김주희 1910년 무렵 득도...체천·교정분리·선천회복 주장
동경대전·용담유사 변형...경전 7권, 가사 39권 창작
근본적으로 동학사상 유포 목적...'개같은 왜적놈아' 항일내용도
첫 필사는 반드시 부주교가 맡아
상주동학 교주 김주희는 재주가 비상했다. 동학의 정수인 동경대전과 용담유사를 변종(變種)한다. 두 가지 이유에서였다. 첫째는 최제우 순도 후 정형화된 동학사상을 1910년을 전후로 달리 이해했기 때문이다. 그 나름대로 득도한 결과다. 둘째는 동경대전과 용담유사가 일제의 불온서적으로 낙인 찍혔기 때문이다. 현실적 묘안은 필연적이었다.
정형화된 동학사상이란 뭔가. 최제우 득도 이전을 선천(타락한 세상)으로, 이후를 후천(민중의 갈망이 실현되는 세상)으로 구분하고, 천(天)과 인(人)을 도의 근원으로, 성경신(誠敬信)을 도행의 바탕으로, 수심정기(守心正氣)를 수도의 핵심으로 삼고 정진하는 것이다. 이에 따라 시천주(侍天主), 교정일치, 일원론적 세계관이 정형화된 동학을 대변한다.
이를 김주희는 비틀고 변형했다. 그는 도의 근원, 도행의 바탕, 수도의 핵심 등 동학의 방법론은 그대로 두고, 이론의 틀을 뒤흔든다. 김주희는 ‘하날님을 사람 속에 내재하는 것이 아니라 사람의 바깥에 존재하는 외재적 실재’로 파악했다. 그러면서 시천주를 체천(體天)으로, 교정일치를 교정분리로, 일원론적 세계관을 이원론적 세계관으로 대체한다.표 참고 물론 이 같은 이분법적 구분은 현대 동학연구가들에 의한 것이다.
경북대 김문기(65) 교수는 “김주희는 ‘사람은 본시 소천(小天)이기 때문에 하늘은 아버지요 사람은 아들이므로 아들이 아버지를 모시고 그 도를 밝히고 그 덕을 닦자’는 것이 동학의 체천주의라고 파악했다”고 했다.
김주희는 독창적인 동학사상을 정립하고 동경대전 외에 궁을경, 통운역대, 도원경, 도화경, 성경, 도성경, 축식과 같은 별도의 경전을 만들었다. 또 용담유사 외에 임하유서, 창덕가, 경운가, 창도가, 연시가 등 37권 100편의 가사를 새롭게 창작했다. 이들 경전과 가사를 일제의 눈을 피해 필사해 교인들에게 나눠줬다. 1915년 채 20명이 안 됐던 교도가 1929년에 이르러 1,500명을 육박하자 그들을 감당하려 1931년에 목판인쇄를 도입했다.
김덕용(1928~1987?김주희 큰아들)의 생전 증언에 의하면, 교도 중 9할이 가난한 농부였다. 또 김씨는 “동학가사 중 임하유서를 제외한 나머지는 김주희 단독작”이라고 증언했다. 그러나 가사 연구자들은 ‘다수 창작’에 무게를 두며 “과거에 여러 사람이 지은 것을 오히려 수집 정리해 간행한 것”으로 보고 있다. 구전되는 동안 이 노래 저 노래가 뒤섞인 흔적이 역력하기 때문이다. 상주동학교당이 발간한 경전과 가사는 1929년과 1932년 두 번에 걸쳐 집중 간행됐다.
상주동학경전 이야기
‘상주동학경전’은 한마디로 ‘동경대전을 근간으로 외형을 확장한 것’이다. 동경대전은 최제우의 득도과정을 표현한 포덕문, 동학의 교리 핵심을 정리한 논학문, 도 닦는 비결을 전수한 수덕문, 일상의 실재를 파헤친 불연기연 등으로 구성돼 있다. 김주희는 자신의 사상을 담은 궁을경을 펴내는 한편, 동경대전 일부를 활용해 깨달은 바를 덧붙이거나, 동경대전 일부에다 창작 경전을 합본하는 방법으로 버전을 다양화했다.
