ABSTRACT A thesis submitted to the committee of Graduate School, Kongju National University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Oriental Science Conferred in February 2024.
A study on the Acceptance of Hado Nakseo of...
ABSTRACT A thesis submitted to the committee of Graduate School, Kongju National University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Oriental Science Conferred in February 2024.
A study on the Acceptance of Hado Nakseo of Myeongni Studies
Eun Ja Lim
Department of Oriental Science
Graduate School of Kongju National University
Gong Ju, Korea
(Supervised by Professor Dong-Jae Lee)
Hado(河圖) and Naksuh(洛書), known as the essence of Eastern philosophy, hold the position of being the source of ‘Yin and Yang and the Five Elements(陰陽五行)’ which is considered the foundation of ‘Eumyang Ohaeng(陰陽五行).’ Hado is a picture that was arranged solely with dots in a regular pattern, representing the four cardinal directions, the center, and symbolizing the order of the universe and the destiny of humans. This picture was drawn by a wise individual who deeply contemplated the principles of the universe and human existence, and the accumulated interpretations by subsequent scholars who deeply pondered the intentions of the original sage have solidified and, at times, been modified over the course of time.
The belief that humans are a part of nature is the result of accumulated thoughts, and it is from this profound belief that Hado and Naksuh were conceived to reflect the natural cycle of ‘birth, aging, illness, and death.’ Yin-Yang scholars(陰陽家) have conducted continuous research on the relationship between the Earth, where we live, and the sun that nurtures all living things, as well as the moon that causes tides, along with the influences of the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in forming various connections.
Furthermore, based on the observation of the movements and changes of these planets and comparing them with the rules of Hado and Naksuh, the concept of ‘Ten Heavenly Stems(十干)’ was derived. It was determined that the Earth completes its orbit around the sun in 12months, which is equivalent to the orbital period of Jupiter, and the Earth's position on this orbit is represented by the ‘Twelve Earthly Branches(十二地支)’. Ultimately, this led to the establishment of the ‘Sexagenary Cycle(60甲子)’ known as ‘Ganji(干支)’. The Ganji cycle is assigned to each year, month, day, and hour, and since four Ganji are determined based on a person's time of birth, the study of ‘Minglihak(命理學)’ emerged, which examines a person's destiny based on these four Ganji.
Furthermore, during the Song(宋) Dynasty in China, Hado and Naksuh were adopted as the origin of ‘Neo-Confucianism(성리학)’, a branch of ‘Shin-yuhak(新儒學)’ or Neo-Confucianism, by the scholar ZhuXi(朱熹). From then on, Hado and Naksuh established themselves as the foundation of Seongnihak and ‘Juyeok(周易)’ or the Book of Changes, playing a role not only in Minglihak but also as the origin of Eastern philosophy.