#confucian

Vietnamese Imperial Mandarins at the Confucian civil service examinations in Hanoi, Vietnam

Today, we’re going fishing with Sangi Takamura (参議篁). So to speak… Twitter Patreon GitHub LinkedIn YouTube わたの原 (Wata no hara) – Across the open sea,八十島かけて (Yaso-shima kakete) – Spanning eighty islands,こぎ出ぬと (Kogi idenu to) – Rowing forth,人には告げよ (Hito ni wa tsugeyo) – Tell those whom you meet,あまのつり舟 (Ama no tsuribune) – The boat of fishermen from Ama. In translating Sangi Takamura’s poem,…

“There are seven things about serving the court that I could never tolerate, and two things I do that would not be permitted… 

The seven things are: I like to stay in bed late and ignore calls to rise. I enjoy playing the lute and singing, fishing, and wandering in the countryside. How could I feel at ease with government attendants always at hand? I would have to sit still respectfully for long periods although I am by nature restless, and I like scratching when bitten by lice. But how would this be possible when wrapped in official robes and paying my respects to my superiors? I hate writing letters and ignore my correspondence. Fifth, I detest attending funerals, although they are treated with the utmost seriousness by the worldly. I could not help offending people and they might want revenge. I could make a show of weeping but would be unconvincing and be disparaged for it. Then, too, I despise common men and could not tolerate working with them or socialising with them at banquets, having to listen to their prattle and observe their carryings-on. And finally, I have no patience for official tasks and could not tolerate the cares and worries that go with office. 

The two things that would never be permitted are: 

South Korea is known and adored for many reasons, and due to its newfound popularity in the West, people know more about it now than they ever have. However, one aspect of Korean life and culture that has been missed out on is its religions and the influence of religion on its growth and modern day practices. I am here to explain as briefly as possible, the religions of South Korea!

Korean culture has a wide variety of religions and religious elements that have influenced the people of South Korea in their day to day life and practices. In the past religion and politics were combined, however that practice is no longer in place and now religion and politics are separately functioning areas. The religions in the country throughout history and today include Shamanism, Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and recently Christianity.

Nowadays Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity are among the popular religions in South Korea, with many people also not subscribing to any religion at all. Despite these religious beliefs, majority of Koreans still believe in ancestral spirit and Confucian rituals. With that basic explanation out of the way, lets move on to the religions and their beliefs:

Confucianism: “Confucianism was the moral and religious belief founded by Confucius in the 6th century B.C. Basically it is a system of ethical percepts—benevolent love, righteousness, decorum, and wise leadership—designed to inspire and preserve the good management of family and society.” Confucianism was and is one of the most famous religions in Korea that came from Japan and its occupation and influence of the Korean peninsula at different stages in history.

Shamanism: “Shamanism is a primitive religion which does not have a systematic structure but permeates into the daily lives of the people through folklore and customs. Neolithic man believed that while good spirits like the sun would bring good luck to human beings, evil spirits would bring misfortune. The shaman, mudang* in Korean, is an intermediary who can link the living with the spiritual world where the dead reside.” Shamans have been represented in many pop culture aspects such as dramas that show people asking them for help with such things as fertility, marriage and money.

Buddhism: “Buddhism is a highly disciplined philosophical religion which emphasizes personal salvation through rebirth in an endless cycle of reincarnation.” This religion accounts for approximately 46% of the religious population and is one of the more disciplined religions in the country today.

Daoism/Taoism: “The most important of these concepts are (1) the continuity between nature and human beings, or the interaction between the world and human society; (2) the rhythm of constant flux and transformation in the universe and the return or reversion of all things to the Dao from which they emerged; and (3) the worship of ancestors, the cult of heaven, and the divine nature of the sovereign.”

In order to stand culture, we must understand what has influenced and shaped the culture, so I hope you find this interesting like I did. Happy studying, thanks for reading.

This bottle is made from ox horn that has been thinly cut, soaked in water, pressed flat, and polished. The colorful decoration of dragons and flowers is painted on the reverse of the semitransparent horn. Dragons are an auspicious symbol that were thought to being luck to the object’s owner. In Neo-Confucian Korean society, this sort of exuberant, colorful ware was considered suitable only for women’s use; items used by men were more restrained in color and style.