궁을경은 궁을(弓乙)과 동학의 의미, 천도(天道) 회복의 원리, 유도(儒道)와의 관계 등을 문답식으로 풀이한 것이다. 질문자는 김주희고, 답하는 이는 하날님이란 점에서 최제우의 동경대전 서술법을 구사하고 있지만, 최제우와 달리 간접화법을 사용하고 있다.
-궁을과 동학에 대해 물으니 말씀하셨다.
“궁을은 음양의 조화가 쉬지 않고 순환한다는 뜻이며, 동학은 천지만물이 청룡복덕의 운에서 생겨나서 사계절을 이룰 수 있기 때문에 동학이라 한다.”
‘하늘에는 성하고 쇠함이 있고…’로 글머리를 열어 역대의 운세를 설명한 통운역대는 ‘진시황 이후 후천의 지도(地道)가 시작되어 불교, 기독교가 성하다가 수운 선생 득도 이후 다시 선천이 회복되는 운세를 맞게 되었다’며 선천회복의 운세가 도래했음을 천명하고 있다. 도원경은 선천회복을 위해서는 군자의 덕을 갖추어야 하고, 군자의 덕은 성, 경, 신으로 성심을 다해야 함을 말하고 있다. 도성경은 성인과 소인이 타고난 기질이 다른 이유, 성경신의 관계, 천도를 체득하는 방법을 설명한 뒤 지성으로 덕을 닦으면 도덕을 이룰 수 있다고 가르치고 있다. 도화경은 ‘도덕군자는 천리가 바뀌는 때에 천리에 순응하고 그 도덕을 어기지 않는 데 비해 보통사람들은 천리에 순응하지 않고 도덕을 어겨서 손해가 심하다’며 ‘선성(先聖ㆍ수운 최제우)의 가르침을 어기지 말고 수도를 열성적으로 하라’는 내용을 담고 있다.
상주동학경전은 이처럼 그 수는 다양하지만 ‘수심정기의 자세로 수도하면 좋은 세상 맞을 것’이라는 본질은 동경대전과 같다. 하지만 경전은 당시 한자로 쓰여 민초들에게는 무용했다. 경전이 그만큼 고귀하고 성스럽다는 점을 상징적으로 보여주기 위한 방편이었는지는 알 수 없으나, 1881년 간행된 동경대전은 물론 1915년 이후 간행된 상주동학경전도 죄다 한자버전이다.
상주동학가사 이야기
동학가사는 한글이다. 최제우 대(代)부터 그랬다. 전략적이었던 것 같다. 교세를 확장하려면 어렵고 무거운 한문 경전보다는 일반 백성들이 쉽게 이해할 수 있는 흥미로운 노랫말 같은 한글 가사가 필요했을 것이다. 최제우는 용담유사로 몽매한 민중들을 포교하고자 했다. 용담유사는 최제우가 동학 창건 후 득도의 희열과 제자들에게 전해줄 교훈을 창작한 것이다. 모두 9편이 수록돼 있다. 교훈가, 안심가, 용담가, 몽중노소간답가, 도수사, 권학가, 도덕가, 흥비가 등 한글가사 8편과 한문으로 된 검결 1편이 있다. 전해지지 않지만 처사가 1편이 더 있었다고 한다.
김주희도 최제우의 방식을 따랐다. ‘상주동학가사’는 용담유사 8편을 제외한 100편의 창작 가사를 말한다. 임하유서, 창덕가, 허황가, 경운가, 창도가 등 상주동학가사 37권 100편은 포교류(類)와 수도류로 양분된다. 교리를 해설하는 포교류 19편을 제외한 나머지 81편은 최제우의 가르침을 성실하게 수양할 것을 노래한 수도류다. 수도류는 다시 유교류, 도교류, 음양오행류, 일상생활류로 나눌 수 있다.
