장일순 생태사상의 종교 회통적 성격과 생태기술론적 의의

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to prove that the ecological thoughts of Jang Il-sun (1928~1994) were grounded on Donghak thoughts, so could harmonize Taoism, Christianity, and Buddhism, and also, he emphasized ecological spirituality and technique in the actual social movements. Choi Si-hyeong, the second religious leader of Donghak, stresses the point that Hanulnim exists in nature, too. To Jang Il-sun, this idea of Choi Si-hyeong’s laid a critical foundation to harmonize Taoism, Christianity, and Buddhism as the one from ecological perspectives. Based on Choi Si-hyeong’s ecological thoughts, he puts emphasis on the point that what Lao-tzu’s Tao (道), the Lord in Christianity, and Buddha in Buddhism commonly refer to is the very achievement of DaeAh (大我; greater self) considering all creatures as the one. Meanwhile, in the aspects of social movement, Jang Il-sun criticizes that commercial and industrial technology and spirituality in industrial society are characterized by their dominion over nature. As an alternative for it, he suggests the necessity to recover nature’s primitive vitality through ecological farming, particularly foraging agriculture, connect production, distribution, and consumption ecologically, and employ the methods of ecological technique with which humans and nature, and humans and humans can cooperate and coexist. Furthermore, he asks those engaged in ecological movement to reduce their greed, never be involved in the cunning of reason, and treat all people and all creatures under the principle of wuwei (無爲) grounded on the mind of affection or attitude of respect. Today, mankind is falling off the cliff, so-called ecological disaster. What are urgently demanded in this kind of era are ecological spirituality commonly found in all mankind to overcome this global crisis and the conversion of our social system into the patterns of ecological technique or labor grounded on that spirituality. In consideration of the tasks of this time, Jang Il-sun’s ecological thoughts imply a lot in terms of the characteristics of harmonizing and ecological technique.