung, better known by his pen name haewol, was ordained by Ch'oe Suun as his successor and 2nd great leader of Ch'ondogyo.
Ch'oe Su-un was arrested by the government on December 10, 1863 and transported to Seoul.
On the way to Seoul, his wagon-prison was returned to Taegu because of King Ch'uljong's state funeral.
He was seriously tortured four times at the Taegu prison. Right before his execution, he left a famous poem, "My truth of teaching is correct and honest, and no one can blame it.
My eternal truth of the Way will be enlightened forever even though I die."
After he left this famous poem, he was sentenced to death on March 10, 1864 for propagating heresy, misleading people, and sowing discord.
Later, his family were arrested and also sentenced to death.
20 of his disciples were also arredsted and exiled to island when Ch'oe Suun arrested.
The propagation of Ch'ondogyo was hardly continued because most leaders were persecuted by the government.
However, Ch'oe Si-Hyung, the representative leader of Kyongsang province was able to succeed the spirit of Ch'ondogyo at underground, thereby spreading and maintaining of Ch'oe Suun's religious works.

2. Basic Doctrine of Ch'ondoGyo

1. TONGGYONG TAEJON (THE GREAT EASTERN SCRIPTURE ) AND YONGDAM YUSA (MEMORIAL SONGS OF YONGDAM)
Ch'ondo-gyo Scripture usually consist of the Tonggyung Tae-jon (Great Eastern Scripture ) and Yongdam Yusa (Memorial Songs of Yongdam ).
Both are works of founder Ch'oe Su-un and contain basic doctrine of Ch'ondogyo.
Tonggyong Taejon includes four major sections: Podukmun (On Spreading Virtue ), Nonhakmun (On Learning Truth ?魇琬), Sudukmun(On Cultivating Virtue 塍潇琬) and Pulyon Kiyun (Not so, Yet so ).
Also twenty other poems and writings are contained therein.
Yongdam Yusa includes Yongdamga(Song of Yongdam ), Ansimga (Song of Comfort ?), Kyohunga(Song of Instruction ), Mongjung Noso Mundapga (Dialogue between Old and Young ), Tosusa (Instruction on Spiritual Training ), Kwonhakga (Song of Encouraging the Study of Truth ), Dodokga(Song of Morality ), Heungbiga(Song of Parables of Success ) and Komgyul(Song of Sword ).
All of Tonggyong Taejon was written in Chiness for the more scholarly reader and Yongdam Yusa was written in Han'gul, the Korean alphabet for the mass.
2. CONCEPT OF "HANULNIM", GOD OF CH'ONDOGYO
The object of worship in Ch'ondogyo is "Hanulnim", God of Ch'ondogyo (Lord of Heaven).
Koreans have believed in hanulnim from ancient times.
It signifies the Great I or Totality that means God.
Therefore, man is not created by a supernatural God, rather man is caused by an innate God.
The God is simply the totality in relation to man, an individuated being that is the Concept of Sichunju ( man bear God) trying build real the society of world.
The concept of Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo is based on deism and the direct relationship between God and man which Ch'oe Su-un experienced for the first time in the world.

3. THE WORLD VIEW ON REAL LIFE
The world view of Ch'ondogyo is different from those of other traditional religions.
The world view on living things of other old religions emphasizes Creation, Evolution, Reproduction and Atomization.
However, the world view of Ch'ondogyo is that origin of man as well as the universe is neither created by a transcendent and personal creator in a dualisitic sense, nor is it used to mean a sudden production of something which never existed before.
All things in the universe are not creatures of God, but the result of autonomous evolution.
The universe and oringin of man began from the old ancient time, so man has always conceived to be part of the eternal life, with which man is manifest.
The principle of Chisang Ch'onkuk, paradise of Heaven on earth places emphasis on improving the quality of man's real life rather than concentrating on the hereafter.
4. THE HUMANISTIC ETHIC OF INNAE-CH'ON
The principle truth of Innaech'on is that man is identical with Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo, but man is not the same the God.
That everyman bears Hanulnim, the God of Ch'ondogyo in their mind is the concept of Sich'onju which means that man's dignity is the same as Hanulnim's dignity.
Therefore, the new ethic of Ch'ondogyo is Sainyoch'on that is behave as a man as you would as Hanulnim, which emphasizes new lofty humanistic ethics.
Through man's spiritual cultivation, man has the capacity to manifest the spirit of Hanulnim, transcending normal man's capacity, thereby becoming the subject of creation of history.