이들 상주동학가사는 널리 활용됐다. 상주동학교 입장에서는 동학사상과 교리를 쉽게 대중에게 전파할 수 있었다. 그건 부지불식간의 교세 확장으로 나타났다. 임하유서 ‘도성가’ 편에는 ‘무지한 세상 사람들이 스승이 가르치신 그 문자를 무심히 들었다가 언제 죽을지도 모를 어려운 때를 당했다’며 동학을 믿어야 할 까닭을 이야기하고 있다. 창덕가 ‘셩심쟝’ 편에는 ‘천지와 음양이 시작된 이래 가장 고귀한 것은 사람일 진데도 가련한 저 사람들은 자신의 고귀함을 모르고서, 세상에 근심이 가득하고 자포자기하는 사람들이 많으니 모든 사람들이 천지의 운수를 받아내어 수신하여 세상을 구해보자’고 동학도를 다독인다.
대중 속으로 파고든 상주동학가사는 친목도모와 단합에도 한몫 톡톡히 한다. 교도의 9할이 가난한 농부였기에 교도들에게 가사는 ‘쾌지나칭칭나네’ 같은 민요기능도 했다. 실제 가사는 ‘어화세상 사람들아’ 같은 감탄구나 ‘궁궁을을 성도도다’ 같은 구절이 자주 반복돼 마치 농요처럼 리드미컬해 함께 부르기도 쉬웠다. 한번 불러 보자. ‘만성도사 엄명하에 수도수신 도통하셰/ 궁궁을을 성도로다// 광제중생 치덕하에 주류팔방 으뜸이라/ 궁궁을을 성도로다//.
그런가 하면, ‘동학의 교리를 허황하다고 여기지 말고, 믿고 따르라’는 내용의 허황가 ‘허중유실가’ 편을 별책으로 만든 것으로 보아 당시 포교가 녹록지 않았음을 보여준다. 한 대목을 옮겨 보자. ‘요임금은 원래 논밭을 매던 농부였는데 어느 날 만승의 천자가 되었고, 순임금은 독을 구워 팔던 독장수였다가 천하의 주인이 되었으며, 강태공은 낚시로 소일하던 사람이었지만 천하의 재상이 되었고, 진시황은 만리장성과 아방궁을 지어놓았지만 실제 그는 그곳에서 있지 못하고 여산에 누워 있으니, 이러한 몇 가지 일만 두고 보더라도 허황된 가운데 진실이 담겨 있다.’ 한마디로 뭉쳐서 의심 말고 뭉친 김에 열심히 연마할 것을 권하고 있다.
가사는 또 투쟁수단이기도 했다. 상화대명가 ‘경세가’ 편에는 ‘동서양의 선진제국들이 서로 협상해서 우리나라를 문명개화 해 준다고 하더니만 문명개화는 고사하고 선진병기로 힘센 나라가 힘이 약한 나라를 억압하고서는 국가의 근본인 우리 백성들을 사지로 내몰고 있다’고 일제를 향한 분노를 드러내고 있다. 택선수덕가 ‘시세가’ 편에는 ‘살해인물 좋아하여 무력정치 숭상할제/ 칼창으로 정치하고 칼창으로 치민타가/ 제칼창에 지가죽고 제칼창에 저망했네//’라며 일제를 극단적으로 비판하기도 했다. 이 대목은 일제에 의해 삭제됐고, 수난의 빌미가 됐다. 마찬가지로 용담유사 ‘안심가’ 편에 ‘개같은 왜적놈아 너의신명 돌아보라’ 등의 표현도 가차없이 삭제됐다.
전해 내려오는 말에 의하면, 김주희는 가사와 경전을 지을 때 몇 날 며칠씩 시름시름 앓아가며 신기(神氣)를 빌려 단번에 여러 권을 완성했다고 한다. 그 완성본은 부교주 김낙세의 손을 거쳐 교정ㆍ정서된 뒤, 첫 필사는 반드시 김낙세가 했다. 이후 교도 중 필사능력이 있고 필체가 나쁘지 않은 자에게 필사를 맡겼다. 김낙세의 일기(日記)는 이를 뒷받침한다. ‘필사는 주로 건과 상동이 맡아했다.’
