한국인의 효사상과 효문화 : 한국사상과 효문화 ; 한국문화 속의 효와 민속 = Filial Piety and Folklore inside Korean Culture

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this article, I will focus on filial piety and folklore inside Korean culture. The article is divided into three main parts. Firstly, I will elucidate folklore inside Buddhist tradition which is a fundamental aspect of Korean culture. From the standpoint of Buddhism, just like the sky and the earth, filial piety is considered as the basic principle for every living creature and thus it is the most essential thing in universe. In other words, filial piety is an ongoing affinity between parents and children, and this tie is believed to be delicately connected not only to the previous world but also to the present and the future worlds. Secondly, filial piety is embedded into every day folk culture, in particular, folk tales, proverbs and animal symbols. Folk tales and proverbs concerning filial piety show that the deep and honest devotion to parents will even impress heaven. By emphasizing the fact that also animals tend to serve their father and mother in the animal world, animal symbols stress the importance of filial piety for all human beings. In accordance undutiful persons are regarded as wild beasts. Thirdly, I will show the relation of filial piety and Confucian culture. Especially in confucianism, filial piety is the most elementary source for every activity and behaviour in human society. Confucianism was introduced to Korea from China in the late Koryo dynasty. This philosophy, or more precisely this ethical thinking and activity, has been gradually and systematically developed inside Korean culture. It still remains important today. Hence filial piety is wide spread among Korean people within confucianism. In our contemporary world, due to urbanization and industrialization, past tradition and folk culture seem to loose importance. However, Koreans are keeping their humanity and compassion thanks to the strong sense of filial piety felt by the majority of people in Korea. For the restoration of traditional culture in the 21st century it is time to recover filial piety because filial piety is the core of Korean culture as well as the root of Korean folk culture.