5. HISTORICAL VIEW OF KAEBYUK (RESURRECTION)
Since Ch'ondogyo was established by Ch'oe Su-un on April 5, 1860, the turmoil and moral decay of society has been eliminated, changing old culture and customs.
This time is the transition period, passing away the old fashioned and irrational world and creating a new era in a new world. From April 5, 1860, a new historical culture of the world started.
The concept of Kaebyuk contains Eastern and Western philosophy.
The Eastern philosophy consisted of circulation, success and failure.
The culture of mankind composed of three elements of Circulation, Development and Success and Failure.
Discovering continuance in history is rather from the culture of all mankind than from the civilization of a monarchy.
Religion plays a significant role in the formation of culture. The degeneration of culture is caused by deadend of religion. In order to create new culture, establishing the eternal Way of Ch'ondogyo is necessary.
The subject of history is that mankind is not God, but man that is one with God. The new culture of the world was created and developed by this new ethic.

6. PROTECTING THE NATION AND SECURING PEACE FOR PEOPLE AND PARADISE OF HEAVEN ON EARTH
The lofty and humanistic ethic of Ch'ondogyo is that man should be treated as Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo.
The purpose of Ch'ondogyo is Chisang Ch'onkuk paradise of Heaven on earth. The principle of Chisang Ch'onkuk emphasizes improving the quality of man's real life rather than concentrating on the hereafter.
So the paradise of Heaven on earth is built by mankind, which becomes the subject of history.
With the theme of protecting the nation and securing peace for people is that man has also inspired the ideal of national freedom against foreign invasion.
The concept of Ch'ondogyo emphasizes not only the importance of personal ethics but also social ethics. Therefore,
the ideal image of Ch'ondogyo is "Man of Virtue".
The Man of Virtue pursuits establishing an ideal world in accordance with will of Heaven and earth while, the inferior man pursuits only his own profit against the will of Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo.
The Man of Virtue in Ch'ondogyo emphasizes that "please rather give your wisdom to others than talking on others faults."

3. Spiritual Training, Ceremony and Religious Organization

1. WAY OF SPIRITUAL TRAINING
The way of spiritual training is a source of self spiritual cultivation. It is possible to make entity of the will and acts of human with the Divine's will through self spiritual cultivation.
Through the constant repitation of Ch'ondogyo Incantation formula, one expresses his faith in Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo with whom one desire to be one.
The 21 syllables of Incantation is as follows; "CHI KI KEUM CHI ONE WEE DAE KANG SI CH'ON JU CHO HWA CHONG YONG SE BUL MANG MAN SA CHI"
The major meaning of the Incantation is that Man should harmonize his mind with the ultimate energy of Hanulnim, God of chon'dogyo and should combine man's was with virtue of the Hanulnim, and keep always the meaning of Hanulnim in man's mind. It also says that man should attempt to know the Way of Hanulnim and receive wisdom of Hanulnim forever.

2. CEREMONY AND SERVICE
Among many kinds of disciplines of Ch'ondogyo, Ch'ongsu (Clean water ), Shimko (swearing in mind ) and Chumun (sacred Incantation ) are the most important discipline for believers of Ch'ondogyo.
Ch'ongsu(clean water ??) is used in every ceremony of Ch'ondogyo in family, church and all meetings to realize benevolence of Hanulnim, God of Ch'ondogyo.
The religious ceremony includes the entering ceremony, on everyday pray-ing, Sunday service and anniversary days of Ch'ondogyo.
The anniversary days are observed as follows:
April 5 (Heavenly day, Ch'onil) Foundation day.
August 14: (Earth day, chiil), ch'oe Si-hyung was ordained by founder Ch'oe Su-un as his successor.
December 24: (Man Day, Inil), Son Byong-hi was ordained by Ch'oe Si-Hyung as 3rd the great leader.
January 18:(Way Day Toil), Park In-ho was ordained by Son Byong-hi as the 4th Divine teacher.

3. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
There are administrative organization and "Yonone" organization (The religious lineage that succeed and generate in a community). The "Yonone" organization is a group of congregation of Ch'ondogyo which is composed of successor and propagator.
The administrative organization is composed of the board of religious administration, general assembly and the board of audit. There are district parishes and branch parishes in local cities.

4. 100 Years History of Ch'ondoGyo

1. REINSTATEMENT MOVEMENT FOR FOUNDER'S DEATH SENTENCE AT YOUNGHAE COUNTY
Since founder Ch'oe Su-un was sentenced to death by the govenment, in 1864, the Ch'ondogyo organization went underground.
However, the religious activities were widely expanded in Kyongsang province under the leadership of Ch'oe Si-hyung, 2nd the great leader, in 1870.
The following year, great numbers of believers of Ch'ondogyo gathered at Younghae county with a petition to the government calling for redress of the founder's death.
Even though they attacked the police station of Younghae, their petition was not accepted by the central government. The petition ended in vain. A large number of them were victimized by police.
Since then, government more severely oppressed and persecuted Ch'ondogyo.

2. PUBLICATION OF SCRIPTURE AND ESTABLISHMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE BODY.
Since propagation of Ch'ondogyo was widely expanded in the Kangwon-do province in 1874, the Scripture of Ch'ondogyo composed of Tonggyung Taejon and Yongdam Yusa was published to provide believers during the years 1880 and 1881.
In 1886, Ch'ondogyo finally spread to Ch'oongch'ong province of central Korea. Ch'ondogyo established its central office at Changnae-ri, Boun Ch'oong-ch'ong province and appointed 6 representatives which brought about a new light for the future of Ch'ondogyo.

3. 2ND REINSTATEMENT MOVEMENT FOR FOUNDER CH'OE
A 2nd petition to the governor of Ch'oongch'ong and Chulla provinces calling for redress of founder's death started again at Kongju and Samrye in 1892. However, the government ignored the petition. So the following year, they petitioned the King calling for the redress of the founder, but results were again vain.

4. MOVEMENT OF PROTECTION OF THE NATION AND POPULAR SAFETY
The great numbers of believers of Ch'ondogyo gathered at Changnae-ri Boun, Ch'oongch'ong province from March 10 to April 2 in 1893 in order to spread the movement of protecting the nation and safety for people against foreign invasion.
The Jop (local commuity leader ) organization was expanded to Po(provincial leader ) organization. The representative leaders were elected by Po organization for the Tonghak Movement. However, government sent military troops to Boun to scatter the crowd of members of the Tonghak Movement.

5. THE KABO TONGHAK REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT
The members of Tonghak who scattered from the Boun Tonghak Movement were severely persecuted by the government.
Even though a big movement by farmers broke out protesting malfeasance and corruption of local government in Kobu, Chulla province in 1894, provincial government ignored it.
This farmers movement in Kobu was soon after attributed as launching the Tonghak Revolution headed by Chon Pongjun in cooperation with Kim Dukmyong, Kim Kae-nam and Son Hwa-joong.
The farmers occupied all areas of Chulla province and Chonju fortress through the revolution.
During the revolution movement, the Tonghak leaders instructed their fellowers as follows:
1. Do not injure or molest life.
2. Keep faith and loyalty to parent and King.
3. Free from foreign invasion and establish a right and honest society.
4. Forward to Seoul and destroy the authority of aristocracy.

The Chinese and Japanese dispatched their troops to Korean in order to put down the Tonghak revolution at the request of the Korean King.
So the revolutionary members of Tonghak reluctantly withdrew from their occupied areas.
By agreement between the Tonghak members and the government, the nationwide reform of government was enacted in order to correct administration form corruption, 53 local offices were newly established.
In fact, the Tonghak revolution resulted in the Sino-Japanese War which ended with Japanese victory.
Since then, japanese came to power and pressed Korean people. So a large number of members of Tonghak from all parts of Korea strongly p垇tested against Japanese political pressure on Korea. However, unfortunately, the Tonghak Revolution ended without achieving the desires of the Tonghak members due to Japanese military power.