목판인쇄 관련은 1931년 일기에 처음으로 소개된다. 목판본에 사용된 나무는 참죽나무, 소나무, 배나무였다. 인쇄업자 곽태규가 다녀간 건 1931년 3월 6일이었다. ‘곽은 올해(1931) 65세로 어린 시절 활자에 관한 지식을 터득한 사람이다.’ 일기를 보면 판각, 인출 작업은 ‘병보’란 인물이 도맡아 했다. ‘병보가 4월 6일 착수한 문벌인쇄 작업이 오늘 아침에 마쳤다. 그간 107일 동안 인출한 책 수가 1,105권이다.’ 이를 쉽게 풀면 하루 평균 10권 가량 인출한 셈이다. 이 일은 1929년 약 3개월 동안 이뤄졌다. 김낙세의 일기를 완역해 봐야 알겠지만, 필사든 인쇄든 협업의 방식으로 광범위하게 이뤄졌음은 능히 짐작하고도 남을 일이다.
상주동학교의 이 지난(至難)한 작업을 한 동학연구가는 “초기 동학의 기본적 교리를 바탕으로 근대 교단으로서의 면모를 갖춰 대중들의 요구를 담아낸 결과물”이라며 “정통성과 교세확장을 동시에 꾀했다”고 평가했다.
심지훈 한국콘텐츠연구원 총괄에디터
題字: 혜정 류영희
The Story of Sangju Donghak (Frontier Donghak) (5)
-The Reinterpretation of the Original Creeds-
-One is Two; Two are One.-
*Kim Joo-hee, the Leader of Sangju Donghak, was a man naturally endowed with an ability to reinterpret the doctrines presented in the Dong Gyeong Daejeon (東經大典) and the Yongdam Yoosa, the two holy books of Donghak. There were two main causes that directly motivated Kim to revise these. First, after the martyr of the founder Choi Jae-woo, Kim’s own enlightenment around 1910 led to reinterpret the consolidated orthodox theory. Second, Donghak’s two holy scriptures, the Dong Gyeong Daejeon and the Yongdam Yoosa, were banned by the Japanese. These two interior and exterior factors which were inevitable forced Donghak to find a breakthrough in its principles.
What is the orthodox theory? Choe Jae-woo, proclaimed there have existed two Heavenly Periods; The first was the period of apostasy, in which all creatures fell from grace, and the other is the present, the blessed period in which people can realize their good wishes by devoting themselves to the supremacy in ethics. According to the orthodox theory, the turning point of the two periods was the moment when the Founder achieved enlightenment. He taught the principles of the Truth and how to reach the apex of the moral state. The gists of his teachings are: (1) Man and Heaven are the Roots of the Truth, therefore, the two exist in unity; (2) Integrity, Devotion and Faith are the Foundation of the Truth; and (3) Trying to keep one’s spirit and energy in purity is the core of spiritual exercise. In this respect, the Orthodox Donghak represents a monistic view of the world. The Founder declared that all the beings including Heaven and Man exist in unity in nature.
Meanwhile, Kim Joo-hee transformed such Orthodox Donghak Philosophy in his practice of Sangju Donghak without renovating the core ideas of Donghak. While leaving the three principles of disciplinary practice as they were, he reinterpreted the root and trunk of the Donghak philosophy. Kim proposed that 'Hanalnim’ (The Absolute) doesn’t exist in Man, but outside of Man; Heaven and Man exist as separate beings. His idea can be interpreted as a dualistic view on the relation of Man and Heaven in contrast to monistic view of the Orthodox Donghak. Thus, Kim Joo-hee rearranged the philosophical relations of these concerned objects from oneness to dual beings. Thus, Kim’s new philosophical views are as follows: See-Cheon-Ju becomes Heaven as a separate being; the unity of religion and government is separated into individual institutions; the monistic view of the world is replaced with the dualistic view of it. Researchers have made a table of the differences between the two sects as shown in the following table (See the table).
Professor Kim Moon-ki of the Kyungpook National University commented, “Kim Joo-hee thought that because Man is a small Heaven and Heaven is the proper being by nature, the relation of Man to Heaven corresponds to that of a son to his father. Kim’s idea is reflected in the philosophy of Jaecheon (體天), which requests Man to understand the Truth and practice virtues under the guidance of Heaven.”
