A Study of Salvation Types in the New Religions of Early Modern Korea : In Reference to Buddhist Faith in Maitreya

Abstract

This article investigates the salvation types appearing in the new religions of earlymodern Korea through the religious symbol of “the earth.” With this purpose in mind,we first investigated the religious experience of the “earth” from the sublimation of lifein its mystery to its dimension of religious salvation. On the basis of such a religiousexperience, we examined concretely the significance of the “earth” and salvation types inKorean religious traditions through the faith in the descent of Maitreya and Gaebyeokthought. The new religions of early modern Korea, while embracing the faith in thedescent of Maitreya and the Gaebyeok thought that had been inherited coherently inKorean religious mentality, reinterpreted them so that the popular aspiration of theideal world might be actualized not in the next world but in this world. Thus, thenew religions of early modern Korea developed religious tendencies focused on the“downward salvation” of seeking bliss in this world by transforming this world throughnationalistic religious movements to counter Japanese imperialism and religiouscultural movements. The vision of “terrestrial salvation through the earth” in theirinterpretation might be understood to have been a new message of hope for the peopleunseen in earlier religious traditions.