6. THE KAPJIN CULTURAL REFORM MOVEMENT
On December 24, 1897, Son Byong-hi (better known by his pen name Son 'Ui-am, the favorite disciple of Ch'oe Si-hyung) was ordained by Ch'oe Si-hyung as 3rd great leader. At that time, Ch'oe Si-hyung was 71 years old and Son Byong-hi was 37.
After that Ch'oe Si-hyung was arrested and sentenced to death by the government on June 2, 1898. Son Byong-hi went to Japan for political asylum. After the Russo-Japan War in 1904, he established the Chinbohoe, the progressive society, after he returned to Korea. He conducted a nationwide movement through Ch'ondogyo aiming at social improvement by renovating old customs and way of living such as:
hundreds of thousands members of Ch'ondogyo did away with topknot and initiated the religious order of the habit of wearing dyed cloths instead of white.
Non-violent demonstration by members of Tonghak spread for social improvement at the year of 1904. This is the Kapjin reform movement.

7. FROM TONGHAK (EASTERN LEARNING ) TO CH'ONDOGYO (RELIGION OF HEAVENLY WAY )
Since members of Tonghak were severely persecuted by the government, Lee Yong-ku betrayed Ch'ondogyo and the Korean nation, thereby joining the Japanese power to control Korea together with Iljinhoe , a pro-Japanese society.
On December 1, 1905, Son Byong-hi officially changed the Tonghak name to Ch'ondogyo to identify it as a religious group.
The following year, Ch'ondogyo was started as a modern religious organization with central headquarters in Seoul.
Since than, all members who joined to Iljinhoe(pro-japanese group) were expelled from the Ch'ondogyo. On other hand, 72 local parishes were newly established.
On January 18, 1908, Park In-ho was ordained as 4th leader of Ch'ondogyo. On that occasion, the Ch'ondogyo, under the objectives to foster modernization to promote nationalism and to propagate Ch'ondogyo, they operated Posong high school (later to become Korea university) and Tonghak women's high school. Furthermore, they provided financial support to 20 private schools and established 820 cultural and educational institutes in local cities. Also, they published the Mansaebo, daily newspaper and the weekly newspaper of Ch'ondogyo.

8. THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT, MARCH 1, 1919
Under cruel Japanese colonial rule, the entire Korean people longed for freedom and independence since the Japanese occupation in 1910. With all financial expences provided by Ch'ondogyo, a systematic underground preparation for Anti-Japanese movement began, including preparation for a Declaration of Independence, selection of 33 national leaders for the independence movement which consisted of 15 members o Ch'ondogyo.
On March 1, 1919, a nationwide the independence movement was led by Ch'ondogyo in all parts of Korea. Many leaders of Ch'ondogyo including Son Byong-hi (head of the independence movement) and Park In-ho were arrested. On the other hand, About 49,000 people were arrested and 1,461 believers of Ch'ondogyo were in prisoned during the independence movement All religious organizations of Ch'ondogyo throughout the nation became paralysed.

9. JAPANESE PERSECUTION AND OPPRESSION OF CH'ONDOGYO
After the March first Independence Movememt, the Japanese colonial policy tended to be moderate. From then on, Ch'ondogyo contributed mainly to the nation's cultural activities. The youth society of Ch'ondogyo(Ch'ongwoo-dang, later became the Ch'ondo-gyo political party) was established. They published many monthly magazines such as Kaebyuk, Farmer, Children, Student and New Women in the field of education, politics, economy agriculture, religion and public interest which were almost the very first magazines published in the history o modern Korean culture.
Furthermore, they established night educational institutes in many rural towns for uneducated persons.
Through this enlightenment movement, Ch'ondogyo proceeded the Anti-Japanese praying Movement with the Oshim-dang organization (Our heart party, an underground group for independence). However, the Oshim-dang (underground group) were arrested in 1934 and members of Anti-Japanese were also arrested in 1938 since the independence plan was discovered by Japan. After the 2nd World War, Ch'ondo-gyo was hardly able to continue its activities.

10. NATIONAL UNIFICATION MOVEMENT
After freedom from Japanese colonial rule on August 15, 1945, the Korean peninsula was divided into South and North by powers of U.S.S.R. and U.S. At that time, 90 percent of Ch'ondogyo believers lived in North Korea. There were 102 local parishes and about 500,000 homes of Ch'ondogyo families at cities and towns in the North. In 1948, U.S. and U.S.S.R. tried to establish two governments; a communist government in the North and a democratic government in the South.