Kim Joo-hee proposed a new explanation of Donghak philosophy. The Leader, establishing a new direction of Donghak in theory and practice, wrote a series of new scriptures including the Book of Goong Eul, the Book of Dowon, the Book of Dohwa, the Book of Doseonggyeong, and the Books of Chuk-shik and Tongwoon Yeokdae. And, besides the original Yongdam Yoosa written by Choi Jae-woo, he wrote 37 volumes containing 100 songs under the names of Imha Yooseo, Changdeok Songs, Gyeongwoon Songs, Changdo Songs, and Yeonsi Songs. Kim secretly distributed the books of songs and scriptures. A small following of fewer than 20 in 1915 rapidly expanded to a congregation of 1,500 in 1929. To meet the increasing demand for the scriptures and songbooks, Sangju Donghak introduced wood-block printing in 1931.
Kim Duk-yong (1928-1987), the first son of Kim Joo-hee, said in his lifetime, “Ninety percent of the followers were poor farmers, and all the songbooks, except the songs in the book of Imha Yooseo, were originally composed by my father.”
But researchers think that the songbooks may have been written by numerous other authors who rewrote or revised the collected traditional folklore, as they evidently contain many traditional lines and phrases throughout the books.
The Sangju Donghak Scriptures
First of all, the Sangju Donghak Gyeongjeon (尙州東學經典) is an expanded edition based on the Dong Gyeong Daejeon (東經大典) and Yongdam Yoosa, the Scriptures of ‘Core’ Donghak.
The Dong Gyeong Daejeon or the Great Book of Donghak consists of four books: Podeok-Moon which elaborates on the enlightenment process of Choi Jae-woo, the Founder; Nonhak-Moon that tells the gist of Donghak creeds; Soodeok-Moon that reveals the secrets of moral sense cultivation; and Bul-Yeon-Gi-Yeon that clearly describes the realities of the daily secular life in view of contemplation.
Meanwhile, Kim Joo-hee, the Leader, wrote the Goong-Eul-Gyeong that states his own thoughts about the Truth. It is noteworthy that he showed a dualistic approach to the Absolute, putting man on the opposite side. The Leader’s notion can be dubbed as ‘Dualism,’ as he thought that Man and Heaven exist in their proper positions as different objects.
His deep meditation on the Nature of the Truth enlightened him to new aspects of the Truth, and he added the meditative results to the ideas of “the Core Donghak.” He reinterpreted and revised some parts of the Dong Gyeong Daejeon to include what he had found.
The Leader himself wrote the Goong Eul Gyeong that explains the meaning of Donghak in a different way. In addition to writing the new Scripture, Kim re-compiled and re-edited the existing Donghak books to include new ideas or eliminate what he thought unnecessary.
The Goong Eul Gyeong was written as a comprehensive project to explain the meanings of Goong Eul and Donghak, the recovery principles of Heavenly Truth, and the relations of Donghak to Confucianism. The question-and-answer style is used to explain the principles, with Kim himself posing questions and Hannalnim, the Absolute, answering.
The Leader’s descriptive style is not much different from that of the Founder, but it is different in that Kim Joo-hee used the indirect speech in the dialogue.
-Hanalnim answered my questions about Goong Eul and Donghak.
“Goong Eul means that the Ying and the Yang circulate in harmony without ceasing. Donghak refers to the providence that all the creatures are originally born to be blessed and produce the four seasons. So it is called Donghak.”
In addition to the Goong Eul Gyeong, there are four noticeable scriptures:
-The Book of Tong-woon-yeok-dae explains the vicissitudes of everything. Beginning with the phrase ‘Heaven also goes through rise and fall,' the Book clarifies the advent of the new era of the Heavenly Way that comes after a long period of the Earthen Way. It emphasizes that the Earthen Way has dominated the history so far from the ancient period of old Chinese Emperors through the prosperous periods of Buddhism and Christianity.
-The second scripture is The Book of Dowon. This book emphasizes that humans must achieve virtuous mien which is a prerequisite to the recovery of the Good Heaven. It elaborates that the virtues of integrity, deference and faithfulness can only be attained through arduous efforts.
-The Book of Doseong teaches the complex relations of causes and effects. The book elaborates on the reasons why a man is born to be a good or a bad person, what dispositions decide the differences between a sage and a petty man. It further explains how integrity, deference and piety cooperate with one another to help one reach the Way of Heaven. It again emphasizes that the secret lies in the rigorous execution of the teachings.
