退溪思想의 종교적 성격과 言語의 문제

Abstract

Toegye (退溪) was not only a philosopher who investigated speculatively the origins of being and humanity, but also a poet who was equipped with a deep sensitivity and prominent techniques. Most of his works were produced after the age of 50, and his concern was how to become aware of Mind (心) and Principle (理) and overcome their discrepancies so as to attain the unity of Mind and Priniciple (心與理一). Toegye insisted that True Joy (眞樂) could be experienced only through uniting Mind and Priniciple. Yet, Toegye's understanding and conviction of Principle (理) as the transcendental ground of being, and his notion of the cultivation of Sincerity (敬) could be described as very religious. For Toegye, Principle, which as the ultimate reality possesses the characters of dynamism and superintendence, can hardly be defined by means of human language. To be sure, philosophical speculations, religious practices and artistic expressions are organically united in Toegye's life and thought. In this sense, 'the philosophical (religious) speculations contained in Toegye's poems' and 'the poetic expressions of his philosophical (religious) speculations' are deeply significant in terms of the harm -onious relationship between nature and humanity, the identity of being and thought, and the unity of subject and object.