원불교 영성세계의 특징과 의미

Abstract

In 21st century, the term of 'spirituality' became universal terminology to express the most essential in each and every religion. Also in general society, it is including intelligence (IQ) and emotion (EQ), and frequently applied as new barometer of human mental activity to be able to integrally utilize on them. While its usage ratio has been increased, yet it is not the situation that everyone agrees or sympathizes with any conceptual definitions on spirituality. At the background of frequent usage of the term of spirituality, there are criticism on modern civilization and new search of the view on human. Scientific achievement of human being in recent and modern age is based on the mechanistic world-view, the illuminism and the human-centric and rationality-centric thinking of Descartes and Newton. However, recently in contemporary physics and biology, new discoveries, the uncertainty principle, the chaos theory and others are requesting new comprehension on nature and human. Moreover, splendid results of science technology of 20th century brought up crisis of whole earth and ecological catastrophe in 21st century. Therefore, modern human beings reflect the development paradigm of so far, and search for switchover into new thinking. According to these circumstances of the age, this research attempt to investigate the doctrinal direction and its significances in Won-Buddhism which proclaims the Great Opening of mental civilization in cope with change of material civilization; to find out what human figure Won-Buddhism searches for; to consider these points that what will be the significance on the establishment of new paradigm for human being. It also will be considered that for the role of meaningful religion in contemporary society, what needs to be reinforced on doctrinal analysis of Won-Buddhism.