The Unique Concept of God in Donghak (東學, Eastern Learning): An Emanation of the Religious Experiences of Suun Choe Jeu

Abstract

The religious experience of Suun Choe Jeu (水雲 崔濟愚, 1824–1864) was a decisive starting point for the Donghak (東學, Eastern Learning) religion. This paper illustrates how Suun’s religious experiences—which are both dualistic and monistic—are foundational to the Donghak conception of God and are integral to Donghak’s unique religious and ethical framework. Whereas the dualistic experiences are manifested both in Suun’s first encounter with Sangje in 1860 and in Cheonsa mundap (天師問答, “conversation with the Heavenly Master”), the monistic experiences are demonstrated in Suun’s Osim jeuk yeoshim (吾心卽汝心, “my mind is your mind”). Suun’s monistic and dualistic experiences emerge as the monistic and dualistic aspects of Donghak’s conception of God. In Donghak, God is both the object of a dualistic relationship with a human being and the object of a monistic or mystical union that confirms the ontological identity between God and humankind. Acknowledging the relationship between Suun’s religious experiences and Donghak’s concept of God reveals the weakness of the view that Donghak is merely a syncretism of Eastern and Western religions. Rather, Suun’s religious experiences are formative to Donghak’s unique conception of God; therefore, they are crucial to appreciating its religious and ethical creativity.