This article examines the process of how Daesoon thought keeps its own
identity while being practiced as a religion in Korean culture through the
perspective of theological hermeneutics of E. Schillebeeckx, a representative
theologian in 20th century,...
This article examines the process of how Daesoon thought keeps its own
identity while being practiced as a religion in Korean culture through the
perspective of theological hermeneutics of E. Schillebeeckx, a representative
theologian in 20th century, especially on the centering of the matter of experience.
Schillebeeckx says that an experience is an occurrence of perception by
encountering something different from oneself. According to him, 1) the
occurrence of perception is premised on a framework or form of interpretation
which prescribes experience as the experience in the perceptive dimension. 2) A
framework of interpretation is subject to pre-existing system or structure which
already has formed a basis to the experience. It consists of various interpretative
elements such as social form, general knowledges, various experiences, theoretical
models in their society, etc.. 3) The experiences take place in the reflection of
contemporary situation, and it is understood by a society, thus making it a social
stream. This experience is expressed historically, gains historicity in the process
of being handed down from person to person, from generation to generation. In
this way, an experience starts to form a tradition. 4) The tradition is a historical
stream which gives rise to, admits, and integrates various experiences, religious
revelation, and faith etc. In this way, the tradition as a historical stream becomes
a field of religious actuality such as revelation, salvation, etc.
Conclusively, a religion takes place, is formed, only when it is understood anew
by the people who live in that cultural tradition through their languages. The
ground Daesoon thought takes place, is formed, is in this way. Daesoon thought
takes place in the core of traditional Korean culture, undergoes changes when it
encounters the other stream of traditional Korean culture, and the vice versa.
Because of this inevitable change, ironically enough, Daesoon thought can
maintain its own identity as Daesoon thought, and Korean culture its own identity
as Korean culture, avoiding falling into the tertiary which is neither Daesoon
thought nor Korean culture. It is in this way that any religion can be in the
faithfulness to its starting point to be enriched and transformed in its interaction
with the other tradition. At here is the reason Daesoon thought has to have an
openness to the changing world.