유교의 삶과 죽음에 대한 이해

Abstract

Confucianism greatly influenced the Korean’s perspective on life and death. This paper aims to contemplate the characteristics and significance of understanding the life and death of Confucianism. The main characteristic of understanding the life of Confucianism is placing great importance on the home (family) as a source of life and meaning. It also emphasizes learning through the course of life and values morality to live a life as a decent human. Life of Confucianism places meaning in becoming a man of virtue or a saint with a truly humane character who overcomes pain and suffering and practices benevolence and righteousness in society. Confucianism shows secularistic characteristics that emphasize the present life rather than the afterlife or heaven in understanding death. It considers a man’s life and death ultimately depend on Heaven’s will, but sometimes upholding moral obligations is more important than living. In such cases, one should attain benevolence and practice righteousness even at the expense of own life. Confucianism also developed funeral rites and ancestral rites to overcome death. In short, the Confucian perspective on life and death can be said to have secularistic ritual-centered, communitarian, and moralistic characteristics. According to the Confucian perspective on life and death, human beings must constantly nurture themselves as morally mature beings, and it is important to embody their moral mission by practicing benevolence and righteousness for others and society transcending life and death.