-The Book of Dohwa preaches the benefits from submission to the laws of nature. It says a wise man follows the laws of nature while adjusting himself to the contemporary demands, but the majority of people do not hold on to the Heavenly Way, and as a result, they are bound to be morally ruined. It urges, ‘You should not let up exercising spiritual discipline by strictly following the teachings of the Former Saint (meaning the Founder Choi Jae-woo).'
The Scriptures of Sangju Donghak maintain the same thematic trends though their individual subjects vary. And the teachings of Sangju Donghak are not inconsistent with those in the Great Book of Dong Gyeong Daejeon of the Core Donghak in a broad sense. The two schools put the highest values on Heaven and Man, and urge their followers to cultivate their minds with all their mind, heart and might.
Donghak Songs: Means of Propagation and Education
With a few exceptions, the Sangju Donghak songs were written in Hangul, the Korean writing system, so that people could learn them easily. This tradition had been kept since the beginning of Donghak.
Founder Choi Jae-woo of Donghak decided to spread the tenets through songs with easily understandable words. His intentions were to make the followers learn the teachings through songs rather than the books written in Chinese characters. Reading a book written in Chinese was beyond the comprehension of the ordinary people because only a small group of Yangban (The Upper Class Man) were able to read and write at that time. His first attempt was to compose the Yongdam Yoosa, a songbook written in the Korean writing system (in phonetic representation). The songs depicted the founding process of Donghak, the personal experiences of enlightenment and the messages he wished to deliver. The first songbook published in 1881 contained eight songs and a long list of religious directions, though one old follower claimed there was another song missing. This singing and reciting method proved itself very effective in propagation and education, especially for the illiterate, ordinary people.
Now the resourceful Leader began to use the same effective evangelical method. He went about writing and spreading the songs in earnest. The Sangju Donghak Songbooks have been known to contain a total of 100 songs in addition to eight original Yongdam Yoosa songs. The songs are compiled in 37 different volumes under the four different titles of Imha Yooseo, Changdeok-ga, Heohwang-ga and Gyeong Woon-ga, The contents of the songs can functionally be classified into two categories: the first group of 19 volumes were for propagation of Donghak; the second group of 81 books were written for spiritual exercise and education.
The second group is then further divided into four subcategories based on the ideological sources or aims: Taoism, Confucianism, the Theories of Ying and Yang (the cosmic dual forces) together with the theory of five elements, and lessons on the wise secular life.
The songs brought about the expected results very soon as the easiness of the song words and rhythms made people readily sing along. The combination of the easily acceptable tenets and the song words greatly helped spread the philosophy of Donghak. Some people confessed that they didn’t pay due attention to the words of the songs and later found themselves in a difficult situation. They said regrettably that they should have listened to the teachings in the song of Doseong-ga in Imha Yooseo, which says, ‘Ignorant people are heedless of what the wise say and find themselves in a plight.’
The song of Seongsim-jang in the Book of Changdeok-ga earnestly requests the followers to open their eyes to the truth and practice what they learn with all their heart:
Since the beginning of the Ying and the Yang,
Humans have been in the position, highest and noblest.
Ignorant of this value, the mass of people,
Full of worries and anguish in mind,
Alas, have given up their hopes.
Equipped with the powerful luck,
And blessings ready for the eager receivers,
Let’s rise up to save the world, down and fallen.
The Sangju Donghak songs spread widely. The words penetrated people’s minds and helped promote mutual friendship among them. As almost nine-tenths of the Donghak followers were farmers, the songs were sung as farm music while they were working in the fields.
The songs were intentionally modeled after the traditional folk ballads such as Qwe-Ji-Na-Ching-Ching-Na-Ne. And exclamatory phrases or sentences like ‘You people!’ ‘Goong Goong Eul Eul’, or ‘You’re the saints!’ were repeatedly and effectively used with rhythms in order to improve their mood and merriment.
An example runs as follows:
Led by our enlightened saints,
We are awakened following their steps,
Goong goong eul eul, we’re the saints!
Shared with the blessings under the just rule,
We are indebted more than any other,
Goong goong eul eul, we’re the saints!
Unlike the above encouraging songs, there were some admonishing songs to awaken those who had lost their bearings. Typical of them is Heo-Hwang-ga (or “the Song of Vanity”) which aims at consolidating the slackened followers. It repeatedly emphasizes that the steadfast attitude will surely bring about the desired achievement. In these songs, the writer used symmetrical expressions to show the glorious results to be garnered after overcoming distress and sufferings. This songbook was issued as an extra volume when their mission work was falling short of their expectations.
Typical phrases in ‘The Song of Vanity’:
A farmer became Emperor Yao (堯), the Ruler of the world,
The Emperor soon rose to the throne from a pottery dealer,
The angler Jiang Tai-gong (姜太公) took the seat of Chancellor.
Emperor Qin (秦) built the Great Walls and Epang Palace (阿房宮),
But he had no chance to use them in his lifetime,
Only to lie buried at the barren Mt. Lishan. (驪山)
This song urges the followers not to lose courage and to unite to tide over their difficulties wisely, bearing in mind the principle, ‘Righteousness will prevail in the end.’
Outwardly, the songs were used as a means of fighting against the oppressive powers. The song of Gyeong-sae in the Book of Sang-hwa-dae-myeong-ga reflects Kim Joo-hee's indignation that the advanced countries broke their promises to help develop the country. Instead they were taking the lead in driving the people into the jaws of death. This exasperation was apparently attributed to the Japanese that had tyrannized the country. Several songs carried antipathy or hostility against the aggressors in varying degrees. The hostility reached the highest peak in the words of Si-sae-ga in the songbook of Taek-Sun-Soo-Duk-Ga, which harshly blames the Japanese for their brutality.
Pursuing the policy of militarism,
Murdering the people as daily routine,
The lawless bands shall be annihilated
by their own swords.
The barbarous gangs shall be perished
falling upon their own spears.
Though there were no direct expressions indicating the targets, the Japanese immediately crossed out those phrases and banned the distribution of the songbooks. Another phrase in ‘An-shim-ga’ of Yongdam Yoosa was extremely provocative to the Japanese as it openly stated in objection, “You villains! Beware not to lose your necks.” Of course, these clauses were instantly omitted by Japanese censorship.
Tradition says that Kim used to write down a series of songs at a time after a bout of suffering from an unknown illness for several days. The finished song drafts were given to Deputy Leader Kim Nak-sae first for proofreading and revision if necessary. Finishing the process, Kim rewrote the drafts in square-hand and returned them to the Leader.
The Leader made the original copy in his own handwriting. Then selected brush writers transcribed the distributive copies. Deputy Leader Kim’s diary would help us to understand how the copying work was done. “Gun and Sangdong were in charge of the copying.”
According to the diary, Gun and Sangdong began to use the woodblock printing process for the first time in 1931. The woodblocks used to be made out of pine trees, pear trees or Chinaberry trees. A printing expert named Gwak Tae-gyu visited the school on March 6, 1931.
The deputy wrote in his diary, “Gwak is 65 years old this year (1931). He learned printing skills in his youth. The printing work that Myeong-bo started on April 6 finished this morning. A total of 1,105 volumes have been printed over a period of 107 days.”
It is supposed that Myeong-bo was the general manager in charge of the printing. Under his supervision, roughly an average of ten volumes were printed daily.
It is not yet confirmed how the work went on, but the copying procedures, whether it be transcription or printing, must have been done on the basis of allotment. But this supposition is yet to be clarified by a thorough analysis of the Deputy Leader’s diary and other relevant documents.
An expert who has studied the history and philosophy of Sangju Donghak for many years commented that those materials are the excellent achievements made by the people of Sangju Donghak. They have worked for the cause of their belief to establish Sangju Donghak as a new beacon of the world based on the fundamental philosophy of Donghak.
Written by Sim, Ji-hoon, Editor in Chief of Hangook Contents Institute
The Inscription by Haejong Yoo, Young-hee.
Translated by Kim, Heedal & Hwang, Yongsoo (Ph.D) at LIKE TEST PREP (www.likestudy.co.kr)
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